Theo looked at the guard’s face, then down at his own hands.
What was he even thinking? Break a merchant’s jaw?
He was a severely malnourished sixteen-year-old wearing a bronze collar, standing in front of an armed guard who could probably crush his skull with a casual backhand.
However, the text floating above the girl on the auction block was screaming at him.
A Reborn Empress... a ten-times multiplier!
Even so, he didn’t have a single combat skill to his name.
The system had successfully bound to him, sure. It gave him Destiny’s Eye to see the hidden potential of everyone around him. It gave him the Investment Skill to reap systematic rewards. It even slapped him with the 10x Savior Attributes trait. But looking closely at his internal status, none of those things gave him actual, physical power right now.
There was no ’Supreme Fist’ or ’Invincible Body’ or ’Heavenly Sword’ trait in his arsenal.
Thus, charging the platform like a brave hero would only result in him getting his limbs broken and tossed into a ditch.
He bit his lower lip, his mind racing to find a solution.
He needed to keep it simple and assess the variables without relying on abstract miracles.
Option one: He could just walk away. The Investment Skill alone was powerful. If he just kept his head down, went to the academy, and used his skills to invest in ordinary geniuses he could eventually grow strong. He could build a comfortable life, step by step, without risking his neck for a crippled, former tyrant.
Theo rejected the thought. He needed that ten-times multiplier.
A standard system reward might give him a basic healing pill; a multiplied reward could give him a pill that instantly reforged his bones. The difference in progression was staggering.
Option two: He could let the greasy merchant buy her, head to the academy, become a disciple, and track her down later. Once he had some meat on his bones and a sword in his hand, he could play the savior.
Though, the flaws in that plan were glaringly obvious.
He had no idea who this Merchant Vane was or where his caravan was heading. If the merchant took her out of the city, she could disappear into the sprawling continent forever.
Or worse, she could die from her current injuries before he ever found her.
A starved body could only endure so much punishment. The text clearly stated she was crippled right now.
"Hey! Stop daydreaming and move your feet!" the guard shouted again, jabbing the blunt end of his spear toward Theo’s ribs. "You want me to tan your hide right here in the street?"
Theo dodged the jab.
If he couldn’t fight his way to the Reborn Empress, and he couldn’t buy her himself because his pockets were literally empty, there was only one straightforward path left.
He had to make the merchant take him too.
"Sir..." Theo spoke up. "I have a request."
The guard paused, lowering his whip slightly.
A look of genuine bewilderment crossed his face.
Slaves didn’t make requests... slaves barely even made eye contact.
"Are you out of your mind, boy? A request? Keep walking before I make you swallow those teeth!"
"I’m serious." Theo pressed on, taking a step out of the line, raising his hands. "It’s about the auction. That merchant over there... he just bought that frail girl for thirty silvers, right?"
The guard frowned, glancing over his shoulder at the platform.
True enough, the greasy Merchant was currently handing a small pouch of clinking coins to the auctioneer while a handler dragged the bruised, former Empress down the wooden by her chains.
"Yeah, he bought the runt. So what?" the guard grunted. "What does that have to do with you, bronze collar?"
"Look at me," Theo said, gesturing to his own frame. "I’m probably going to collapse after two hours of moving rocks at the academy’s outer perimeter. You know it, and I know it."
"I know you’re wasting my time," the guard spat, gripping his spear tighter.
Even so, Theo didn’t flinch. "You said the academy pays double for fresh meat, right? But they only pay for slaves who can actually work. If I collapse at the gate, they’ll reject me, and you won’t get a single copper for bringing me all this way."
The guard hesitated. "What’s your point, rat?"
"My point is, you can make a guaranteed profit right now," Theo said, pointing his hands at Merchant, who was now tying the Empress’s chain to the back of a supply wagon. "That merchant looks like he has deep pockets. He just threw thirty silvers away on a girl who looks like she’s going to stop breathing by sundown. If he likes buying frail things, he might buy another one."
Elara, still chained to the line near Theo, let out a gasp. "Theo, what are you doing?" she whispered. "Don’t do this! The academy is our only chance!"
Theo ignored her.
"Sell me to him," Theo demanded quietly.
The guard blinked, thrown off balance by the absurdity of the situation. "You... you want me to sell you to a street merchant? Instead of the academy?"
"Yes."
"You’re an idiot," the guard laughed. "The academy might work you to the bone, but at least they feed you properly to keep you swinging a pickaxe. Vane is a traveling spice trader. His slaves carry crates across the roads until their spines snap, and then he leaves them for the vultures. You’re begging for a faster death, boy."
However, Theo had already evaluated the situation with straightforward logic.
There were no grand stakes here.
It was a simple equation: No Empress meant no multiplier.
"I’ll take my chances," Theo said. "Think about it. You get rid of a liability before the academy inspectors dock your pay, and you get silver in your pocket right this second."
The guard scratched his chin.
Greed was a universal language, and Theo was speaking it fluently.
The guard certainly didn’t care about Theo’s life; all he cared about was the money.
"You’re a strange one, bronze," the guard muttered, unhooking a ring from his belt.
He walked over to Theo and unlocked the chain connecting him to the rest of the slaves, leaving only the tight cuffs on his wrists.
"But if you want to throw your life away, I ain’t going to stop you. Let’s see if that fat pig is willing to part with some more silver."
Elara reached out. "Theo... please." she whispered. "Don’t leave me here. You’re the only reason I made it this far."
"Stay alive." Theo said, offering her a smile.
Without waiting for her response, Theo turned and followed the guard toward the edge of the plaza, weaving through the streets.
The Merchant was busy inspecting the wheels of his cart.
The Empress was huddled on the ground beside the wagon wheel, shivering slightly.
"Hey!" the guard called out, dragging Theo forward by the collar. "Got a minute?"
The merchant turned, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of the guard and the slave. "What do you want? I already bought my quota for the day. I don’t need any more useless mouths to feed."
"This one ain’t useless," the guard lied, shoving Theo forward. "He’s scrawny, sure, but he’s got stamina. Survived a two-month march from the border without dropping once. I’m looking to offload him quick before we hit the academy gates. Give me twenty silvers, and he’s yours."
The Merchant snorted. "Twenty silvers for this twig? You must be drinking early today. I wouldn’t give you five."