radicalducati Page 6
Page 6
The slave caravan regrouped and set off again, disappearing from Arthur's sight.
Throughout this slave trade, Arthur never once revealed the slightest bit of his disgust or malice towards the slave caravan.
Because, through the near-conflict with the slave caravan just now, he had quickly realized something important that he had previously overlooked.
That is, "If you want to change the world order, you must first accept the existing order."
Arthur reminded himself:
One can retain the knowledge from one's past life, but one should not act irrationally based on that knowledge when one is weak.
Chapter 6: Wielding the Sword Against Shackles
Back to Blackrock Fortress.
The lobby on the first floor.
Arthur and his butler Leon stood in the main seats, facing the ten slaves they had just bought.
Most of them had suffered from long-term oppression and enslavement, and were emaciated and weak.
Especially those teenagers who have not yet fully developed.
But no matter what they had experienced in the past to become slaves, the way these slaves looked at Arthur was not completely numb and empty; it revealed the same precious emotion.
—The desire to live.
This was the answer to the question that the two bearded merchants couldn't understand: Arthur's criteria for selecting slaves.
Arthur approached them step by step and spoke:
“Some of you were once farmers, but due to natural disasters, you had no harvest and could not pay your taxes, so you were forced into slavery to pay off your debts.”
He looked at the hunchbacked, strong male slaves, their bare, dark shoulders bearing indelible calluses from years of carrying heavy loads.
“Some of them were textile workers in workshops, but the war shattered their peaceful lives, forcing them to wander and unfortunately being abducted by slave traders.”
He looked at the haggard middle-aged female slaves, whose clothes were wrapped in tattered silk, and whose faces were covered in unsightly and horrifying scabs, the best proof of their suffering.
“Some were abandoned orphans, wandering the streets begging for a living, only to be lured away by slave traders and forced into shackles.”
He looked at the remaining boys who were only two or three years younger than him.
Their faces still bore the marks of childhood, and the scars on their faces from being whipped were evidence of their past resistance against slave traders.
Finished.
He had walked up to a row of weapon racks.
He took down a sharpened sword made of fine iron and returned to the group of slaves.
As Arthur, wielding a sword, pressed closer and closer to the group of slaves.
Their past painful memories immediately distorted their perception of the young and handsome new master into that of a ruthless and cruel ruler.
They realized that their new master was about to turn his sword against them.
All of a sudden.
Fear spread through their hearts.
The hardships they endured during their wanderings had not completely extinguished their desire to live.
Therefore, they are still terrified of death.
So they turned to Arthur in terror, wanting to kneel down and try to win mercy from the superior who was about to strike them with his sword.
But Arthur's voice interrupted them:
"In Blackrock Territory, if you want to survive, don't kneel down, stand up!"
His voice was as loud as thunder, seemingly piercing the eardrums of all the slaves present and striking their souls.
All the slaves, their bodies stiffened in their half-kneeling positions, raised their heads in disbelief to look at their new master.
At this moment, Arthur had already arrived in front of them, raising his sharpened sword high.
The next moment, he swung his sword.
"Bang!"
A crisp metallic cracking sound rang out as the iron rings and shackles that bound their movements were all precisely severed by the sharp sword.
"From this day forward, you are the subjects of Blackrock Territory, free people unbound by shackles and chains."
The sword severed the shackles on their bodies, while Arthur's voice severed the shackles on their hearts that suffering oppressed them.
When Arthur announced his freedom, all the slaves present slowly straightened their backs.
The fear in their eyes as they looked at Arthur began to turn into shock.
But one person is different.
Looking towards the very end of this slave procession, there was a young boy and girl slaves embracing each other.
We now turn to the perspective of this emaciated boy.
He was the only slave present who did not feel fear or panic as Arthur approached them with a sword in hand.
Because deep down, he had a very clear intuition about Arthur's behavior.
This intuition answered the delusion he had when he first met Arthur—could he save me?
He can!
The boy was convinced that Arthur was a true knight, a knight who would wield his sword for freedom and injustice.
and so.
After witnessing Arthur wield his sword and sever the shackles and iron rings that bound the slaves to freedom.
Arthur's chivalrous conduct, which aligned with his intuition, inspired a level of respect in him unlike anything he had ever felt before.
At this moment.
A stronger conviction than intuition welled up within him—to become this person's knight!
As he pondered this, Arthur, surrounded by slaves who had been freed from their bonds, appeared before him.
just now.
Only he and the girl in his arms were bound by shackles and iron rings.
"Please release this girl for now; you no longer need to use your waveguide to heal her."
Arthur's voice was soft; he had long ago discerned the boy's intention to embrace the girl.
When he shielded the young boy and girl from the bearded merchant's whip.
His perception of life force helped him to sense the state of life force within the boys and girls behind him.
In his perception of life force, the seemingly rosy-cheeked girl was in far worse physical condition than the emaciated boy.
If we compare the human body to a cup that holds water, then vitality is the water stored within it.
But the girl's physical condition was different from that of ordinary people.
The "cup" that holds her life force has developed a crack and is leaking continuously.
This means that her vitality is fading away uncontrollably.
The boy, who had a close relationship with the girl, seemed to have realized this long ago.
So he transformed his life force into a waveguide and transmitted it to the girl through intimate physical contact.
It was the depleted vitality that made the boy look more haggard than the girl.
Arthur's judgment:
If I don't buy this boy today, he will soon faint from the loss of his life force.
Given his appalling treatment and circumstances as a slave, he is highly unlikely to survive the night.
Even when the boy was in danger of losing his own life, he did not give up trying to save the girl's life.
This made Arthur feel genuine admiration for the boy, strengthening his resolve to subdue him.
Back to the present.
The butler, Leon, also silently came to his side.
As a Silver Rank Knight, he naturally noticed the unusual behavior of the young boy and girl.
At the same time, they also understood what their young master wanted to do next.
So, the butler Leon also extended a friendly gesture to them:
"Please trust my young master; he and I are both willing to help you."
Say it.
Butler Leon spread his arms, and a gentle, attribute-less wave power emerged.
Transmitting life force is a simple use of waveguides.
The boy saw through the butler Leon's intentions and gave him a grateful look.
Then he said to the girl in his arms:
“Vivi, we’ve met two real knights who can save us.”
So please don't be afraid of this temporary separation; I'm always by your side.
The young girl, Vivi, seemed to be very dependent on the boy.
Although she could clearly feel the goodwill emanating from the outside world, she was instinctively afraid of this world and still clung to the boy's clothes, unwilling to let go.
"Weiwei, be a good girl!"
The knight said, "We are no longer slaves."
The boy continued to comfort the girl, Vivi:
"So don't be afraid, please believe in him with me, okay?"
Finally, guided by the boy, Weiwei slowly released her grip on his clothes.
Tears welled up in her eyes, quickly forming large, full teardrops.
The butler, Leon, caught the girl, who was about the same age as his granddaughter.
He couldn't help but feel pity, and began to channel life force into her abnormal body in the form of waveguides.
After the two separated.
Arthur swung his sword again, aiming precisely at the shackles and iron rings that bound them.
"Bang!"
As the shackles and iron rings shattered, the boy in front of Arthur naturally knelt down before him.
Upon witnessing this scene.
Arthur frowned, raised his sword again, and pointed it at him.
And questioned:
Why are you kneeling before me?
I've said it before, Blackrock Territory has no need for kneeling slaves!
“My esteemed lord, my name is Lancelot.”
The young man, fearless of the sword, placed his left hand on his right chest, tilted his head back, and looked at Arthur with reverence:
“My kneeling is not out of fear of oppression from a slave, but out of utmost respect for the chivalry you have upheld.”
Upon hearing this, Arthur moved his sword away.
Lancelot continued:
"Therefore, please allow me to make a request: please let me become your knight!"
[The host's display of chivalry has earned the admiration of Lancelot, who possesses a "knight's heart," and his loyalty has reached 60 (firm choice), successfully winning him over.]
[When two citizens with a loyalty level of 60 or higher appear, the deployment tab in the attribute panel will be activated;]