In less than a moment, Wu Lai saw Hola's 'new goods', a total of four slaves, two men, one woman and a little boy about two years old.

Wu Lai frowned and asked, "Hola, is this all you have?"

"Yes, Master Wu Lai, I have better eyesight than other slave traders, so I only choose good ones." Hola just finished speaking with a smile, turned around, changed her expression, and swung the whip in her hand at the four slaves in a bluffing manner, cursing angrily, "Get up! You lazy guys! Can't you see Master Wu Lai is coming? Come on, you, and you, show Master Wu Lai your muscles, and you, leave your little bastard behind and stand up, let Master Wu Lai see if your teeth are straight. Yes, open your mouth, twist it again, and tell Master Wu Lai that your waist is the strongest. Hurry up! Otherwise, I will whip you with the whip!"

"Okay, Hola." Wu Lai's eyes swept over the three adult slaves again, and then his sight fell on the little slave who was trembling with fear in his arms while hugging the female slave's calf. When he caught a glimpse of the little slave's thin body and thin and ragged clothes, Wu Lai's heart suddenly tightened and his nose suddenly felt a little sour.

Seeing Wu Lai staring at the little slave, Hola introduced him with a flattering smile: "This little bastard is her son. If Master Wu Lai likes him, no matter which slave you buy, I will give him to you."

"No, this won't do!" The good-looking female slave objected loudly, squatting down and hugging the little slave.

"You have no say in this!" Hola glared at the slave girl. "You are just a slave. Your life and death are in the hands of nobles like Master Wu Lai. The same goes for your little bastard."

"Hola." Woolley frowned again. "Tell me their price."

"That's great, Master Wu Lai." Hola immediately became happy, put the whip in her hand into her arms, and pulled over the young slave who looked no more than sixteen years old.

"He is very smart, can make bread, do farm work, and recognize some simple words. The price is very cheap, eighty silver coins." Hola's finger moved to another male slave. "Master Wu Lai, please look at his muscles. He is only twenty years old, healthy and strong, and his personality is as gentle as a kitten. He can lift a three-hundred-pound stone and carry two bushels of wheat for a long distance on the mountain road. His price is also ninety-five silver coins. As for this female slave, her price is a little higher. She is young and beautiful. Even if she gave birth to a little bastard, her lower abdomen, waist, and thighs are still wild. She can do all the housework, sew clothes, and warm your bed at night. So her price is one hundred and eighty silver coins. This price is actually not expensive, Master Wu Lai. Look, her son is already three years old. If you buy her, her son will be yours for free. Master Wu Lai, you only need to give him some leftover bread and raise him for three or four years, and he can work for you. Master Wu Lai, what do you think of the price?"

"Hola, you are really good at talking. You can say this about three good-for-nothing slaves. Don't try to fool me. Didn't I tell you that I was just strolling around?" After Wu Lai finished speaking, he laughed and turned around to leave.

"Master Wu Lai, Master Wu Lai." Hola quickly blocked Wu Lai's way. "Master Wu Lai, please be kind. It will be New Year's Day in a few days. These slaves are my last business this year. It's freezing cold here. Please buy one at least."

"Your price is too high for me to buy it." Wu Lai pretended to take a step forward.

"Then please try to make an offer, Master Wu Lai. I am very eager to help you again." Hola said with a nod and a bow, causing the slave traders who were watching the fun to burst into laughter.

"Four gold coins, that's all." Wu Lai said seriously. He didn't intend to let Hola earn too much. Four gold coins were equal to two hundred and forty silver coins, which was just right.

Hola showed an embarrassment on her face: "Master Wu Lai, you are really an expert. This price is exactly the price I offered when I bought them. You see, I have been feeding them for several days, and they have been brought here from a long distance. Master Wu Lai, please give them a little more." Although he said this, he was secretly delighted in his heart. He sold these three slaves at a particularly low price, and the price offered by Wu Lai had already made him a lot of money. The reason why he begged for more was, on the one hand, to cover up his "purchase" price, and on the other hand, he wanted to do Wu Lai a favor later.

Wu Lai shook his head firmly, turned around and walked in another direction.

"I'll listen to you, Master Wu Lai. You can take all four gold coins." Hola quickly stopped Wu Lai. "Who made me feel that Master Wu Lai is so close to me? You have to take good care of him in the future."

"That's about right." Wu Lai took out his purse with a smile, but he secretly sighed in his heart, it seemed that the price was really too high.

"Thank you, Master Wu Lai." Hola took the gold coin and said with a smile, "You are so lucky. None of the four of them have the slave mark yet. You can brand your family emblem on them. Then no matter where they escape to, the tribune will send them back for you."

"That's enough. Let's leave it at that for now. Remember, Hola, I didn't plan to buy slaves today." Wu Lai said, pushed Hola aside, walked up to the four slaves, and asked, "Do you have names?"

"My name is Lei Gang." The burly male slave replied.

"My name is Janus," the young slave answered timidly.

"Dear master, my name is Hippo and my son's name is Xie." The female slave bowed and replied.

Wu Lai nodded, glanced at Lei Gang and Janus, turned to Hola and said, "Hola, give them both a few lashes for me."

"I'm happy to serve you, Master Wu Lai." Hal bowed happily, and the whip in his hand rolled towards Lei Gang and Janus with a sharp whistling sound. Hippo hurriedly hugged Xiai and hid aside.

"Do you know why you two were beaten? Because you dared not to call Master Wu Lai your master!" Hola's whip fell heavily on the two slaves.

Quite docile. Wu Lai commented in his mind after noting the reactions of the two slaves when they were whipped. Then, he stopped Hola from continuing. The past ten years in this world had already made him accept and adapt to the class order of the slave era. Moreover, if he wanted to achieve his goals, his subordinates had to be obedient. This was a universal truth.

After leaving the slave market, Woolley took the four slaves to visit several shops and bought some coarse cloth, leather, several large rolls of oiled linen rope, and some cheese. He only went to the mill after spending all the remaining silver coins in his purse.

"I don't actually want to buy you." Wu Lai said to the four slaves as he walked, "But since I bought you, I have the right to make any reasonable demands on you, otherwise I will be punished. But if your work satisfies me, I don't mind being generous to you..."

The three adult slaves listened attentively and nodded as they listened, while Xi'e, who was held in Xibo's arms, had fallen asleep.

After a long while, Neptune, who was busy in the fence in front of the mill, raised his head in surprise.

"You don't need to look like that, old Neptune." Wu Lai said with a smile, "You've always said you're too busy, right? Here, I just bought a few. This one is called Lei Gang, and this one is called Janus. They're here to help you. Her name is Hippo, and the one in her arms is her son Xie. They'll be in charge of the housework from now on. Also, you have to remind Caesar to be careful. Don't walk around naked in the White Stone Building anymore."

"Okay, Master." Neptune nodded with a smile, and then looked at Lei Gang and the other three for a few more times. His face turned serious and his voice was twice as loud as before. "Lei Gang, Janus, what are you two still standing there for? Did the Master buy you to waste food?"

Lei Gang and Janus quickly put down the cloth and other items they were carrying and ran up to help carry the flour bags. Wu Lai smiled and nodded at Neptune, sat down on a chair in the shed, pointed at the cloth and wool on the ground and said to Hippo who followed him: "Hippo, these are the tasks you must complete as soon as possible. Make a fur-collared jacket for you, Xie, Neptune, Caesar, Lei Gang and Janus. Especially Xie, you can make an extra set for him. Do you understand?"

After hearing this, Hippo's heart suddenly warmed up, and she suddenly felt that Wu Lai's image had become much taller - when Lei Gang and Janus were whipped by Hora, her impression of Wu Lai was not like this.

"Let's pack up." Wu Lai glanced at Hippo's feet. In the place where shoes should have been, two pieces of rough old leather were tied there with some thick linen ropes. In the part not wrapped by the leather, the dark red and even purple skin was exposed.

"Ah..." Wu Lai sighed.

With the addition of Lei Gang, Janus and Hippo to the White Stone Building, Neptune no longer had to be as busy as before. Hippo took care of the laundry, cooking and house cleaning. She was undoubtedly more skillful than Neptune in these aspects. After finishing the housework, she sat in front of the fireplace with Xie to sew jackets. Her needlework was fast and good, and the jackets worn by slaves did not have complicated structures. So after a few days, the slaves in the White Stone Building were all wearing new clothes.

Janus became Neptune's assistant in operating the millstone, because Neptune felt that Lei Gang was a good material for doing physical work, and it would be more appropriate for Janus, who had a better brain, to operate the millstone. So Lei Gang became a partner with Caesar. After these two people who didn't know how to be lazy and play tricks joined forces, they actually increased the production efficiency of the mill by 15%, which was an unexpected surprise for Wu Lai.

Four days before the New Year, Gauguin came to the mill and handed a copper brand with an emblem to Wu Lei: "Master Wu Lei, the priest of Pompeii asked me to convey his gratitude to you."

Wu Lai nodded and took the bronze brand, which was approved by both Archon Antony and the temple and symbolized his status as a slave-owning aristocrat. When he felt the heaviness in his palm, he suddenly sighed heavily.

"This is considered as officially joining the exploiting class." He said in a language that Gauguin could not understand.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

That night, Wu Lai sat in front of the fireplace, his face solemn. Neptune squatted beside the fireplace, staring at the copper brand that was getting redder in the flames. Not far behind him, Lei Gang, Janus, and Hippo, who was holding Xie, stood side by side in a row, their eyes constantly switching between the copper brand and Wu Lai's face. Xie, perhaps sensing the wrong atmosphere, nestled in Hippo's arms with a bitter face and pouty mouth, tears in his eyes, but dared not make any sound.

After a moment Neptune took up the brass poker that lay by the fireplace.

"Master," Neptune called softly.

Wu Lai's heart trembled, and his eyes involuntarily looked at the copper brand of the emblem. Yes, it had been burned red enough to be used.

Wu Lai's gaze shifted to Lei Gang, and Lei Gang quickly straightened his chest.

Wu Lai's gaze shifted to Janus again. Janus subconsciously swayed back a bit, then bit his lip and straightened his chest.

Then, Wu Lai saw a calmness and calmness in Xi Bo's eyes, but when Wu Lai's gaze quickly swept over Xi Ai, he frowned slightly.

After clearing his throat, Woolley said, "Branding slaves with emblems is a tradition. It is to demonstrate the rights of the masters. This process is undoubtedly very painful..."

Janus lowered his head, and a hint of panic flashed across Lei Gang's eyes.

"This is a very cruel thing, but all the nobles are doing this. Now, I want to ask you, are you willing to accept this brand?" Wu Lai looked at the three people again.

Lei Gang and Xi Bo nodded at the same time. Although they had not been in Baishi Building for long, they were already sure that this master, who was still a child, was definitely much gentler than other masters. At least, he was very considerate of them, gave them enough food, new clothes, shoes, and brand new beds that were warm enough, and never tortured or bullied them. The only thing that was a little difficult to accept was that this master required them to wash their faces at least twice a day, take a bath once, and wash their hands before and after meals.

Janus also nodded, but Woolley saw his hesitation and understood why he hesitated.

"Very good. I am very satisfied with your affirmation." Wu Lai nodded, looked at the flames in the fireplace for a while, and suddenly asked, "Neptune, can I try another way?"

Neptune was stunned and asked, "Change?"

Wu Lai was silent for a long time and couldn't think of the word "tattoo" in the world. He had to wave at Xibo. When Xibo squatted down beside his chair, he gestured and talked for a long time, and finally made Xibo understand.

"I should be able to do it, master." Hippo nodded.

Wu Lai heaved a long sigh of relief and waved his hand: "Let's go first, we'll deal with this tomorrow night."

The next night, Lei Gang and Janus had a tattoo on their right arms that was exactly the same as the emblem, in bright red, because Wu Lai thought red was festive. Lei Gang and Janus couldn't understand why red was festive, but they were relieved because the pain caused by Hippo dipping a needle into their skin with paint was definitely much better than the copper branding.

Hippo was unable to tattoo the emblem on her arm herself, so with Woolley's consent, she had it tattooed on the outside of her right thigh.

For some reason, Caesar was very envious of their emblem - it was the size of a small cup, with hieroglyphics of the temple's blessing on the edge, and in the middle of the emblem was a dove with spread wings, lifelike and unique, because this emblem inherited the image of the dove family emblem of the Glindø family, and changed the double opposing doves in the Glindø family emblem into a single dove with spread wings.

It is worth mentioning that in the Assyrian territory, the dove represents both abundance and plunder. The reason for this is unknown.