“Why did Luvie suddenly want to go out?”
With the 50 gold coins reward in hand, plus the 23 gold coins in pocket money, Luvie now had a sizable amount of capital.
As a result, she planned to look for some cheap and useful “employees.”
But for some reason, all along the way, Luvie felt a chill running down her back…
She glanced at the cowering Flosshie beside her, and a hint of wariness rose in her heart.
Flosshie’s attitude toward her would directly determine how vicious her “revenge” would be one month later.
‘So what exactly is wrong with this girl?’
‘Didn’t she say she liked wearing this? Why is she being so timid, acting like I’m forcing her…’
In the game Bonds, the maid outfit Flosshie was wearing couldn’t really be called revealing.
Luvie could only sigh at the fact that it was a male-oriented romance game; some of the paid outfits for the main heroines were enough to make even Luvie’s heart race.
She had to admire the “shady” business sense of the art team.
‘I didn’t even wear this little while bathing…’
Luvie glanced at the fabric on Flosshie’s body — an ultra-short puff skirt paired with an opening at the navel, her flushed shoulders exposed to the air, and a bold, deep neckline that left her collarbones fully visible.
‘Isn’t she hot wearing so much?’
‘Why is she being so shy…’
Luvie curled her lip, lamenting how dramatic Flosshie was being.
‘This is nothing. Does she have no self-awareness as a main heroine?’
“Your Highness…”
Just as Luvie’s thoughts were drifting off into the distance, Flosshie’s timid voice reached her.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re already at the outskirts of the city…”
Hearing this, Luvie took a look at the surrounding scenery.
If they went any further, the stone floor beneath their feet would turn into muddy alleys, and the only things left on both sides of the road would be shacks made of tin and wooden planks.
She could already smell it — the stench unique to the Lower District drifting through the air.
After a moment of thought, Luvie pointed toward a seemingly dilapidated house in the distance.
A mature woman in revealing clothing was waiting at the door of the broken house and bowed to Luvie.
“Your Highness Luvie! What a rare guest…”
“Welcome to my shop~ Are you here to purchase slaves?”
Luvie nodded expressionlessly.
However, Flosshie appeared quite uncomfortable beside her.
“Your Highness… why did we come to the Slave Market?”
“To find a buyer for you, of course,” Luvie answered jokingly.
But Flosshie didn’t laugh…
The slave merchant looked the two of them over, and a sense of doubt inevitably rose in her mind.
“Your Highness… I must clarify beforehand that we run a legal business. We have no human slaves…”
She rubbed her hands together, her tone flattering.
One had to understand that she sold smelly demi-humans.
There were usually only two purposes for buying slaves: taking them back as “playthings” or using them as manual laborers.
If it was a demi-human, the more common use was as cheap and effective labor.
But obviously, regardless of the category… the daughter of a Duke was unlikely to need either.
“I am looking for demi-humans,” Luvie said calmly.
The slave merchant finally relaxed a little.
Rumors in the streets said the Duke’s daughter was arrogant, unreasonable, eccentric, and moody.
There were even rumors that she enjoyed torturing young girls…
Therefore, the slave merchant had been on high alert from the very beginning.
But after meeting her in person —
Her behavior was dignified and elegant, showing every bit of her noble status.
Combined with that delicate and lovely face… she was definitely a top-tier beauty.
It seemed that aside from being cold, this Lady Luvie wasn’t as atrocious as the rumors claimed.
“No problem!” she replied immediately, no longer overthinking.
“Do you have any specific requirements for the merchandise?”
“If you need laborers, a batch of Black Bear Species demi-humans just arrived a few days ago…”
Once she confirmed the other party wasn’t there to cause trouble, she quickly got into character.
“If it is for other uses…”
The woman’s face showed a knowing smile.
“I highly recommend the Frost Wolf Species!”
“They have very little fur on their bodies, and their physique is quite acceptable.”
“If you want to play with demi-humans, the Frost Wolf Species is the best choice for beginners,” she said flippantly.
“I just got a new batch of Frost Wolf Species in. They’re first-hand and clean.”
“Their faces are sharp and chiseled, their nose bridges are high, and though their muscles look lean, they’re actually quite sturdy!”
As the woman spoke, she even swayed her hips as if reminiscing about something.
“Tsk, tsk. The aggression of a wolf, the loyalty of a dog, and they have plenty of energy. You’ll never get tired of them…”
Hearing the slave merchant’s words, Flosshie silently covered her mouth, her cheeks turning visibly crimson.
Luvie, however, slowly began to frown.
After a long silence, she finally spoke…
“I only want female demi-humans.”
“You do have them, don’t you?”
Both people present seemed stunned for a moment.
‘Your Highness’s taste is truly unique…’
***
The slave merchant led the two of them into the dilapidated shack.
Unlike its ruinous exterior, the interior of the shack had a vast amount of space.
Following the stairs down into the basement, a musty stench hit them.
What greeted their eyes were rows of iron cages stacked on top of each other, leaving only a small path for viewing.
Carrying a kerosene lamp, the slave merchant led them to the room at the very end.
Pushing open the creaking iron door, they saw dozens of female demi-humans chained up…
Every species was represented, and most of them had curvy figures and tall builds.
Their muscles rippled, full of the beauty of strength.
However, they were a bit older, and their appearances were average…
Luvie thought back for a moment and remembered this setting from the game.
The Human Federation was at war with the Orc Empire, and the Kingdom of Avalon, where Luvie lived, was one of the small border countries dragged into the conflict.
As a result, prisoners of war were often sent to the front lines — specifically, these unwelcome demi-humans.
Because of their bloodlines, they were treated as cannon fodder for the orc side.
The attractive female demi-humans had probably been taken by the soldiers themselves, right?
Only the male prisoners and those who were truly unattractive were left…
“I’m truly sorry. There are too few female demi-humans, and these qualities are a bit unsightly…”
Looking at this group of demi-human prisoners, Luvie focused her mind.
Immediately, various colors of light emanated from above their heads.
White…
White…
Green…
White…
‘There isn’t even a single Blue Trait?’
Luvie sighed softly.
In the game Bonds, Traits were a representation of potential, with colors from Blue to Gold corresponding to ratings from D to S.
Generally speaking, a target had to have at least a Blue Trait to have even basic development value.
Luvie looked at the slave merchant not far away; a faint blue light was emanating from her head, but unfortunately, she wasn’t for sale.
Then she looked at Flosshie beside her…
That gold light was so bright it almost blinded her.
Luvie wasn’t surprised, because every main heroine was guaranteed at least one Gold Trait or higher.
“Is there nothing else?”
Luvie asked, her interest waning.
Upon hearing this, the slave merchant’s expression soured.
‘As I thought… Lady Luvie likes young girls. These demi-human warriors can’t catch her eye at all.’
“Your Highness, among the Frost Wolf Species that arrived today, there are a few females.”
The slave merchant gave a forced smile.
“But their appearance is really — “
“Take me to see them,” Luvie said, frowning.
If she couldn’t find a suitable development target at the Slave Market, she would have to use her noble privileges and pick from the commoners of House Caris.
Although Luvie’s reputation was already terrible, snatching girls directly off the street would only confirm the rumors.
But if possible, she still wanted to recruit beautiful girl employees in a more respectable way…
As she followed the slave merchant’s footsteps, a faint purple glow suddenly lit up in Luvie’s vision…
In a smaller iron cage not far away, two incredibly thin Frost Wolf girls were locked up.
They huddled against each other, their lips parched, their faces pale and sickly.
They had many unhealed wounds on their bodies.
Even though someone was approaching, they kept their eyes tightly shut, their breathing so weak it was unclear whether they were unconscious or simply lacked the strength to open their eyes…
The slave merchant’s words were obviously an understatement.
This wasn’t just a matter of poor appearance —
These two Frost Wolf girls would likely die within a few days.
If someone bought them, their physical condition was so poor they might not even survive the process of being branded with a Slave Mark.
Not only were their physiques weak, but the mana fluctuations coming from them were also extremely faint.
From any angle, they had no development value.
And the price on their cage…
5 gold coins?
Now, even someone with very specific “hobbies” wouldn’t buy them.
After all, in the Lower District, the purchasing power of 5 gold coins was enough for a group of people to spend their way from the west side to the east.
But Luvie didn’t see it that way…
Although the purple light above the two girls’ heads was faint, it made her heart race!
‘Development targets with Purple Traits, and two of them at once!!’
‘Besides, they’re slaves… which means that even without a walkthrough, these two employees will be absolutely obedient to me.’
‘I’ve hit the jackpot!’
“Your Highness? What do you think…”
Peeking at Luvie beside her, the slave merchant felt something strange in her heart.
‘What kind of expression is that??’
Luvie’s mouth was curling up uncontrollably, and her eyes seemed to be glowing with green light as she stared fixedly at the two pathetic girls in the cage.
‘The rumors were true.’
‘Your Highness Luvie… really isn’t a picky eater…’