Chapter 42:

Trade Lives.

My will shall resonate in this stormy game


All my slaves were there with me, many of the malnourished and in poor health found the walk difficult and the wagons Abaddon gave me served that purpose and many more with the supplies, while I found the arrival of warriors something more comforting, while I clearly noticed the symbol of the Celim family on their clothes and the people who soon led the way with the boy at the front and I still had the aftertaste of knowing that the child had more than one life from his visions, but that answered many things in my mind, while I gathered at the head, along with a couple more well dressed people.

“Young man, it’s good to see you in good condition.” He managed to add cheerfulness to his tone, as he waited for the answer.

“Likewise, Trader Abel.” I bow my head respectfully as I answer.

“So, do I interrupt something?”

"We're just negotiating my payment," the gentleman said, holding his sleeping daughter in his arms.

“I see, I won’t keep you any longer, I’d like to chat later if you don’t mind.”

“We’ve already finalized the details, now it’s just the pending payment.”

“The 30 Golden Years, as we agreed, young man.”

"Correct".

"Then I'll leave you two to argue, I'll go to the wagon to rest." He said goodbye to the pair as he stood and walked to the side, waiting for the wagon.

“What do you require of me, slave trader?”

“It’s about this path and what allowed us to escape that battle.”

"As you've seen from your slaves, it's the only place where we have even the slightest chance of survival." He pointed to the red glow of the fire behind the walls as he continued on his way.

“Certainly, the fate of the empire does not seem fortunate.”

“I don’t recommend looking for too long. When the promoted person arrives, you might go blind.”

“I'll remember that.” He looked back at the road, recalling a bit of his past. “If you don't mind, I'd like you to know about my life before we met.”

“I know you fear for your death and a well-appointed resting place, but if you follow my instructions well, you will have no problems in the future, let me know again.”

“For prevention”

“Ha ha, certainly.” He clasped his hands in front of him, recalling a few of the manners he should display to convey his interest in even the smallest mime. “I hear you.”

“It all started when I was maybe her age.” He thought back a little more and determined that the description was accurate. “I remember the coin falling into my hands, a gold one.” He took one out of his pocket and remembered it wasn’t as shiny. “I thought things through a lot with that one. I had time, hunger, and a lot to gain.” He tossed it in the air, recalling the transaction, standing on the wooden platform as he went to pay for the slave who seemed to be a war in her own right, with someone twice his age, no doubt. “The warrior’s name was May. She was strong, intelligent, and knew how to read. Many things knocked on my door. When she arrived, there were many doubts, especially because she was missing her right leg and left hand.”

"I didn't know he owned the first lady of the Casa Sol, he's really caught my interest as a merchant."

"Oh really?".

“For this revelation, I have a somewhat more substantial offer for you, if you would like to purchase it, and excuse me for interrupting your story.”

“Don’t worry, but what do you want to add to the new deal?”

“A surname, from the Sol family.”

“Is it possible?” I caught the necklace before I could realize it, and on it I saw the family crest and the part of the name clean. “Are you sure you’ll give me this?”

“I won't need it anymore where I'm going, and all you have to do is say that your sister was the King's current wife for them to believe your dominion over him, or you can sell it for a good price. Gold is quite scarce in the Cursed Kingdom.”

"I accept, and what do you want in return?" Look at a small fortune or a truly grand opportunity.

“Continue with your story, the past I don’t know is of interest to me.”

“Good.” I slipped the necklace around my neck, feeling fortunate and at the same time aware that it would give me unexpected advantages in the not-too-distant future. “Once I got her, we hunted animals a bit, outside, alongside some mercenaries, and we were able to learn many things—at least I did. She taught me to read and write to the extent I could learn. And when I finally felt like changing my surroundings, I decided to sell her. But she was worth a lot to me. If it weren't for the fact that I considered her more of a mother than a wife, I might have even married her. So I handed her over to the same area where I'd acquired her, for an exaggerated price, so it wouldn't be easy for someone without resources to buy her.” I felt the weight of my jacket pockets growing heavy, remembering very well the weight of the coins after the transaction. “40 gold coins. My surprise was even greater when I earned the money for a comfortable life for the first time. But instead of seeking out great luxuries, I played it safe, bought combat slaves, a noble peer, and a small house, where…” He recalled with bitterness how he left the space for luxury in pursuit of his survival. “Where I made my deals, as you know, and I tried to learn from everyone what was important, indispensable, and necessary, seeking that fact above all else. I always set double the price for all my slaves, 4 gold coins or its equivalent in food. They rarely brought me money, but I didn’t complain about it once, as far as I know.”

“That is strange, I am surprised it had any sales.”

“Let’s just say I gave an inspiring first sales pitch.”

“I would say it’s more of a good deal.”

"Yes." For a moment, the excitement of my youth came over me, and the joy of the money in my hands. I hid it with a cough, but all the excitement disappeared when I saw the glitter around me, like Alba's half-trip.

“Look slowly, I don’t want to have to guide you in your blindness,” the serious boy mentioned.

The screams from behind told me what she was referring to and I put my hand out to try to see, it seemed as if the walls were trying to hold Alba back, I didn't think about it much and decided to keep walking and continue my story to calm down a little in the process.

“Slaves who know how to speak teach the rest, those who know how to fight do so too, those who could handle one subject or another better gained more prestige in my opinion and with that their value also rose, no one dared to discuss the price, seeing that my slaves were of high quality.”

“As it should be, after all, we are not all the same.”

“Certainly, there are those who were born into comfort, and those of us who had to survive as best we could.” It took me a while to realize that my comment might not go down well with the boy. “No offense, but you're more one of us than all the nobles of Lasha.”

“It doesn't offend me and I certainly feel that way, but it's likely that soon it will be irrelevant.”

“Moving on, after four rituals I met him, and after the two-ticket incident, my prices rose beyond what anyone would want. I managed to buy a lot of them on my few trips outside of Lasha, and as you know.”

“He earned his promotion to Noble, it’s a shame he didn’t get a surname before this war.”

“All that was missing was a ritual, so they would give me one, but in the end I won one and now I'm here, walking towards what I heard was certain death.”

“Just point out the goods I'm giving your slaves, and I assure you they'll look upon you more favorably than most, not to mention our practiced monologues,” I emphasize, noticing the merchant's nod.

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