The Witcher: Elemental Lords

It was midday, and the sun was scorching. The streets were mostly deserted, with people trying to stay in the shade of trees or the awnings of shops. Despite being in the north, the city's basin-like structure kept the temperature high.

In front of the Zonglu Garden, many luxurious carriages were parked. Beside the carriages stood several people who looked unapproachable.

The coachman dared not go any further, so Dorlay had to pay the fare, get out of the carriage, and walk the rest of the way to the entrance.

As he passed the carriages, he noticed that each one was unique, suggesting that they belonged to wealthy individuals.

"Is the slave market so prosperous these days? What's attracting so many people?"

He was quite opposed to the idea of selling slaves, but it was a structural problem of society. If he couldn't solve it at its root, he could only integrate into it and save as many as he could.

With that thought, he stepped inside.

The hall was bustling with activity, filled with people. Cages containing people lined the walls beside the pillars.

Men and women, mostly scantily clad, with only some cloth covering their vital areas.

His gaze swept across the room, and he noticed that there were other races present, including several dusty-looking dwarves who appeared quite frail.

He didn't dwell on it and simply grabbed a servant, asking him to fetch Rupert.

The servant quickly departed, and before long, Rupert discreetly emerged from within, greeting others as he walked, displaying great enthusiasm.

Rupert quickly navigated through the crowd to reach Dorlay, somewhat surprised. "Lord Dorlay, this is a rare visit! How did you find those three little ones from last time?" He suddenly slapped his mouth. "Look at my big mouth. Going to your place is naturally their good fortune. Have you come to see more inside this time?"

Emmm, he really knows how to talk.

Dorlay smiled and said, "Of course. They must have the talent of a wizard. I don't need anyone on the warrior side."

Rupert gave a gentlemanly bow, gestured with his hand, and said, "Please, follow me."

As Rupert walked, he had already attracted attention. When people saw that it was a wizard, they began to speculate. Soon, Dorlay's background was revealed, and some were immediately shocked.

This person had been causing quite a stir in Wassonburg recently. The Marcia family had openly declared their opposition, and the Sikong family was following suit. No one knew what was happening, but the three families were feuding, making things very lively.

Some nobles also had dealings with Dorlay, mainly regarding potions, but Dorlay had recently reduced the channels for selling potions, which made some people feel that now might be a good time to approach him.

Normally, this person was nowhere to be seen, refusing all invitations. Morris and Sano were much more adaptable, but Morris and Sano couldn't make decisions for the Wizard Tower. There was no hope there.

Only this person was the true master of the Wizard Tower.

Some people immediately began to move, their footsteps unconsciously following them inside.

Zonglu Garden was divided into two parts: the outer public area, where all the slaves were rotated every two hours, and the inner apartment area, which housed high-end slaves, at the very least those with warrior or wizard talents. The prices were extremely high. One slave could fetch the amount some families earned in a year. Apart from a few major families, almost no one went inside.

Slaves ranged from hundreds of gold coins to tens of thousands of gold coins. Slaves with wizard talents started at 100,000 gold coins each, a very high price that ordinary nobles couldn't afford.

In the quiet backyard, Rupert pretended not to notice the people following behind, and introduced Dorlay as they walked.

"Recently, we have been at war with several countries in the northwest. The Empire's Twelfth and Thirteenth Legions have already defeated the small country of Anmi, capturing a large number of people. Actually, it's not a big deal. The Empire doesn't want to fight at all, but those small northwestern countries were instigated by the far northern power, insisting on picking a fight. Now, they have become prisoners."

They walked past several small apartments in turn, arriving at the larger apartments in the back.

There were also people in the previous apartments, but they were quiet at the door, with almost no one willing to come out. Occasionally, a child could be seen peering out, longing for the freedom outside after staying here for so long.

Dorlay himself had experienced confinement and knew what it was like to be locked up, so he took a few more glances at these children, but he would give up when he discovered that their talents were average.

He wasn't running a welfare home.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the larger apartments in the back. Rupert clapped his hands, and soon, several reprimanding voices came from inside the apartments. Before long, some people walked out in a disheveled state.

Some adults, mostly children, were neatly dressed but looked as if they hadn't bathed in days and were somewhat listless. The adults wore special handcuffs and shackles, making it very difficult to walk, while the children quietly stayed beside the adults, staring blankly ahead, as if they had already accepted their fate.

The entrances of these apartments were soon filled with people.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Rupert flattered Dorlay, saying, "Wizard Dorlay, everyone is here. You can choose now. These are either members of the Anmi Kingdom's royal family or from the major noble families. Their talents are all still acceptable. Those with poor talents are outside."

Dorlay nodded and looked carefully.

At this time, some people had followed behind them, curiously looking at these high-ranking officials of the Anmi Kingdom.

Outside, one could only see ordinary nobles, but where could one see such outstanding individuals?

These nobles, the men handsome and the women beautiful, with good figures, were simply eye-catching.

At this moment, someone shouted loudly, "Rupert, how much are these people worth?"

Rupert turned his head and glanced, chuckling, "Little Robert, you can't afford them. Give up."

The man immediately roared unwillingly, "There must be a price."

The others echoed in agreement.

Dorlay saw that the high-ranking officials of the Anmi Kingdom now showed grief and indignation in their eyes, but they didn't dare to raise their heads, standing there with their chests heaving.

Dorlay thought that they had accepted their fate, but they probably couldn't accept being discussed like merchandise. They were still immature.

Rupert began to haggle with those nobles behind him.

Dorlay didn't bother with him. He glanced at everyone and suddenly said, "Does anyone here have experience as a steward or something similar? I need a professional."

Everyone raised their heads, looked at Dorlay, glanced at each other, and then lowered their heads again.

At this moment, a small child weakly raised his hand.

Behind him, an adult patted him on the head, pushing his hand back down. The child was unconvinced and raised it again.

"Nonsense, quickly put it down. Where have you ever done steward work? You'll die if you don't do it well." As a slave, that person was very aware of his position.

"I followed Uncle An for a while and learned from him," the child said weakly.

Remembering Uncle An, a trace of tears appeared in the child's eyes.

The person behind him suddenly paused and stopped speaking.

Dorlay looked at the little boy, then at the adult, and then said, "You, come out."