abnabooks Chapter 188 The Remote Little Baron
Chapter 188 The Remote Little Baron
I don't know how much time passed.
Xueyan slowly opened his eyes.
But the glaring sunlight made him subconsciously squint his heavy eyelids.
My head was still very dizzy, and my whole body was sore and weak, clearly the effects of the sleeping potion had not completely worn off.
He found himself lying on the grass, bound by strong, thick chains.
All around were Snow Rabbit people, each one sobbing softly, their desperate whimpers rising and falling, a sound that made one's heart ache.
"Stop crying!"
"If you cry again, I'll beat you to death!"
A harsh shout rang out, followed by the cracking of a whip.
Xueyan struggled to turn his head and saw a slave hunter wielding a leather whip, lashing it hard at a snow rabbit girl.
One lash of the whip.
The girl's clothes were torn, revealing a bright red bloodstain. She was in so much pain that she curled up on the ground, convulsing and trembling, but dared not cry out again.
Xueyan recognized the place as a maple forest outside the city, about three kilometers away from Blackwater Territory.
In addition to a dozen or so slave hunters, a large group of armored soldiers stood guard around them, holding longswords or spears and scanning their surroundings warily.
Not far away.
Dozens of horse-drawn carriages covered with tarpaulins were parked there.
...
The executioner who had scalped the snow eagle was now bowing and smiling at a middle-aged man in a dark blue velvet coat:
"Your Excellency, all one thousand and twenty-five rabbits are here, not one is missing. We would not dare to keep even one for ourselves."
"Look..."
Morrison gave a faint "hmm" and kicked a wooden crate next to him with his toe.
"The gold coins are all here."
Done.
He waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to proceed.
"Hurry up and stuff these rabbits into the iron cage in the carriage. Be quick, or we'll miss tomorrow's schedule."
Black Hand and Flower Snake quickly opened the wooden box, and glittering gold coins came into view.
But as soon as they counted the items, their smiles froze, and they looked at each other in astonishment.
The snake swallowed hard, mustered its courage, took a step forward, and cautiously asked:
"Your Excellency, we agreed on five hundred gold coins, but there are only two hundred here?"
The black hand silently cursed in his heart.
motherfucker.
Two hundred gold coins don't need such a big box. Why not put your butt in there too?
Morrison frowned, his eyes instantly turning cold as he stared at the two of them, his tone tinged with impatience.
"You all know what the situation is like in the North right now. The lords who were willing to spend money to buy female slaves from other races have all been hanged by the Wolf Warriors. Who else dares to be so blatant?"
"I need to take this shipment via a detour to the Titan Empire to sell it quickly. Shouldn't I factor in the risks and losses along the way?"
"There are only two hundred. Take them if you want them, or you can take them and sell them yourselves if you don't."
The snake's lips twitched, but it managed to force a smile that looked more like a grimace before quickly closing the box.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Your Excellency, please don't be angry. We'll load it into the car for you right away, right away!"
But he knew it too.
At this critical juncture, a market crash is inevitable. What else can they do but sell to Morrison?
Two hundred gold coins are not many.
If you end up with unsold inventory, it's truly worthless, and you could even lose everything if you're not careful.
...
Just then...
From deep within the maple forest came a series of noisy footsteps, accompanied by the crisp sound of armor clashing, growing ever closer.
Morrison, his guards, Black Hand, and Flower Snake all looked in the direction of the sound.
More than twenty soldiers, clad in iron armor and carrying double-edged swords, slowly approached, their steps orderly and their demeanor composed.
The armor's chest was embroidered with a clan crest, a storm cloud pattern.
The leader was a young nobleman, about twenty years old, with a tall and upright figure.
It was Richard.
...
Morrison narrowed his eyes. He could sense that all twenty-odd people were intermediate-level superhumans, with average strength.
As for that swirling cloud clan emblem...
He racked his brains but couldn't recall which family in the North used this. He guessed it was some minor baron from some remote little place.
However, they are well-informed.
Smelling the aroma, they also want a piece of the pie?
Ah!
Morrison's attendant immediately stepped forward and shouted:
"This is the retinue of Lord Morrison, Baron of Hanshan and Hansong. May I ask who comes from ahead?"
Im, who was standing next to Richard, also stepped forward and responded in a loud voice:
"This is the entourage of Lord Richard, Baron Chiffon, a vassal of the Wolf. They are passing through this area without any intention of offending us."
After exchanging identities, Richard slowly stepped forward and shook hands with Morrison as a greeting.
"I've heard so much about you."
"Nice to meet you."
but...
Morrison appeared somewhat arrogant.
Firstly:
His team was larger and far more powerful than the men Richard had brought.
Secondly:
He had already taken down the group of rabbits first, proving that his methods and luck were superior to those of the newcomer.
Morrison gave a smug smile, his tone tinged with a hint of boasting.
"I'm sorry, Baron Richard, you're too late. I've already bought all of these rabbits."
"If you'd like to buy a few as pets or servants, I'd be happy to give you a 20% discount, how about it?"
Richard's smile remained unchanged.
His tone was indifferent.
How much?
Seeing that the other party was genuinely interested in buying, Morrison became even more smug, pointing to the line of people loading trucks behind him and laughing:
"The price is negotiable!"
"Children under six years old: five gold coins; children under sixteen years old: ten gold coins; virgins and children of exceptional quality: extra; others: one gold coin."
"How is it...?"
"Is my price fair enough?"
...
Richard followed the direction he pointed.
His gaze slowly swept over the area.
One hundred Hansong soldiers were equipped with ordinary iron armor, mainly mid-level extraordinary beings, with a dozen or so high-level extraordinary beings mixed in.
The slave hunters were roughly pushing the Snow Rabbit tribesmen into the iron cages on the wagon.
If there was any resistance or loud crying, the whip would lash down mercilessly, leaving bloody welts.
The iron cages were small and cramped, with four or five snow hares crammed into each cage, making it difficult for them to move.
They saw that the slave-catching team was also present.
Richard didn't find it strange.
Blackwater Territory is now nominally Earl Wolf's territory. If Morrison were to send his soldiers into the city to arrest people, he would definitely offend Earl Wolf on the surface.
Sending the slave-catching team would make a difference.
They are a group of gray forces that are tacitly allowed to exist. Even if problems arise, they can be blamed on them, and it has nothing to do with Morrison.
Richard thought so too.
That's why he had some soldiers hide in the woods with their mounts, while he led more than twenty men on foot into the city to check the situation.
If it can be resolved peacefully, then it should be resolved peacefully.
Try to avoid causing conflict.
But who would have thought that he would be delayed by that old charcoal brute Charles in the morning and would ultimately arrive a step too late.
His gaze finally settled on Xueyan and his four companions, who were lying on the ground, tightly bound by thick iron chains, still dizzy and disoriented.
"What about these?"
"Is it ruined or what?"