This sudden appearance of an assassin left Lin Gui completely bewildered.
The guards at this wealthy merchant's manor were all at the Transcendent Rank.
How on earth did a mere High Rank assassin manage to slip inside?
He glanced out the window and saw that the sun had already set.
He didn't have anything better to do if he went back now anyway.
After a moment's thought, Lin Gui decided to follow the guy and see what he was up to.
Controlling his staff, Lin Gui silently followed the assassin as they slipped through the villa.
The assassin behaved quite oddly, poking around here and peering around there.
Eventually, he arrived outside the spacious bedroom of Erwin, the slave merchant.
Erwin's bedroom door was locked—with a magical lock, no less.
Lin Gui could have easily unlocked it himself, but he was certain this assassin didn't have the skills.
After all, it wasn't his specialty.
Sure enough, the assassin pulled out a steel needle and poked around the keyhole for quite a while, but couldn't get it open.
Just as Lin Gui thought the man was about to give up, something unexpected happened.
The assassin flicked his wrist and, to Lin Gui's surprise, produced a magic key.
Lin Gui was speechless. “????”
Wait, if you had the key all along, why were you picking the lock just now?
To check for traps? Lin Gui found the display utterly baffling.
Following the assassin into the bedroom, the sheer luxury of the interior was laid bare.
Velvet drapes hung from the tall windows.
The floor was covered with thick, plush carpets made of magical beast fur.
Jeweled gold vessels and shimmering magic crystals were strewn about casually.
The air was thick with the scent of expensive incense.
Everything proudly displayed the staggering wealth the owner had amassed.
The assassin moved with a clear purpose, heading straight for the desk and beginning to rummage through it.
Lin Gui wasn't about to be polite either. His eyes swept over the valuable trinkets lying around.
He casually pocketed a few items that caught his eye.
The two of them went about their respective business, completely staying out of each other's way.
“Yes! Finally found it!”
The assassin suddenly whispered in pleasant surprise.
From the side, Lin Gui couldn't help but mock him silently.
You're a pretty amateur assassin. How can you make so much noise?
Looking closer, he saw the assassin holding a long ring of uniquely designed magic keys.
Judging by their design, they were clearly meant for unlocking slave collars.
Ah, Lin Gui understood now.
This assassin had come to steal keys.
It seemed he wanted to rescue some important “merchandise” kept by the slave merchant.
For Erwin to keep these keys hidden so carefully in his own bedroom...
...the slaves they belonged to had to be incredibly valuable.
Was it a peerlessly beautiful elf?
A powerful warrior from a fallen nation?
Or perhaps a unique monster capable of producing rare materials?
Following the assassin, Lin Gui arrived at a concealed basement entrance at the back of the villa.
Even before they drew close, the muffled, suppressed weeping of slaves could be heard drifting from within.
What happened next took Lin Gui completely by surprise.
The assassin actually shed his nightwear, revealing his true appearance:
He was a slightly pale young man with gentle eyes.
He slipped the keys into his pocket and straightened his collar.
Then, he walked calmly toward the guards stationed at the basement entrance.
When the guards saw him, they were taken aback for a moment before quickly bowing in respect.
“Good day, Third Young Master.”
???
Lin Gui was stunned by this sudden twist.
So you're actually the slave merchant's son!
No wonder he could bypass the Transcendent guards outside and knew the layout so well.
The Third Young Master gave a gentle smile and made a move to pass the guards and enter the basement.
However, the guards quickly stepped forward to block him, looking troubled.
“Our apologies, Third Young Master.”
“The master specifically ordered that you are not allowed to enter the basement again.”
A shy smile remained on the Third Young Master's face.
“Don't worry, this will be the last time. Father has already agreed. You can confirm with him yourself.”
The guards exchanged doubtful glances.
One of them turned and walked into the adjacent guardroom.
He pulled down a brass device fixed to the wall, complete with a speaker and a receiver—a 【Message Transmitter】.
In other words, it was a telephone.
Indeed, the Akara Continent did have “telephones,” though their range was limited to within the city limits.
They were also incredibly expensive.
Aside from such mechanical devices, other options existed.
The magic system also possessed spells capable of long-distance voice transmission.
There were several notable spells:
Mid-tier Soul Magic, 【Telepathy】.
Transcendent Rank Wind Magic, 【Wind Messenger】.
Transcendent Rank Light Magic, 【Holy Word】.
Epic Rank Light Magic, 【Word of Akara】.
In fact, even other classes had their own means of voice transmission.
For example, a Ranger could use a hunting falcon.
The call ended quickly.
The guard walked out, nodded to his companion, and stepped aside to clear the way.
“After you, Third Young Master.”
The Third Young Master nodded with a faint smile and stepped down the dark staircase.
Lin Gui followed closely behind.
They entered the basement.
The scene inside gradually revealed itself.
The slaves were kept in individual iron cages lined along the walls, each reinforced with binding runes.
The inside of the cages was relatively clean, carpeted with dry straw.
Water and simple food were placed in the corners.
The air was filled with a mixture of disinfectant and a faint, musty odor.
Most of them wore thin clothes, curling up with hollow, vacant eyes.
They looked like merchandise being kept in temporary storage.
When the Third Young Master's footsteps echoed, the slaves reacted in different ways.
Some of the newcomers shrank back, faces twisted in fear.
Those who had been there longer merely raised their eyelids numbly before hanging their heads again.
However, Lin Gui keenly noticed that beneath those numb or fearful faces lay a much more complex emotion.
They watched the arrival of the Third Young Master.
They seemed to harbor a faint, subtle attitude—a mix of slight anticipation and deep wariness.
Lin Gui looked around.
Naturally, those kept deep within the slave merchant's private estate were no ordinary goods.
There was no shortage of strikingly beautiful young girls.
What drew even more attention were several cages deeper inside.
Imprisoned within them were none other than elves!
They had pointed ears, and even in cages, they instinctively kept their backs straight and proud.
One of them was particularly eye-catching.
She had brilliant blonde hair that looked like liquid gold under the sun, and emerald-green eyes of pure clarity.
A High Elf... Lin Gui was secretly astounded.
Erwin the slave merchant certainly had a lot of nerve to lock up a High Elf.
If the High Elf clans, who valued their bloodline and dignity above life itself, ever found out about this, they would be furious.
They would surely dispatch fearsome guardians from the distant World Tree.
These guardians would cross thousands of miles to hunt him down.
They wouldn't stop until they razed this place to the ground for daring to desecrate their kin.
This was no exaggeration on Lin Gui's part.
There was a real precedent for this.
That time, it had nearly triggered an all-out war between the entire elven race and humanity.
There were other captives besides the elves.
Several beastkin warriors with bulging muscles and burly physiques were also locked in the cages.
Their bodies were covered in scars, and their gazes were fierce.
Even with power-limiting collars around their necks, the aura radiating from them made one thing clear.
Every single one of them possessed Mid-tier Transcendent strength.
However, the Third Young Master did not linger long on these priceless “commodities.”
Without stopping, he walked straight through this floor and headed toward the stairs leading further down.
None of these seemed to be his target.
Lin Gui's curiosity grew even stronger.
He silently controlled his staff and followed close behind.
Together, they descended into the cold, damp second basement level.
Rate on N.U.
