Chapter 75 - 9
The faint morning sun filtered through the window, casting a warm amber light across the small stone room. Arthur opened his eyes to find Lyra already sitting up at the edge of the mattress, her face bright red as she stared intently at her own lap. Memories of the previous night hung heavily in the air—her timid attempt at hugging him, his racing heart, and the tense, electric silence that had followed until dawn.
Arthur cleared his throat softly, sitting up and adjusting his tunic. "Lyra. It’s time."
Lyra flinched slightly, her cheeks burning even hotter as she looked back at him, her voice barely a whisper. "R-Right! The payment..."
Neither of them mentioned the night before, but a soft, newly formed intimacy lingered between them as they gathered their things and headed down into the undercity once more.
When they arrived at Madame Vespera’s vault, the black-market leader was already waiting behind her desk, looking radiant despite the early hour. A heavy, iron-bound chest sat prominently on the mahogany wood.
"Punctual as always, my king," Vespera purred, giving Arthur a long, lingering look before tapping the iron chest. "I’ve liquidated the Griffin materials and the surrounding high-grade components through our discreet channels. After deducting our standard commission, your initial debt for the archive access, and the holding fees... you have four hundred and eighty gold crests."
She pushed an additional small leather pouch containing thirty shiny gold crests toward him with a sultry smile. "Plus a thirty gold bonus from my personal share of the anticipated auction profits. I know a good investment when I see one."
Arthur took the chest and the extra pouch, giving her a firm, businesslike nod. "A pleasure doing business with you, Vespera."
"Remember your promise, Arthur," she whispered, leaning over the desk with a seductive wink as he turned to leave. "The undercity is backing your rise."
With his initial capital fully realized, Arthur walked out into the central market district of the undercity, his mind already churning with expansion plans. Lyra walked beside him, holding his arm tightly, relieved that they were finally leaving Vespera’s vault.
However, as they passed through the lower subterranean square, a loud auctioneer’s cry echoed from a gated courtyard.
"Step right up! Prime stock imported directly from the eastern border raids! Rare non-human assets!"
Arthur stopped in his tracks, his sharp eyes sweeping across the wooden platform. Bound in heavy mana-suppression chains stood a stoic Elf woman with golden hair and a scowling Dwarf woman with braided steel-grey hair and soot-stained hands.
Lyra looked at the platform and then at Arthur, her eyes widening in immediate alarm as she noticed his intense gaze. "Arthur...? Why are you looking at them like that?"
Arthur didn’t answer immediately. His modern, analytical mind was calculating values, supply chains, and industrial bottlenecks.
Elves possess innate botanical resonance and high-tier agricultural magic, Arthur analyzed rapidly. They can accelerate crop growth, refine rare alchemical ingredients, and optimize potion synthesis.
Dwarves possess structural engineering instincts, metallurgical mastery, and forging efficiency that no human blacksmith can replicate. To build an economic power, I need production monopolies, not just raw capital.
"Auctioneer!" Arthur called out, his voice cutting through the noise of the courtyard like a razor. "Twenty gold crests for both the Elf and the Dwarf."
The crowd gasped. Twenty gold crests was an exorbitant sum for two unrefined non-human captives. The auctioneer’s jaw dropped before he slammed his gavel down instantly. "Sold to the gentleman in the front!"
Lyra’s breath hitched. A sudden, sharp pang of intense jealousy and hurt twisted in her chest. She grabbed Arthur’s sleeve, her violet eyes brimming with angry tears. "Why?!" she demanded in a furious whisper, her voice trembling. "Why are you buying women slaves?! Is... is it because of how they look? Am I not enough for you?! You rejected all those rich women, but now you’re buying them?!"
Arthur looked down at her flushed, indignant face. Seeing her genuine panic and possessive anger, a rare, soft smile touched his lips. He leaned down slightly, whispering close to her ear so only she could hear.
"Jealous, Lyra?"
Lyra’s face exploded into a violent blush. "I-I’m not—that’s not the point! I’m your manager! You shouldn’t waste money on—"
"I am not buying companions," Arthur interrupted softly, his voice returning to its cool, reassuring tone. "I am buying expertise. Look at their hands, Lyra. The Elf carries the scent of rare spirit-herbs, and the Dwarf has forge-calluses on her palms. They are the keys to our industrial foundation."
He straightened up as the guard brought the two chained women forward, handing Arthur their collar keys. The Elf glared at him with cold suspicion, while the Dwarf crossed her muscular arms, scowling deeply.
"My name is Arthur," he said calmly to the two women, unlocking their suppression collars on the spot. "I haven’t bought you to serve as servants or concubines. I have bought your knowledge. Work for me, help me build an empire, and you will receive proper wages, freedom, and authority over your respective fields."
The Elf and Dwarf stared at him in complete shock, stunned by his immediate offer of freedom and dignity.
Arthur turned back to the auction supervisor, his eyes glinting with unyielding ambition. He knew that in this world, male slaves were extremely rare, heavily guarded, and virtually impossible to find due to the skewed gender ratio—making female non-humans the primary available workforce.
Over the next two hours, Arthur systematically expended a total of eighty gold crests, purchasing a specialized workforce: three Halflings for administrative logistics and trade calculation, two Gnomes for precision alchemy and clockwork drafting, and four strong Beastfolk women for security and heavy transport.
By mid-afternoon, Arthur stood at the gates of the city, flanked by Lyra—who was still pouting slightly but walking proudly at his right hand—and a diverse team of elite non-human specialists ready to follow his command.
His personal capital was secured. His specialized workforce was assembled.
Arthur looked out over the vast, unclaimed territories beyond the city walls, a confident, sovereign smile spreading across his face.
The strategy phase was over. The construction of his new world order had officially begun.