"How many slaves do you have?".
Lucien didn't beat around the bush, he needed as many slaves as possible to strengthen himself with his heretic virtue.
The burlyman was on the same wavelength.
"We have exactly four hundred and thirty one slaves, four hundred and twelve are beast kin from varying clans, nineteen are elfs, young lord, how many do you want to purchase from our fine establishment".
The burly man was usually not the sales man, but Lucien was so straightforward, he simply had no choice but to answer.
Lucien caught wind of that, so he directly inquired.
"Where is the boss of the guild?".
"I am right here young master Lucien". A man wrapped in a golden robe walked into the room, swaying from side to side, looking so pale you would think the wind would blow him away.
The man wore heavy makeup and a pair of prosthetic breasts, at least Lucien hoped they were prosthetic, he couldn't imagine the fate of the woman they were removed from.
Lucien chuckled darkly.
"Vainte, I see you are just as beautiful as the day we last met".
Vainte blushed and moaned. "O young master, you really know how to make a lady blush… Say, what brought you all the way here, if you wanted to experiment with poisons, you could've had me bring some slaves to your family's manor".
"I came to see a friend, what's the problem with that?".
Vainte's shrill laughter dragged on a few seconds too long, until even the burly man shifted awkwardly. Lucien let it die out before speaking, his gaze cold as a blade.
"Enough theatrics, Vainte. I'm not here for wine, silk, or whatever you've stuffed under that robe today."
The room fell dead silent. Vainte's smile trembled, but he kept it painted on.
Lucien leaned back slightly.
"I need slaves, all the slaves you have in your cells."
Vainte blinked, the fan in his hand pausing mid-air. "All of them? Even if you wanted to build a castle, taking over four hundred slaves is a little too much, don't you think".
"I also need awakened slaves" Lucien cut in. "I'm willing to pay full price for each slave I purchase from you".
Vainte's painted lashes fluttered. For all his flamboyance, he wasn't stupid. " Awakened slaves will attract attention. Enslavement of humans is banned in the Karthian empire, even enslaving mortal humans is quite dangerous, not that I don't appreciate your part in trying to keep my business afloat for the last few years".
Lucien smiled awkwardly, he had the habit of selling maids to Vainte as slaves when ever he felt his pockets run dry, not that he couldn't get more gold from the manors treasury, he simply wanted to try making his own money, so he could prove to his father that he could be independent, it was a dark part of his childhood he wasn't really proud off.
"I'm afraid we don't have any awakened slaves at the moment, although I will definitely have my contacts find you some, young master".
Lucien nodded, awakened slaves were a better target for his heretic virtue, but he knew it would be leaving too much to hope if he was hoping to buy them from Vainte or anywhere in the city.
"The mortal slaves will do, how much will it all cost?".
Vainte was taken aback, he walked over to Lucien and took the seat next to him, he then seductively crossed his legs, intentionally revealing a pair of thin white legs, his legs were spotless without a single speck of hair.
"Won't you even check the merchandise young lord, and how exactly do you suppose I move over four hundred slaves to your manor without drawing attention, your house is powerful, but such a blatant display of enslavement will draw the ire of the public and temples, even the royal family won't be able to look the other way".
Vainte caressed Lucien's hand but he moved it away with a cold expression, but that only made Vainte chuckle seductively.
"I don't need you to move the slaves, I intend to use them to practice my virtue".
Hmm
Vainte reacted to Lucien, but he couldn't possibly ask what type of virtue he awakened, things like that were private even amongst members of the same family.
"All four hundred and thirty one slaves?". Vainte asked wide eyed, trying too hard to seem innocent and adorable, it almost made Lucien throw up.
"Yes, take me to the cells".
Vainte leaned in closer to Lucien."For such a big sale, young lord, I would even take you to my bedroom".
Lucien smiled awkwardly. "Vainte, the day I step into your bedroom is the day the dead gods come back to life."
Vainte pouted dramatically, but the act slid right off Lucien's indifference. With a flick of his wrist, the guildmaster stood and waved for him to follow.
"Fine, fine. Since you insist on being boring, let's go," Vainte said, gliding toward the back door, the burly man followed, but the women didn't.
The burly attendant opened the reinforced iron door ahead of them, and a wave of damp, heavy air rolled out. Torches flickered along the stairwell, casting long, skeletal shadows down the stone steps.
Vainte descended with exaggerated grace, each step echoing. Lucien trailed him, hands tucked behind his back like he was strolling through a garden.
"The cells were expanded last winter," Vainte said lightly, as though giving a tour of an art gallery. "Although business hasn't been excellent, we still get by with war refugees from border raids, corrupt nobles selling off their debts… you know how it is, Lucien my love."
"I really don't," Lucien replied.
"Oh, sweetie," Vainte said, glancing over his shoulder with a soft smile, "you absolutely did."
Lucien didn't bother denying it.
They reached the bottom. The corridor stretched out, cold and massive with four enormous cells, sealed by enchanted bars, the kind only slave guilds and old noble houses could afford.
Ignoring the vile stench, Vainte spread his arms wide like a performer on stage.
"Here we are. The finest stock in the entire Karthian underworld. Four cells, four hundred and thirty-one slaves".