Chapter 69. Selecting Slaves
Just as William lifted the tent flap to leave the main tent, Kroll II’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
“William, wait.”
He stopped, then turned back to look at his father.
Kroll II set down the pen in his hand and raised his eyes.
“As for the supplies from Ningshuang City, you may keep one-tenth for yourself. Turn in the rest to the Quartermaster’s Office.”
“Uh…” William froze for a moment. After hesitating for a few seconds, he slowly nodded.
Seeing his reaction, Kroll II laughed, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
“Alright, stop acting like you are being wronged after getting such an advantage.”
“There are too many supplies there for you to use up on your own. Being allowed to keep one-tenth is already no small amount. Besides, not all of those supplies originally belonged to the royal family.”
Only then did William understand what his father meant. Among the legacy of Ningshuang City, there were likely quite a few private assets belonging to other factions. Keeping all of it would only attract attention.
He bowed and replied, “Yes, Father.”
“Go on.”
Kroll II waved his hand, then added, “By the way, I have already arranged for a royal legendary knight to guard you. There is no need to worry about your safety.”
“Go select the slaves now. Although there are people looking after that side, the weather has been cold these past few days, and several thousand have still frozen to death. Do not delay any longer.”
William’s heart stirred. His father had even taken this into consideration.
He bowed once more, then turned and left the main tent.
The wind outside was even harsher, kicking up broken snow and flinging it against his face.
William looked toward the distant slave camp. The tents there swayed slightly in the wind and snow.
He no longer hesitated and strode toward the camp.
At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing dark knight armor walked over. A thin layer of frost had formed on the armor, but it could not conceal the steady aura around him.
“You are the Fourth Prince, William?”
William nodded.
The middle-aged man grinned, revealing an easygoing frankness.
“My name is Xilan. His Majesty ordered me to protect you during this period.”
Upon hearing this, William gave Xilan a solemn salute. The man before him was not only a legendary powerhouse, but also a trusted senior figure within the royal family. This courtesy was necessary.
“I will trouble you during this time.”
Xilan waved his hand, his tone sincere.
“To serve the royal family and strengthen the kingdom is no hardship.”
The two walked one after the other toward the slave district.
From afar, they could already see that the First Knight Order of the First Monster Legion was standing in formation, waiting.
The knights wore silver armor and stood upright in the snowstorm like pine trees. When they saw William approach, they all bowed in unison. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, revealing strict military discipline.
William gave a slight nod.
“You may rise. You all know His Majesty’s orders?”
The commander of the Knight Order stepped forward.
“Reporting to Fourth Prince, His Majesty has already issued the command. The slaves you select will immediately be branded with the Slave Contract. Once a thousand have been gathered, they will at once be escorted by Two-Headed Wyvern Riders to the Secret Realm.”
William nodded.
“Good. Time is pressing. Let us go in.”
With that, he took the lead and walked toward the entrance of the slave camp.
Inside, tents filled the camp as far as the eye could see. The air carried a faint mix of cold and smoke, and from time to time, muffled coughing could be heard.
Xilan followed closely behind. His steps appeared casual, but his senses had already spread out like an invisible net, taking in every movement within dozens of yards.
They soon arrived at the first section.
Because the number of slaves was so enormous, the camp had been divided into twenty-three sections, each holding more than ten thousand people.
William swept his gaze across the crowd, and in his eyes it was as if halos representing aptitude rose one after another.
“That one, and those three over there. Bring them out.”
William’s tone was calm as he raised his hand and pointed toward several figures in the crowd.
The knights behind him immediately stepped forward and efficiently brought out the selected slaves.
He made a deliberate distinction. Those with Golden Aptitude were to stand on one side and be taken directly out of the slave district by the knights. Those with aptitude above Golden Aptitude were to be separated and handled differently.
The selection proceeded extremely quickly. In less than half a day, one thousand slaves with Golden Aptitude had already been chosen.
The First Knight Order of the First Monster Legion immediately stepped forward, gathered those slaves together, and swiftly departed from the camp.
As soon as they left, the Second Knight Order arrived right behind them.
William pointed at the more than two hundred slaves with aptitude above Golden Aptitude and instructed the commander of the Knight Order,
“Send them to the Secret Realm. Make sure they are kept separately. Do not let them be mixed together.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The commander acknowledged the order and immediately dispatched more than two hundred Two-Headed Wyvern Riders.
These knights guided their massive wyverns down from the sky and, one by one, carried the specially selected slaves—already branded with Slave Contracts—onto the wyverns’ backs.
The wyverns beat their wings and soared into the sky, carrying away this group of slaves upon whom great hopes had been placed, disappearing into the snow-filled horizon.
William watched the direction in which they had flown, then looked back at the remaining crowd inside the camp.
“Let us continue,” he said to Xilan.
Xilan nodded heavily, unable to conceal the excited gleam in his eyes.
At first, he had harbored some doubts about His Majesty’s arrangement. But after personally watching William pick out highly talented individuals from the mass of slaves with such effortless precision, his last trace of suspicion vanished like smoke.
This boy was a hidden treasure who could perceive talent itself. He was practically the royal family’s greatest asset.
Xilan silently began making calculations. Once this mission was over, he would definitely return and have a proper discussion with the elders of his clan.
There was no need to continue as before, scattering royal resources thinly across every descendant like pepper powder in meaningless experiments.
It would be far better to concentrate those resources, have William first select the royal descendants with the highest aptitudes, and then let old men like them personally cultivate them.
If they did that, the strength of the royal family would surely expand at the fastest possible speed.
William carefully screened the first section once again and selected an additional five hundred slaves with Golden Aptitude, as well as twenty-three even rarer individuals with Sky Aptitude.
He had the members of the Second Knight Order send this group to the Secret Realm as well, repeating the same instructions as before—keep them separated at all times and do not grow lax.
By the time the last batch of slaves was taken away, the sky had already gone completely dark.
At some unknown point, the wind and snow had stopped. The night hung over the entire camp like a heavy black curtain, tightly sealing it away. Only a few scattered torches flickered in the distance, casting vague outlines of the tents.
“That is enough for today.”
William rubbed his aching brow. After screening for most of the day with his mind under constant strain, he was indeed feeling tired.
Besides, he was preparing to ask his father for a few special slots. If he happened to discover slaves with Domain Aptitude, then they would be his.
Just thinking about it filled him with motivation.