A Deal Worth a Fortune

Ronald retrieved another pill from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Only two," he said calmly.

The elder's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Please wait a moment, young friend. I will fetch the auction receipt right away!"

Moments later, he returned with a finely crafted parchment, an official auction certificate. "Once the items are sold, you can redeem this for gold coins."

Ronald accepted it with a nod, then leaned in slightly. "Elder, I've heard that your esteemed merchant guild deals in all kinds of trade. I have a business proposition—would you be interested?"

The elder's curiosity was piqued. "Oh? Do tell."

Lowering his voice, Ronald asked, "Does your guild engage in… the slave trade?"

The elder hesitated for a brief moment before laughing heartily. "Ah, I thought it was something serious! Of course, we do. However, prices vary depending on the race."

"Then I'd like to hear the details."

The elder stroked his beard. "With war spreading across Yunzhou, captives from all races are flooding the market. Prices are lower than usual. Human slaves are the most expensive, followed by foxfolk and catfolk. Then come the minotaurs, bloodwolves, and other beast races. What exactly are you looking for?"

Ronald nodded in understanding. In Yunzhou, humans were highly valued due to their intelligence and ability to handle various tasks. They were often employed as stewards, bookkeepers, or household servants. Young men and women, in particular, were in high demand.

Foxfolk and catfolk were less versatile but were popular for… other reasons. As for minotaurs and bloodwolves, their aggressive nature and lack of specialized skills made them harder to manage and less desirable in the market.

"I want humans. How many do you have available?"

The elder held up five fingers.

"Fifty thousand?"

"Precisely."

Ronald's gaze sharpened. "I'll take them all. Where are they, and how much?"

The elder chuckled, his expression that of a seasoned businessman. "Half are war captives, and the other half are civilians—mostly young. They won't come cheap." He paused, then continued, "Since you've brought such valuable goods today, I'll give you a fair deal. War captives at ten gold each, civilians at five. That totals three hundred seventy-five thousand gold coins."

Ronald smirked. "Three hundred fifty thousand. That's my offer."

The elder hesitated, clearly reluctant. But considering that Ronald was associated with a figure powerful enough to provide Eternal Youth Pills, he decided against pushing back too hard.

"Very well!" He clapped his hands in agreement. "For you, three hundred fifty thousand it is!"

Without hesitation, the elder retrieved a contract from his storage ring, quickly scribbled a few lines, and handed it over. "Here, present this at Greenpeak Mountain, and you'll receive every last one of them—no tricks, no missing heads."

Ronald nodded and transferred the gold without batting an eye. He had amassed a fortune from betting on himself, and this purchase would serve a greater purpose.

With the deal secured, he felt a sense of satisfaction. His system had assigned him a mission to expand his territory's population to three hundred thousand within a year. With this single transaction, he had already taken care of a sixth of that goal.

The elder, seeing a golden opportunity, leaned forward and grinned. "Young friend, are you sure you don't want to consider other races? Foxfolk and catfolk, for example… they have certain qualities that make them quite desirable. If you catch my drift."

Ronald raised an eyebrow, then burst out laughing. "Of course, I'll buy some. Once I finish up my affairs here, I'll visit Greenpeak Mountain and see for myself. If they're as… remarkable as you say, I'll take a batch to reward my men."

"That's the spirit!" The elder laughed heartily, then suddenly dropped his voice to a whisper. He spoke a few words in Ronald's ear, making the young man's eyes widen in shock.

"You're joking. You actually have them in stock?"

The elder smirked mysteriously. "Young friend, keep your voice down. If you're interested, come see for yourself. If not, let's pretend I never mentioned it."

Ronald's lips curled into a playful grin. "Interested? Well… that depends." He exchanged a knowing glance—one only men would understand.

After exchanging a few more words, Ronald stood up and bid his farewell. His hunter squad, stationed at the door, quickly formed up behind him as they left.

The afternoon matches were about to begin.

From each group, the strongest ten had emerged victorious. As expected, the tournament's Top Ten Young Champions had all advanced without issue, including:

Murong Ying, the Breeze Sword from the human race (Ranked 10th)Hong Ba, the Mountain-Splitting Blade from the human race (Ranked 9th)Solitary Wolf, an elite warrior of the bloodwolf race (Ranked 8th)Niu Wuliu, a monstrous powerhouse of the minotaur race (Ranked 7th)Mo Yu and Yang Tai, two rising stars of the elf raceAnd the highest-ranked contestant of this year, Ye Xiaochi from the Nightshade Clan

Apart from these well-known fighters, two dark horses had also emerged—

One was Fu Wude, a formidable warrior from the Geomancer Clan, and the other, a young prodigy from the Red Fox Tribe.

Ronald swept his gaze across the remaining contestants, his mind already calculating his next steps.

The real battle… was about to begin.