BATTLE FOR STARS

In the final decades of a slave’s life, the effects of life-support capsules diminished significantly. Aging accelerated, leaving very little time for them to truly enjoy their freedom after redemption. Even then, once a slave finally bought their freedom, they had to fend for themselves—earning a living without the support of a master was no easy task. As a result, many slaves chose to remain under their former masters, continuing to work rather than starting over. Some even gave up on redemption entirely, spending whatever they earned instead of saving for freedom.

Belina had once explained the reasoning behind the redemption policy of the Resk Empire.

Slaves formed the backbone of the empire’s labor force. To keep them motivated, the system offered a chance at freedom. But by the time a slave could realistically afford redemption, most of their wealth had already been extracted—and they were old.

As for slaves purchased by off-world buyers, they were no longer part of the empire’s labor system, and thus did not benefit from this policy.

The result was a complicated situation: once a slave had begun working toward redemption, selling them to another country became problematic. If done without their consent, it would destroy their incentive to work—undermining the very purpose of the redemption system. That was why the empire discouraged foreign buyers from purchasing slaves who already had owners.

Having understood all this, Ding Yufei glanced around. This time, he stopped the floating vehicle entirely and stepped toward one of the rooms.

He wanted a closer look at these slaves, to see how they differed from those he had encountered outside. To avoid awkwardness, he chose a male slave’s room rather than a female one. As soon as he approached the transparent door, it slid open automatically. A well-built male slave stepped forward and began showcasing his physique with a series of practiced movements.

Belina also stepped off the vehicle. She didn’t concern herself with gender and walked straight to a female slave’s room. A petite girl immediately approached and knelt at her feet.

The girl wore only a few ribbon-like strips of fabric, each no wider than a thumb. Calling it clothing would be generous—it was more decoration than anything, offering almost no real coverage.

“Master, greetings,” the girl said softly as she knelt.

Though not particularly voluptuous, she had a gentle, endearing face that gave off a warm and delicate charm. Belina knew this was the type Ding Yufei tended to like.

Seeing that Belina merely observed her without speaking, the girl stood and began to dance—her body swaying gracefully.

Ding Yufei couldn’t identify the style of dance, but with her figure enhancing every movement, it was undeniably captivating. Still, he dared not stare too long. The ribbons had already slipped free during her movements, leaving almost nothing concealed. Watching her now felt no different from watching explicit content—it was far too provocative.

He quickly glanced at the information panel beside the room. She was trained as a service slave and had been in the trading center for over five months. Though officially just over twelve years old, she looked no different from an eighteen-year-old by Earth standards.

Belina only gave her a brief look. The dance was decent, but looking around, there were hundreds of equally attractive girls in identical rooms. This one didn’t stand out. She exchanged a glance with Ding Yufei and prepared to move on.

Suddenly, the girl dropped flat onto the ground and crawled forward at astonishing speed, stopping just short of Belina’s feet. Bowing deeply, her voice trembled with urgency:

“Master, please take me with you. I will fulfill any request you have.”

Her body shook faintly. Though she followed Belina’s direction, she kept a distance of over a meter, not daring to get closer.

Both Ding Yufei and Belina were caught off guard. To them, this was just casual browsing. Slaves here were always waiting to be chosen—if not by them, then by someone else.

So why was this girl acting as if her life depended on it?

Belina stepped aside slightly. The girl didn’t follow but raised her head, her eyes filled with desperate hope. Then she bowed deeply once more.

Ding Yufei frowned slightly and looked toward Jill, puzzled and somewhat displeased.

“Restrain yourself. Return to your room,” Jill said sharply.

The girl trembled at the command and slowly backed away, retreating into her room.

“Why is she so desperate?” Ding Yufei asked.

“Because she hasn’t found a master in over five months,” Jill replied. Noticing his confusion, she elaborated:

“If an adult slave remains unsold for one month after entering the trading center, they are subjected to daily neural punishment. After three months, the intensity doubles. The longer it goes on, the harsher it becomes. At six months, they are reassigned as ‘med slaves’ or ‘life slaves.’ She… has about ten days left.”

The system automatically converted the time into Earth standards for Ding Yufei.

“Neural punishment?” he asked.

“It’s a pain stimulus delivered through the implant in their brain,” Belina explained quietly. “Similar to electric shock, but far more intense—directly affecting the mind.”

“I see…” Ding Yufei muttered.

A harmless-sounding term, yet horrifying in reality. He had experienced electric shock before—it was unbearable. And this girl endured it daily. In just days, she would be reassigned to roles with high mortality rates.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Belina.

“Should we buy her?”

“Sure,” Belina replied without hesitation, then turned to Jill. “Mark her.”

“Understood,” Jill said, clearly pleased—she had just secured a sale.

Hearing this, the girl at the doorway dropped to her knees again. Tears streamed down her face.

One could only imagine how unbearable the punishment must have been—no wonder every slave here tried so desperately to sell themselves.