"No problem! We have the most extensive resource library here. Just state your requirements and we can match you right away!"
Lucia said with supreme confidence.
"Furthermore, even if we don't have it in stock, as long as you're willing to put up a sufficient deposit, we can even assemble a dedicated slave-hunting squad and trainer team for a fully customised order…"
This kind of scaled, industrialised chain, along with bespoke services for distinguished clients, made Leilin feel as though he had stepped back into his previous life and was using a VIP membership.
"No need—my requirements are very simple!"
A faint smile crept onto Leilin's lips. "First, I need five Great Knight-level slaves. Human race, male or female, it doesn't matter. Intellect must be intact, and their bodies must be free of obvious damage or defects…"
His villa was genuinely short a few hands for menial tasks and to keep up appearances.
Moreover, Leilin certainly couldn't handle every trivial chore himself.
And there was another thought lurking in the back of his mind. He had previously traded with Instructor Duolote for a set of materials on Brandished-Sword Warriors. Although the materials were extremely incomplete and far too deficient to attempt a promotion from them, after the Chip's lengthy deductions and Leilin's own experiments, he had already achieved a number of results.
Now he was thinking of testing some of those results on Great Knight subjects.
After all, these Great Knight slaves would inevitably be implanted with soul seeds or brands, so loyalty was absolutely guaranteed. Their bodies were tremendously powerful as well, making them the ideal candidates for Brandished-Sword Warrior experimentation.
"We have five Great Knights right here—you can go down and pick them out in a moment. Seven hundred Magic Stones each. And, as a special treat, I'll throw in two beauties among the five!"
Lucia giggled. "I'm sure that beyond their duties as bodyguards, they'll be more than happy to carry out certain… 'official responsibilities' as well!"
For Wizards whose constitutions far surpassed those of ordinary humans, mortal women generally couldn't provide any real satisfaction. As a result, cultivating female slaves at the Knight or Great Knight rank for personal service was a perfectly normal custom, and Lucia certainly kept a healthy stock.
As for this bonus, Leilin simply gave a slight nod, feeling nothing in particular about it.
Great Knights were trivial. It was what he said next that constituted his true objective.
"Next, I also need a single Wizard Apprentice slave. Third-rank if possible! Bonus points if they know a bit of Potionology or Alchemy!"
At those words, the easy expression on Lucia's face vanished entirely. Even Cleo shot Leilin a startled glance.
In the world of Wizards, speaking purely from the slave-trade perspective, items like carefully cultivated handmaidens, noble young women from fallen kingdoms, and experienced matrons occupied the very lowest tier of entertainment-grade consumption. With the rare exception of princesses from major kingdoms, their prices were the cheapest available.
One tier above were Knights and Great Knights—slaves who could actually be of use to their masters. Prices rose considerably, and if a slave happened to be a beautiful woman or a member of an exotic race, the price could fluctuate upward by another ten or twenty percent.
But none of these constituted truly high-end slaves.
On the South Coast, there was only one kind of genuinely premium slave: a Wizard slave!
Whether ordinary people, Knights, or Great Knights, none of them could withstand the ambient energy pollution that a Wizard inadvertently radiated, nor did they possess Spiritual Power. They were incapable of helping a Wizard maintain and operate magical arrays and the like.
As a result, many officially-ranked Wizards, upon their promotion, would take on a few apprentices as laboratory assistants.
However, on the South Coast, certain unspoken conventions still had to be observed. Even at Black Bone Forest Academy, instructors could not simply treat their apprentices as test subjects for unrestricted experimentation—they had to offer Magic Stones as inducement or coax them into signing a contract through trickery.
Compared to those pampered apprentices, using slaves completely solved the problem.
Thanks to the existence of soul brands, slaves were invariably fiercely loyal. Moreover, the moment a slave was purchased, its life belonged entirely to its master. After that, a Wizard could conduct whatever experiments it pleased on its slaves without ever attracting trouble!
"Young man, you've got quite the nerve!"
Lucia regarded Leilin with a look of wary surprise. "A third-rank apprentice slave doesn't come cheap, you know!"
"So you actually have them?"
Leilin raised an eyebrow.
The sources of Wizard slaves were very straightforward—generally only wanted criminals and prisoners of war.
And this was never exactly honourable business. Even at the Anling Bird Market in the Marsh Duchy, Leilin had not seen a single shop openly advertising apprentice slaves for sale.
He had only asked on the slim off-chance, and he hadn't expected to actually strike gold.
But the City of No Night truly deserved its reputation as the South Coast's premier trading hub. Even an ordinary slave shop here apparently carried slaves of this calibre.
"Rest assured—as long as the person is suitable, price is no issue at all!"
Leilin tossed a small black pouch onto the table in front of Lucia.
"My, you're wealthier than you look!" Lucia nodded after inspecting the pouch, then reached over and rang a copper bell with a red handle sitting on the desk.