"Slave trading, heh heh…"
Leilin sneered. Although the other party's primary business was slave trading, if they claimed the Poli Archipelago wasn't involved in sugar and other maritime trade interests, Leilin wouldn't believe it for a second. At most, it was a matter of primary versus secondary business.
And he understood all too well that if he succeeded in developing his holdings here and formed an industrial chain, the profits would be staggering!
It was inevitable that the other party would covet it and grow jealous, to say nothing of the grudges that already existed between them.
Conflict, therefore, could never be avoided!
But even without those two sources of profit, they still wouldn't leave Faraolan Island alone — so what was there left to discuss?
While he was speaking with Jacob, a small group of slaves was driven by guards down to the beach below, followed by cart after cart of food, timber, and other supplies.
"Jacob, come! Let's go down and have a look!"
Leilin brought Jacob over to the group.
"Young Master!" The guards bowed respectfully, while the other slaves lowered their heads, occasionally stealing furtive glances at their future master with humble eyes.
"Are these… natives from the outer islands?"
Leilin knew that the slaves traded in overseas commerce were typically natives, with only the better specimens selected and shipped inland. If you tried to transport slaves from the mainland to the outer islands, you'd be lucky to break even.
These outer-island natives were quite short — the tallest barely reached Leilin's shoulder. Most wore no clothing at all, exposing thin limbs and brownish-black skin that reminded Leilin of a group of monkeys.
"Young Master! Twenty slaves in total, including three carpenters and two stonemasons — all present! The total cost was 321 gold coins…"
In truth, the stonemasons and carpenters alone likely accounted for half or more of that value.
"Mm." Leilin nodded. Even this small expenditure had eaten up nearly half of his previous profits. If he thought he could build the industrial empire he envisioned simply by purchasing slaves, that would be nothing short of a fantasy. So he wasn't pinning his hopes on that at all.
"Your task is to build a camp for me here. Fences as well, of course!"
Leilin didn't understand the natives' language, but that was no problem for a mage — a single Comprehend Languages spell was all it took.
Although this low-level spell was far from capable of parsing high-order script like Demonic or Celestial, dealing with these natives was more than within its capacity.
After Leilin spoke, a wave of commotion rippled through the group of slaves.
"Silence!" Leilin flicked his finger, and a burst of crackling electricity erupted outward.
Crack! It was like thunder from a clear sky — fierce arcs of lightning swept across the ground, forcing the natives to cower or even kneel prostrate on the sand.
Zero-level Spell — Lightning Deterrence!
"You see? I am a mage! I command tremendous power! And these fully armed soldiers will continue to watch over you, so don't even think about running. If you do, I'll have you hanged alive! On the other hand, if you complete your tasks on time, I'll give you rewards — and the most diligent among you may even have their slave status revoked!"
Sparks of electricity danced across Leilin's hand, making him appear as a god to the gathered native slaves.
In truth, mages were extremely rare beings in the World of Gods — even Duke Lewis might not have many under his command.
Such supernatural power was perfect for intimidating natives; they might even worship him as a nature spirit or a deity.
"Mighty one who commands the lightning! Nunuker is willing to heed your teachings and obey your every command!"
At that moment, a commotion stirred among the slaves, and an older-looking native crawled to Leilin's feet and kissed the ground.
"Very good! Nunuker! I hereby declare you the leader of this group of slaves!"
These slaves had already been somewhat broken by the slave traders' whips, so Leilin could understand why this was happening. But regardless, the one who surrendered first should still be rewarded.
"Gracious Master! Nunuker will surely manage this property well for you!"
Nunuker kowtowed repeatedly in delight.
"Mm! Tell them — anyone who works hard will receive plenty of dark bread and fish soup every day!"
After handling affairs here, Leilin returned directly to his own quarters. For him, it was enough to grasp the general situation here; the details could be left entirely to Jacob.
Under the enthusiastic labor of the group of slaves, several crude houses were erected first as temporary dwellings. The camp's layout had been entirely designed by Leilin himself, making full use of every inch of available land.