Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength-Chapter 1176 - 1170: Sights and Sounds of the Market

Chapter 1176: Chapter 1170: Sights and Sounds of the Market

Patricia was still deep in thought and did not respond to Ronald’s words.

But the slave trader responsible for leading the way was truly shocked by the content of the conversation, and even subconsciously slowed his steps.

As a trader, he had interacted with countless people.

But one thing was certain—people form opinions based on their thoughts first.

And the content of Ronald’s previous words...

What kind of person would say such things?

The slave trader couldn’t help but scrutinize Ronald’s attire and walking habits.

This man, wearing a dark, dirt-resistant coat with almost no decorative items favored by nobles. Every step he took was steady and agile, completely unaffected by the uneven ground in the city of [Giorno].

Observing his skin and other details closely, there wasn’t the slightest hint of noble demeanor.

Could this guy be part of the rumored uprising army in [Entrod]? 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The body hair on this person doesn’t seem like someone accustomed to living in cold regions?

"The slave market is just ahead, right?"

Just when the slave trader was feeling uncertain, Ronald pointed ahead and asked proactively, "Should we go in?"

"Ah, yes, yes, it’s right here!"

The slave trader was startled back to reality and quickly regained his initial composure:

"You can just follow me inside, I have a designated area here."

"..."

With those words, the slave trader, now fully in work mode, smoothly led the way ahead.

The slave market was divided into a front entrance and a back entrance.

The back entrance was shabby, almost like a randomly placed vegetable market, with numerous guards stationed to watch over it; while the front entrance was lavishly decorated, resembling a noble’s theater.

Front and back, they seemed like two entirely different worlds.

Seeing that Ronald and Patricia seemed extraordinary, the slave trader naturally would not lead them to the back entrance.

They then entered through the front entrance.

When the slave trader was speaking with a staff member akin to an usher at the entrance,

Ronald, with his far superior hearing, caught a snippet of their intentionally quiet conversation.

"Klauber, I heard you were supposed to do business at the back today?"

"A smart trader wouldn’t rigidly stick to one thing."

"Alright, so—is this your target for today, then?"

"I changed my mind, these are my clients for today."

"You’re not tempted anymore? I saw that young girl is quite beautiful, a simple hair dye could fetch a good price, conservatively estimated to cover half a year of your earnings!"

"In this business, having a keen eye is crucial, and it’s best not to touch those you shouldn’t."

"Is that a Wizard, sir?"

"The woman seems to be a noble from [Greda], but I can’t see through the man."

"[Greda]... well, it’s best to prioritize safety. But given this, you’ll have a hefty expense tonight."

"I have my ways to handle this kind of situation."

"..."

It was evident that the original intent of the slave trader in engaging with Ronald and Patricia wasn’t for the so-called ’subsidy’ he mentioned. Instead, he had his sights set on the clearly foreign and exceptionally beautiful Patricia, planning a way to turn her into a slave to sell!

But during the subsequent contact, using his shrewdness as a trader, he perceived potential problems and thus abandoned the original plan.

"..."

"Ronald, why does your gaze look so dangerous?"

At this time, Patricia, waiting alongside Ronald, noticed the change in his eyes and immediately spoke up:

"I understand you might not like the slave trade."

"But in most places in this world, slavery is a legal existence. It’s only because of the queen’s edict that [Greda] is one of the few places where slavery was abolished."

"No, I’m not angry because of that," Ronald explained straightforwardly to Patricia, "The slave trader originally planned to sell you as a slave."

Hearing this answer, Patricia widened her eyes.

Her gaze was even somewhat incredulous.

In the past, as a Nicholas, she was undeniably a high noble on the surface in [Greda], even though the passage of time had led to a decline in power, it was still an extraordinary status.

In the mysterious side, the existence of the Nicholas surname itself meant that few people dared to provoke them. The last unexpected incident in the family was the one Patricia handled in [Berlinwich].

With such dual identities, who in the past would dare to target her?

Thus upon hearing Ronald’s report, Patricia felt the situation was more amusing than enraging.

"I... cough cough, were they, were they serious?"

Ronald shrugged at Patricia:

"That guy was quite astute."

"He recognized your extraordinary identity, so he abandoned the original slave selling plan and instead prepared to conduct a legitimate transaction with us."

"..."

Patricia shook her head, her tone full of emotion:

"When I was younger, my father often told me about some bizarre incidents in other countries. I never expected on this voyage that I’d finally encounter such an overwhelmingly indescribable situation."

To this, Ronald made no comment.

Because his impression of slave traders remained consistently unfavorable:

"In situations like this, with our strength, of course, we can view it this way."

"After all, when confronted with villains, they can’t do anything to us."

"But if two ordinary people were sitting here tonight, facing these slave traders adept in this trade, they would likely have no such fortune."

As he said this, Ronald glanced around.

If people with fiery personalities, intense hatred for evil, or extremely high pride were here, they might have already acted to purge the place. Such conduct isn’t just because the slave trader had designs on Patricia.

But also because of the environment here...

In different terms, every industry has good and bad people.

But as a slave market, the ’average quality of people’ here was surprisingly low beyond imagination. Particularly under the influence of the evil cult magician’s dominance, the city’s people had developed a unique mindset of spell reverence, supremacy of power, and greed.

Ronald pondered the mental activities of the people around him for a while.

He even felt an impulse to shut off Perception Magic altogether!

...

It wasn’t long before the slave trader finished the formalities at the front desk.

Having completed his task, he trotted over and handed two gilded cards to Ronald and Patricia:

"Here are your customer cards; please keep them safe."

"Now, we need to head to the room on the second floor to await tonight’s auction!"