Chapter 533: Harvest (Part 2)

Chapter 533: Chapter 344: Harvest (Part 2)

Of course, they wouldn’t dare say that out loud. Otherwise, they’d definitely get a beating.

“Of course, if you guys kicked it into this shape, it would be worthless. Only I, your master, can achieve this effect. This is called the celebrity effect.”

The Barbarians were startled. ‘Could our boss have a Mind Reading Technique? How does he know what we’re thinking?’

Only Levi knew what these guys were like; he was sure they were slandering him in their hearts.

“Lord Levi, you’re a true genius!”

Miriel had been leaning excitedly against the railing, enjoying the sea breeze and gazing at the boundless ocean. But after hearing Levi’s speech, she was utterly stunned.

As a profit-driven merchant, she knew all too well that his words were absolutely right.

Moreover, as time went on, this suit of Plate Armor would only become more expensive. After all, the Lord of High Cliff Castle already had quite a few admirers in Debei, including no shortage of young nobles.

“Enough idle talk. Let’s get down to business,” the Lord said, glancing sideways at Kemish and asking directly.

“Name?”

“Kemish Blue Diamond.”

“Where are you from, and what’s your status?”

“A Kaditib of the Persian Gulf Empire. In Debei, that’s equivalent to a Count.”

The man was surprisingly honest. It seemed the Lord’s kick possessed the special ability to make people answer truthfully.

“Why did you invade my territory?”

Kemish fell silent. He swore that when he got back, he would definitely slaughter the merchant who sold him the map. The map, supposedly the latest version from two months ago, had clearly marked the Wilderness as Unclaimed Land, with only a group of miserable Debei Barons of Exploration struggling to develop it.

“For slaves, for money… It’s not like I’m crazy or something…” Kemish didn’t get to finish his sentence. One of his cheeks swelled up, visible to the naked eye.

“Behave yourself!” Zamanzi exclaimed, shaking his hand, which felt as if it had been stung by a bee.

“Noble of Debei, I admit I have lost this war.” Kemish looked up at the young nobleman and said, “As the price of my failure, these ships and these captured Wilderness People are all yours. You gain nothing by killing me. You might as well let me go. My Slave Warriors are all elite; I’ll give them all to you as well. If I return to my country safely, I can also pay you a hefty ransom.”

Kemish knew that as long as he was alive, as a direct descendant of a great noble family, it was only a matter of time before he could make a comeback. Thus, to save his own skin, he was willing to abandon anything.

“These Wilderness People who suffered this senseless disaster were already my subjects. The Slave Warriors are captives I personally seized. And these ships are ones I placed here beforehand. In other words, what the hell does any of this have to do with you?” The Lord scoffed, looking at him calmly, projecting an air of someone for whom fame and fortune were but fleeting clouds.

‘In reality, I’m as excited as if I had won a thirty-million-dollar lottery. No, wait, all these slaves, all these captives, plus an iron-hulled ship and five patrol warships… Holy shit! This is worth way more than thirty million!’ Levi wanted to laugh but couldn’t, and holding it in was pure agony.

Kemish had never seen such shamelessness in his life. He instinctively opened his mouth to curse, but stopped short when he saw a certain Beastman’s massive, fan-like hand raised, and he forced the words back down.

SLAP!

With a crisp smack, his other cheek swelled up rapidly. Kemish was stunned, then enraged. “You damned fat green-skin, why did you hit me again?!?”

“Who would’ve thought you could swallow your words back down? But my hand? It couldn’t be stopped,” Zamanzi said, picking his nose and eyeing him disdainfully.

“What in the world do you people want?” Kemish Blue Diamond asked, gritting his teeth. “I’ve already offered you everything I can! Do you have any idea how precious this ship is? You pigs, what more could you possibly want? Killing me will trigger a war between our two nations, a consequence Debei absolutely cannot afford!”

“Look at this foul mouth of mine!” Kemish immediately slapped himself. “I’m sorry, everyone, and you, my noble Lord from Debei. My head is a complete mess right now. I was wrong! Please, don’t take it to heart!”

Zamanzi, who had raised his hand again, couldn’t bring himself to slap him. He just glared fiercely at him instead.

“Si Kai, is the Persian Gulf Kingdom very powerful?” Levi asked, turning his head to Si Kai, who was standing nearby.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of this nation. But for a prisoner to be so confident, could it be that they could crush Debei, repel the Sith Kingdom to the east, and conquer Talisi to the south?

‘If that’s really the case, this could be a little tricky.’

“Ahem, Lord, let me put it this way,” Si Kai began. “The Persian Gulf Empire is on an overseas continent, mostly inhabited by barbarians with wooden spears. Their domestic rebel armies are largely composed of unarmed farmers. Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn’t have been able to slaughter all those Black People slaves that were shipped over without any major repercussions.”

“Their seafaring vessels are quite well-made, though.”

“Worri! And here I thought they were some powerhouse. Turns out they’re just a bunch of small-time punks who dominate their own little corner of the world and think they’re invincible,” the Lord said, suddenly speechless.

‘That makes sense. A slave-based nation like that might be able to assemble a military force far larger than a normal country, but it’s usually just a house of cards, collapsing at the first touch.’

‘Overall, they’re fine as long as they keep winning and fighting with the wind at their backs. But force them into a tough battle, and all they’re good for is making widows.’

Hearing this, Kemish’s face and neck couldn’t help but turn red.

But this battle had indeed made him aware of some things that differed from the common consensus back in his country.

“Lord, what should we do with these captured Wilderness People?”

Leiden came over just then.

With a wave of Levi’s hand, two Barbarians dragged Kemish away.

He stood up and went to the cabin of the iron-hulled ship. Pushing the door open, he saw pairs of terrified eyes in the darkness. He immediately let Holy Light emanate from his body, illuminating the cabin as bright as day. He then revealed what he considered an impeccable smile, like a Great Monk filled with compassion for all living things. “What a group of poor, innocent victims, captured by a slave trader notorious for his evil deeds, to be sold all over the world.”

“But you need not worry. In my capacity as the Lord of High Cliff Castle, the Lord of the Wilderness, and the protector of all humanoid Races, I hereby declare that you are saved!”

“Considering that the homes you depend on for survival have been destroyed by these cruel executioners, High Cliff Castle will provide you with shelter and food. The only thing you need to give in return is… loyalty. Yes, still loyalty!”

“This is wonderful! It’s the Lord of High Cliff Castle! We’re saved!”

“My Lord, you are like the sun in the sky, forever shining down on us with your benevolence!”

“We will be forever loyal to you, until the seas run dry and the rocks decay!”

…

These country-bumpkin Wilderness People had never experienced a great figure coming from so far away to rescue them and show them such concern. Moreover, after experiencing such drastic ups and downs, they were now so moved by their rescue that tears and snot streamed down their faces. They personally felt the benefits of having someone powerful backing them, so much so that they wished they could pledge their very lives in return.

There were about four thousand of these slaves, all carefully selected by Kemish. There wasn’t a single old person among them; they were all young and able-bodied.

Therefore, the Lord was more than happy to have them join High Cliff Castle. The young and beautiful ones would become Maids, and the strong ones would farm or herd. In any case, High Cliff Castle was currently booming. It had money; it just lacked labor.

“Right, what about these Black Slave Warriors?” Levi’s gaze fell upon the Black Slave Warriors cowering on the shore, heads in their hands. They had been stripped to their shorts and were shivering in the cold wind.

“I probably can’t help with that. His Majesty has issued a ban against Black People entering the country, let alone being traded,” Miriel said with a shrug. “If they were any other kind of Slave Warriors, there’d be no trouble finding buyers, but Black slaves… forget it.”

“Worri, the Wilderness isn’t suitable for growing cotton, either,” Levi muttered, saying something the others didn’t understand.

He scratched his head. ‘Taking them in as subjects or Warriors is definitely out of the question. After all, the two things I hate most in life are racists and… well, Black People. But killing these captives outright would earn me a reputation for cruelty, and letting them go would be a huge loss.’

“Dammit. I’ll just give each of them a pickaxe and send them to the mines.”

‘Fortunately, these guys have all been castrated already. Saves the goat gelders of High Cliff Castle the trouble of using their knives. And it’ll prevent any… vicious lizard incidents.’