"Looks like the 'freedom' card doesn't play as well here as I thought," Tiberius muttered, scanning the slave market. A new idea was already forming in his head.
"Vito, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot. What?"
"In our company… are there guys who used to be free men but fell into debt and had to join up just to earn coin?" Tiberius asked.
"Yeah, plenty. And they're actually the best kind," Vito grinned. "Former free men means they ate decent before, so they're usually strong and healthy. Most of them can read, so they understand orders. And with a mountain of debt on their backs, what choice do they have? Officer says jump, they jump—or the coin flies away and their freedom stays a distant dream." Vito laughed. "Take 'Stable Boy' Leon for example. Used to be a little spice merchant's son, family did all right. One caravan got hit by bandits, lost everything and owed the bank a fortune. Had to put down the ledger and pick up a sword. Now he's one of us 'stinking sellswords,' fighting for every copper to fill that hole."
"Perfect!" A sly, playful smile spread across Tiberius's face. "These guys check every box I need… So, Vito, think about it—if debt-ridden free men fight this hard, what about debt slaves? They used to be free, maybe even well-off—small landowners collecting rent, independent farmers with their own fields, or merchants like Leon with respectable businesses. Then one bad day they wake up in chains. Only the gods know whether they landed with a decent master like that old clerk we just met, or some bastard who beats them like cattle and treats them as disposable. So…"
"So you're setting your sights on the debt slaves?" Vito asked.
"Exactly!" Tiberius snapped his fingers. "And I don't just want the men!"
"What else is there to want? They can only sell you their bodies," Vito looked confused. "You planning to take on their old debts too? You'll earn the title 'the Generous,' kid… right before you go bankrupt."
"You bought the man. What more could you possibly want?"
Vito genuinely couldn't follow.
"I want their families in my grasp too!" Tiberius said with a dark grin. "That's why I'm not touching gambling addicts like Old Tom. A lone wolf with nothing to lose will take his pay and run straight to the casino trying to double it. I want men with anchors—preferably ones whose wives and kids are also slaves!"
"Think about it, Vito. A single slave with no ties might still look for a chance to run on the battlefield or half-ass his duty. But if his wife and children are living on my estate, eating my food, depending on my goodwill… will he dare slack off? Will he dare betray me? He'll fight not just for the freedom and rewards I might give him, but for his family's safety and future. That kind of leash is stronger than any contract or oath!" Tiberius almost laughed out loud at his own brilliance.
I'm a fucking genius!
"Then, kid, my advice is you'd better hurry," Vito said. "It's already past midday. The slave market closes at sunset!"
"Got it!"
---
At one of the bigger slave dealers' stalls.
"Gentlemen, looking to buy slaves? Any specific requirements?" A clerk asked the moment he saw Tiberius and Vito step inside.
Tiberius didn't even raise his eyes.
"Get your boss, or whoever's actually in charge," Vito snapped. "This isn't some small-time purchase of a few field hands!"
They didn't have time to waste on underlings—this was a big order.
"Uh… sirs, our boss doesn't usually handle small deals… say, anything under two hundred gold?" The clerk said quickly. "After all, our boss has some status in Lys! He works for one of the governors!"
"Pfft!" Tiberius couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Uh… young master, why are you laughing?" The clerk asked, still polite on the surface even though he was sneering inside at Tiberius's plain linen shirt and gray cloak.
"Two hundred gold? I thought slave traders were richer than regular merchants. Turns out you're all just scraping by for bread money—never seen real wealth!" Tiberius said coldly, then deliberately shifted his left-side hunting knife so the massive pigeon-egg sapphire on the pommel caught the sunlight.
The clerk's eyes went wide.
That fire, that craftsmanship, that size of sapphire…
This wasn't some poor kid pretending to be rich. This was an eccentric young lord with real money!
[Good. Accepting Lysandro's gift back then was the right move!] Tiberius thought, face calm while inside he was grinning ear to ear.
He never expected to get the classic "young master slaps face" moment. Back on Earth he'd gotten sick of those tropes, and since transmigrating he'd been playing sidekick and cleaning up messes.
Finally, my turn to be the dragon傲天?
"Gentlemen—no, young master! Please, come in! What would you like to drink? We have Myrish firewine, the best vintage Lysene wine… First batch of Lys oranges just ripened—how about chilled orange juice?"
A plump merchant in a gold-embroidered robe, fingers heavy with gemstone rings, hurried over rubbing his hands.
"Young master, may I ask your name?" the slave trader asked respectfully.
But Tiberius ignored the question completely.
"How many debt slaves do you have? Male adults—give me the list."
The merchant was about to snap back when a small coin purse flew into his arms.
The second his fat fingers opened it, he was blinded by the gold inside.
This… this young lord tossed out this much money as a casual greeting? Lord of Light above! This was a rich kid among rich kids!
Just by the size of the bag, there had to be nearly twenty gold dragons inside!
"Quickly. I'm in a hurry—give me the list," Tiberius ordered, almost like a command. "Vito, go through the roster and pick the ones that meet my criteria! Only contract slaves!"
Tiberius walked among the slaves, studying the men in chains. Many bore whip scars and the branded "S" mark of slavery.
But the sight only made him smile with satisfaction. Plenty of them were strong, healthy men. Their eyes still carried faint traces of their old lives as free men, mixed with confusion and fear about what came next.
[Good, good. This is how normal slaves should look—numb, empty, with just a spark of longing for freedom…] Tiberius thought, pleased.
[Tch, am I being too much of a villain?] he wondered.