Chapter 159: Better than Steel, Holy Sword
After recording their daily work, the slaves dispersed.
This brief moment was the only shred of freedom they got in a day.
Some used their reward coins to buy food, some bullied others for theirs, and others gambled them away in desperate bids for more. The rule was clear: return to the cells before dark.
Aires, still adjusting to his new reality, followed the crowd down the mountain road to a bustling cluster of stalls. The air hummed with activity—miners bartering for goods with vendors, and the vendors shouting their wares for customers.
The sheer number of people startled him. They had been far more than he’d seen in his cell.
He stopped at a meat stall, where a burly woman with a no-nonsense demeanor presided. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice gruff as she sliced through a slab of meat.
"I want to buy meat," Aires said, raising his single silver coin. As she prepared his order, he seized the chance to ask, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"
She nodded without pausing, her practiced hands moving swiftly. His whole demeanor already marked him as a newcomer. And since he was purchasing, she wouldn’t mind answering a few questions.
"Why are there more people out here than in the cells?"
"Do you think there’s only one cell?" she replied, her tone as plain as possible.
Aires’ eyes widened. ’All these people are slaves?’ The realization was staggering. Then he went into thoughts, ’Should I just ask her for everything while I’m at it?’ It felt like through this woman, he could get a better scope of where he was.
After deciding, he slid his silver coin toward her. "I’ll give you this if you answer more questions for me."