Chapter 4: Slaves
With a few days left before leaving Cyprus, Komer and Pobeylot were busy preparing their belongings. The five thousand gold shields given to Komer by Sir Ramla were mercilessly seized by Pobeylot. Though he had not yet taken office, Pobeylot was already scheming ways to make money.
There were two routes from Cyprus to the Caucasus. One was by sea—setting out from Cyprus, heading south around the lighthouse at the tip of the Abyssal Sea, and after a three-hundred-nautical-mile voyage, reaching Antwerp, an important port in the Homer region second only to its capital, Cyprus City. Though not large, it was the southernmost port of the Kingdom of Nicosia. Further south, past the mouth of the Nise River, one entered the Bermuda Sea, known as the Devil’s Triangle Sea. This area was filled with reefs and fierce currents, dotted with dozens of islands that served as havens for pirates. It was said that the headquarters of the largest pirate organization in the entire Abyssal Sea region—the Gray Skulls—was located on one of the Bermuda Islands.
If one could successfully pass through the pirate-controlled areas, they could reach the mouth of the Catania River. Going upstream from there would lead to the heart of the Caucasus. Beyond the Bermuda Islands, one could sail straight south into the Storm Ocean. However, following the coast of the Storm Ocean would take one to warmer regions south of the barbarian-inhabited wastelands—a world of exotic charm, the beautiful and fertile southern regions of the Blue Continent.
Of course, this route was extremely risky. Pirates could attack at any moment, and the dense reefs and sudden currents could lead to shipwrecks and deaths. The rise of the Gray Skulls added even more danger to this sea route. Many caravans coming from the north had to disembark in Antwerp, cross the southern part of the Homer region, enter the interior of the continent, and then head south via a detour.
The other route, of course, was overland—starting from the city of Cyprus, heading southwest through the fertile Bouson Plains, then passing through the Greenland Forest, crossing the Nise River, and entering the barren lands of Count Poininsky’s southern territory, the Leon region. Finally, by crossing the Dalmann Pass, one would reach the Caucasus region. Although this route seemed less dangerous on the surface, it was plagued by chaos due to Poininsky’s impoverished and backward territory, with a fierce local population that often resorted to rebellion. Slaves made up over 80% of the population, mostly consisting of indigenous people from conquered lands as well as half-orcs and mixed-race individuals, resulting in extremely poor law and order. Additionally, the road conditions were terrible, which was why the last time barbarians came to Cyprus for trade, they preferred to take a detour through the Kingdom of Rosenburg rather than use this route.
Komer naturally had no choice but to take the overland route. However, thinking about the instability there, he was somewhat worried. After all, even Count Poininsky rarely wished to reside in his own territory, so one could imagine the conditions there. Fortunately, there was an important pass on the north bank of the Nise River, guarded by troops sent by the Grand Duke. To reach the north bank from the south, one had to pass through this place; otherwise, riots could threaten the entire Homer region.
“Boss, are you really planning to buy two slaves? It would be better to go to Leon—I heard the slave prices there are much lower.” Eilot chewed on herbs nonchalantly. These were refreshing mouth herbs that had become a new fashion among the city’s nobles, supposedly to cater to those social elites who spent their time at balls and parties.
“Hmm, my father gave me five thousand gold shields. Pupber took four thousand, saying he wanted to buy some goods in Leon to make a profit. With the remaining one thousand gold shields, I plan to buy a servant. Pupber also needs one, so we might as well buy two—exactly one thousand gold shields each.” Komer nodded. Eilot’s family had already given them two horses and one servant, so he naturally didn’t need any. Komer and Pupber would have to search the slave market for suitable candidates.
“One thousand gold shields? What a waste. If we went to the market in Leon, we could probably buy three slaves, maybe even four.” Eilot seemed to know quite a bit about slave market prices, especially those in Leon, which surprised Komer.
Komer’s puzzled gaze fell on Ilot, putting him in great embarrassment. After stammering for a while, he finally explained that his mother had secretly given him another two thousand gold shields as pocket money. Ilot, eager to experience what it was like to be an officer, planned to use these two thousand gold shields to buy some strong slaves for training and form a small infantry squad.
Hearing this, Komer felt both amused and touched. Teasingly, he said, “But Ilot, even if you can buy some slaves in Leon, don’t you realize that you don’t need many people to be a warrior? What about weapons? Armor? And their future expenses? Can you afford all that?”
Flushing and furious, Ilot finally exploded. Waving his hands wildly, he shouted, “You wretch, Komer! I’m using my last savings to buy slaves to work for you, and you still expect me to pay for armor and weapons? You’re really heartless!”
Komer laughed heartily and retorted, “Ilot, I bet your mother gave you more than just two thousand gold shields. How about you use the remaining one thousand to buy weapons? That way, they can start training right away and satisfy your twisted desire to be a teacher as soon as possible. What do you say? Am I not right?”
Stunned and at a loss, Ilot couldn’t believe that Komer had seen through his secret. He couldn’t fathom how Komer could know his thoughts so clearly, even his last secret, as if he were standing naked in public. He even felt the urge to cover himself.
“A twisted desire? Is it strange that I want to share my valuable experience fighting orcs on the Deccan Plateau freely with others? I think those who have such thoughts are the real perverts!” Ilot growled angrily in a low voice. They had arrived at Cyprus’s busiest and liveliest market.
“Alright, Ilot, I suggest you give your pocket money to Puber. The few hundred miles from Cyprus to Leon are a route merchants are reluctant to take. There must be many business opportunities along the way, which is why Puber is so eager. Why not give him your three thousand gold shields? Who knows, they might even become five thousand in Leon.” Seeing Ilot’s embarrassed expression, Komer patted his shoulder firmly. “Come on. Puber is smarter than anyone. Just look at the few hairs left on his head.”
The slave market in Cyprus was located to the east of the city, not far from the harbor. Though it was called a slave market, it was actually what the mainland referred to as a slave trade. Although the countries on the mainland had gradually abolished the system of debt slavery, the slave trade did not decline as a result; on the contrary, it became even more prosperous as tensions across the continent grew. War was the best means of creating slaves, with prisoners of war and captured civilians being the main sources of debt. Especially captured civilians, since no one wanted to ransom them, usually ended up as slaves in the market. Prisoners of war, on the other hand, were usually redeemed by their respective warring parties, so their chances of becoming slaves were low, unless one side was completely defeated or destroyed.
Entering the slave market, Komer and Eilot felt as if they had stepped into a whole new world. The bustling crowd made it impossible for Komer to tell that this was the so-called “abominable source” referred to by those who claimed to be messengers sent by gods to save the world—the slave market. Rows of shops of various sizes were neatly arranged, and most of the people walking about were nobles and merchants, including many with titles. There seemed to be nothing unusual about the shops either; the furniture was neatly arranged, and some people were inside discussing matters. From the outside, nothing strange could be seen, aside from one or two people who appeared to be shopkeepers or managers greeting customers. It seemed not a single slave was in sight.
It was Komer and Eilot’s first time in such a place. They had originally thought the market would be filled with groups of slaves waiting for buyers, but it was quite different from what they had imagined. They exchanged glances, unsure of how to buy slaves. Komer and Eilot could only force themselves to move forward. Fortunately, although the market was crowded, the streets were wide enough, and by following those in front, they didn’t arouse suspicion of having ulterior motives.