Swallowed Star: The Zerg Overlord

Chapter 111: Slaves

"Mr. Qin," the elderly man from the Treasure Store smiled as he handed Qin Mu a membership card. "This is our store's membership card, which entitles you to a 5% discount. We look forward to your next visit."

"Thank you," Qin Mu replied with a polite smile.

Having spent billions of Black Dragon coins in the Treasure Store, the elderly man knew that Qin Mu and his group were not short on funds.

"Now that we've secured our cultivation resources, let's head to the slave market," Qin Mu said.

After arranging for the purchased items to be delivered to the Black Dragon Mountain X81 spacecraft at the spaceport, the group set off again.

The slave market was located close to the Treasure Store, so it didn't take long for them to arrive. The market was enormous, covering an area of over 300 square kilometers. On Earth, this would have been a massive city, but in Qiu Long City, it was just another district.

Unlike the Treasure Store, the slave market was bustling with activity. Crowds of people were everywhere, browsing and purchasing slaves, while countless slaves were on display, waiting to be chosen. This was the largest slave market in over a hundred surrounding galaxies.

"Come take a look! These Tieluo people are strong and robust. Although they can't cultivate, each one is comparable to an Apprentice Level 9 warrior. They're perfect for menial labor, and each one only costs 20 Black Dragon coins!" shouted a three-meter-tall, purple-skinned planetary-level man with horns on his head.

"Sir, over here! My slaves are all top-tier beauties. Whatever type you're looking for, I have it!" called out a seductive fox-tailed woman.

Behind her stood a group of stunningly beautiful women from various races—some with fair skin, others with furry tails, cat ears, or features resembling Earthlings. Each one could be considered a peerless beauty on Earth.

Further away, in a large square, a group of powerful slaves exuded their auras. Planetary-level seven or eight warriors and spirit masters were everywhere. In the center stood a large group of star-level experts, each one stronger than Lei Shen, who had just reached the star level.

The sight left Qin Mu's group stunned. Although they had anticipated this, the sheer scale and brutality of the slave market were still overwhelming.

"An Apprentice Level 9 warrior for just 20 Black Dragon coins?" Jia Yi's voice trembled. On Earth, such individuals would be considered high-level Wargods. How many warriors of that level did Earth even have?

"A planetary-level five warrior for just 5,000 Black Dragon coins?" Jia Yi was himself a planetary-level five warrior. The second-tier weapon he had just bought for himself cost over 100 million Black Dragon coins. A single weapon was worth over 200,000 planetary-level warriors! At this moment, he felt no excitement about his purchase, only an overwhelming sense of dread.

If such powerful individuals could be enslaved so easily, what would happen to Earth if it were discovered by cosmic adventurers?

Not only Jia Yi, but even Hong and Lei Shen, who had been excited earlier, fell silent. Hong was only a planetary-level nine warrior, and Lei Shen had just reached star-level one. In this slave market, slaves stronger than them were everywhere.

"How do they become slaves?" Hong asked softly.

A slave trader nearby overheard and replied with a smile, "There are many reasons. For example, these Tieluo people were discovered by adventurers on a primitive planet. The entire population was enslaved, and now their descendants are slaves too. As for those beautiful women, some were sold by their own planet's rulers, while others were captured and sold. Of course, some are strong warriors who lost in wars between factions and were enslaved. The possibilities are endless."

"Sir, would you like to buy a few? My slaves are of excellent quality!"

Hearing the trader's words, Hong felt a chill run down his spine. If Earth were discovered, would its people suffer the same fate? Would their descendants be enslaved forever?

Another slave trader chimed in, "Among the countless human races, some weaker bloodlines, like the ninth or tenth-tier, are naturally weak. Reaching the planetary level is incredibly difficult for them. It's normal for such races to be enslaved."

The traders spoke casually, as if this were an everyday occurrence. But for Hong, Lei Shen, and the others, it was a shocking and horrifying revelation.

"Ninth and tenth-tier bloodlines are commonly enslaved?"

Earthlings were a ninth-tier bloodline!

The dark, brutal reality of the universe was laid bare before them, filling their hearts with dread.

"Earth must never be exposed!" This thought echoed in everyone's minds.

Even Qin Mu, though he hid it well, was deeply shaken. The universe's cruelty was far more brutal than he had imagined.

"Tell me about those star-level slaves," Qin Mu said with a calm smile, his demeanor unshaken.

The three Silverium Guards behind him added to his air of authority, making it clear that he was someone of significant background.

"Sir, please follow me. We can discuss this in detail in a private room!" The slave trader's face lit up with joy. Star-level slaves were valuable, and customers who bought them were big spenders.

Planetary-level and lower slaves were cheap and often bought on the spot. In the short time Qin Mu's group had been talking, they had already seen several slaves being taken away. Many visitors casually bought slaves as if they were purchasing livestock.

"In the private room, you can use virtual projections to browse and select the slaves you want," the trader explained as he led them into a large building and into a conference room.

Inside, virtual projections appeared before them, displaying detailed information about the slaves: their appearances, heights, strengths, races, and prices.

Star-level one: warriors—1 million, spirit masters—3 million.

Star-level four: warriors—20 million, spirit masters—60 million.

Star-level five: warriors—80 million, spirit masters—240 million.

Star-level eight: warriors—2 billion, spirit masters—6 billion.

Star-level nine: warriors—5 billion, spirit masters—15 billion.

Qin Mu looked at the prices, which were standard and transparent. There was little variation between traders. With biochips implanted, these slaves would never rebel against their owners. Once the biochip was installed, they would be completely loyal unless they reached the domain lord level.

"We have 150 billion Black Dragon coins left to spend. We need to maximize our strength," Qin Mu thought to himself. They couldn't spend all their funds on slaves, as the Golden Horned Beast's metal consumption was also a significant expense.

"We need at least one star-level nine warrior to oversee our operations on Qiu Long Star. Our trade ships also need protection to avoid pirate attacks. In space, spirit masters have an advantage, so we need a star-level nine spirit master. Earth has the Swarm, but having a star-level nine expert there would also help train our forces."

After some calculations, Qin Mu spoke. "One star-level nine spirit master and three star-level nine warriors."

"Three star-level eight spirit masters and six star-level eight warriors."

"Ten star-level five spirit masters and warriors each."

"One thousand star-level one spirit masters and warriors each."

"All these slaves must be from the Black Meng race."

Qin Mu didn't know much about slaves, but he remembered that Luo Feng had purchased Black Meng slaves on Babata's recommendation. They were cost-effective and reliable.

These slaves would also be analyzed by the Swarm, allowing the Zerg to mass-produce them.

"Additionally, I need a batch of slaves skilled in medicine, mechanics, commerce, and other fields. Their strength doesn't matter; planetary level is fine. Consider these as complimentary gifts, as I need personnel to manage some of my businesses. Negotiate the price and give me a reasonable discount," Qin Mu said to the slave trader's manager.

The manager's face lit up with joy. This unexpected customer had just spent over 67 billion Black Dragon coins in one go! This was a major client!

"Of course! You'll get the best discount possible—10% off! That's the maximum I can offer!"

Qin Mu didn't respond, simply waving his hand to let his subordinates handle the negotiation. Bargaining wasn't something he needed to do personally.

The manager quickly led Qin Mu's team aside to discuss the details. This was a massive deal, and the commission he would earn was substantial.

Before long, the manager returned, looking slightly defeated.

"Mr. Qin, your subordinates are indeed skilled. They have a deep understanding of the slave trade. No wonder you value them despite their low cultivation level."

"All the slaves you requested, plus 10,000 planetary-level nine spirit masters skilled in medicine, mechanics, commerce, and other fields, will cost you 60 billion Black Dragon coins."

Qin Mu simply smiled. The 10,000 planetary-level nine spirit masters sounded impressive, but in reality, they were only worth about 1 billion Black Dragon coins. Planetary-level nine spirit masters were cheap, costing only 100,000 Black Dragon coins each.

"Have the slaves delivered to the spaceport. My people will handle the transfer there," Qin Mu said calmly.