"Welcome, Leilin! My dear friend!"
Cleo stepped forward and embraced Leilin, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.
"Your aura seems to have grown even stronger — truly enviable!"
Before this, it was Leilin's age and potential that had surprised Cleo enough to cultivate a friendship. For a wizard with limitless prospects, planting your connections early often yielded unexpectedly enormous returns.
But the degree of Leilin's progress still exceeded his expectations.
"Just a successful experiment, that's all," Leilin said modestly.
In truth, this was only because he had used the Mimicry Spell to conceal the bulk of his Spiritual Power. Otherwise, with Cleo's sharpness, the old wizard would have guessed something.
Cleo clearly didn't quite believe Leilin's humble words, but among wizards, matters of Spiritual Power were absolute privacy — any prying would invite hostility. So Cleo simply smiled and stepped forward to affectionately link arms with Leilin.
"Enough about that — come on, follow me to the slave market!"
…
The slave market occupied the fourth floor of Polar Night City, spanning a vast area, and it advertised its wares with brazen signage.
"My lord! Come to our stall! We have all manner of slaves — and two snake-women just captured from the Eastern Ridge Desert. Their skills are first-rate!"
"My lord, look over here! Beautiful bunny girls, sultry fox-women, and Gonu tribe beauties with immense physical strength. All of them are Great Knight-tier — gorgeous and durable, and only eight hundred Magic Stones each…"
"Hurry, take a look! This is the duke's own daughter from the Dick Duchy! Noble blood, high birth — the Dick Duchy is a major duchy on par with an empire, so the duke's daughter is essentially a princess!"
Inside the enormous slave market, numerous independent shops competed for attention, each resorting to every trick in the book to attract customers.
Leilin followed Cleo while watching various shopkeepers shout their pitches from their doorways.
Sultry bunny girls and fox-women, their bodies covered by nothing more than a few scraps of cloth barely large enough to cover vital areas, left generous swaths of skin exposed. White fluffy tails and fiery red fox tails swished back and forth. Combined with the coy expressions on the fox-women's and bunny girls' faces, the contrast was striking.
"Well? Care to take a look at the princess's figure?" Cleo lingered before the shop advertising the so-called princess, clearly intrigued.
Leilin studied the girl behind the shopkeeper — slender build, golden eyes, and an air of unmistakable nobility. That kind of aura, like a physical presence, could never be faked so convincingly without being cultivated from childhood.
The beautiful young woman wore the elaborate formal dress of a court banquet, and even sported a small diamond-studded crown atop her head. She looked for all the world like a princess out on a casual stroll — if you ignored the blank, resigned expression on her face.
"Quite the looker!" Cleo said with a lecherous grin. "Come to think of it, I've bedded plenty of women, but I don't believe I've ever broken in a princess."
"Absolutely genuine royalty — her father was the former Duke of Dick!" the shopkeeper pushed hard, hawking his merchandise. "And this woman hasn't been touched — she's a complete virgin."
"The Dick Duchy… I think I heard something about them recently. Was there a coup?" Cleo stroked his chin in thought. "I hope there's no lingering trouble."
"No, no! The former duke tried to cultivate his own power and break free from his wizards' control. His patron wizard family has already abandoned him. In fact, the coup was orchestrated by that very wizard family…"
The shopkeeper explained in meticulous detail.
Leilin noticed that the duke's daughter slightly lowered her head upon hearing this, a flash of terror and hatred flickering in her eyes. Though the expression vanished in an instant, concealed quickly — how could it escape the notice of the wizards present?
"Oh ho! A fiery one? That's a challenge — I like it…" Cleo's interest spiked at once. "Just tell me — how much?"
"Two thousand Magic Stones! That's rock bottom!" the shopkeeper said with confidence.
"Two thousand Magic Stones?!" Cleo's eyes bulged. "For a commoner who isn't even a Knight? Do you think I've been kicked in the head by a donkey?"
"Now, now, you can't say that! This princess cost me an enormous effort to acquire — she's one of a kind in all of Polar Night City! Other royal princesses all have wizard families backing them. This kind of merchandise only appears now and again — whether you'll ever see another is pure luck…"
The shopkeeper worked hard to sway him.
"Two thousand Magic Stones — too steep. That's enough to fund several of my major experiments," Cleo said helplessly, shaking his head. He turned to Leilin. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go."
Leilin shrugged and cast one last glance at the fallen princess before walking out of the shop shoulder to shoulder with Cleo.
"I thought you'd insist on buying her — I didn't expect…" Leilin was genuinely surprised. He knew Cleo's fondness for luxury and beautiful women all too well, and he wouldn't have believed the old wizard could give up so easily.
"You don't understand…" Cleo winked, a sly, shrewd smile playing across his face.
"Her price is too high. Unless a wizard has an urgent need, no one will seriously consider her." The old man began laying out his analysis for Leilin.
Active wizards all had pressing demands for resources. Only someone like Cleo — who had no hope of further advancement, had retired to live out his days in comfort, and was thoroughly lecherous — would have any interest in this kind of slave.
"But I'm on friendly terms with every wizard in Polar Night City who shares this particular taste. As long as I give them a word, none will come to bid against me!"
"Hehe… Then the shopkeeper will be stuck with the merchandise, and when I come knocking later, he'll have no choice but to drop the price. I'm confident I can drive it below a thousand Magic Stones…"
"And what excuse will you use to convince your fellow enthusiasts?" Leilin asked curiously.
"Hehe… Pool our funds, force the shopkeeper to lower the price, and take turns keeping her — of course," the old man replied without hesitation.
"If you're interested, once I'm done, I can lend her to you for a few days."
The old man was unfailingly generous in this regard.
"Your calculations in this area are truly unmatched," Leilin said, feeling thoroughly defeated and at a loss for words.
Following Cleo, Leilin finally arrived before a rather unusual shop.
The store was noticeably larger than its neighbors, and two green-hued magical creatures stood guard at the entrance. The mere air of prestige and the cost of such a display swiftly put the surrounding shops to shame.
Moreover, a thick curtain hung before the shop's entrance, and without lifting it to enter, you could see nothing inside — only stoking the wizards' curiosity further.
"We're here! This is the slave market run by my friend!" Cleo rattled off a string of passphrases with practiced ease and obtained permission to pass the two magical creatures.
"This place is open to members only, and each member may bring exactly one ordinary client. The requirements are strict, but it's precisely in places like this that you find the finest goods."
Cleo's experience was clearly extensive. He led Leilin with familiar steps into an office.
"
To Leilin's surprise, this slave dealer named Lucia was a remarkably composed female wizard.
She wore a high-collared gown, but the chest was cut away in a heart-shaped opening that revealed a deep cleavage.
"Cleo! Tired of the snake-women already?"
Lucia swayed her willowy waist forward, exchanged a cheek-kiss greeting with Cleo, then quickly stepped back. Watching Cleo's conflicted expression — eager to take advantage but too polite to push — Leilin covered his face in secondhand embarrassment.
He had a sinking feeling he might have been played by this lecherous old man.
"This is the client you recommended?"
Lucia approached with an elegant smile. A rich perfume wafted into Leilin's nostrils — potent but not unpleasant. Like strong liquor, it stirred in a man an irresistible urge to explore further.
"What a handsome young man!"
Lucia laughed softly and pulled Leilin into a deep embrace. The full, supple softness of her ample chest pressed directly against him, stoking a spark of heat inside.
"Young wizard — what kind of slave are you looking for? Fox-women? Bunny girls? Snake-women? Big sister has them all, and I can offer you a discount!"
The stunningly curvaceous slave dealer breathed warm words against Leilin's ear.
"I… I'm sorry."
Leilin gently withdrew from Lucia's embrace, drawing an eye-roll from Cleo and a musical laugh from the Lucia. "Oh my! Seems our guest is shy!"
"It's simply that your warmth is a bit overwhelming," Leilin said, bowing to kiss Lucia's slender, fair-skinned hand — and earning a glare of pure jealousy from Cleo.
It wasn't that Leilin was immune to temptation. It was simply that this beautiful slave dealer was also a First-level
Leilin was tempted, but he had no intention of being stabbed mid-act. After all, any woman who could run a slave operation was clearly no simple matter.
"Actually, I came here today hoping to purchase some special slaves," Leilin stated his purpose.
At the mention of business, Lucia's expression turned serious.