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nAlthough he was happy to get the support of these workers who were working hard to keep producing his product in the factory, he couldn’t give them all his attention for the time being. Sometimes, it was inconvenient for him to listen to them due to the pressing tasks he had to deal with. Such emergent interactions delayed him from carrying out those important tasks like they almost had today, if it had not been for Brittany. Zach was both a little annoyed and grateful at the same time that Brittany had decided to tag along with him. Had he been recognized on his own wandering in the marketplace, the workers would have surrounded him from all sides. Who knows how long it would have taken him to escape their clutches afterwards? “Please forgive me. I am a little preoccupied so I cannot stop and chat with you all.” As soon as Zach made his intentions known to the people, the crowd that was barely being held at bay by Brittany parted towards both sides, revealing a pathway within. Zach nodded at the crowd as if to show his appreciation before walking ahead, leaving the excited crowd staring at his back. “Thank you for understanding.” Brittany wordlessly followed along, remaining one step behind him at all times. She didn’t want to give the impression that the two of them were equals. Even though Zach had told her that she was free to do as she pleased, she didn’t think that she had a high enough status to act in a carefree manner. She was a little maid with nothing to her name. It seemed that the insecurity that came with the loss of her home was keeping her from moving forward. Travelling through the marketplace, Zach stopped at several shops. Some of them recognized him while some didn’t or at least pretended that they didn’t. Brittany remained alert so that no one would interrupt Zach’s business. She kept an eye out for anyone approaching the two of them using her peripheral vision. Zach appreciated her vigilance and focused on the task he had set out to accomplish. “Can you spare me a moment? I want to ask you a few questions if that is alright with you?” Zach stopped a consumer who had just bought a few bags of sugar and asked. The consumer was a bit startled. The middle-aged man was instantly on guard, wondering if he had done something wrong to be questioned by a stranger in the middle of the street. Zach sometimes forgot that this wasn’t his previous world where everyone understood the importance of feedback and was willing to help out any new company that wanted to know more about its consumers. The middle-aged man was instantly on guard, wondering if he had done something wrong to be questioned by a stranger in the middle of the street. “W-Why?” The middle-aged man stuttered a bit before answering. His tone was defensive as he was unsure of Zach’s intentions. “It’s nothing much. I saw that you bought a lot of sugar. I was just wondering if you were buying it for yourself or to sell it somewhere else?” “So, that’s what you wanted to ask about? Haah~ you scared me there for a moment.” The middle-aged man was instantly relieved. A smile took over his previously frigid face as he began to explain in whispering tone, “It’s too much for my family’s use alone. I am planning on selling it elsewhere. There are a few places I have in mind where people still don’t know what this is. I plan to rake in profits before someone else thinks of the same.” “Are there many merchants like you who are thinking of selling sugar?” Zach already knew how big the market for a consumable food item like sugar could be. Merchants who were interested in profits could potentially get rich in a night if they could secure a safer and faster means of transportation. Unfortunately, such means were unavailable to common merchants. Only those affiliated with the royal family or Elizabeth family had access to trucks. But the merchants were willing to trade their time in order to make big money from a single sales run. “There are so many merchants pulling the same scheme. It is only a matter of time before they reach it. I plan to make as much money as possible before that happens.” The middle-aged man looked truly worried that this business opportunity would be taken from him if he wasted more time. He impatiently swept Zach aside before leaving after answering his question. Zach had already got what he wanted from the merchant so he didn’t try to stop the man. Instead, he began to walk in the direction where a huge mass of people seemed to be congregating. He wondered if there was a public announcement of some sort that everyone was rushing to hear. People were already gossiping as they swiftly moved with brisk steps. “Do you think there will be something worthwhile this time?” asked one of the people heading to the same destination as him. The question was directed at another person but Zach was intent on following the conversation to the end. The other person seemed to be quite talkative as well. He immediately relayed his thoughts at his request. “I don’t think there will be anything new. Business has been quite low recently. There are hardly any merchants coming to the city following the demise of the Hunters. Almost no one wants to do business here.” Zach quite agreed with the analysis, but he was nowhere close to finding out the reason for the sudden rush. Still, he wanted to see what could cause such a fuss amongst the people. When they reached the slightly open area in the narrow marketplace, Zach found a plump looking man with a potbelly addressing the masses using sound amplification magic. There was a mage standing beside him and facilitating his communication with the crowd. One look and Zach knew what was happening. It appeared that the fat man was selling slaves to the highest bidder. Unlike his previous life where slavery had been abolished following the protests by the various humanitarian agencies, discrimination based on status and birth was still rampant in this world. Dealing in slaves was one of the most profitable businesses in this world. The more talented a person being sold was, the higher the price. Even mages were sold into slavery so that the rich would be able to have powerful slaves at their beck and call at all times. It was both a symbol of status as well as a form of protection from outside threats. The slaves had no rights whatsoever. Those born to slaves spent the rest of their lives trying to earn their freedom, but slavery wasn’t just genetic. Otherwise, with their cruel treatment, all the slaves would have already been dead. There were those who ended up losing their freedom. For example, there were those who were unable to pay their dues after borrowing. Such individuals were usually forced to give up all their worldly assets and were sold for their body’s worth as compensation. Other than that, slavery was also a form of punishment employed by the law to punish the criminals. Zach wanted to understand the dynamics of this world better but felt that this wasn’t the time for it. Since he already knew what the purpose of the crowd was, he felt no need to stay. He was about to turn around and leave but noticed Brittany who was frozen at her spot. With her body shaking slightly, her eyes began to grow red around the edges. She looked like she was close to bursting into tears. Zach was baffled at first. He hadn’t pictured Brittany to be a timid and emotional person. Otherwise, she would not have been able to keep Carol safe all those years. Therefore, he had assumed her to be calculative and cunning like a fox. As such, he was shocked to see her in such a vulnerable state. “What happened? Are you alright?” asked Zach, a little concerned about the woman who had gone through so much in her life and yet showed no signs of that maturity at this time. Brittany seemed to be at a loss for words. She looked like she hadn’t even registered his words. Her mind was muddled, and her eyes were fixed on a single point. Zach followed her gaze and found a little girl being sold by one of the slave merchants at the corner of the street. The scale of the shop wasn’t as grand as the one that had attracted the focus of the entire marketplace, but it was still sizable enough to enable its owner to earn a handsome amount quite easily. Brittany was too engulfed in her feelings at the moment to notice Zach staring at her with concern evident in his eyes. She was trying to pry her eyes off the little girl who was being showcased to the public by the ugly looking merchant with beady eyes. The merchant was trying his best to intimidate the girl into smiling more for the potential customers but all he could get out of her was a tear-filled smile that cut straight through her heart. She remembered her own life on the run. Although she had opened her eyes in slavery, she was still the servant of the royal family of Aschar Dynasty instead of some commoner. Her status was still very high compared to the nobility of the Dynasty due to the nature of her work and her direct employers. But after the demise of the dynasty, when they fell into the hands of the Hunter family, her fate hadn’t been any different than the most common slave in the market.

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