Chapter 373 - Ten Problems
As Ray walked through the town from the auction house, the row of slaves were still following him from behind. They no longer wore the chains and cuffs they had before, but they were still in their tattered clothing from before, and most of them didn't have the best appearance.
"I took the cuffs off them, so why aren't they doing what they want?" Ray asked Bob, who still followed him around. Even he was thinking why was he still following Ray, was he allowed to leave. He always felt too afraid that Ray might do something.
"Um sir, you are in charge of their contract. They must follow you if they do not do as you ask, their seal will cause them immense pain." Bob replied. "Even if you were to not give them orders, what would they do? The magical circle crest is proof that they were slaves. Nobody will accept them for work for fear they would anger their owner.
"And most of them do not have the skills to survive on their own. So if you are to leave them be, they will die a cruel death."
Although Bob was happy to explain things, he found it strange that Ray was unable to understand something as simple as this. Did he not think beforehand?
Ray was currently heading off to the Del mansion to pick up Jack but while doing so a message appeared in front of him. It was short but simple.
[Don't go to Del's mansion; it's not safe. Will explained that when I met you to tell you this. Find a place to stay for the night. Don't worry, I am safe.]
Jack had sent the message but the information inside didn't come as too much of a surprise. After all the Del's were running the city. Which meant they either had a hand in what was going on in the auction house or at least turning a blind eye to what was going on.
With the information received and the lights inside the town starting to dim. Ray could guess that the end of day is near.
"It's best if we find an inn for the night. There is a curfew in this town. When the lights are gone, people must remain indoors." said Bob.
On Bob's guidance, they managed to find an inn fairly quickly. There were plenty of choices but most of the inns were at a high standard. In fact, Ray found it hard to call them inns. Everything was spectacular inside, just like the town.
Marble flooring as they entered and several workers stationed behind the desk. There even seemed to be a restaurant off to the side that acted in a calm manner as people drank.
This was not the type of Inn Ray was used to. Where was the loud music and cheering? The bar brawls and the messy floors.
"I would like a room for all of us here tonight," Ray said as he pointed at the group behind him.
Immediately a man who was wearing a type of suit came out from behind rubbing his hands. Within his eyes, there was gold like sparkle.
'Are all people this hungry for money?' Ray thought.
"Welcome sir, I am the manager here, would you like an individual room for each person. This way you can get a nice and peaceful rest for the night."
Bob could tell the manager was trying to make the most out of the situation but didn't say anything. It was taboo to ruin another man's business even if it was dark and shady.
Ray didn't like showing off his dimensional void too much, especially in front of others when bringing out his coins. This was because of Slyvia's orders. She said it would be best to keep up the perception of a warrior adventurer who was unable to use magic for as long as possible.
"Just a single large room will do," Ray replied.
"That will be one coin, sir.'
Again the man was overcharging Ray, but he didn't know any better, the place was stunning and it wouldn't come as a surprise to Ray that it would cost more to stay in a place like this compared to others.
It was a problem, Ray hadn't struggled with money for a while now, and he was starting to lose his touch with the true value of the coin. To him, it was all fake anyway. It was just silver or gold, a rare metal. The value was then set by the kingdoms just so they could keep people in line.
It never really did make much sense to him.
Once they found out he was a type of mage, perhaps many would try to recruit him into their army. So instead, Ray carried a little pouch around his waist. Before pulling out the coins from the pouch, he took out the black VIP card first.
"You're a VIP member of the auction house." The manager said with a shocked look in his eyes, I'm very sorry, you don't need to give me anything. We will prepare one of our best rooms for you immediately." He said as he scurried away and started to shout at some workers.
The room was large and vast and looked similar to a Queen's chamber. Shiny objects, grand paintings and several rooms, including many bathrooms. There was even food already prepared for Ray, and the others set out on the table.
The slaves looked around at the room in disbelief. They were still unsure of just what was happening to them. Why did this single person buy all of them? Did he need an army to fight for him?
Or maybe they would slug the rest of their days slugging building a wall or working on a farm. This wasn't a problem, these were normal jobs. However, the difference between a slave and a worker was slaves weren't paid for their hard work.
They weren't given the freedom to rest when they needed to, and couldn't use the money earned to buy what they needed. Instead, they were given basic scarps, and if one of them were to pass away due to lack of strength of nutrients, they would be replaced the next day.
Right now, the slaves were fairly hungry, they had only been given these scraps as food during their transportation, from when they were caught all the way to the auction house. The grand food on the dining table looked appetizing to them. There was no chance for Ray to finish all the food that was prepared.
Perhaps, if they were lucky, Ray might allow them to share a single plate.
"What are you all dribbling for?" Said Ray. "If you're hungry go eat. Take a bath when you can as well, and there should have been some clothes prepared for you when you want."
With that said, Ray left the main room to head into the master room which was specifically for him and he closed the door behind him.
"Is he serious?" the others started to say.
"This has to be a trick, once we take a bite of food he will execute one of us. To show us our place and never disobey us again." Another said.
"He is very serious." Said Bob. "Trust me, I don't understand that guy much more than you do, but if he says you can eat and free to do what you want, then he means it."
The slaves were still hesitant to act. Bob seemed to not be a slave but working with Ray and perhaps was in on the scheme.
The first one to act though, not needing much time to think was the girl that Ray had initially saved outside of the auction as well during the auction. Her name was Katy. She sat down at the dining room table and immediately ripped a chicken leg off.
"Delicious!" She said with a smile and the others soon quickly joined her.
As all the slaves started to sit down and eat, the door leading to Ray's room was slightly open. Allowing him to see into the dining room hall. Now Ray could happily close his eyes.