In Westeros.
Because of the existence of the Seven Gods, slavery was hated by people and strictly prohibited.
And in the continent of Essos.
It is still prevalent in many free federal cities.
Just like Pentos, although slavery is officially prohibited, as long as the slaves are given the new title of "free slaves", the slave trade can be carried out openly.
This is not so much about the rich and slaves taking advantage of legal loopholes.
Rather, it is a huge chain of interests trampling on the so-called majesty of the law.
There is one free city-state exception.
That is the city-state of "Braavos" located at the northwest tip of the Essos continent.
Braavos is the most special and powerful city-state among the Free Trade City-states.
Because the power and wealth of "Braavos" all come from navigation, the ruler of this city-state is also called the "Sea King!"
And because "Braavos" was founded by escaped slaves.
Therefore, they did not allow the existence of slavery and did not trade with Slaver's Bay.
Pantos.
Morgan crossed the Narrow Sea and encountered a public auction of slaves, no, an auction of "free slaves" on the first day he came to this city.
Stop and stand at the edge of the auction venue.
Listening to the explanation of the middle-aged auctioneer with a bloated figure and exquisite bright clothes on the auction stage and the discussions of the surrounding crowd of onlookers.
Morgan quickly had a preliminary understanding of the so-called "free slaves" on the high platform in front of him.
For example, he knew that female slaves were the most valuable, especially young and beautiful ones, and the same was true for underage female slaves.
However, the quantity will be relatively much smaller.
Then there are the male slaves who are in their prime because they can work.
As for underage boy slaves, they are the cheapest.
Because they have no strength.
Of course, there are exceptions to everything, and the same applies to underage slave boys. As long as they are handsome and beautiful, the price is also high.
"Everyone, this auction..."
The bloated middle-aged slave trader is still working in Barabala.
But the weather today is very good, the sky is cloudless, it is noon, and the sun is a bit hot.
Some of the buyers watching below were unable to stand and couldn't wait any longer.
"I know, I know..."
"Stop being so nagging, let's start quickly..."
"This damn weather is so hot..."
"If it weren't for these girls, I wouldn't be willing to come..."
"Start quickly..."
"..."
Instead of making the bloated slave trader on the stage angry, the urging of the onlookers made him even happier because his goods were popular.
"Since you are so enthusiastic, let's get started..."
The middle-aged, bloated slave trader showed his trademark profiteer smile and waved back. The guards guarding the slaves immediately brought a skinny, dirty boy to the high platform.
"Eleven years old. The starting price is thirty silver coins. Each increase in price must not be less than one silver coin. Starting now..."
The bloated slave merchant finished speaking.
Quotes immediately sounded from below.
"thirty..."
"thirty-one..."
"Thirty-one times..."
"Thirty-one or two times..."
"Thirty-one-three...deal!"
"Take the next one..."
Looking at the emaciated body of the slave boy who was brought to the high platform for auction in front of everyone, his eyes were horrified, and the slave dealer and the people below were very familiar with the auction process.
Morgan was touched.
But he didn't say anything.
As he had heard before, the first boy was sold at almost the auction price, indicating the value of these slave boys.
Soon, a second boy was brought up.
"Fourteen years old, starting with thirty silver coins, starting now..."
"thirty..."
"thirty-one..."
"Thirty-four..."
"Thirty-four and the third time...deal!"
"..."
Watching slave after slave being auctioned off.
Morgan gradually saw a lot of things while standing in the audience.
For example: the older and healthier the boy looks, the higher the price will be;
The boy slaves were shabby and generally dirty, while the clothes on the five girls were also made of the lowest grade linen, but their clothes and bodies were obviously much cleaner.
The auction goes on and on.
Although Morgan had no need to purchase these slaves, he did not move away.
[Here is a brief introduction to the currency situation of the entire world. Because the currency system of Game of Thrones is somewhat unscientific, in order to facilitate writing, the exchange rate of gold coins to silver coins is fixed here: 1 gold coin = 50 silver coins]
Time passed slowly.
When the last boy was sold for thirty-five silver coins.
Finally, the auction for the five girls began.
Morgan could clearly feel that the atmosphere of the people around him had changed a lot.
Obviously, many people here are here for these five girls.
"I know you have been waiting for a long time..."
"But you all know the price of a girl, so I won't talk nonsense..."
The bloated slave trader waved again as he spoke, and the first girl, who looked ordinary and thin, was brought to the high platform.
"Twelve years old, the starting price is seventy silver coins, each increase in price must not be less than five silver coins, starting now..."
"seventy-five..."
"Eighty-five..."
"One hundred..."
Look at the intense scene of people bidding enthusiastically in front of the high platform.
Morgan finally realized that the price of these girls was indeed much higher than that of boys.
"one hundred twenty..."
"One hundred and twenty first time...second time..."
"One hundred and twenty-third...deal!"
"Take the next one..."
"One hundred and seventy..."
"One hundred and seventy coins for the third time...deal!"
As the auction of the five girls began, the atmosphere at the scene became more and more intense.
The middle-aged slave dealer obviously knows that in everyone's mind, slaves with better quality are placed at the lower end.
The same goes for the boy in front, and the same goes for the girl behind.
This also leads to the fiercer competition among everyone.
Finally, when four pretty girls bid for two hundred and sixty silver coins, the price exceeded the high price of five gold coins.
The last girl was brought forward.
Because this girl had been standing behind the other children, with her body hunched and her head lowered, her appearance obscured by her long blond hair, Morgan didn't pay much attention.
Now watching the other person being brought to the high platform, he realized that this girl was taller than the previous girls.
He is tall, thin, and has pure golden hair.
Regardless of appearance, this girl is much better than the previous girls just because of her body shape, because in this world, most people with solid-colored hair are from noble families.
"Stand up straight, raise your head, let the guests have a good look..."
The middle-aged bloated slave trader said and raised the girl's chin with the whip in his hand, and the girl raised her head for a moment.
The crowd of onlookers below immediately started making noise.
The face is a little too thin, but the skin is very white, unhealthy white, and a few freckles add a cuteness to the girl.
The most important thing is that this girl has a pair of very rare green eyes (the eye color refers to the Indian girl who once graced the screen because of her beautiful eyes).
Morgan had only seen eyes of this color on the face of Queen Cersei Lannister, the "most beautiful woman in Westeros".
But even Cersei Lannister's eyes are not as pure and clear as the green eyes of the girl in front of her.
The nervous and fearful expression on the face of the girl who was forced to raise her head by the slave trader not only did not affect the girl's appearance, but instead aroused everyone's desire for protection and possessiveness.
As a result, the noise from the people below the high platform became even louder.
"Her name is Aphra. She is thirteen years old and comes from a noble family...I won't say anything else..."
The middle-aged bloated slave trader was very satisfied with the reaction of the people below.
In fact, this girl is the best quality girl he has bought in the past few years.
Originally, this girl was of good enough quality to be taken to a higher-end Free City-State noble slave auction.
But I accidentally bought it a week ago.
The last city-state noble slave auction ended less than a month ago, and there is still a full year until the next one.
He couldn't wait that long, so he decided to try selling them together this time.
Anyway, if you can't sell it, just keep it for a year.
"The starting price of Aphra is one hundred gold coins, and each increase in price will be no less than five gold coins. Starting now..."
The middle-aged slave merchant smiled brightly as he spoke.
The originally excited and noisy crowd below the high platform fell silent for an instant.
Immediately afterwards, an even louder noise broke out from the crowd.
"Oh My God..."
"The starting price is one hundred gold coins. Is this guy out of his mind..."
"That's right, I can buy a bunch of girls for a hundred gold coins. No matter how beautiful she is, she's not worth a hundred gold coins..."
"Damn it, isn't this guy crazy about money?"
"What should I do with one hundred gold coins?"
"I would rather spend a hundred gold coins to buy a few prostitutes from the Red Poppy Brothel than spend it on this skinny girl..."
"One hundred gold coins is a lot, but as long as this girl takes good care of herself and we are happy and then sells her to a high-end brothel, we will never lose money..."
"I don't agree. It's too risky. You have to listen clearly. One hundred gold coins is just the starting price for this girl, not the transaction price..."
"Don't worry, no one will compete with us for such a high price. We just don't want the price to be too high..."
"Haha, I can't afford a hundred gold coins. Let's see who can take a picture of her today, but this girl's eyes are so beautiful..."
"..."
For a moment, the crowd below the high platform was noisy, exclaiming, scolding slave owners and profiteers, and all kinds of voices came out to watch the excitement.
The middle-aged, bloated slave owner looked at the noisy scene below, and the smile on his face became brighter and brighter.
No wonder these people below are so excited.
Because the starting price of one hundred gold coins was set by him based on the prices at the city-state nobles' high-end slave auctions.
Most minor nobles would find the price painful.
Of course, it is a sky-high price for the group of people in front of us who are only rich at best.
After all, this girl just has rare eyes.
They have too many choices to spend a hundred gold coins on women.
However, ordinary nobles and even great nobles would never appear at such an open-air small workshop auction.
After a moment of commotion.
The crowd became quiet because no one dared to speak.
Facing the reactions of the people below.
The slave owner's expression did not change at all, and he still looked at everyone with a smile on his face.
One hundred gold coins is the low price of "Aphra".
He would never sell it for less than this price. If it couldn't be sold, he would just spend some time and money raising it.
"I'll pay you a hundred gold coins..."
At this time, at the front of the high platform, two middle-aged men, one tall and one short, looked at each other, then reached out and were the first to quote the price.
"Isn't that enough..."
The bloated slave owner's face instantly turned into a chrysanthemum smile, and he said with great enthusiasm: "For the first time with one hundred gold coins..."
"One hundred gold coins for the second time..."
"Are there any other customers who bid?"
Time passed slowly, and for the first time there was a hint of uneasiness on the face of the bloated slave owner.
He is a slave trader, and he is very aware of the quality of the girl in his hands. If he sells it for a hundred pieces at a low price, he will still feel a little painful even if he makes a huge profit.
"When you look at a girl with such beautiful and charming eyes, you will never find another one in the entire city-state of Pentos!"
"Are there any other bidders?"
The bloated slave owner looked at the people below with great anticipation.
Everyone below is also looking at the slave owner and girl on the high platform.
at this time.
"One hundred and five..."
A voice sounded from behind the crowd.
The bloated slave owner was instantly overjoyed.
Although five gold coins were valuable, what he valued more was having a second customer bid, because that would trigger competition.
A price increase is five gold coins.
If he fights again, he will make a lot of money.
At this moment, the slave owner and all the onlookers below, and even the girl Aphra who had calmed down a lot on the high platform, all looked at the bidder at the back of the crowd.
Naturally, it was Morgan who made the bid.
The girl on the high platform is very thin, almost as thin as a bamboo stick with chopsticks.
Her skin is obviously unhealthy and pale, and her facial features are slightly stronger than those of ordinary girls.
But this girl's eyes are really so beautiful and attractive.
The reason why he is very interested in Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kings of Westeros, is mainly because Morgan really likes her appearance and temperament.
When he first met the queen in Winterfell, he was attracted by her beautiful green eyes.
The girl in front of him had clear green eyes.
In Morgan's eyes, he was even more stunning than Cersei Lannister's eyes.
This girl obviously hasn't grown yet.
If she takes time to take good care of her body and waits until the girl gets older, this girl will definitely amaze the world.
This is also the reason why the slave merchant in front of him dared to shout out a huge sum of one hundred gold coins.
Of course Morgan, the treasure girl, has to buy it.
Besides, the journey ahead was long and he just needed a driver.
[The names of the currency systems such as the Golden Dragon Coin and the Silver Deer circulating in the seven countries of Westeros were founded by Aegon the Conqueror, the ancestor of the Targaryen Dynasty after he conquered the entire Westeros. Therefore, the Golden Dragon Coin and Silver Deer are like this The name is limited to the continent of Westeros. In the continent of Essos and many other places, the names, shapes and carvings on the coins are different, but the same thing is that the weight of each gold coin and silver coin is the same. , does not affect circulation, which is why they are directly called gold coins and silver coins in Pentos. 】
Morgan, who suddenly raised his bid, instantly became the focus of the entire auction venue.
Many people immediately turned to look at the two middle-aged men who were the first to bid.
"One hundred and ten..."
After hesitating for a while, the two middle-aged men looked at each other anxiously, and one of them gritted his teeth again and added five gold coins.
When everyone looked at Morgan again.
Morgan looked extremely calm and said: "One hundred and fifteen..."
The words fell.
One of the middle-aged men immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Although the other one who was bidding did not speak again, everyone could see the unwillingness in his eyes.
"One hundred and fifteen gold coins for the first time..."
"the second time..."
"Are there any other customers who want to increase the price?"
"One hundred and fifteen gold coins for the third time..."
"make a deal!"
As the middle-aged bloated slave trader shouted, the hammer fell.
The entire auction venue became noisy and noisy again.
On the high platform, Aphra, the girl who was auctioned, looked at the tall figure with a black ponytail not far away and couldn't help but feel slightly relieved.
