Business with a Slave Trader

The sun rose. Everyone in the house was asleep, so Nolan slowly made his way out of the room.

However, just as he stepped into the living room, Nara greeted him. No, she was waiting for him.

Harley knelt beside her. Seeing Harley kneeling beside Nara, Nolan had only one thought: "We are fuc.ked."

In fact, Nara was stronger than Harley.

'Inspect.' Nolan used his skill [Inspect] on Nara. Not that he didn't know her stats, he already used [Inspect] the first time they met because he was curious about the stats of a noblewoman. But this time, he used [Inspect], because he wanted to see the mightiness that beat his as.s.

[Name: Nara Frye]

[Age: 30 years, 11 months, 23 days]

[Personality: Caring wife]

[Occupation: Housewife- In use, Military general, fallen noble]

[Martial arts: Excellent spearmanship]

[Passive occupation skills: None]

[Martial arts skills: Dragon spear]

[Strength: 28]

[Stamina: 36]

[Agility: 40]

…

After a half-hour, the beating finally stopped.

Nolan and Harley lay on the ground, beaten.

Nara sat on a chair before them.

"Wife, you are so cruel," Harley complained in tears.

"Hmph! You are lucky Henry is sleeping, and I don't want to wake him up or else…" Nara raised her fist. Seeing the fist, Nolan's and Harley's bodies shook in fear. They just thanked Henry in their hearts.

"And you!" She turned at Nolan, furious. "You have the guts to make my husband leave my bed and then return an hour before dawn with a girl!"

"It's not what you think. You should have let us explain it to you," Nolan complained, and Harley nodded in approval.

"Alright. I'll listen, explain." She said, crossing her legs.

"What's the use now? You have already beaten us." Nolan complained again, refusing to explain.

A smile spread across Nara's face. But not a gentle warm smile, but a forced evil smile. "Looks like I have not beaten you enough. I still have to beat some sense into both of you."

"Wait, wait, wait! We'll explain!" Nolan and Harley spoke simultaneously.

They sat in a lotus position (Cross-legged) on the ground and started explaining.

…

After fifteen minutes, Nolan and Harley had finished their explanation.

"So simply said, you wanted to open a restaurant but didn't have money, so you decided to rob the bad guys. While you were robbing them, you saved the girl and didn't want her to die, so you thought she could be a waiter in the restaurant and brought her here?"

Harley and Nola nodded in agreement.

Nara waved her hand. "Alright. You are free to go." She stood up from the chair.

"My dear wife," Harley jumped from the ground, hurrying to hug his wife.

She glared at him angrily. "Scram before I change my mind!"

He froze on the spot. He didn't dare step even an inch closer to his wife.

"Let's go, let's go!" He said, taking Nolan by the hand and leading him out of the house.

"How long will it take until she calms down?" Nolan asked as they walked down the street.

As usual, the street was busy, and on the stalls, you could find almost anything.

"I don't know. Best case, she will calm down before the end of the day. Worst case, we would have to spend the night outside." Harley replied, looking all around. Searching for a suitable place to open a restaurant. "I lived on this street for a couple of years now, and I have yet to hear of someone selling a building here."

"Let's try our luck on the next street," Nolan said while Harley just nodded in agreement.

However, as they were just about to turn the corner and enter the next street, Nolan noticed a stall selling slaves.

"Let's go over there." Nolan pointed at the stall.

"What? Why would we go there? I don't like those places." Harley complained instantly.

"Harley, the best opportunities lay there. It's like buying a mystery box, except you already saw what's in the box before even buying it." Nolan spoke as he walked towards the stall.

Having no other choice, Harley followed him. "You mean like cracking mystery stones?"

"Y-Yeah something like that."

They arrived before the stall. In fact, on the small wooden stall were placed drinks and food for the fat slave salesman behind the stall. And the goods were exhibited around the stall, locked in large metal cages.

'Why are the rich people always fat?' Nolan wondered, looking at the fat slave salesman.

He wore black clothes and had golden rings on all of his fat fingers, except the ring finger. His outfit alone screamed: "I am rich!"

"Two sirs, how can I help you?" The fat slave trader asked, rubbing his hands.

Nolan used his skill [Inspect] and quickly scanned the slaves exhibited. He couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. He found no slave he could use. After all, the slaves exhibited were mostly beautiful women. The slave trader probably wanted to attract the attention of male customers.

"Are those all the slaves you have?" Nolan asked.

If any other person from modern times saw the slaves, he would instantly ask the price to free them all, even If it meant wasting the hard-earned money. But Nolan didn't share the ideals of those people. He was not a charity, nor was he soo good-hearted to buy all the slaves and free them. He saw no point in freeing them if at the end of the day, they would be captured again. Just a massive waste of money. Maybe he would buy and free them if he had immense wealth, but not now.

"Sir, please follow me." The slave trader turned back and entered the building or better said, the ruin behind his stall.

Nolan and Harley followed closely behind the slave trader. "Why didn't you tell me about this place? We could buy it." Nolan whispered to Harley.

"He is a slave trader. I don't think he plans on selling it." Harley whispered back.

"How much is your house worth?" Nolan asked, lowering his voice even more.

"Why?"

"Just tell me."

They stopped in the middle of the building before an iron door on the floor.

"Fifty taels of silver," Harley whispered, and Nolan just nodded at the answer.

Creeeeak!

The fat slave trader opened the door.

A weak light came from below. The slave trader led the way down wooden stairs while Nolan and Harley followed closely behind.

The stairs led to a basement.

"We arrived." The slave trader said.

Oil lamps lighted the whole basement.

The basement was enormous, probably stretched below the whole building, and was full of large slave cages.

"Sir, those are all the slaves I currently have. Please see If any are to your liking." The slave trader rubbed his fat hands as he watched Nolan's shocked expression.

'This is a really good place.' Nolan thought at the sight of the large basement. He couldn't help but smile as a great idea for business popped into his mind. 'I must buy it.'

Nolan walked from cage to cage, using [Inspect] on the slaves. Most of the slaves had unhealthy, pale skin color, they probably had not seen the sun for weeks, and most looked very fragile. In fact, they were so skinny you could count their bones.

Nolan almost lost hope of finding a good slave, but in the last cage, he found a badly beaten slave. A smile spread across his face as he saw his status window.

[Name: Kelton]

[State: Beaten, hungry, cold]

[Age: 46 years]

[Personality: Good man- Unavailable]

[He had been enslaved, beaten, and starved, he has lost hope that the good in humans still exists]

[Occupation: Excellent mason]

[Martial arts: None]

[Strength: 4/11]

[Stamina: 1/8]

[Agility: 1/7]

'This again? His personality is unavailable, and I understand that. But why are his stats lowered? I saw this on the other slaves too. Is it possible that their state affects their stats?' Nolan thought, observing Kelton's status window.

"How much is he?" Nolan pointed at Kelton.

At first, he wanted to buy some good labor men, but he never expected to encounter gold like Kelton. He had really struck the jackpot this time.

The slave trader greedily rubbed his hands. "Sir, he is two taels of silver."

"Huh? That's too…" Harley started complaining but immediately stopped when he saw Nolan raise his hand, signalizing him to stop.

"Do you take me for a fool? He is on the brink of death, and you want to sell him for two taels of silver." Nolan knew the slave trader wanted to cheat him big time because he saw his personality and occupation on his status window.

[Personality: Money lover]

[Occupation: Slave trader]

[Additional description: A greedy slave trader who reaps money off his customers]

'Hmph! Trying to reap my money? Dream on!'

"The most I could give you is a tael of silver," Nolan added as he took a tael of silver out of his sleeve.

"Thi-This is a little too low." The slave trader said nervously.

"Nine hundred copper coins." Nolan lowered the price.

"Sir, please don't make it difficult for me."

"Eight hundred copper coins." Nolan lowered the price again.

Seeing that as long as he complains, Nolan would lower the price, and he had no way of raising it again, the slave trader decided to shut up and think it thoroughly.

This slave was on the brink of death, and he couldn't find anyone else to sell it to, so since this person wants to buy it, why not just sell it?

"Alright. Eight hundred copper coins." The slave trader stretched his hand for a handshake.

Nolan smiled. "It's too early for a handshake."

"Sir, what do you mean?"

"Here, take this." Nolan gave him the silver tael. "I'll buy the slave for a tael of silver. However, I hope you can sell this building to me."

The slave trader smiled widely. "Looks like we are fated. I planned on selling this old building. But I couldn't find a customer willing to buy it. My best price is twenty-five taels of silver." The slave trader offered his price as he greedily rubbed his palms.

"I am an honest businessman. This building is worth no more than fifteen taels of silver. However, considering the fact that I want to build a good relationship with you, I am willing to offer you twenty taels of silver. And buy some slaves worth five taels." Nolan stretched his hand for a handshake. "Deal?"

"Deal, deal!" The slave trade shook Nolan's hand eagerly.

'Perfect.' Nolan thought.

After that, Nolan chose a few more slaves. Of course, with the help of the system, he picked only the strongest.

The slave trader brought a brush, ink, and paper. They signed a contract, and Nolan paid for the slaves and the house.

They shook hands again, and Nolan, Harley, and the slaves left.

The slave trader would move the cages in a few days, so then they would start renovating the place.