She was a grubby Wolf-Kin demi-human with short, grayish-white hair, cute fuzzy triangular wolf ears on her head, and eyes like a bright, golden crystal.
She sat hugging her knees, curled up in the corner with a few other women, watching Ryan with an earnest face, the ears on her head twitching now and then.
The slaver raised his whip and lashed out, and at the ear-splitting crack they were finally driven to the center of the cage.
Even so, they still huddled tightly against one another, as if that might grant them a small, pitiful sense of safety.
Amid the jostling, the wolf demi-human was shoved to the front by the others, and Ryan seized the chance to look her over carefully.
Her little face was rather pretty, though she was a bit short — only about a meter and a half by the look of it, nearly two heads shorter than Ryan.
Wait!
Ryan suddenly noticed something.
Unbelievable — what colossal things these were! The holey clothes on her could barely contain them.
If Ellie's were two papayas, then this wolf girl's were two cantaloupes.
Seeing Ryan's eyes glaze over, the slaver said smugly, "I knew you'd like her. We've got plenty of beasts like this — they're not like us, their bodies grow fast and lush..."
Ryan couldn't be bothered with the slaver's prattle; he'd already sunk completely into his own world.
Appraise!
[System appraisal in progress!]
[Name: Maeve
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Race: Demi-human (Wolf-Kin)
Current Status: Healthy
Talent Details——
Strength: D
Endurance: C
Agility: B
Intelligence: D
Perception: C
Luck: S
Overall Quality: Rare
Current Affection: Level 1
Current Loyalty: None
Tap to view detailed body measurements——]
Ryan gave a scornful little laugh.
He'd long since seen through the lousy System's tricks; he would absolutely not fall into the same pit twice.
[I know you want to look. Tap once and I'll show you.]
"I won't pay you the slightest mind."
Ryan set about studying Maeve's stats carefully.
To be honest, compared to Ellie's, these stats were heaven and earth apart.
He could accept every other stat, but the Intelligence D alone was a fatal flaw.
But on second thought, this wolf demi-human was a lucky fool — her Luck was at least an S — and since all Ryan needed was her nose to sniff out targets, she suited him perfectly as a stopgap for the early going.
After who knew how long, the slaver couldn't help pressing him. "Hey, are you buying this slave or not?"
Ryan glanced at him and asked offhandedly, "How much for her?"
"She's in fine condition, and a virgin besides. Just eighty..."
"Ten silver." Ryan cut him off before he could finish.
At those words, the air went instantly still.
The slaver's eyes went wide. "Ten silver? Why don't you just rob me outright? Ten... ten silver only buys you those over there!"
He pointed at another cage, which held nothing but the old, the weak, and the infirm, none of whom could even walk.
"Twenty, and not a coin more." Ryan fished a fistful of loose silver and copper out of his sack.
Money was tight for him right now, with his draughty house and all; he really couldn't scrape together that much.
He'd just spent seven silver on a dress for Ellie, leaving only thirty silver, and any more out of pocket would leave them with no dinner tonight.
The slaver was momentarily speechless. "A fifty-gold beast you buy on the spot, and a two-gold beast you haggle over."
"Save where you should, spend where you should. The main thing is she's not worth eighty — haven't you noticed she's a halfwit? Nothing but a pretty shell. For eighty silver I could get at least two hundred bathhouse girls," Ryan said with a perfectly straight face.
He wasn't talking nonsense — the stats were right there, and they made it hard for Ryan not to doubt her wits.
For one, she didn't look particularly bright to begin with, her little mouth slightly open and nearly drooling; from every angle she seemed a little touched.
Ryan gave a couple of dry coughs, leaned in, and lowered his voice. "Sell her to me cheap, and I'll throw plenty of business your way down the line. When you've got White Mist Island slaves again, I'll buy from you. Just remember... save the big-chested ones for me."
The slaver was a little dumbfounded. He glanced at Ellie behind Ryan, then grabbed the fistful of loose coins and tossed it into his sack without even counting.
"Come with me. Once she's branded, the beast is yours."
Ryan nodded in satisfaction.
Just then something occurred to him, and he firmly asked the System in his mind, "She's not going to want to knife me too, is she?"
The System's voice came at once.
[No. The Host may keep her at his side with peace of mind.]
Ryan was completely reassured.
At that moment, the female demi-human beside the slaver stepped forward of her own accord and yanked the cowering Maeve out of the cage, making her struggle and cry out, "Don't grab me! I... I can walk on my own!"
"Let her walk by herself," Ryan said from the side.
Maeve quickly pulled her arm free, her wrist wrenched red.
She strode away from the cage and followed close behind Ryan, then sized up Ellie, a fellow demi-human slave.
But Ellie seemed to have no interest in her, sparing her a single glance before looking away.
After the magic brand was applied, Ryan led the two of them out of the slave market, heading for the Red Fox Tavern in the square to rest a bit and grab a bite.
On the way, Ellie suddenly reached out and patted Ryan's shoulder.
"What is it?"
Ellie said nothing and pointed to the space beside her.
Maeve was already nowhere to be seen, having vanished at some unknown point.
"Where'd she go?"
Ellie pointed at a dark, narrow alley. "She just ran off."
Nice work, System — sure, she wouldn't knife anyone, but she'd run.
Branded barely a minute ago and already pulling a stunt on Ryan; she'd need some serious breaking-in from here on out!
He closed his eyes, and the brand on his palm began to flicker with red light.
A moment later, Maeve's body went rigid, and she walked out of the alley like a robot, her big tail drooping behind her rear.
The moment the control released, she slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.
Ryan couldn't help griping, "Are you an idiot? Branded one minute and you've already forgotten? I move a finger and you've got to come right back."
Maeve mumbled, "Master, don't hit me! I was wrong! I just wanted to see whether the brand actually works — I wasn't really trying to escape!"
Ryan couldn't help cracking a smile. "Oh? And how did that turn out?"
"The brand definitely works — I yield!" As she spoke, Maeve burst into miserable tears, the waterworks coming on so abruptly it caught everyone off guard, the ears on her head twitching along with her sobs.
Honestly... Maeve had a real knack for playing the fool.
Ryan narrowed his eyes and threatened, "I'll let it slide this time, but if there's a next time I'll clamp down on you hard."
"Understood. I won't run again." Maeve wiped her tears and got up off the ground, looking so pitiful you'd think she'd suffered some monstrous injustice.
But after they'd walked on a little, Ryan heard Maeve muttering under her breath, "You traitor..."
Looking back, he found the little mutt glaring at Ellie, cheeks puffed with indignation...