The next day, there was a commotion outside their store because it was closed. People gathered in front of the door, confused and slightly irritated, some saying they must have already finished their stock while others guessed they had gone out to buy more. The banner still hung outside, but there was no response from inside.
At the same time, Roma, Arun, and Riz had already left.
They walked through the city streets quietly, heading toward a different part of town—the black market.
Roma had prepared for this, perhaps a little too much. He wore a full black cloak with a mask covering his face, his posture slightly hunched as if trying to conceal his identity completely, while behind him Arun and Riz walked normally, as if nothing unusual was happening.
The moment they entered the black market, Roma stopped.
"…What?"
It looked normal.
Completely normal.
People walked around casually, shops were open, merchants shouted to attract customers, and goods were displayed neatly. Buyers negotiated prices just like in any other market. There was no darkness, no twisted atmosphere, no obvious criminals lurking around.
It was just a market.
Roma stood there, stunned, because this was nothing like what he had imagined. In his mind, the black market had been a place of shadows and danger, but this was simply another part of the city.
Then he noticed something else.
People were staring.
At him.
The black cloak, the mask—it made him stand out completely.
One man chuckled as he passed by and muttered that he was trying too hard, while another whispered to his friend and pointed. Some laughed, some ignored him, but almost everyone noticed him.
Behind him, Arun covered part of his face and asked why he was dressed like that, while Riz quietly said they didn't know him.
Roma didn't respond, but inside he felt extremely embarrassed.
Still, he continued walking, pretending nothing was wrong.
After a few minutes, he stopped someone and calmly asked where the slave traders were. The man casually pointed to the end of the street on the right, as if giving directions to any ordinary shop.
It was simple. Too simple.
They walked in that direction and soon reached the slave market.
Rows of people stood there, chained and displayed like goods.
Roma's expression didn't change, but his eyes did.
A merchant approached them immediately, smiling politely as if welcoming regular customers. He asked what kind of product they were looking for and whether they needed manual labor, fighters, household workers, or something else, saying they had all kinds available.
Roma ignored the tone and asked for the price.
The merchant replied that they only dealt in good quality and that the lowest price started from one thousand Relpies.
Roma nodded and began walking through the rows, observing carefully. He didn't rush. He looked at their faces, their posture, their condition—some had empty eyes, some looked fearful, others still had a trace of resistance.
After some time, he stopped in front of two boys, around seventeen or eighteen years old, who still had strength in their bodies and some life left in their eyes.
"These two."
The merchant nodded, saying they were a good choice with high potential.
Roma moved on and stopped in front of a woman around forty years old. She looked tired but composed and quietly said she could cook.
Roma looked at her for a moment and said, "Her."
Then he noticed an old man standing nearby, weak and barely able to stand. The merchant casually mentioned that he wasn't worth much and could be taken almost for free.
Roma looked closely and saw the old man's eyes shift toward the two boys.
Grandfather.
Roma understood immediately.
"He comes with them."
The merchant shrugged and agreed without hesitation.
The deal was completed quickly little more than 4000, money exchanged, and four slaves were now with them.
Roma didn't hesitate. He turned and walked out.
The walk back was quiet. No one spoke. The four behind them followed slowly, uncertain of what would happen next.
When they reached the house, Roma stopped, turned around, and looked at them.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then he asked, "Will you join our organization?"
The question hung in the air.
A choice.
For the first time in a long time.
The question surprised not only the four newly bought slaves, but also Arun and Riz. For a moment, no one spoke. Arun looked at Roma with a slight frown, clearly confused about what Roma was trying to do, while Riz stayed quiet, observing everything carefully. The four in front of Roma looked even more lost. They didn't know what this "organization" was, what it did, or what would happen to them next, but they didn't get angry and they didn't resist either. People like them didn't have the luxury of questioning things anymore.
After a brief hesitation, the two boys looked at each other, the older woman lowered her head slightly, and the old man closed his eyes for a moment before giving a faint nod. One of the boys finally spoke and said that they would join.
It wasn't trust, and it definitely wasn't belief. It was just acceptance.
At the same time, Roma held the device the slave merchant had given him. It was a small, strange machine that carried the aura signatures of all four of them. If they ever tried to run, they could be tracked easily. The method felt familiar, almost identical to what the black-clothed man had used to track Dharan.
Roma looked at it for a moment and then kept it.
Even though Roma didn't really need it.
Roma's system map was already far better.
Still, for now, it didn't hurt to have a backup.
Inside, the system reacted.
[System Notification]
Members Added: 4
Loyalty: 0
Roma wasn't surprised. That was expected.
After bringing them inside, everyone settled down, though the atmosphere remained slightly tense. Arun leaned back and exhaled, saying that the place they had just visited didn't feel right, and Riz agreed, mentioning how bad the conditions were. There weren't many slaves there, maybe around thirty, but it was enough to understand everything.
After a moment, Riz looked at Roma and said, "If we have money, why don't we just buy all of them and free everyone?"
Arun nodded and added, "Yeah, that would solve everything, right?"
Roma didn't answer immediately. Then Roma shook his head.
"No."
They both looked at him.
Riz frowned slightly and asked, "Why not?"
Roma leaned forward and said calmly, "If we buy all of them, the demand increases."
They stayed silent, so Roma continued, "If demand increases, slave merchants will want more supply, which means they'll work with bandits, attack more villages, and create more slaves."
The room went quiet.
Arun slowly said, "So buying all of them would just create more slaves?"
Roma nodded. "Exactly."
Riz lowered his gaze and said softly, "So we're not really saving them… we're feeding the system."
Roma replied, "Yes."
Silence followed, heavier this time, but clearer.
After a moment, Roma leaned back and said, "In the long run, it's a bad move, but right now, we don't have a better option."
Arun looked at Roma and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Roma answered directly, "We need people—for the store, for the association, and after they establish themselves they can save others too, it's like a chain reaction."
They understood immediately. Right now, everything depended on just the three of them, and it was already too much. More members meant less pressure, more growth, and more stability.
Arun exhaled slowly and said, "So… one stone, three birds."
Roma nodded. "Exactly."
Riz didn't argue anymore. He just nodded.