The slave trader had bought Shansi from the ruler of Tripoli for a huge sum. He didn't pay it because Shansi was worth that much, but because the old men in black robes from Baalbek had hired him to broker the deal.
"Five hundred Dinar Gold Coins, eight cows, two bags of malt, and a silver-inlaid horn—that was my price," Shansi told Eric happily.
"The slave trader paid that much?" Eric asked, slightly surprised.
That price was enough to buy over a hundred strong male slaves.
"He didn't pay. The Sufi Practitioners from Baalbek did. The slave trader just handled the negotiations."
"They're the ones who paid?"
"They must have emptied Baalbek of all its silver," Shansi said proudly.
"And the Lord of Tripoli agreed to sell you?"
"For that price? Of course he agreed! Why wouldn't he?" Shansi said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"He must have known Tutush would have rewarded him for handing you over," Eric said.
"Well, he did seem to like me," Shansi said.
