A couple more days passed by and Liam stayed in the same elven village. He did not want to rush his next steps but he also did not want to stay at the same place for too long. So he now had a new plan.
In the past couple of days, he familiarized himself with the small elven settlement and visited all the local vendors and stalls.
He examined a few herbs, and learned more about new varieties of fruits and vegetables but he was unable to get any concrete information without giving himself away.
Soon, a path opened up in front of him. On the third day, Liam noticed a crowd gathering behind the small village. He walked over to the area, wondering what it could be when he saw a few elves caged in carriages.
"Slave trading market?"
Slave trading was an abhorrent practice and he did not think that an elven establishment would be supporting it.
The elves in the cages looked exhausted and malnourished, their eyes vacant of hope or spirit. These were not combatants taken in battle, but clearly individuals who were being exploited, their freedom cruelly stolen.
Liam's fists clenched involuntarily as he had been in this same situation a long time ago. However, he immediately calmed down because this was not his priority right now.
He couldn't end the miseries in his own world, let alone worry about the miseries in these alien worlds. He prepared to turn away and leave when he felt something odd.
Since Liam still hadn't quite grasped his soulmancer class, he made it a habit to always sense the souls around him or constantly tinker around with his own soul to delve deeper into the world.
And right at this moment, he sensed an extremely strong soul.
Liam frowned as he sensed this soul from the area where the cages were stacked. He walked over to the trading area to take a look and saw a disheveled elf in one of the far cages.
She looked weak and malnourished, much like the others, but her eyes held a spark that wasn't present in any of the other captives.
When Liam looked closer, he noticed that this elf also had a short pair of horns on her head. Was this why she was being traded as a slave?
Liam observed that every other crate also had an elf with one deformity or the other. However, this was not important to him. What he was interested in was the usually strong soul of the elven girl.
Seeing that Liam was observing the slave market, Thingol, the leader of the elven clan approached him. "Anything that catches your eyes, my Lord?"
Liam's eyes turned cold. "Yes. That one." He answered.
Immediately, Thingol spoke with the traders and immediately made some arrangements. "My lord, this one is an impure elf with mixed lineage and her body is also riddled with injuries."
"She won't be of much use. How about that one? She has a strong lineage and has a very high fire affinity."
Liam shook his head. "I just need a servant. I don't care about their affinities. That crippled one would suffice."
Liam wouldn't have minded buying the other one too but there was a reason why he did not want to push things.
Seeing that he was interested, Thingol did not try to convince him otherwise and went ahead to finish the deal.
"What is the cost?" Liam enquired and immediately the clan leader shook his head. "My Lord, this is the least we can do in return for your kindness."
Liam nodded, accepting the offer.
This was precisely why he did not purchase more. He did not even know what currency was used in these parts and anything out of the line would immediately reveal his identity.
"Young virgin of only 20 years." The slave trader remarked in a gruff voice before opening the cage and allowing the elf to step out.
A system prompt opened up in front of Liam which transferred the rights of the slave to him.
Apparently, the elf was under a strong mind-control spell that forced them to be obedient to their master no matter what. This was how they were able to enslave even the stronger ones.
Liam finished the transactions and then brought the elven girl away to the outskirts of the settlement into the forest area. He checked the system contract again, making sure there wasn't any trickery involved.
"Tell me everything you know about this world." He once again began collecting information. The elven girl looked at Liam for a moment before starting to talk.
"Our world is…" She then paused. "You are a human being. Master." Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"How could you tell?" Liam smiled as he removed his cloak. "Not that I am disguising it very well. Do you know if there is a better way to disguise?"
The elven girl shook her head with a rueful smile. If she had known one then she wouldn't have fallen to this state. However, she knew one thing for sure.
If her state was as such then a human being's state would be even worse. "You should leave this world as soon as possible, Master." She warned Liam.
"I would like that too. But not now. There will be a time for it. And when that time comes, I will bring you with me, that is if you want to. Otherwise, I will set you free. The choice is yours. Until then I hope we can help each other out."
"Help?" The elven girl looked puzzled.
"Come. Let's go. We first have some things to buy. I guess you will want to freshen up first."
Liam brought the elf back to his temporary residence. There she first washed up and wore a clean set of clothing that the clan leader's servants provided.
When the elf walked out, Liam couldn't help but become shocked. After cleaning up, the elf looked completely different, more beautiful than many women on earth.
The elf smiled, showing more confidence now. "Thank you, Master. My name is Elira."
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