Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 151: Desperate Bargain

"Oh, thank you very much! I’ll prepare the contract right away. Please wait a moment," the slave trader said, bowing deeply. Despite his exaggerated gestures, they didn’t come across as insincere.

With the five slaves escorted out, the introductions were complete. Now, it was time to move on to the real business.

As planned, Cedran began, "By the way, I heard you recently acquired Lizardman slaves," steering the conversation toward their real objective.

But before he could continue, Elyon abruptly interjected, "Enough with the dull theatrics. Let’s cut to the chase."

"Wait, Ely!" Damien whispered urgently, tugging at Elyon’s sleeve. "The negotiations are Cedran’s responsibility!"

Elyon, however, remained unfazed. "Didn’t you notice? The selection of slaves was odd—especially if they’re meant to be presented to you or that boy Theo."

"Huh? The selection?" Damien exchanged puzzled looks with Cedran.

He thought back—first came the muscular, handsome swordsman, then the beautiful young man, followed by the burly older warrior, the seductive rabbit-eared youth, and finally, the ordinary boy.

...Wait. No women. And most seemed catered to Damien’s preferences.

Now that he thought about it, Cedran had been making faces of disgust throughout.

Damien’s eyes suddenly lit with realization, and Elyon smirked triumphantly, clearly pleased with himself. "Figured it out yet, you lower species?" he added, arrogantly.

"Lower species..." Damien muttered, stunned that Elyon said it out loud.

Elyon turned his head to the trader. "You feigned ignorance, but you’ve investigated us thoroughly, haven’t you, Gribbitz Threx Croak’Volmar?"

Damien was shocked Elyon remembered the man’s absurdly long name.

"Your insight is most accurate, noble one," the trader replied smoothly.

Here, "noble one" clearly referred to Elyon’s status as an elf, not a nobleman. So, he knew Elyon’s identity too. Impressive.

Damien gawked at the trader, earning a faint, amused smile in return. Why?

Elyon pressed on. "If you’ve done your research, then you also know what we’re looking for. Bring it out immediately."

"Understood," the trader replied. "However, showcasing my finest merchandise is also part of my business. As for the ones you seek, they cannot communicate, their condition is poor, and presenting them improperly would tarnish our reputation."

"That’s irrelevant. Bring them out," Elyon demanded curtly.

Without room for argument, Elyon’s commanding tone elicited a graceful bow from the slave trader.

Clapping his hands twice, the trader signaled the door to open, and several Lizardmen, shackled hand and foot, were dragged in by burly men.

The once defiant Lizardman who had shouted the previous day now appeared utterly drained. The other four, who had seemed lifeless even then, now looked even worse—barely clinging to life, if at all.

In just one day... What had they done to them? Damien couldn’t help but glare at the trader, anger flaring within him.

The slave trader, however, remained unperturbed, as if brushing off a passing breeze. Bowing respectfully, he spoke, "Allow me to clarify before any misunderstandings arise. This condition is not of our doing. These products have already succumbed to despair, refusing food or drink. Though we attempted to force-feed them, they ultimately rejected it and began vomiting. We were considering discarding them."

Discarding them? The thought was unsettling, but if what the trader said was true, then perhaps he wasn’t entirely at fault.

Damien exhaled and apologized, bowing his head. "I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions."

The trader responded with a faint smile, yet again leaving Damien puzzled. Why was he smiling?

Hearing Damien’s voice, the once vocal Lizardman lifted his head. Tears streaming down his face, he pleaded desperately, "Oh... you... no, please... save my brothers... at least them... I beg you..."

The sight of the Lizardman bowing low, tears falling, struck Damien to his core. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The trader interjected, "As you can see, these products understand no language. To make them serviceable, one would first need to find a translator, an expensive ordeal. The only other option is to train them through physical discipline, but in their current state, I doubt they would survive it."

The trader’s cold pragmatism infuriated Damien. "I’ll buy them! No matter the cost!" Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face as he shouted.

Cedran looked alarmed, but Damien ignored him. He’d figure out how to pay later. Maybe they could arrange some sort of installment plan?

The Lizardman collapsed to the ground, pressing his forehead against the floor. "Th-thank you... thank you..."

"Calm down!" Damien said urgently. "You’ll hurt yourself if you keep doing that!"

The trader chuckled lightly. "My, it seems the sentiment has reached them. It’s as though they understood your words... intriguing."

Elyon cut him off sharply. "Stop your nonsense. How much for all of them?"

Damien’s heart raced. How much? Would they allow installments?

The trader’s response, however, was unexpectedly dismissive. "Considering their condition and that we were prepared to discard them, let us settle for one gold coin per head. Five gold coins in total, if that suits you?"

Damien blinked, stunned. "Wait... five gold coins for all of them?"

"Indeed," the trader confirmed. "These are no longer products of any value. As this situation arose from our failure to maintain their condition, assigning even this price is shameful. However, I am still a businessman and cannot offer them entirely for free. I hope you can pardon the token fee."

The trader then performed the most theatrical bow Damien had seen yet.

"Uh... alright. I’ll take them for five gold coins," Damien said, the anticlimactic resolution leaving him somewhat dazed.

"Thank you for your purchase. Including the previous product, the total comes to 105 gold coins. If you’d like us to handle the slave registration, we charge a fee of 10% of the sale price. What do you think?"

Wait, what?

Damien froze. Sebas hadn’t mentioned anything about this. Though, come to think of it, Sebas had admitted that he didn’t know much about the practical aspects of slave transactions. He’d laughed it off, saying even he didn’t know everything, but Damien now realized there truly were things Sebas wasn’t aware of. That was today’s biggest surprise.