A Talk With Slave Trader

 With the knowledge they obtain, the couple head straight towards the main source of income of another family, the competitor of the Craw Family, which is their slave warehouse. Possessing similar status as the Craw, they are one of the more powerful family in a ten Underworld. As one of the rulers of the Underworld, they have some lands in it, most of it used to set up a slave warehouse.

 Unlike regular wares that can be sold in stores, to buy a slave, one just go to the warehouse in question. To be able to do that, one must pass several layer of security, along with bringing an absurd amount of money.

 If one did not bring any or near enough money, they will not be granted entry. Thankfully, the thugs they killed possess some wealth. With it, and their storage ring which Ryker blatantly show, they are allowed entry into the area with ease.

 "Welcome esteemed costumes. What do you wish to buy?" a portly looking man asked, greeting the two with a large smile. Seeing how they took out a large pouch full of silver, there is no doubt he hit the jackpot.

 "Hhmm, let us see what ware do you have. After all, we don't want to buy just any slaves," Ryker exclaimed, eying some of the slaves outside.

 They are inside a cage, allowing others to see them like an exhibit. Ina snorted distastefully, causing the portly man to sweat in anxiety.

 "They are not out best of course. The better slaves are inside the warehouse, where they are treated much better," the portly man promised.

 This earned him a look of surprise from the two. "Really," Ryker asked sceptically. "I thought slaves are treated like mere properties," he said.

 "They are still consider properties but think, do you want to buy a furniture that looked like it won't even last a day, or do you want to buy a new furnisher that is not only immaculate, but also sturdy and would last a long time," the portly man asked.

 Ryker and Ina gave it a thought and could see the point the man is making.

 "You seem to treat slaves better than another family that involve themselves in slave trading," Ryker replied, prodding the man.

 The man snorted, "You must be talking about the Craw Family. A bunch of thieves and scammers if you asked me," he said in disdain.

 "You don't seem to hold them in high regard," Ryker said, his brows arching at the man.

 "Of course, they take people against their wills, grabbing those from nearby settlements and newcomers to the city. Unfortunately, they hide their tracks well, so it is hard to gain any evidence against them, hence, the city inaction against the Craw.

 Not to mention, even if the city decided to move against them, they will suffer greatly as the Craw could do significant amount of damage to the city if the authority are not careful. But I digress, let's head back to the topic of buying slaves," the portly man said, looking at him like he is a pouch filled with gold.

 Ryker inwardly rolled his eyes, though his opinion of the man improve. As they walked towards the slave warehouse, he began to tell them the origin of the slaves.

 "The slaves we sold here are the 'legal' ones. Legal slaves are slaves that are allowed to be sold by the city, and the barony as a whole. While I am not sure of the other noble domain, at least here, they are legal.

 Legal slaves consist of people that in deep debt, and criminals with varying offences. The slaves that were caged are bandits, or former bandits to be exact. If there are chances of them being captured, most people would do so as they can gain both the bounty for the bandits as well as money from selling them.

 For the serious offenders, they tend to be more rowdy and more horrid to dealt with. So, they tend to get the worst cells, though they still get fed 3 times a day, every day.

 As for the debtors and criminals with lesser offenses, they tend to be behave better, and listen to orders. They also possess some skills, from doing houseworks, to even being able to fight.

 Based on their skills, they will be given different tasks. The first one would be house slaves. They are the one that keep watch over the house, and take of the daily needs of their master as well as making sure the house is taken care off.

 The second one is battle slaves. They are capable of fighting, with some even being cultivators, though their realm tend to be at the lower end, with only the 8th Stage of Genesis Gathering being the highest cultivation realm as slave ever possessed.

 However, they are no slaves with such high cultivation realm. For now, the highest one would be the 6th Stage.

 Then, the last slave is sex slave. They tend to be beautiful or handsome with amazing bodies. From the name, you should guess what they do," both of them nodded, with Ina blushing slightly at such thought.

 "Are there anyone that ever bought the slaves outside? It seem counterproductive to keep them. After all, they don't listen to order and you still need to feed them, and there are very few people that will buy them in the end, so, it's hard to see why anyone would want them," Ryker pointed.

 "True, but there is more to it. Slaves of any kind cannot disobey the order of their masters. See those metal collars on their necks," the man pointed, the couple quickly spotting the said collars.

 "The collars allowed the Master to control their slaves life and death. So, any revolt will result in punishment. Any disobedience will also resulted in punishment. So, those that did not have enough money to get the better slaves but want to buy one tend to buy them, as they are cheaper," the man explained as he came to the front of the warehouse.

 With a single wave of his hand, the door to the warehouse opened, revealing rows and rows of cells. To the slave traders' credit, each cells, while not the epitome of comfort, is more than enough, with beds, table and chair, along with some books.

 "A knowledgeable slave is a boon as they know a lot of things and able to do what many slaves cannot do. While the profits from the sale will not go to the slave themselves, they would still receive some boons. From a better work opportunity, to even a chance to gain their freedom.

 So, some of the slaves took the chance to learn as much as they can so they could live a better life. After all, a live in slavery is just a part of life,"