Timeline Player

"Tell me about it," Chi Que said, lowering his voice as well.

Vincent said cautiously:

"It is said that the youngest daughter was born extremely ugly, which displeased the duchess, so she killed her with her own hands."

A gust of cold wind blew by, and he chuckled: "Of course, this is just a rumor and shouldn't be taken seriously. Some people even say that the Duchess's beauty is because she bathes in the blood of young girls to maintain her youth."

Chi fell silent, his flaws exposed.

I said, it's not just a rumor.

Vincent shook his head: "But this is just malicious slander against the Duchess. There have been many cases of girl kidnapping in the past, but we haven't heard of any family's daughter going missing in recent years."

Is it possible that they would replenish their ranks by purchasing slaves from other regions?

Chi Que recalled the information he had obtained at the market, which seemed to explain it.

He nodded calmly, "I see..."

As they spoke, the group arrived at the slave market, where the stench of livestock immediately assaulted their senses.

Chi Que held his breath and followed Vincent to the shadows of the market. He knew the way well, gave a few coded messages, and handed over a few copper coins. Finally, the guard opened the hidden door covered with leather.

A stone staircase winds its way down, disappearing into the dim firelight.

Stepping underground, the scene before him was completely different from what Chi Que had imagined.

The iron cages were neatly arranged and covered with dry straw.

Although the slaves' clothes in the cages were old, they were washed and clean, their hair was neatly combed, and there was even a special toilet area.

When they saw someone approaching, their eyes weren't numb; instead, they revealed a hint of excitement. Chi Que even saw a glimmer of hope in their eyes—a hope that a customer would buy them.

"You see, appearance matters here," Vincent whispered. "Nobody wants sick livestock, and the same goes for people."

Chi Que was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Where did they come from?"

"Most of them are refugees," the businessman explained.

"There are wars everywhere in this world, so you don't need to feel guilty. Buying them is doing good deeds."

Do good deeds and accumulate virtue...

He could never have imagined that this word would one day be associated with the purchase of slaves.

Just as Chi Que was deeply shocked, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from above, rapidly approaching.

The atmosphere in the entire underground market changed instantly. The slaves in the cages shrank into corners like frightened birds, and the customers who were looking at the goods also changed their expressions and subconsciously retreated.

"Guards! The Duchess's guards are here!" someone whispered in alarm.

Vincent's expression changed instantly: "Sir, it's the castle guards. This is troublesome."

Although he tried to remain calm, the panic in his eyes betrayed the businessman's true emotions.

The existence of this underground market must be due to underlying unspoken rules, but the fact that the Duchess's guards personally went out to handle it was an extraordinary event, to the point that they completely ignored these rules.

Chi Que's expression changed slightly, as this was an unexpected turn of events. However, he quickly regained his composure.

He saw an "acquaintance" among the guards.

The leader of the group of guards who broke into the place was none other than the guard captain he had met today who had escorted Isaac.

"Is this the only guard captain here?" Chi Que couldn't help but think to himself.

Just then, a well-dressed man, who appeared to be the local supervisor, jogged up to greet him with a fawning smile: "Captain! Look at this..."

He wanted to befriend the other man, but the captain of the guard didn't give him a chance to exchange pleasantries.

"Enough nonsense! A maid has escaped from the castle. She stole something from the Duchess. Witnesses say she eventually escaped to your place. Cooperate with my search." The captain of the guards ordered without room for argument.

Upon hearing that it was related to the Duchess, the manager's expression changed drastically, and he immediately lowered his head. The other guests were even more terrified, barely able to breathe.

The captain of the guards watched this scene with satisfaction, scanning the entire area before finally fixing his gaze on Chi Que.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he strode up to Chi Que, even deliberately straightening his back.

"Oh? Isn't this the shop owner with exceptional skills? What brings someone like you to a place like this?"

His words were clearly mocking, which made sense, given that an outsider had gained the favor of a powerful figure.

Chi Que ignored him, and simply took out the large gold coin that Isaac had given him, tossing it around idly.

The gold coins spun in the air, the cuckoo emblem gleamed brightly, the captain's expression shifted constantly, and finally he said sternly to the supervisor beside him, "Take our distinguished guest to rest, everyone else stay!"

After saying that, he continued, "Until we have thoroughly searched the area and confirmed that the fugitive is not here, no one—I mean no one—is allowed to leave, understand?!"

"Yes! Yes! Captain! I understand perfectly!"

The supervisor nodded and bowed, quickly agreeing, and then carefully turned to Chi Que, gesturing for him to proceed.

"Distinguished guest, please come with me to rest here for a moment. Please bear with me, it will be over soon..."

He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.

Chi Que glanced calmly at the captain of the guards, said nothing, nodded slightly, and then left with his supervisor.

As for Vincent, there was really nothing he could do to help him, since even he himself had only managed to escape by using someone else's name.

Fortunately, he deliberately kept a distance from Vincent, and the captain of the guard should not be aware of their relationship, so the other party should be considered safe.

Before long, he was led into a room with a style completely different from the outside world.

Although still dimly lit, the room was simply decorated with fabric, covered with a fine velvet rug, and had fresh pastries and fruits on the table, as well as a large bed.

"Dear guest, please rest here for a while. Everything in the room is at your convenience." The manager led him into the room and immediately bowed and smiled apologetically before closing the door.

Chi Que casually sat on the sofa. Although he had moved away from the center of the direct conflict, he was still trapped in this place of trouble.

He shook his head inwardly. His trip was originally intended to investigate the rumors of the duchess's mansion buying slaves, but he had unexpectedly stumbled upon the guards searching for escaped convicts.

"It seems I can only wait." He sighed softly to himself, closed his eyes to rest, and began to sense his surroundings.

"Huh?" He suddenly opened his eyes.

Could it be a fugitive being chased by the guards?

"Are you coming out on your own initiative, or am I forcing you to come out?" With a keen eye, Chi Que discovered more flaws.

Following the clues, he gradually approached the other party's hiding place, where a rustling sound came from ahead.