Just as Xiao Chen was negotiating with Roger, in the camp opposite his, in the camp of the Oaks, a prison wagon carrying slaves was parked in a square.
The escorting mercenaries dismounted silently and looked around vigilantly. One-eyed Val looked around hesitantly until a mercenary gestured to him and urged him to get off the horse. Perhaps he was distracted, he missed a step and almost fell to the ground. The strong mercenary beside him grabbed his collar like a chicken and let him land safely on the ground.
Val hunched over to express his thanks, then wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve, only to see the man in black robe coming up to him.
"My lord..." Val was about to bend even lower, and his legs began to tremble.
"Val, it's up to you now." The black-robed person was still hidden in the robe, but from the voice, it was clear that she was a woman. Her tone was serious, and had a different tone, but it sounded surprisingly good.
Val's eyes flickered, and he didn't dare to meet the eyes in the cloak. "Sir. I, I will do as you say. You must spare my life." He said while bowing and begging for mercy.
The black-robed man stretched out a hand, which was as white and flawless as a piece of crystal jade. He pointed his finger in the air, and a force seemed to appear, stopping Val's bent body out of thin air. "You are atonement, and your fate depends on how deep your sins are. Help us find them. You'd better pray that they are safe and sound."
"I know, I know. Nature, may the God of Nature bless you." Val murmured.
"Stop talking nonsense." The strong mercenary beside him scolded, "When you go in later, think carefully about what you say. I'm right behind you."
"Yes, yes. Lord Thor." Val nodded repeatedly.
"Stand up straight, and do what you normally do today." The mercenary named Thor had brown curly hair, dark skin, bulging tendon muscles, and a very strong physique. He slapped Val on the back, and Val, who was caught off guard, staggered immediately.
Thor snorted disdainfully and ignored him. Instead, he changed his tone to a flattering one and said to the man in black robe, "Miss Sariel, please rest assured that my people will not let you down."
"Thank you, Thor. I don't know how to thank you enough."
"It's my honor to help." Thor looked at the graceful figure in front of him that could not be concealed by the black robe and smiled slightly.
A side door of the small square opened, and a middle-aged man in a red robe came out, surrounded by four warriors. The middle-aged man was thin, with a pair of small eyes that showed shrewdness. He spotted the one-eyed Val at a glance, smiled, opened his arms, and greeted him.
"Manager Kaufman, my friend." The two hugged each other, like old friends who hadn't seen each other for many days.
After the greetings, Kaufman looked at the mercenaries around him and asked in surprise, "Hey, Val, why are there so many unfamiliar faces? Aren't you hanging out with the boss anymore?"
"Haha." Val grinned, his smile was a little stiff, but this guy was obviously quite good at acting, and he quickly recovered his true colors. He shrugged and said, "If you have been working for more than ten years and all your belongings can't fill a package, you will also have such thoughts."
"I've always told you, Val, that you have short fingers and can't hold on to money. Ha, here in Suero, everyone knows that you've drunk enough wine to flood a village."
Val's dark face flushed red. Wasn't he caught by these guys when he was drunk? He coughed and pointed at the mercenaries around him and said, "Boss Kaufman, these are my new partners. We are doing a big deal together this time. A really big deal. You see, if I follow others, I will only be able to eat soup in this life. If I work on my own... Haha, I can eat meat."
"You old man, I knew you had a good brain and you wouldn't be a clerk for life." Kaufman looked at the strong Thor and pinched his arm. "You found some good guys. Look at how strong this guy is. With such a team, the harvest must be good, right?"
Val responded with a flattering smile, "We have recruited a group of people from the prisoner-of-war camp. You can take a look. They are no worse than the Imperials sold by the Dain family across the street."
"Oh?" Kaufman walked to the side of the prisoner car, lifted the curtain, and looked inside. He found that the men sitting and lying were indeed strong men, and their spirits were also acceptable. These slaves could be regarded as the best of the best. He nodded and said approvingly: "It's really good, the master will definitely be satisfied. We want all these people, let them get off the car, and check the goods one by one and settle the bill."
"Wait a minute, Manager Kaufman, don't rush to settle the bill. I want to meet Master Oaks first today." Val stopped Kaufman who was about to ask people to escort the slaves.
"Val, what do you mean? Master Oaks is very busy. You know, he never meets guests easily. It has always been like this..." Before Kaufman finished speaking, he saw Val quietly took out a gold coin and put it in his hand.
"Brother Kaufman, that's not what I meant. Do you see the lady in the black cloak? That's my new partner." Val tilted his head and gestured to the black-robed man, "Their family has quite a bit of influence in the free city-state in the south. They come from a big family and have an inexplicable relationship with the sea people. They can get any kind of goods. You know, there are a lot of good goods in the south that are not available here..."
"Good stuff, you mean..."
"Sea folk, mermaids, sirens, naga, you name it..."
"But I can't bring someone of unknown origin in. What if she offends the master? I have to see what she looks like first. At least I need to know who she is." Kaufman frowned and looked at the man in black robe.
"No, you still don't trust me! Why should we offend those adults for such a small matter? They have their reasons for keeping secrets, and they don't want others to know their whereabouts. This lady is an important figure in the family. If I didn't want to do a long-term big business with Master Oaks, I wouldn't be worthy of traveling with her." Val stuffed another gold coin in, "Let the big guys deal with the big guys, and we just need to do our own duties."
Kaufman weighed the two gold coins in his hand and was quite surprised at Val's generosity. This old guy is lucky, he thought to himself.
"Okay. Follow me."
————————
The woman in black robes stood in Oaks's living room and picked up a small ornament on the side table. It was a swan made of pure gold, with eyes, beak and claws made of various gems. In her eyes, this crude workmanship thing had no advantages except wasting materials. She looked at it absent-mindedly and put it back on the table.
"Miss Sariel, you are so well-mannered. You are still so calm even in the enemy's lair." The mercenary leader Thor held the hilt of his sword and looked around the room vigilantly. The two warriors behind him also looked around and looked very nervous. Val sat on the chair with his head in his hands, muttering something in his mouth, and it was unknown what he was praying for.
"The God of Nature does not like unprovoked killing. As long as my compatriots can return safely and these people can swear never to make this mistake again, I don't want to have any disputes." Sariel's voice is so beautiful that people can't help but want to take off her cloak and see what's going on.
"None of these slave traders are good people. They were either thugs or gangsters before they started out. I think the only way to talk to them properly is with swords. But don't worry, I'm here, I will definitely rescue your companions for you." Thor vowed.
"My people and I will never forget the help you gave me."
"Hehe, being able to serve you is the greatest honor of my life."
As soon as Thor finished speaking, Kaufman, who had just left, came in again. Behind him came a dozen warriors. Finally, a man in his forties, supported by two beautiful female slaves, walked out slowly.
The warriors stood in different corners of the room. Four of them, who walked steadily and looked very powerful, stood in the middle of the room, blocking Sariel and her group.
The middle-aged man was naturally Master Oaks. He had sunken and dark eye sockets, pale skin, and a look of excessive indulgence. He was wearing a silk robe, but unfortunately, the bright clothes could not hide his overall tiredness.
Oaks sat down and glanced at everyone in the room with an indifferent expression. His eyes fell on Sariel and stayed there for a long time, looking her up and down as if he wanted to see through her.
"A big family in the south?" Oaks leaned back in his chair, interlaced his fingers and placed them in front of him. "Few people know that my mother is from the south. I have some experience with their customs. Women are the most taboo when sailing on the sea. All the big families in the free city-states are pirates. It is simply shameful for them to send a woman to lead the charge. Don't you know that?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. Thor drew his sword, and the warriors under Ox also drew their weapons.
Manager Kaufman looked a little unhappy. He shouted at Val, "Val, you, what are you doing?"
At this time, One-Eyed Val remained silent. He knew that it was not his turn to speak now.
"That's right, the big family in the south is just a cover. I came here just to see you." Sariel said slowly and took off the hood on her head.
There were gasps and exclamations in the room.
It was a face that was extremely delicate, with flawless pure white skin, only a little blush on her cheeks, and a rare dark green long hair that naturally fell on her shoulders. Her eyes were wide and long, a whole circle larger than those of ordinary people, but gave people a strange sense of beauty. The most special thing was her pair of narrow ears that reached the back of her head.
"Elf!" Kaufman shouted in surprise.
"Hmph, elf!" Oaks' face showed a little surprise at first, but then his face darkened.