Salvage(14)

After a lengthy argument, Lelin finally gave up, and a mage again appeared.

This mage had previously placed a slave crest on a flying dragon's egg and now carried a jar filled with ink, just like before Morsan had left a few drops of his blood on a small dish. 

The mage dipped his brush into the ink and carefully painted the magic crest onto Lupiney's chest. 

Surprisingly, Lupiney remained completely calm throughout the entire process, not even flinching as the pattern on her chest began to glow. 

Normally, when a slave crest was placed on someone, it would cause them immense pain. 

However, Lupiney's serene silence caused everyone present to raise their eyebrows in astonishment. Morsan suddenly noticed a flashing status icon in his field of vision. 

A window opened, displaying the conditions of use for the acquired slave. Morsan entered the same condition he had placed on his dragon egg.

The conditions stated that any attempt to attack him while he slept or any action that went against his will would result in immediate punishment. 

Morsan then added Lupiney's name to the party member icon that appeared outside of the slave menu. 

According to the records, Lupiney's value was only 40 silver pieces due to her illness and weak body, which prevented her from being able to work. 

Morsan paid 45 silver pieces to the mage for the advanced slave crest, as well as for handling the deal with the slave trader who would arrive the next day. He also offered to use his authority to negotiate Lupiney's sale to the slave trader. 

Morsan gladly accepted his offer since it saved him a lot of trouble. Throughout this entire process, Lelin watched Morsan intently, with a piercing gaze. 

Ignoring Lelin, Morsan took a quick look at Lupiney's status. Her basic stats were even lower than Morsan's when he was six years old. Even though she was too weak in every regard, one thing stood out most of all, her pain tolerance. 

'What the...!? isn't her pain tolerance even higher than mine?' 

Morsan was utterly amazed by her remarkable pain tolerance. It dawned on him why she didn't even flinch when the slave crest was etched onto her skin. 

He pondered over the amount of pain she must endure in her everyday life to develop such an impressive pain threshold. Another question arose in his mind as he contemplated the restriction he had imposed. 

If she could withstand that much pain, could she possibly disregard the punishment effect he had implemented to control her? Shaking his head, he resolved to test his uncertainty at a later time. 

"...Hey Morsan, what are you waiting for? heal her using your connection, quickly!"

"...No, not yet... it's a long process, I need a quiet space to perform that magic. I need to heal her scars and feed her to her fullest before I use my magic. Let's go to my place where I am currently staying."

Morsan shook his head in disagreement at what Lelin said and started walking away from there after gesturing for Lupiney to follow him. 

Morsan's new dragon egg was left to the beast tamer for a further check-up, about its condition and to determine its hatching period.

Lupiney trailed behind him, having taken a moment to say goodbye to Lelin. With Lelin's busy agenda for the evening and the pressing obligation to accompany the prince, he reluctantly distanced himself, assuring Lupiney that he would visit her and inquire about her well-being upon his return with the prince the following day. 

This action vexed Morsan, as Lelin seemed to act as if Morsan was taking his daughter away from him throughout this entire ordeal. 

Morsan began to stride away, beckoning for Lupiney to accompany him. He turned away from the circus tent, leaving it behind. Lupiney, his newly acquired slave, trailed behind him, wearing a curious expression as she surveyed their surroundings. Despite the dim moonlight, the surroundings remained barely visible. 

"Do you and Lelin have any prior acquaintance?" Morsan inquired. 

Lupiney shook her head, indicating that they did not, although it was a foolish gesture. If the slave dared to disobey his orders or attempt to deceive him, she would face the consequences. 

Thus, the curse of punishment for the slave was activated. The slave crest on her chest glowed, revealing her lie, yet she displayed no reaction as if nothing was amiss. 

'Damn it! So, did they know each other?! When did this happen? That scoundrel spoke as if today was their first encounter... Tsk, the condition I imposed on her is ineffective due to her high pain tolerance!' 

*Cough! * *Cough! *

Even though she could tolerate the pain, she couldn't sustain the damage it caused so Lupiney coughed up some blood and appeared on the verge of collapsing. 

Yet she remained silent without disclosing anything. 

"Hey, it would be great if you could say something to ease your pain! Now that I know you are both acquainted, why not just share a few words?!!" 

Seeing her still keeping her silence, Morsan couldn't help but lift the condition that inflicted her pain and carried her in his arms like a princess as they continued their way to the tent where he was currently staying. 

Lupiney let out a surprised gasp as Morsan lifted her in his arms. Her yellow eyes kept looking at Morsan's face as he carried it all the way. 

Morsan couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger, as he thought about how he couldn't control the very first slave he bought. 

'What kind of slave would disobey the order of her master?... damn it...' 

He met a lot of inquiring eyes on the way back. 

When they arrived at the room where he was staying, Morsan placed her as gently as possible in his bed and saw that her whole face was in deep red. Her ears and tail were twitching strangely. 

'Is she caught a fever?' 

He placed his hands on her forehead to check her temperature and found she hadn't caught a fever. 

'Why did her face turn so red if she didn't have a fever?' 

***

Author's note:

Once again, thank you, Tempest1618, Manuel Chavez, WonderingAbyss, David Aderoju, GigaChad, and Sir_dood134 (Mr. Andrew), for making this fanfiction possible. Your sponsorship and encouragement have made a lasting impact on our creative endeavors, and we are forever grateful for your presence in our fanfiction journey.