Chapter 59: Chapter 55: Little Girl
Lady Rose chuckled quietly.
He said he wouldn’t come to the female slave section, yet he’s looking more attentively than anyone.
Sure enough, men are all the same.
Luo De remained unaware of Lady Rose’s thoughts, focusing carefully on the frequency of the Detection Gem. After making a round, he finally pinpointed the location.
The fourth cell on the right, inside sat a white-haired little girl with a ponytail, sitting quietly with her head down without a word.
When Luo De passed by, the Detection Gem’s frequency was at its peak, and it slowed down after he moved past.
"Is there anyone you fancy?" Lady Rose asked with a smile.
"Let me have another look."
Luo De turned around and walked back again.
But he didn’t go to the white-haired little girl; he approached the third cage at the front to inquire about the girl inside.
The price of female slaves, unlike craftsmen or soldiers, doesn’t have a fixed range.
The price often depends on personal preference.
The more beautiful, the higher the price, usually. But if the trader knows you have a strong preference for particularly voluptuous slaves, the price will be marked up accordingly.
In buying anything, you must never let the opponent know your psychological price point.
Sure enough, hearing Luo De’s interest, Lady Rose quickly quoted a high price of eight Gold Coins.
Luo De thought to himself, for eight Gold Coins, I’d rather buy two more craftsmen, yet he continued to haggle with Lady Rose on the surface.
Lady Rose finally quoted five Gold Coins, but Luo De was still dissatisfied and moved to the next one.
Thus, after conversing about four female slaves, none of the prices satisfied Luo De.
Despite Lady Rose’s relentless praise of their beauty and having these young women sway to showcase themselves,
Luo De remained unmoved.
It seemed as if Luo De only cared about the price.
Then Luo De finally stopped in front of the white-haired little girl.
"What’s the story with this child?"
"You have quite the eye, picking out only the finest."
"Her name is Milly. She got very lucky; a few days ago, she was pounced on by a gray wolf in the woods and about to be bitten to death when she was rescued by my slave team."
Lady Rose offered, "At that time, her face was dirty, and only after washing her did we realize she was a pretty little thing."
Luo De nodded, calmly commenting, "She is very pretty, but alas too young, doesn’t she look only ten?"
"Around that age. She insists she’s already twelve."
Lady Rose whispered, "Some nobles prefer this kind of age; if you like her, you can raise her a few more years."
Luo De scrutinized Milly for a while and then asked, "How much do you plan to sell her for?"
"If you want her, seven Gold Coins."
Lady Rose’s quotation made Luo De shake his head.
He pretended to be a noble youth willing to pay for beauty, rebutting, "I don’t have any peculiar preferences. For seven Gold Coins, I’d rather buy the girl in front."
"Buying her means I need to raise her for several more years. You’d better offer me a more appealing price."
Lady Rose chuckled wryly, "Dear Lord Luo De, aren’t you being too domineering?"
"I’m just being honest."
Luo De stated calmly, "If you want me to purchase a slave, I have to choose the one I desire and that’s also affordable.
Or if you have a pigeon craftsman, I could consider buying."
"If I had a pigeon craftsman, I’d have taken you to see them long ago."
Lady Rose seemed resigned as she sighed and agreed, "Five Gold Coins, no less."
"Two Gold Coins, that’s the highest I can offer for a female slave."
"Oh my heavens, dear Lord Luo De, such a lovely little daisy isn’t worth that price you argue for!"
Lady Rose moaned in agony, heaving a deep sigh, "Alright, five Gold Coins, and I’ll throw in another female slave, but you can’t be too picky."
"I don’t want another female slave; you can throw in a stone mason instead."
"You’re really something... fine, a stone mason it is."
Lady Rose sighed as though resigning to her fate and agreed.
"But before we finalize the deal, I need to take Milly outside to see her in the sunlight and thoroughly check for hidden injuries."
The cell was surrounded by walls with only a few palm-sized air windows, making the light very dim. It’s reasonable for Luo De to want an outside check.
"No problem, Lord Luo De, feel free to check her. If you’re not confident, I can also take you to a room for a more thorough examination."
Lady Rose signaled with a raised hand, and a servant on the side took out a key to open the cell door and bring Milly out.
"No need, just seeing her under sunlight is enough."
Luo De wasted no words, leading the little girl out of the wooden house and examining her carefully under the sunlight from all angles.
But in reality, none of this mattered.
Luo De’s true goal was to verify whether the Detection Gem’s vibrations were really caused by Milly.
And indeed, they were.
With Milly by his side, the vibrations of the Detection Gem didn’t cease.
After confirming this, Luo De finally paid the Gold Coins.
"Pleasure doing business, Lord Luo De. I’ll keep an eye out for a pigeon craftsman slave for you. Please come again!"
"Alright."
Luo De nodded, leaving with the three bought slaves.
Actually, Luo De wanted to buy some ordinary slaves, but the prices at this Rose Manor were absurdly high.
One serf dared to request eighty Silver Coins, claiming to be strong with ample farming experience.
Luo De immediately discarded any thoughts of purchasing.
Luo De could easily train ordinary serfs himself.
Just as Luo De left Rose Manor, Lawrence approached directly.
"Did you handle everything?"
"Yes, sir, the messages have been sent, with the scrap cloth selling at four Copper Coins per pound. They’ll deliver a batch to the inn soon, and after we leave, they’ll continue sending to Frost Leaf Town."
Lawrence let out a sly chuckle, "Then you can collect their trade tax."
After speaking, his gaze shifted to Milly, "Why did you buy such a small child?"
Purchasing female slaves wasn’t unusual, but the one Luo De bought was too young.
The crux of the matter was that Lawrence knew Luo De didn’t have any peculiar preferences, making him quite puzzled.
Lawrence also knew well that his lord wasn’t the type of noble youth who squandered recklessly.
"Were you tricked?"
"You don’t need to worry about this; you’ll find out in the future."
Luo De pushed aside Lawrence’s plump body, personally holding Milly’s hand, leading the way.
At this moment, his aloofness eased somewhat as he tried to speak as gently as possible, "From now on, I am your lord. I will provide your food, clothing, accommodation, and supplies.
I will have someone teach you literacy and knowledge, and when you grow up, you’ll work for me."
"Oh, oh."
Milly quietly lifted her head to glance at Luo De, quickly lowering her head again.
Luo De felt the tension from her restless little hand, bent down, and picked her up into his arms, allowing her to sit within the crook of his arm.
Luo De looked at Milly and said softly, "You don’t need to be afraid, Milly, I know your identity.
I won’t harm you. I only want to know what your ability is."
"I, I, don’t know."
Milly still bowed her head in fear, her little hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Luo De didn’t press for answers; maybe the little girl was still frightened, or perhaps she hadn’t awakened yet.
This might also be why the Detection Gem hadn’t triggered earlier.
"It’s alright, don’t worry."
Luo De continuously and patiently reassured Milly, but unfortunately, he didn’t have much talent with children, as Milly seemed to remain somewhat afraid of him.
Seems like he’ll need to buy some snacks to bribe her.
Luo De contemplated as a racket erupted ahead.
"Get lost, you abomination infected by the Undead’s curse!"
"If I had known you’d turn out like this, I wouldn’t have taken you in back then!"