~ Chapter 98: Port Rico ~

[Illsyore's point of view]

Our journey to Thorya Continent was one that was not met with any danger. Although I had no idea how to get to Port Rico, where I wanted to drop anchor, we managed to come across a Paramanium Empire Navy Galleon. The captain was kind enough to give us directions on how to reach it. Of course, he needed a little 'persuasion' first. Nanya took care of that... with her fists.

If I let Ayuseya do it, he would have been brutally killed by her. After all, she wasn't a very big fan of the nation that subjugated her own. Zoreya would have converted him into a religious zealot. Tamara would have made sushi out of him and fed him to the fishes. Shanteya would have tortured him to the point where he gave up on his humanity. And as for me, I was too darn lazy to do anything about it.

Thus, it was natural that Nanya would take care of sensitive negotiations.

Following the good captain's instructions, we reached the port in a little over two days, but none of us felt like dropping anchor yet, so we found a neat little beach not far from there and took a few days to relax in the sun. Tamara cooked us all sort of delicacies, Ayuseya and Shanteya went over pregnancy information. I worked on making some children toys, and Nanya used the time to bathe in the sun. I had to admit, the bikinis I made looked aesthetically pleasing on all of them. The bounciness around the chest area was exceptional!

We spent about four days lazing about, then we set sail for Port Rico.

Once we dropped anchor in the port, we all got off on the dock. After absorbing the boat, we made our way to the marketplace.

Least to be said, that everyone who saw our strange ship and the fact that I made it vanish in thin air were too dumbfounded to ask us anything. We did not bother with them either, but I would come to hear some rumors later about how a strange group was brought into port by a weird ghost ship.

“I don't know... I was sort of expecting them to make a fuss about it.” I said as I flexed my hand.

“That's the normal reaction, Illsy. After all, they saw us arriving in port in an extremely weird ship without any sort of sails or paddles and then you made it disappear before they could ask a single question. Their common sense was broken, so their minds didn't know how to react.” Nanya said with a giggle.

“True, but I have to admit, I did enjoy our little vacation.” Ayuseya giggled.

“Indeed, it was pleasant. I even got a tan.” said Zoreya.

“If Illsy didn't beg on his knees to see you in a swimsuit, you would have gotten a head only tan, you tin can woman!” Nanya remarked.

“I feel shy without my armor.” she blushed and looked away.

“But you like wearing the most embarrassing types of undergarments, don't you, nya?” Tamara asked.

“...” she had no comment.

Like a tortoise, she tried to hide away in her shell.

“Oh, give it a rest, you two! That just proves to show how much she loves Illsy!” Shanteya defended her.

Zoreya nodded quickly.

Well, she is sort of cute when she's embarrassed like this... Then again, it's always exciting to find out what sort of treats she hides behind that armor of hers. I thought while looking at Zoreya.

Our gazes locked, and she went 'poof!' with a strong blush.

“Oh! Look at that! Ain't you a fine beauty!” a man I didn't know said this to Zoreya.

“Huh?” I blinked surprised and turned my head to look at the individual.

He was wearing a fancy Victorian suit with a big hat decorated by a feather. There was an enchanted sword on his waist, which appeared to be both expensive and powerful. The pressure he gave off was certainly unlike that of those around us, so I suspected he was sort of strong. The confident smug on his face and the missing tooth replaced by a golden one also told me that he was rich.

“Who... or what are you?” Nanya asked furrowing her brow.

“I be called Sir Guharian Varn! A recently made Supreme!” he declared pompously and then made an elegant bow before us.

“And?” Nanya raised an eyebrow.

“And so it happened that the lovely lady over there caught my eye. I was wondering if you could hand her over to me? After all, it would be an honor, right?” he suggested with a smirk.

No, that wasn't a suggestion but rather an intimidation. Unfortunately for him, we weren't the type to be afraid of a Supreme.

“So you are JUST a Supreme?” Nanya asked raising an eyebrow.

“Why yes.” he nodded and furrowed his brow.

Maybe he was wondering why we weren't fearing him or anything.

“Good! Then you will survive!” Nanya said with a smile.

“Nice knowing you.” I said.

“Wait, Nanya. May I handle this one?” Ayuseya asked as the demoness was making a fist.

“Hm? Sure.” she shrugged and moved away.

“What be this?” the man asked confused.

I couldn't blame the fellow. After all, in his mind, despite the fact that there weren't that many Supremes out there, there weren't many who could oppose them either. Powerful individuals like him were quickly scouted by the country and their abilities employed for the benefit of the state. This, of course, if so they desired to live.

On the other hand, we were all Over Supremes, existences far beyond a Supreme.

As a result, Ayuseya showed him a calm smile and then slapped him so hard, he didn't know what happened to him.

BOOM!

That sounded more like a cannon that a slap to the cheek, but the hit did its job. The Supreme was sent flying into the air and turned into a star. I had a feeling he was just missing a redhead with a long hair and a talking cat to become a copy of that comedy trio.

“Hmph! How dare he speak so rudely to a lady!” Ayuseya rebuffed and then turned around to look at Zoreya “Are you alright, dear?” she asked.

“I'm fine, thank you. However, you did that just for fun, right?” Zoreya asked.

There was no way this powerful High Apostle of the God of War would feel hurt or insulted by the words of that puny man.

“Tehe! You caught me!” the draconian woman giggled.

I shrugged and said to them “Well, not like there's anyone here who could do us any harm. Anyway, why don't we all have a look around the town before we head off to Krestan?” I suggested.

“That's a good idea! Zoreya, you go with Tamara, and I will go with Shanteya! We need to visit the baby clothes shop!” Ayuseya said with a smile.

“Then I will go to the Adventurers Guild. I want to see what are the requirements to establish a Guild branch in another city. We might need one at the Academy. Oh, and I also need to see if any of the teachers from Fellyore survived.” Nanya said.

“Despite the way we parted at that time?” I asked.

“It's been years since then, Illsy. They are humans, they will get over it quickly.” the demoness shrugged and then walked off.

Thus, I was left on my own as they all went their marry way.

“Hm, I wonder what I should do now?” I asked myself as I crossed my arms at my chest and tilted my head to the right.

This port city was quite big when compared to a regular town. It housed at least 10000 people by my estimates. The palace of the governing power was built on top of a hill far away from the busy city, while the outskirts were teaming with large workshops and animal farms. Their major industry here was the fish market and ship building. They grew their own forest for wood using magic and lots of fertilizer they received from the animal farms, which in turn produced meat, bones, and leather. The inner craftsmen worked around various other items the people might need, with tailoring being among the major ones.

Out of curiosity, I dropped by one of these shops and looked at the fabric they had on sale. Silk was especially expensive, but linen and cotton not so much. When I asked why the price was different, the shopkeeper there told me the latter were made in a nearby town, while Silk was imported from Teslov Kingdom.

To be honest, I found it odd that draconians produced the silk on this continent, but I didn't ask anything about it. I did buy a roll of silk as gratitude for her information.

From there, I stopped by the jeweler and looked at what he had for sale. There was nothing on display, but there were many cards with prices and names. I got curious about the lack of products, but the shopkeeper told me it was normal for their kind of business. After all, unless he could afford a good number of bodyguards to keep potential thieves out, there was a high chance he would have his place robbed clean during the night.

Everything on display was ordered on command, and the materials were left in their unprocessed form, making them both heavy and hard to tell their quality apart. I was really surprised to hear this. It didn't match my image of a jeweler shop at all, but it was wise to put safety above all.

I had nothing to buy there, but I did sell a small ruby I processed myself. The man was very pleased by its quality and offered me two gold coins for it. The price was acceptable.

The next place I went to was a bar because I wanted to try out the local beverages. Not like I could get drunk or anything unless I wanted to.

The people inside all varied in height, age, and... stench. I ignored them and ordered a tankard of their finest mead, which I paid appropriately. The taste was so-so, but far from what I would call a fine drink, and I feared the result of a detailed chemical analysis of this stuff. My inner organs were already warning of potential dangers.

“A fine drink, ain't it?” the bartender bragged with a wide smirk.

“True!” I replied raising the tankard up and drank another mouthful.

Overall, I didn't puke.

Once I was done, I went outside and looked around some other stores as well. My sharp ears picked up a few rumors, among which one in particular piqued my interest. It appeared as though the local slave dealer got a new supply of slaves, among which there were a couple with a talent for magic.

When I heard this, the first thing that crossed my mind was the fact that after building the Academy, I was going to need some new students. Slavery was something I wanted to fight against, but I couldn't do it by force. The change had to come from the inside, otherwise, whatever system I would apply over their current one, it would feel superficial and be destined for failure.

Thus, if I obtained several slaves to indoctrinate and then release in their kingdoms, they would little by little plant the seeds of doubt in the people's hearts. Then, I could take over it and make them do my bidding!

Unfortunately, this did not feel right, and I didn't want to argue with the gods of Justice about whether or not this was morally correct. So, I decided to do the next best thing.

Why force them when I could grant them the freedom of choice? A slave with this opportunity would find himself or herself far more open minded to my suggestions and ideals because I, in the end, would be the benefactor who granted them a second chance at life.

With my mind set, I went to look for this slave dealer.

His shop was located near a brothel. The two being connected businesses where the more good-looking slaves were rented out for a night of fun. As soon as I approached the ominous building that held the dreams of men, I felt a chill running down my back.

If my wives catch me in front of this place, they will skewer me... I thought and gulped.

“Hey, mister! Don't you want to have a pleasant evening with me? I promise, I won't bite... much.” a cute woman with twin ponytails called out to me.

I gulped.

“No, thank you! I'm a married man to some very dangerous wives!” I declared and made a bow before heading into the building next to the brothel.

“Don't worry, they won't find out! I promise!” she still tried to call out to me.

Hah! One of them can talk to the gods! I have absolutely NO chance at adultery in this world! Besides, what man would be crazy enough to spend the night with a prostitute when he had beautiful and loving wives like mine waiting for him?! I thought to myself as I entered the slave merchant's shop.

“Hello? Anybody here?” I asked.

“Ah! Welcome! Welcome! What may I help you with?” a skinny man with glasses and an overcoat embroidered with silver thread came out from the back.

“Good day, I'm interested in buying some slaves.” I told him.

“Some? You intend on buying more than one?” he asked a bit confused.

“Yes. Is there a problem with that?” I inquired.

“Of course not, but I need to ask... Erm, can you pay?” he rubbed his thumb to his pointing finger.

“Do you wish to be paid in items, gold coins, gold nuggets, jewels, jewelry, or what?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Any is fine as long as you have enough.” he rubbed his hands together and showed me a smile.

“If I so desire, I can buy out your entire shop and every single one on this entire continent!” I declared.

“A bold declaration, but you don't look like a noble.” he said.

“I'm a powerful Supreme.” I squinted my eyes at him and unleashed a bit of my pressure.

“Ah! Of course! Pardon me! Pardon me!” he immediately started bowing when he felt that I wasn't one to try to irk.

“As I was saying. I want to buy some slaves. Show me your merchandise.” I demanded.

“Of course, but erm... What should I look for? Do you wish for beautiful maidens? Strong men for work? Erm... children?” he asked.

I squinted my eyes at his last words.

“You sell children here?” I asked him.

“Yes... We currently received eight.” he replied.

“Hmph, start with every slave that are around the age of twenty or younger. Men or women, diseased or not, injured or not, dying or not, I don't care. Bring them to me so I may decide.” I declared with a stern tone of voice.

“Right away, sir!” he said and left.

I let out a sigh and shook my head.

If there was one thing I couldn't agree with in regard to slavery that was the abuse and selling of children, but these barbaric civilizations didn't see it as something immoral and offensive. From their point of view, fate merely had other plans for them, and the slavers were just doing their jobs.

The thing was that from what I came to learn, the concept of an orphanage was almost non-existent on Thorya and Allasn continents. Shoraya Kingdom managed to somewhat create a primitive form by having them sent to the temples, but once they were adults, they became indoctrinated disciples of their religions.

Only on the Sorone Continent I was able to find some sort of orphanages, but they survived only through the pity of others, and the children always faced the possibility of ending up sold as slaves or dying of hunger on the roadside.

The horrible truth was that most kingdoms that employed slavery didn't see a reason to create and operate an orphanage when they could just as well sell the children to a slaver and even get some money as a result.

If a child was neither sold nor protected by an orphanage, then he was fated to either die on the streets of hunger or by beasts when attempting to scavenge for food. When faced with such a fate, slavery sounded much better. At least then they would have a chance at life.

As I was thinking about the ways I wanted to approach this subject in the future, the slaver here arranged his 'products'. I could save all of them or I could save none. The question was if they desired to be saved or not?

When everything was ready, I was called in the back room where the slaves lined up one next to another wearing only the bare minimum clothing around their waists. The women had their chests exposed, adopting a more alluring pose, while the men flexed their muscles to show off their strength. To the far left were the eight children known as 'fresh merchandise', they had a toga-like rag that covered their whole body.

I was disgusted by this sight, of the very thought of enslaving and depriving another sapient being of its freedom when it was guilty of no crime.

“Tell me in order the reason why they became slaves, if they carry any diseases, if they have any special skills.” I told the slaver.

First of all, I did not wish to take in any slaves guilty of murder, rape, treason, or repeated theft. Debt slaves or generational slaves were what I was looking for.

“First off, this is Maria. She is twenty, not pure, and has a good experience in a brothel. No special skills. She became a slave after she killed another woman out of jealousy.” the slaver started off.

“Rejected.” I said.

The slaver nodded and a man wearing an armor pulled her away from the line, taking her back to her cell.

“This Yohan, a strong man. He's a former adventurer with a strong Magic Armor. He's used to battle in the front lines. Yohan became a slave after he was charged with treason and abandonment of his fellow adventurers in a Dungeon in order to take their possessions.” he said.

“Rejected.” I said.

Thus, the list continued.

By the time we reached the children, next to me stood teenage boys of ages 15, 16, and 17 next to four women of ages 15, 17, 19, and 20. The last one was still a virgin from what the slaver told me. All of them ended up as slaves after being unable to pay whatever debts they had amassed.

“This boy has no name. He became a slave after killing his own parents in their sleep with a shovel.” the slaver said.

“Why did you do it?” I asked the boy.

“Answer him.” the slave ordered.

He refused to speak, but under the effects of the collar, he finally gave up and said “Because I thought it would be fun to see them die... and it was.” he showed me a smirk.

“Rejected.” I let out a sigh.

The boy's mind was broken beyond repair. He was a monster.

“Very well, the next one is a young girl of age 10. Her name is Mira, and her parents sold her to my company to have enough money to pass this winter.” he explained.

“Passed. Sit next to the women.” I told her.

She nodded and the walked over to them. Some of them smelled like they hadn't been washed in days, most likely the injured or diseased ones.

“The girl's name is Luisa, she is 8 years old and became a slave under the same circumstances as the previous one.” he said.

“Passed. Go and sit next to Mira.” I told her.

And so it continued.

Mareel was a 12-years-old girl who killed her younger siblings and several other children because she enjoyed cutting people with her dagger. She was Rejected.

Zara was a 11-years-old boy who was born to a family of slaves. He passed.

Corry was a 10-years-old girl who was born blind and sold because of her defect. She passed.

Marina was a 9-years-old girl who had her right arm bitten off by a monster. Her parents couldn't afford a full healing, and she was sold so they could pass the harsh winter.

Andrael was an 8-years-old boy with a weak heart and an unknown disease. He was sold as a slave and was meant to be used as a meat shield or bait for the monsters in dungeons.

I bought all of those who passed and judged them to be innocent. As for the rest, I didn't care.

The price was paid from the Pirate King's gold, and the rights to these slaves were transferred to me afterwards. I checked with my own magic to see if the slaver was not trying to pull a funny one on me, but it turned out he didn't. The man was honest when it came to money.

Since I couldn't walk with them half naked on the streets of this city, I bought some basic clothes for all of them. The slaver was more than happy to provide them, seeing as he already had a pair of just the right size. I had a feeling he was cheating me by selling me the old clothes of my slaves.

Well with that being said, I ordered them to follow me without saying a word. Having bought so many at once, it was natural that people would be looking at me with either curious or suspicious eyes.

At a normal pace, I walked towards the South gate where I was supposed to reunite with my wives. I had a feeling the new acquisition was going to be a surprise for them, more so after I would tell them what I planned to do with them.

Behind me were the first students of my glorious Magic Academy!

All they needed now was some good rest, food, new clothes, and their wounds healed. Transportation wasn't going to be a problem either for someone like me, but I had to be careful about how and when I was going to remove their collars. I had no need of those useless things, but having the slaves run away in fear wasn't going to be a good thing. So, most likely I was going to postpone that until AFTER I told them what I was and what I planned to do with them.

[Guharian Varn's point of view]

At last! After so many years of hard work and labor, I was finally able to fulfill my dream and reach the rank of a Supreme. My power and might was now at national level, and I was certain the royals would attempt to scout me as soon as they received the report of my ascension.

As such, when I had the confirmation of my rank, I decided to head out in my best clothes and attempt to pick up some cute ladies.

So it happened, that I spotted a lovely madam who wore a heavy plate armor. She was blushing already. That was why I approached her boldly and attempted to court her.

'Attempted' was the right word here, for in my foolishness, I was unable to see the group she was with. Besides the man with green hair, the others were all of various species and were quite stunningly beautiful as well.

One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was flying through the air...

One of them slapped me, but it was so fast and powerful, I didn't know what hit me until after I was back on the ground.

Honestly, if I wasn't a Supreme, I might have died!

But luck was on my side, and I safely landed on a farmer's pig farm. The landing itself was... undesirably dirty, but the smell was going to come off... eventually.

I took this opportunity to reflect upon my becoming a Supreme. Maybe obtaining the rank was just the first step of many? Who would have thought I would meet such strong foes just by walking down the street?

This encounter enlightened me, so now I was determined to become stronger, or just learn how to enjoy my life without forcing myself too much... I feared to think what would have happened if that beautiful woman decided to punch me or slash her sword at me instead!