Chapter 8

Where there is light, there is always a shadow.

The imperial capital, which has reached the pinnacle of prosperity, is no exception. Rather, it is plagued by an even darker shadow, namely the existence of illegal organizations—gangs.

Among them, the Luciano Family is the largest gang in the imperial capital. They have branches in other countries and, of course, engage in underground activities such as prostitution, drugs, gambling, extortion, and murder, but they also wield immense influence in the surface society. After all, they have connections to the royal family, so it would not be an exaggeration to call them the shadow king of the imperial capital.

One of the underbosses of the Luciano Family and the boss of the secondary organization, the Barzini Family, is Finocchio Barzini.

His main sources of income are slave trading and brothel management. Since the Barzini Family controls all slave trading in the imperial capital, when people talk about slave traders in the capital, they are referring to Finocchio.

Therefore, there is no one in the capital who does not know of his existence.

Elegant yet vulgar, cheerful yet cruel, generous yet cunning, non-violent yet sadistic. His life as a drag queen is part of this, and because his entire life is composed of extreme duality, he is also known as a mad clown.

"Oh, Noel! It's been a while!"

Finocchio, waving his hands in small, rapid movements, approached with a wide gait, accompanied by two burly bodyguards.

"You're late. I thought you would come a bit earlier."

"Come on! Stop being so mean! I rushed here! I flew here because it was Noel's request!"

Finocchio puffed out his cheeks and twisted his body. It might be a gesture he finds cute, but it looks like an eel on land to me.

I've known this drag queen for about half a year. I got connected to him through a part-time job. Since then, we've been using each other.

The others, who don't know this, look as if they've been taken by a fox.

"Anyway, I want to get straight to business. You've already gotten permission from the two of them, right?"

"Yeah, no problem. I'll sell Loid and Tania as slaves."

When I answered, gasps of shock rose from the surrounding area.

"Noel, when you said you had something to do, you didn't mean...?"

Walter, looking disbelieving, nodded at me.

"As you guessed. I had already anticipated that Loid and Tania wouldn't have any money. To recover the lost funds, I guided Finocchio to them. Their location was narrowed down, and we agreed to hand them over once we met up."

I sent Walter ahead to secure the deal.

I didn't expect Finocchio himself to come, but he was enthusiastic about taking on the task, saying that if he could buy members of the Azure Celestial, he couldn't leave it to his subordinates.

"Stop making jokes!"

Loid, with tears in his eyes, shouted.

"Why do we have to become slaves!"

"Right! There's no way we'd agree to that!"

Tania also shouted in agreement, but her voice was trembling with fear.

"Do you hate being slaves?"

When I asked, they immediately answered, as if to bite back.

"Of course!"

"Obviously, we hate it!"

"Then, the only option is to turn you over to the military police. As I said earlier, embezzlement is punishable by ten years of forced labor. Do you know the survival rate of prisoners who are forced to work in the mines under poor conditions, barely fed? It's only two percent."

At this number, Loid and Tania's faces contorted with fear.

"Compared to that, wouldn't it be better to be bought by a kind master? You two are young and look good. No matter what you're made to do, you'll be treated well."

They were at a loss for words, but that was equivalent to agreeing. The chances of survival as a slave are overwhelmingly higher. There was never a choice to begin with.

"That's how it is. Finocchio, find them good masters."

"Leave it to me! Now, let's start the appraisal!"

Finocchio, who was examining their bodies thoroughly, including a physical examination, made Loid and Tania stand still like frogs facing a snake.

While the examination of Tania was brief, the examination of Loid took an unusually long time, but I didn't press the issue.

The average price of a slave in the capital is about five million fil. Based on this, I estimate that Loid and Tania together are worth at least thirty million fil.

Of course, this is the price Finocchio will sell them to customers. According to tradition, we should receive one-third of that, which is ten million fil.

Even so, we can recover the embezzled 8.4 million fil and still have a little left over after paying the bearded man. However, considering the losses from the party, it's not a net gain. Ideally, I'd like to get a slightly better price than expected. The price will determine our future actions, but we'll see how it goes...

"Okay! I knew they were good, but both of them have excellent bodies! Strong and without a single flaw. Loid has a slight injury, but..."

"He put up a fight when we caught him. It was unavoidable."

"Unavoidable? It looked like injuries inflicted while he was defenseless... Oh well. About the purchase price, how about this?"

Finocchio took out an abacus, a calculating tool from the East.

It's a wooden frame with many small balls, and calculations are made by moving them. It's a handy tool, and I have one too.

"What's this about?"

I frowned at the number the abacus balls indicated.

"Six million fil? Why is it so cheap?"

The purchase price is far below my expectations. This won't cover the losses.

"Sorry, but there's a reason. The Holy Cross Church is about to issue a poverty decree, which essentially says that if you have money to waste, you should donate it to the church. The nobles and wealthy merchants can't defy the church, so they have no choice but to cut back on spending."

The Holy Cross Church is a religious organization that worships the creator god Emes. It boasts the largest number of followers among the multiple churches in the empire, and is also followed by the emperors and lords.

Offending it is equivalent to betraying one's ancestors and denying oneself, so no follower, especially those who value tradition and dignity, can defy it.

In a sense, it's a more terrifying organization than the gangs.

"If someone buys an expensive slave during this period, they don't know what the church will say afterward. So, customers are pretending to be frugal to avoid trouble, and they're tightening their wallets. On the other hand, if we don't sell slaves, we'll be eating into our savings, so we've had to temporarily lower the selling price."

"So, the unusually low purchase price is due to this?"

"Exactly. The timing was just bad. The price will return to normal after the decree period, but it's impossible now."

I don't think Finocchio is lying. If he were, he wouldn't make a lie that would be immediately exposed. This is a fact that no one can change. The poverty decree... I should have done more research.

"Understood. We're both in a tough spot."

"Thanks for understanding. I love you, Noel! *kiss*"

"Then, I'll sell them for ten million fil."

"Thank you, thank you. If you agree to ten million fil, I'll... What!? Ten million fil!? Why did it go up by five million fil!?"

I continued calmly as Finocchio stared in shock.

"It's now twelve million fil."

"Wh-What are you saying...?"

"Thirteen million fil."

"Wait, wait, wait!"

"Fourteen million fil."

"Hey, Noel!"

"Actually, fifteen million fil."

"You brat, what the hell are you doing! Are you trying to make a fool of me? If you want to be pig feed so badly, I'll turn you into mincemeat right here!"

Finocchio, in a fit of rage, showed a wild, beast-like nature, his clown mask falling away. This is the limit. I approached Finocchio and whispered.

"If you buy them for fifteen million fil, I'll say you bought them for thirty million fil."

"Are you trying to inflate the value by lying about the purchase price?"

He's quick to catch on. Finocchio, who had instantly regained his composure, smiled.

In the market, the value of an item is usually determined by the interaction of supply and demand. However, sometimes the price itself determines the value. In other words, the higher the price, the higher the perceived value, which strongly stimulates the desire to buy.

If a slave trader like Finocchio buys slaves for thirty million fil despite the poverty decree, their value will undoubtedly increase. The purchase price of thirty million fil means a total selling price of ninety million fil. In reality, Loid and Tania have the value to justify such a price.

"Indeed, most of the wealthy will try to cut back on unnecessary expenses when the poverty decree is issued. However, the more people try to restrain themselves, the more they want to indulge. Especially for items with high value and limited availability, there will always be someone willing to go to great lengths to buy them. Therefore, the correct approach is to raise the price of items with good selling potential, not lower it."

"To be honest, if you help me with this, I'll be overjoyed. If it's said that I bought them for thirty million fil, the value will skyrocket as you say. But if it's exposed, we won't get off easily, you know?"

"This level of risk is like a picnic. Is there a problem?"

Finocchio put his hand to his forehead and looked up at the sky.

"Ugh... I always thought you were crazy, but you really are. In the entire capital, you're the only one who tries to squeeze money out of me. How about joining my family? I'll give you a senior position."

"I'll pass. My calling is as an explorer. So, what's your answer?"

"Alright, alright, I get it. ...I'll buy them for fifteen million fil! But remember, this is a one-time deal! You're such an idiot!"

The deal was made. It worked out because Finocchio is a man who can calculate his gains and losses. This will cover the losses until we can form a new party.

"Seriously... You beat that mad clown in negotiations..."

The bearded man muttered in disbelief. Finocchio, hearing this, pointed at him.

"You there, the dirty bearded old man!"

"Y-Yes! W-What is it?"

"If you talk about today's events to anyone, not only you but your family, lover, and friends will all be dinner for the pigs, got it?"

"Y-Yes! I won't tell anyone!"

"The others too, got it?"

"Y-Yes! I understand!"

"Good! Oh, Noel, here's the million fil advance we agreed on. I'll transfer the rest to your bank account by tomorrow."

I threw the leather bag Finocchio handed me to the bearded man.

"Here's your agreed-upon reward."

"O-Okay..."

I've recovered what needed to be recovered and paid what needed to be paid. There's no reason to stay here any longer. I'll return to the capital and reconsider my next steps.

"Walter, let's go."

"Wait, Noel!"

Tania, whom I thought had given up, called out desperately.

"R-Really, you're going to sell me? Please, help me... We're comrades, right?"

"I don't call someone who gambles with other people's money a comrade."

"I'm sorry! I don't expect forgiveness! But if you give me a chance, I'll pay you back many times over! Please!"

"No. I don't believe you. Goodbye."

Once betrayed, always betrayed. Keeping someone you can't trust around is a hundred harms and no good. As I pushed her away, Tania