"Since I'm your biggest customer today," Gab said, turning back to Tapad, "clean them up. Make sure they take a bath. I'll pick them up in an hour."
Tapad bowed slightly, grinning at the profit. "Of course, of course. Leave it to me, sir. They'll be spotless when you return."
Gab nodded, then waved to his group. "Come on, boys. Let's head to the market."
The city was buzzing with life, and the marketplace especially grew livelier as Gab moved from stall to stall, throwing around silver like water. His shopping spree had already drawn curious eyes.
First stop was the livestock market.
He purchased twenty hens ready to lay eggs, plus five roosters a steady food source for the future. That cost him seven silvers.
Next, he bought three pairs of goats, male and female, for sixteen silvers.
Then came the pigs: four female breeders and three fattened boars, totaling forty-nine silvers.
The real prize, however, were the cattle: two bulls and six cows, strong and valuable, for a steep sixty-six silvers.
Farm animals secured, Gab moved on to transport.
He bought two passenger carriages for the slaves each worth ten silvers ensuring they'd travel back in comfort rather than chained like animals.
Finally, the crown purchase: horses.
He acquired ten in total four breeding mares and six ordinary transport horses for a massive one hundred sixty-two silvers.
The marketplace practically buzzed with chatter now. Merchants whispered, speculating on this mysterious young man who bought livestock in bulk and paid in pure silver. Some vendors rubbed their hands together, eager to draw his attention.
Gab didn't mind. He calmly tallied his remaining funds: two hundred thirty-one silvers left.
"Alright," he muttered to himself. "Next, construction tools and food. After all… more slaves means more mouths to feed."
Gab knew livestock alone wasn't enough they needed feed. A lot of it.
He purchased eighty sacks of grain, enough to keep the animals healthy for months. Publicly, he ordered the sacks to be loaded onto the carriages, but whenever no one was looking, he quietly slipped them into his subspace. By the time the merchants turned around, the wagons were miraculously empty again.
Next came food for the people. Gab bought one hundred sacks of wheat an absurd amount for an ordinary merchant. Again, he made a show of having them stacked onto the carriages, only to whisk them away into his subspace when eyes wandered elsewhere.
"Now the carriages are light again," he thought, smirking.
This time, however, he left sixty sacks of barley where they were thirty sacks in each carriage. It wouldn't raise suspicion if at least something remained visible.
The total cost for all the food and feed came to one hundred thirty silvers.
With necessities covered, Gab turned to construction tools. He bought iron hammers, saws, shovels, chisels, and pickaxes everything needed to start building real homes. The merchant, surprised at the bulk order, gladly took his sixty silvers.
After that, Gab moved on to clothing. He spent twenty-five silvers on seventeen rolls of fabric linen, cotton, and even wool. He added threads, needles, and tools for sewing.
"I'll introduce proper shirts, pants, and even shorts to my people," he thought. "No more rags."
By the time the deals were done, only six silvers remained in his pouch. With the last of it, Gab bought bulk bread, storing it all inside his subspace.
The once-bursting coin sacks were nearly empty now, but the wagons looked deceptively light just a few sacks of barley to show for it.
"Good," Gab murmured as he inspected the purchases. "Supplies secured. Food, tools, clothing… our foundation is set."
He adjusted his cloak and glanced at the sun dipping lower on the horizon.
"Now," he said, "time to fetch the slaves."
Thru meet up in the entrances, Darius, garen and lam already picked up the slaves and they quickly head out to the forest.
The wheels of the carriages creaked over roots and stones as dawn's first light crept through the Beast Glades. Baki and Darius waved tiredly from the first wagon, while Lam and Garen kept their grip on the reins of the second. Inside the cramped wooden boxes, the newly bought slaves sat huddled together, whispering in fear.
"Spread the load evenly," Gab ordered calmly, walking between the wagons. "Some of you go to the other carriage." His tone left no room for argument.
They had left Kuzar before sunset and now, after 9 hours of slow, grueling travel over uneven mountain paths, it was five in the morning. Everyone was exhausted. Lam's eyes were red with fatigue; Baki nearly slid off his bench; Garen and Darius tried to look stoic but their hands shook on the reins.
Gab, however, looked as fresh as if they'd just set out. Quietly, he had been using strengthening magic on himself only.
"Hahaha! You boys need training," he called out with a grin. "You're tired from driving a wagon?"
Then his expression shifted, eyes narrowing as a low growl came from the treeline. A shadow leapt forward a beast twice the size of a man.
Gab's sword flashed once. The monster fell in two clean halves. He didn't even break stride.
The slaves inside the wagons stared, wide-eyed, their fear growing.
When they finally rolled into the flat clearing that would become their camp, Gab jumped down from his carriage. "All right," he barked. "Get out. All of you. We're here."
"Where… where is 'here'?" one of the men asked, his voice trembling.
Gab smiled faintly. "The Beast Glades."
A ripple of shock went through the group.
"Beast Glades, sir?"
"What are we doing here?!"
"What else?" Gab said simply. "I'm building my village here. That's why you're all here."
A dwarf with a grizzled beard stepped forward hesitantly. "Sir, but… the monsters. Monsters are rampant here."
Gab's gaze flicked to him. "What's your name?"
The dwarf swallowed. "Thomas, sir. I'm… the eldest among the dwarves."
"Good. Thomas, listen carefully." Gab's tone softened. "Just follow my lead. Build houses for me, and you'll earn your freedom. That's why I didn't brand any of you with slave markings."
Murmurs spread through the group. A flicker of hope sparked in their eyes.
"Really, sir?"
"Yes," Gab said. "Work hard for a year and you can buy back your freedom. You're free men here. Even you human children I know you all from Taysia country."
A thin young man raised his head. "Yes, sir. My name is Aamon. I was a noble of the House of Temis."
Gab nodded. "I know House Temis. My father respected your family. My name is Gabriel Lundale the sole heir of the Lundale family. And now all of you stand in the Lundale Kingdom."
Gasps erupted. Dead eyes lit up again with life.
"You're… Lord Lundale?" one of the girls asked, her voice trembling.
"Uh-huh."
A young woman stepped forward, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, but Lord Gabriel… my name is Ella. We were classmates at the Royal Capital four years ago. You resemble him, but you don't act like the Gabriel Lundale I remember. He was a bully, violent with water magic…"
Gab raised his hand. A sphere of water materialized out of thin air, hovering like a crystal globe. "Like this?"
Ella stared, stunned.
"People change," Gab said quietly. "I know you, Ella. Granddaughter of the Knight Captain of the Dukedom family, right?"
She nodded faintly.
"Welcome," Gab continued, his voice firm. "Some of you were high-born, some low-born. Here you're the same citizens of Lundale. Work hard for a year. Earn your freedom. And if you want to run to another empire, you're free to go."