Chapter 20 : Chapter 20
Chapter 20. Buying Slaves on a Large Scale
Inside the carriage, William sat with his eyes closed, contemplating the development plans for his knight order.
Now that he had the enormous sum of money handed over by the Lane Family, the plans that had previously been delayed could finally be put on the agenda.
He opened his eyes and said to Knight Tos beside him, “Change our route. We’re going to the slave market and the Slave Auction House in the Royal Capital.”
“Your Highness intends to…” Tos froze for a moment.
“To buy people.”
William’s answer was brief and direct.
“The knight order needs fresh blood. I want a large number of slaves with potential.”
The carriage soon arrived at the first Slave Market.
William tore open a cleansing magic scroll and attached its spiritual power to the soles of his shoes, isolating him from the filth on the ground before stepping inside.
Long before his arrival, more than a dozen slave traders had already received word and cleared the market of all unrelated people.
The moment William appeared, they all dropped to their knees in salute, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The market was still filled with an indescribable sour stench. William frowned, then walked straight toward the slaves imprisoned in iron cages, his gaze sweeping over their physiques and spirits.
What he wanted was Golden Aptitude. Even if they were slaves, they still had to be worth cultivating.
An hour later, he selected twenty-three slaves who met his requirements, ordered the expense to be recorded, and turned to head for the next place.
Over the following days, William visited nearly every slave market and Slave Auction House in the Royal Capital. He even spared no effort in seeking out the Underground Trading Points hidden in the shadows.
In the end, he managed to gather a total of five hundred and twenty-seven slaves with golden potential. Even so, the number still fell short of his expectations.
“Should I search the surrounding cities as well?”
As William was considering this, Knight Tos strode over to report.
“Your Highness, the selected slaves have already been settled. They’ve been placed in a manor outside the city, and I’ve assigned palace knights to guard them. What should we do next?”
William took out a Spatial Ring from his robes and tossed it over.
“Inside are cultivation resources and daily necessities. Teach them the rules first, especially the discipline of the knight order.”
He paused, and his tone grew heavier.
“There is one thing you must remember. What I want is absolute loyalty.”
“Find a few instructors who are skilled with words and persuasive speech. Drill the idea of loyalty into them. Make them understand that following me is their only path forward, and keep washing their minds.”
“Understood, Your Highness.” Tos accepted the ring and bowed.
“I will go over shortly.”
William adjusted his collar.
“These people are the foundation of the knight order. Nothing can go wrong.”
The carriage set off once more, heading toward the manor outside the city. William looked at the passing streets outside the window, his gaze deep and unreadable.
Five hundred and twenty-seven people were only the beginning.
He needed a force absolutely loyal to him, one that could deal with the increasingly complicated situation in the Royal Capital.
In his hands, these slaves would be reborn and become his sharpest sword.
Inside the manor, more than five hundred slaves were being taken away in groups to wash and change clothes. Though fear and numbness still lingered in their eyes, they could sense that their fates seemed to be turning.
Within the palace, the atmosphere in the Second Prince’s residence was so oppressive it seemed as though water might drip from it.
He had been furious for several days in a row. His face was ashen, and the jade cup in his hand creaked under the pressure of his grip.
Who could have imagined that just after he made his move, the Lane Family, his maternal clan, would lose three hundred million gold coins? That was not even counting the enormous back taxes recovered from them some time earlier. Every single loss felt like flesh being carved from his body.
A freshly opened letter lay on the desk. It was personally written by his maternal grandfather, Duke Lane. Between the lines were full of warnings, telling him to restrain himself for the time being and wait until he returned to the Royal Capital before discussing anything further.
The Second Prince viciously crushed the letter into a ball, but in the end, he still had no choice but to swallow his anger.
His maternal clan had suffered disastrous losses, and now he was left to struggle alone.
What frustrated him even more was that the little moves from the First Prince and the Third Princess had also suddenly stopped.
Clearly, they too had been intimidated by their royal father’s attitude. No one had expected their father to favor William so openly that he would assign him the Shadow Guard.
After all, even they, the older princes and princesses, had never received such treatment.
“The Shadow Guard…”
The Second Prince slowly repeated those words under his breath, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes.
The Shadow Guard were his royal father’s most trusted covert force. Only those who were truly valued could command them.
His father had given the Shadow Guard to William. What did that mean? Could it be that he truly intended to cultivate William, the usually inconspicuous fourth son?
He walked to the window and looked in the direction of William’s residence in the distance, his expression complicated.
Previously, he had only treated William as a harmless minor figure. Yet in such a short time, not only had William profited greatly from the Lane Family’s misfortune, he had also seemingly gained their father’s backing. That left him feeling as though a thorn were lodged in his back.
“It seems I underestimated him,” the Second Prince muttered.
At the same time, inside the First Prince’s study, he was toying with a chess piece, deep in thought.
The Third Princess sat across from him, her tone carrying a trace of puzzlement.
“Big Brother, are we really just leaving it at that?”
“That fourth brother is looking quite glorious right now.”
The First Prince set down the chess piece and said calmly, “What else can we do? Father is obviously protecting him. If we clash head-on at a time like this, we will gain nothing.”
A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.
“Besides, the Lane Family has been badly weakened, and Second Brother has also been butchered for a great deal. Stopping for now and letting fourth brother stir things up may not be a bad thing.”
The Third Princess raised an eyebrow. “You mean…”
“To sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.”
The First Prince smiled.
“When they have both wounded each other badly enough, it will not be too late for us to act. Duke Lane is not the sort of man willing to suffer a loss in silence.”
At this moment, William had already arrived at the manor outside the city, followed by a group of City Defense Army soldiers, palace knights, and several mages.
He ordered the City Defense Army to remain on standby outside the manor, while he himself entered with the knights and mages.
Knight Tos stepped forward to lead the way toward the training grounds.
Before they even drew near, they could already hear an impassioned voice coming from the training grounds. It was apparently an instructor speaking to the slaves about William’s “achievements”—from foiling the assassination plot to forcing the Lane Family to bow their heads. Every word was full of admiration.
William’s steps slowed slightly, and understanding flashed through his eyes.
When he entered the training grounds, several hundred slaves were standing in formation, listening with complete attention. The numbness on their faces was gradually being replaced by awe.
The instructor responsible for washing their minds immediately stopped when he saw William arrive and bowed at once.
William’s gaze swept across the slaves in the field. Although they all wore the same clothes, their bones still carried an unmistakable stiffness and restraint. Yet in their eyes, there was already a trace of the fervor that had been guided into them.
He then looked at the instructor, who lowered his head at the appropriate moment, his posture humble and respectful.
William slowly nodded and said nothing. He simply walked toward the center of the training grounds.
Knight Tos lowered his voice and said, “Your Highness, these past few days, apart from learning the rules, they have been listening to the instructors talk about your deeds. Quite a few of them have already started to believe in you.”
William gave a quiet hum, his gaze falling on the slaves’ clenched fists.
Loyalty might be cultivated through words, but true strength still had to be forged through real training.
He said to the knights and mages beside him, “Begin.”
The palace knights and mages all bowed to William in unison.