Chapter:8 Getting Hassled

"Slave" Willis eyes shone behind his dark glasses.

"Ah yes we have a lot of those would you like to see?"

"Sure" Shoto replied.

Willis studied Shoto crazily with his eyes as they walked to were the slave were held. His eyes turned red trying to detect Shoto's aura but he got nothing something with blocking his skill. He tried using his skill on Grysilia but she glared back at him peering into his very being.

He turned around to massage his eyes as using his skill caused them much pain. You see Willis skill that could gage someone's emotional state by reading thier mana once he figured out their emotional state he would engage with them in a way that guarantee him a lot of profit. The only problem was that Shoto's mane was no existent in his eyes.

"So mister what kind of slave you like?" He asked Shoto.

"Slaves that can do work" Shoto scanned the slaves with the augmented reality in his eyes.

"Is what kind of work I'll be able to provide you with the best slaves if you tell me??"

"I just need slaves that can do any kind of work I tell them to."

"Oh"

Willis sounded disappointed he was figuring out customers desire but Shoto gave off no desire. He decided to advertise.

"Perhaps you'd like this one she's good at combat and can protect you very well" he pointed at a lion woman with his cane.

"No" Shoto replied.

"How about this one he used be an A-rank adventure so he'll be great bodyguard"

"Not interested"

"Then this one you might like she's a nymph with an ability to heal you can use her as your concubine"

"Ha"

Willis gained a small glimmer of hope from from Shoto's small laugh.

"Your just showing me the expensive stuff why don't you show me what's in the back" Shoto said.

"Mister you wouldn't want those thei-"

"The customer is always right aren't they?" Shoto cute him off.

Willis could refute that and Shoto's presence began to intimidate with just those two sentences.

"A you wish mister"  Willis led Shoto to the back of the tent.

"Cough cough!"

The sound of people coughing could be heard Shoto looked at the sick slaves and injured slaves. His augmented reality was still on he looked around a little.

[Targets identified]

(Good)

"I'd like this one that, that one, that one and that one" Shoto pointed at the slaves he saw entered the tent yesterday.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah"

"Well since they arrived yesterday they'll cost ten Gold each" Willis said with a smile.

The was fourty Gold if you calculated but Willis smile vanished after the following words spoken by Grysilia.

"But Sir those slaves you choose are either sick, injured or malnourished slaves with such conditions price should be lowered"

'Shit' Willis cursed inwardly.

"Your trying to sell me poorly treated slaves for fourty Gold" Shoto's aura said in an intimidating voice.

"No well.. you.. see." Willis had no excuse.

"Will it help if I lower the price of each slaves four Gold"

That would make it twenty-fourth Gold but Shoto pressed wasn't going to allow that.

"I still feel like your trying to cheat me so lower it by six it you've got a deal I'm not going to buy sick slaves for twenty-fourth Gold" Shoto viciously said.

"Haaa it's a deal" Willis said.

At the end of the day he still needed to make money and selling low quality goods wouldn't make you a lot.

Shoto handed him sixteen gold as they slaves were released. It was the slaves he saw yesterday the catgirl, the human woman, the dwarf woman and the little boy with yellow hair.

"Please put a drop of your blood on the slave crests" Willis said as he had prepared the crest.

The crest glowed purple before Shoto bit his thumb and dropped one drop of blood on each crest.

spark!

They sparked turning a bright red then turning into a black collar around their neck.

A small screen only Shoto could she appeared it displayed four slave crests  for his slaves.

"Take them to the carriage" he ordered Grysilia.

"Please come again" Shoto heard Willis say as he followed behind the his slaves leaving the tent.

Before the slaves could bored the carriage Shoto asked them.

"What are your names?"

The slaves looked at each other than the catgirl raised her hand.

"My name is Nora master"

"My name is Brianna master" the human woman said.

"My name is Galla my master " the dwarf woman said.

"My name is Luca" the little boy with yellow hair said.

"Cough!" Galla coughed.

Grysilia let them bored the carriage as they drove off.After Shoto and Grysilia left Willis sat on his chair with his head down.

"Fredrick" he called his servant.

"Yes Sir"

"Find out everything you can about them"

Shoto, Grysilia and the slaves strolled around in the carriage before stopped at a stall to buy bread. Shoto bought four loaves of bread and went behind the carriage to give his slaves.

He gave one loaf of bread to the catgirl Nora she accepted it then broke of a piece and was about to hand to Brianna in front her.

"What are you doing?" Shoto stopped her.

"I'm... dividing..it.. master" Nora began shaking in fear.

"You don't have to I bought enough for all of you" he should the loaves of bread before handing them out.

Shoto observed as they ate their loaf of bread. Galla and Luca struggled to to eat because of their sickness which Nora and Brianna ate like it was the last meal they were going to eat.

Shoto got back on the carriage and began talking telepathically with Grysilia.

(You did good Sir)

She complimented.

(Nah if I hadn't scanned his skill the day before we'd would have been hassled real bad)

(Using a distortion barrier to prevent him from reading our mana was quite genius Sir)

(Yeah but that was all Sage)

(I see well thank you Sage)

[I am here to serve Master] Sage said ending the talk after they reached the inn.

"Oh welcome back mister did you have a nice day" the girl at the counter greeted them as they entered the in.

Shoto spotted two men sitting having a drink they gave him glance before turning away. They looked suspicious but Shoto didn't bother with them.

"Yeah um Dorothy were is your grandmother?" Shoto asked.

"Yeah um grandma is..." Dorothy struggled to answer.

"I'm back" Grandma Vivi said entering the inn.

Again Shoto was marveled by the elderly woman who looked like a stunning fourty year old.

"Oh young merchant I see your back and you brought.. friends" Grandma Vivi said before giving a quick glance at the two suspicious man at the table. Shoto notice the scared look in her eyes before it faded.

"I was wondering if we could get a room with four beds for the I also be paying for thier stay" Shoto said.

"Yes... that's alright Dorothy guide them to the room help move some of the beds"

"Yes grandma um this way Sir" Dorothy got the chair and guided Shoto.

After Shoto, Grysilia, Dorothy and the four slaves left it was just grandma Vivi and the two suspicious men in the room.

One of the men got up after finishing his drink he and stood in front of grandma Vivi. He was a tall muscular man with a scar across his left eye and small mustache.

"I see got customers that's means you'll be making more money these days" he said in a low voice.

"Yes" grandma Vivi said looking down with shaking eyes.

The man put his hands on her shoulder and leaned in close. He took out his other hand from his pocket and opened it. Grandma Vivi reached into the pocket of her apron and took out a small pouch full of bronze coins.

The took the pouch removing his hand from her shoulder he looked into the pouch.

"Wow this is a lot you even left and extra one for us" said throwing the pouch to his companion at the table.

"You would have rung it out of me anyway" she said still looking down.

The man turned to her and said "Listen this is for your protection the Mariposa Family can't protect you if you don't pay up"

Even a man with blind eyes could see that this wasn't protection it was extortion these were members of the Mafia. The would burn down this Inn if she had missed payment once.

After the two men left Grandma Vivi flopped to the ground. Everytime they came by her heart beat would always rise this wasn't good for person her age.

"Grandma!" Dorothy screamed see her grandma on the ground.She rushed to help her grandma get up.

"Did they do anything to you grandma?" Dorothy wanted to tear up seeing her grandmother stressed.

"No I'm fine nothing happened" Grandma Vivi said rubbing the shoulder the man touch. It brought back bad memories just touching it.

She shook off the resurfacing trauma and got to assist her guests.

'This is all for my family' she said to herself while looking at Dorothy.