The slaves who had been waiting at the dock began to carry goods under the whip of the supervisor.
As a large city with a permanent population of more than 200,000, it welcomes and sends off countless ships from all over the continent of Faerun every day.
They will bring specialties from thousands of kilometers away, hoping to sell them for a good price in the most prosperous port in the southwest waters.
When returning home, they would load up their ships with local special spices, scimitars, chain mail, books, pearls, silk and secondary magic items, etc., and bring them back to their hometown to earn huge profits.
Of course, in addition to the usual cargo, some ships also brought large quantities of living things.
For example, all kinds of rare animals and slaves of different races.
As one of the few countries that still practices slavery, the voracious demand for slaves from the Calishite nobles and wealthy business class is enough to drive adventurers, mercenaries, unscrupulous businessmen, and gang members from areas where slavery is banned to take risks.
After all, capturing slaves is a no-cost business.
All they had to do was to get people on board by means of deception, abduction, kidnapping, etc., and then transport them to a place in Port Calin that was specifically responsible for training slaves, where they would be tamed for a period of time before being sent to the market to be sold at a high price.
The nobles and wealthy merchants of Calishite even regarded the number of slaves they owned as a symbol of strength and status.
A slave owner who owned large tracts of farmland and an estate outside the city near the Carlin River might have property that included up to several thousand slaves of different races.
In addition, the arena also needs a large number of slave warriors to perform brutal gladiatorial shows.
It can be said that slaves have become an indispensable and important part of this country.
Without slaves, Calimshan's production and economic activities would stagnate or even collapse completely in a very short time.
Both agriculture and a large number of handicraft workshops cannot operate normally due to the lack of sufficient labor.
At this moment, Zuo Si, who had just gotten up from bed, was sitting in the guest room of the hotel, looking at the purchase intention list personally delivered by the merchant Bernard, and asked in a very puzzled tone: "Why are there slaves? And there are as many as 150 of them? If I remember correctly, it seems that slavery is prohibited in Tethyr and Amn in the north."
Bernard was obviously prepared for this, and explained without hesitation: "Because according to calculations, our goods will require at least 500 to 700 camels to barely cross the desert.
If we add in the food and water that needs to be carried, the team will become extremely large.
However, if we had to hire local people to transport so many camels and goods, the cost would be too high.
It is far less cost-effective than buying slaves directly.
Most importantly, we had no way of telling whether there were any spies among the hired locals.
After all, the Kalin Desert is not a safe place, and countless caravans die at the hands of bandits every year.
In comparison, slaves who have no chance to contact the outside world are actually safer.
Of course, some civilians with special skills will also be hired, but their number must be controlled.
As for the laws prohibiting slavery in Tethyr and Amn, there is no need to pay too much attention to them.
First up is the Kingdom of Tethyr, which is currently in a state of division and turmoil.
The nobles were desperately trying to defeat their rivals, expand their territories, or even seize the crown from the royal family that had lost its prestige.
They didn't care if there were slaves in the caravan.
Several noble lords who lived in close proximity to Calimshan even secretly sold civilians captured and looted from rival noble territories to slave traders.
Although Amn banned the slave trade on the surface, there were actually countless nobles and wealthy businessmen who secretly engaged in the slave trade.
As long as you are careful not to be discovered by those nosy adventurers or paladins, generally there won't be any problems.
Besides, I have no intention of bringing these slaves into Askatla.
When they arrive at the last transit city, Crimson Mill, they will be given the status of freemen and then arranged to work on country estates to cultivate fields, raise and care for livestock.
Anyway, the Chamber of Commerce has large tracts of land and fixed industries that need a healthy workforce.”
I have to say that this man, who looks to be just over 30 years old, is definitely a genius in the business field.
Not only is he very familiar with the specialties of each region and the price fluctuations of various commodities, but he is also able to reduce his operating costs to a minimum.
Take a look at the plan below this purchasing intention list!
All capitalists on earth would call him an expert when they see him.
Just from Port Calin heading north, more than three types of transportation need to be changed along the way.
Camels were the first to be used.
After crossing the desert and arriving in Memnon, all camels would be immediately sold to local caravans wanting to head south.
Since these caravans also need to cross the Great Desert of Kalin, they often offer a very high price.
The price is at least one third to one half higher than that in Calim Port, which is rich in camels.
The cargo would then be loaded onto wagons and pulled by heavy packhorses, a specialty of Tethyr, through the Wildas Forest and two transverse mountain ranges filled with monsters and beasts.
Arrived at the city of Crimur in Amn.
All of them, including slaves and pack horses, would be sold at high prices and then transferred to river transport ships to go downstream directly to Ascatla, which is known as the "City of Gold Coins".
Bernard made a profit from almost every change of transportation.
Not only that!
Along the way, he also listed in great detail what goods were sold and purchased in different towns.
Each trade takes into account the price fluctuations that could be caused by large sales and purchases.
Even from a modern perspective, Zuo Si couldn't find any fault with it and could only nod his head in approval: "Not bad! It seems that you have considered all the details. I have no reason to object. Let's follow this plan."
"Thank you very much for your trust. Please rest assured that I promise with my credibility as a businessman that this trip will definitely make huge profits." Bernard patted his chest and promised solemnly.
"Of course! I never doubted it. After I get the ransom from Hallett in a few days, I will give the money to you to operate."
Zuo Si also gave the businessman in front of him a reassurance.
He understood that Bernard was actually quite insecure now.
After all, the little sister whom he originally trusted and loved suddenly turned into a ruthless conspirator overnight, and even wanted to join forces with outsiders to kill all his brothers and sisters in one fell swoop.
This nightmare-like situation makes one's scalp tingle just thinking about it.
In addition, there are many Thieves Guilds in Port Calim. Who knows if the girl named Isadora will make any arrangements after learning the news of Captain Bloody Hand's failure.
That is why, after selling all the goods on hand, Bernard came to report immediately and took out a thorough and detailed purchase intention list and plan without reservation.
He tried so hard to demonstrate his own value because he hoped to tie Zuo Si to his warship as soon as possible through the relationship of interest.
…
The businessman who received a positive answer soon left happily.
Not long after he left, the werewolf girl Fangus, who was waiting outside the door, walked in, knelt on one knee and bowed deeply.
"Master. As you requested, I and two older members of the clan went to the slave and pet markets, but we did not find the creatures you mentioned."
"Oh? No one in the market is trying to drive you away or make things difficult for you, right?" Zuo Si looked at the other person with interest.
After taking a bath and having a good sleep last night, the werewolf girl looked much better.
In addition, she was not ugly to begin with, and her three-dimensional facial features and sharp eyes gave people a kind of wild beauty that could not be described in words.
Obviously, this is the impact of lycanthropy on a person's appearance and temperament.
It is said that some beastmen who completely succumb to their animal instincts will even permanently transform their bodies into a half-human, half-beast appearance.
(End of this chapter)