The piercing creak of rusted iron hinges shattered the silence at the end of the corridor as one of the kidnappers opened the cell door.
Once the door was wide open, two men immediately stepped inside, approaching Calian and Wolvin, who were sitting helplessly on the stone floor.
"Stand up and follow us immediately!" barked one of the kidnappers, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword.
Both Calian and Wolvin obeyed the order without putting up any resistance. With slow movements, as if they were severely weakened by the effects of the cuffs, they slowly got up. The two of them staggered slightly, leaning against the wall for a moment to act perfectly and deceive all the kidnappers.
As soon as Calian and Wolvin managed to stand, the two men immediately dragged them roughly out of the cell.
The same thing was happening in the other cells. One by one, all the people languishing in the underground prison were pulled and dragged out. The sounds of muffled groans and dragging footsteps echoed throughout the dark corridor.
The kidnappers, assisted by the soldiers escorting the middle-aged man, herded them down the corridor and out of the underground area toward the main building on the surface.
When they finally passed through the door and set foot outside, a gust of cold wind immediately struck their faces.
Day had turned into night. The sky above Gias City looked pitch black, adorned with a sprinkling of glittering stars and the light of a half-moon, providing dim illumination to the area.
Without wasting time, the kidnapped people were immediately pushed and directed toward two large transport wagons that had been prepared in the backyard of the building.
While boarding the wagon, Calian observed his surroundings. The other prisoners herded alongside him and Wolvin looked deathly pale due to the effects of the anti-magic and mana bracelets that continuously drained their energy without mercy.
Please wait a little longer. Calian thought, feeling deeply concerned seeing the condition of all these people who had been stripped of their freedom. Once I find out which imperial officials dare to be involved in this dirty crime, I promise I will free you all!
After all the captives boarded and sat on the wooden floor, the horses pulling the wagons were whipped. The vehicles moved slowly, carrying dozens of captives to an unknown destination.
During the tense journey, the atmosphere inside the wagon was completely silent. Everyone who had been kidnapped remained mute. They were too exhausted to rebel and had resigned themselves to the terrible fate they were about to face.
Under the dim light piercing through the gaps in the tarpaulin, Calian could see various expressions of despair. Some sat with their heads bowed in silence, mourning their fate; some sobbed soundlessly; and some merely stared blankly at the road behind the wagon.
....
After a considerably long journey, the wheels of the two wagons finally stopped turning.
One by one, the kidnapped people were ordered to step down, including Calian and Wolvin, who continued to maintain their weakened act.
Once all the captives had set foot on the neatly trimmed grassy ground, they finally realized where they were. Before them stood an incredibly large and majestic mansion building.
Right now, all of them were being gathered in the backyard of the luxurious mansion.
Damn it! Calian cursed inwardly, his anger that he had been suppressing all this time now truly climbing to its peak. His eyes scanned the grandeur of the place sharply. Don't tell me this mansion is the residence of the ruler of Gias City! If it is true that this mansion belongs to the lord of this city, I will make sure death does not come so easily to him!
Just as Calian was pondering the identity of the mansion's owner with seething anger, the double doors of the mansion suddenly swung wide open.
From inside the brightly lit mansion, stepped out a tall, middle-aged man wearing high-class aristocratic attire.
He was not alone. The man was accompanied by an elegant woman who appeared to be his wife, as well as a young man and a young woman dressed equally luxuriously. Behind the noble family, six fully armed official soldiers trailed along, escorting them closely.
The arrival of the four of them left Calian and Wolvin astounded. The same went for the people who had been kidnapped. Many of them widened their eyes in disbelief.
Whispers of despair mixed with shock inadvertently began to buzz around the married couple.
"I-Impossible... why are Lord Thomas and his family approaching us in a place like this?" whispered a kidnapped young woman, her body trembling in fear as she recognized the man's face. "Is the ruler of this city himself the mastermind behind all our kidnappings?"
"This is truly outrageous and completely heartless!" replied a beastfolk man from the Wild Dog clan in a whisper filled with hatred. "He is definitely the main mastermind! If not for the orders of this city's lord, there is no way we would all be brought and gathered in the backyard of his official residence!"
Hearing the whispers of those two people confirming the man's identity, Calian's gaze instantly turned freezing cold. He was truly furious. A city ruler who was supposed to protect his people was instead treating them as merchandise like slaves alongside all his family members.
However, Calian could do nothing but remain silent, observing and playing along until the point where he could slaughter them all.
"Well... well... well!" said the noble named Thomas as he descended the balcony stairs, staring at the crowd of captives with eyes sparkling with greed. "Why are there so many people you brought here tonight? It seems you truly had a massive harvest today, didn't you?"
The eight kidnappers, the neatly dressed middle-aged man who picked them up from the underground prison, along with his four soldiers, instantly bowed their heads and paid deep respect to Thomas.
"As you can see for yourself, My Lord." the middle-aged man replied in a very polite and sycophantic tone, bowing before Thomas. "This time, we acquired a lot of high-quality goods!"
"Hahaha!" Thomas laughed freely and with satisfaction upon hearing the direct report. He clapped slowly. "Good! Very good! I really like all of your performance lately. Quickly select all of them tonight, separate them based on race and physical quality, so they can be immediately sent to Wollen City before dawn breaks!"
"Yes, My Lord! We will execute it immediately!"
The eight kidnappers, directly assisted by the ten armed soldiers, immediately moved forward. They began pulling and inspecting the kidnapped people one by one.
The inspection was carried out in a very rough and degrading manner. They checked every inch of the captives' bodies, from head to toe, inspecting their teeth, muscles, and birthmarks. The examination was done meticulously, exactly as if they were inspecting livestock about to be sold at an auction market.
On the other hand, upon hearing the conversation between Thomas and his subordinates earlier, Calian and Wolvin exchanged a brief glance from the corners of their eyes. They had just obtained a very crucial clue.
The two of them had now pocketed the next destination they had to go to after the human trafficking syndicate in Gias City was destroyed.
The next destination was Wollen City, even though the route meant they might have to embark on a long journey heading further away from the eastern territory of the empire that led by Marquis Khail Burtois.