Chapter 566: Blue Blood

Ant Nest Black Market.

Here you could find the sturdiest armor, the sharpest weapons, and the most expensive spices. Naturally, there was no shortage of the most beautiful female slaves.

Wu Ming even saw a pardon issued by a viscount, and a certificate of free citizen status. The name section was blank, but the noble seal and signature underneath were complete.

If the documents were authentic, they meant that the buyer could instantly obtain a new identity by simply filling in their name.

Such documents would be highly valuable to river and lake bandits, horseback raiders, or gang leaders wanting to wipe the slate clean and start anew.

Sure enough, Wu Ming had only waited a short while before witnessing several wealthy buyers fighting over the certificate. Eventually, a very rich individual smashed the bidding with a high price of two hundred golden Derons, taking the identity certificate home.

“The lord who issued the certificate also bears the obligation to ensure the truthfulness of its contents… documents like this rarely end up on the market… no wonder they are priceless and in short supply…”

“Still… more and more people are coming. Could it be that everyone is waiting for the auction?”

Wu Ming walked around and found no one selling holy oil. The central plaza was empty, with some waiters setting up the venue. He decided not to act in haste and waited patiently.

Suddenly, a commotion came from the front slave stalls, accompanied by vague cries of “blue blood.”

Wu Ming’s heart stirred, and he pushed through the crowd to the front.

What appeared before him was a slave market.

All the female slaves here were of extraordinary beauty, dressed in various revealing outfits. Their expressions were as pure as praying nuns, and some bore the haughty gaze of queens, which carried a teasing allure.

Clearly, the one who trained them was an exceptionally skilled slave trader. Any noble would be willing to pay a high price for such quality merchandise.

On the notice board beside the stall, it clearly stated—”High-grade female slaves, proficient in all kinds of etiquette and techniques to please men. We guarantee their virginity. Price: fifty golden Derons per person!”

However, at this moment, they were not the main attraction causing the commotion.

Wu Ming’s gaze landed on a little girl who appeared to be only about twelve or thirteen years old, being loudly auctioned by a slave trader: “Blue blood noble, from the extinct Ross family. Guaranteed to be trouble-free. Just fifty golden Derons, and she will be yours!”

Blue blood noble! Descendant of the Taler bloodline! Wu Ming finally understood why there was such an uproar.

However, for any blue blood noble, a price of fifty golden Derons was clearly too cheap.

Yet, the crowd still jeered, and not a single person offered a bid.

At first glance, Wu Ming understood the reason.

Because the girl was sick, and very seriously so!

She was almost naked, her body covered with dark red pustules, some of which had already started to rot and ooze pus, emitting a foul stench.

“Heavens… is she cursed by the devil?”

Wu Ming heard someone nearby exclaim: “Such a filthy and ugly monster probably won’t even survive the night!”

A young and healthy blue blood noble was priceless, but one on the brink of death and potentially infectious was no different from a pile of rotting meat.

“What monster?”

The slave trader turned red-faced, as if insulted: “Just look at her!”

He grabbed the girl’s arm and pointed to a spot free of sores: “How fair and delicate her skin is, and look at these blue veins!”

Under the lamplight, the girl’s arm appeared translucent, pale skin revealing blue veins.

This was the mark of the blue blood nobility, a symbol of pride for many.

“It really is blue blood! This mark… cannot be faked!”

A low voice from outside agreed: “But… she is dying, and we don’t even know if her illness is contagious!”

“How could that be? Look at me! I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”

The slave trader protested.

In truth, he was secretly cursing his luck.

He still remembered how smooth and delicate her skin was when he first acquired the last heir of the Ross family—beautiful as an angel.

He was absolutely confident that, after his “training,” this girl would drive all customers mad!

But who knew that the very next day after purchase, the girl fell ill, eventually developing these pustules all over her body, even on her face, turning her into a hideous monster.

“That damned bastard who should rot in the ninth circle of hell!”

The slave trader had cursed the mercenary who sold him the girl countless times: “He must have known the truth!”

“The Ross family has already perished, and their territory has been re-granted… So right now, besides her blue blood noble status, she is utterly worthless…”

A picky voice spoke from outside.

But the slave trader’s eyes lit up. Picky meant there was still a desire to buy.

“But… she is still blue blood. That alone is worth at least a hundred golden Derons! Now it’s only fifty, already extremely cheap!”

At this point, he was eager to get rid of this loss-making monster, hoping never to see her again.

“Ten golden Derons!”

A figure completely cloaked in black offered the price.

“Impossible!”

The slave trader stood his ground.

“She looks like she is about to die…” the cloaked figure insisted.

“She is only sick. Perhaps a scholar or a healer could cure her… Just resell her, heavens, that could be a profit of ten or even a hundred times!”

The slave trader spoke in an exaggerated tone.

In reality, he had already tried every method possible and eventually lost all hope.

“Impossible, at most twenty golden Derons… I just want to give my little pets at home something fun to play with…”

The cloaked figure insisted.

“Fifty golden Derons!”

The slave trader made a final effort, then spread his hands: “Not a single Dero less, or I’d rather let her die here!”

This was a lesson he had learned through years of business: never lower the price voluntarily, or once the crack opened, the final price would make him vomit blood.

“Very well then!”

The cloaked figure shrugged and left directly.

“Tsk tsk… I never expected it to actually be blue blood!”

The onlookers, finding the scene dull, also began to slowly disperse.

“If she hadn’t been ill, I guarantee she would have been more than capable of attending last month’s auction!”

“Do you remember the one from before the new year? That blue-blooded female slave was auctioned off for a whopping five thousand Golden Dragons! My goodness, that’s almost as much as a knight’s estate!”

……

“You damned monster, go to hell!”

Seeing the customer leave without a successful sale, the slave trader furiously whipped the girl, causing her to let out a painful groan.

“You can’t even speak, like a mute thing. Why was I so blind to have bought you back then…”

The slave trader clutched his head in agony, only to soon realize that one person had not yet left.

What? Sir, are you interested in her?

As if seeing a lifeline, he looked expectantly at the remaining customers.

The Ross family? Will there be any trouble after buying her?

Wu Ming asked in a low voice.

“Of course… its direct heirs are all dead! You can inquire as you wish—no one will cause trouble for you over this girl… However, out of the honor befitting a blue-blooded noble, I still advise you not to display her in public!”

The slave trader remarked, though he felt it was entirely unnecessary, as the girl likely wouldn’t survive more than a few days anyway.

However, out of professional ethics, he still said it.

“Pure blue blood…”

Wu Ming crouched down, gazing at the girl’s translucent pale skin and the blue veins beneath it.

With a slight movement of her face covered in festering sores, her eyes, dull and lifeless like those of a dead fish, cast a cold glance at Wu Ming. The indifference in her gaze was enough to shock any adult, and it was even more unbelievable that it came from the face of such a young girl.

“Excellent… I’ve been wanting to find some material to study for a long time…”

Wu Ming nodded subtly and attempted to negotiate for a lower price.

Clearly, the slave owner was on the verge of a mental breakdown from the torment caused by this wretched piece of merchandise. Under relentless pressure, he made the first concession of his career: “Forty-five gold dralions! Not a single coin less!”

“Deal!”

Wu Ming took out the gold coins and promptly completed the transaction with the slave owner, securing ownership of the girl.

Her name is Beatrice, but of course, now she is yours, and you can give her any name you like!

The slave owner counted the gold and then lifted the girl’s head, revealing the iron ring around her neck: “This is her slave collar, and here is the key!”

“Pleasure doing business with you!”

Wu Ming took the key and picked up the little girl.

Her body was very light, and her indifferent eyes showed no emotion at all, as if she didn’t realize she had been bought by a stranger.

“What a poor little thing!”

Wu Ming shook his head and turned his gaze back to the black market center.

There, a large viewing platform had been set up, clearly indicating that the monthly auction was about to begin.

The most precious and rare items are auctioned off at auctions. If there is any holy oil, it could only appear here.

Of course, Wu Ming was well aware that even if he hadn’t stepped in to buy Beatrice, his financial means offered little hope of affording the sacred oil.

Therefore, he had ulterior motives from the very beginning.

“Alright, the auction is now starting!”

With a loud shout, the crowd surged toward the central stands. Even some stall owners hastily packed up their stalls, disregarding their own businesses.

In the stands, an emcee bowed to the audience in all directions and unveiled the red cloth covering the first treasure: “A full set of knight armor, crafted from the lightest steel by master artisans from the Highlands. Lightweight, sturdy, and offering superior defense compared to ordinary plate armor. The starting bid is two thousand Golden Derons!”