Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World (LN)

Volume 4 - Ch 1.08

It is a vicious cycle, but it is not like I can do anything to break it, so let us just leave it at that and move on.

Now, knowing all this, do you still want to buy a Master Smith Dwarven slave, Michio-sama?

Now I know how difficult it is to get your hands on a Dwarven slave with a Master Smith Job, but in my case, they do not need to be Master Smiths specifically. As long as I can get my hands on a Dwarven slave, I can always use my Party Job Settings to switch their Job back to Master Smith. So, with that in mind. . .

I am fine with the Dwarven slaves not being Master Smiths, but I definitely would like the ones that would be comfortable with going to the Labyrinths on a daily basis. Do you happen to have some of those? Because I heard that Dwarves can make for a first-class vanguard, is that correct?

Yes, your assumption is indeed correct. Dwarves are a physically powerful race, so they can be of use not only in the vanguard, but in all the roles that require high amounts od strength and endurance, be it a knight with two-handed greatsword or a defender with a tower shield.

Oh really? Then that means they definitely are what I am looking for right now.

I heard a little bit about it from Roxanne, although it was nothing more than a simple talk, since back then we did not discuss the possibility of me obtaining Dwarven slaves for myself because there was no need for us to do so, but thinking about it now, perhaps I should have been just a tad bit more inquisitive? Then again, that was till during the time where I preferred not to talk to Roxanne about the matters related to other slaves because I considered it to be a bit of a touchy subject, but at the very least I know that the races such as Dwarves, Beastkin like Roxanne and Dragonkin are the best suited raced for the vanguard, which is kinda confusing since in most RPG games humans are usually the best tanks or meat shields, especially the Knights or Paladins. Does that mean that these beastly races are secretly OP? Or maybe that simply means that in comparison to their non-human counterparts, we humans are the ones who are actually pretty weak? Because I can totally see that being the case.

However, as regrettable as it may sound, right now I happen to have only a single Dwarf here in my shop, and I do not think that her personality would make her a fitting choice for being put on the battlefield.

That is truly regrettable.

He said that he does not think that she would be a fitting pick for the battlefield, so this must mean that the only Dwarf in the entire Slave Shop is a girl, exactly like I wanted. . . is what I would have liked to say, but in the current situation, whoever that girl might be, I cannot simply jump the gun with her, because that would put me is a losing position in this negotiation. So be calm, Michio. Be calm and remember that this is business, and in business, it is often best to take a slow and steady approach to things to secure victory for yourself.

Perhaps, if you are still going to insist on getting yourself a Dwarven slave no matter what, I could write a letter of recommendation for you. With it, you could easily visit another store that just might have what you need, and they would do business with you without any trouble or difficulties. So how about it? Would you like me to do that?

I will not lie, that would be pretty great of you, but are you sure it is okay to be sending a customer away to one of your business rivals like that? Will it not be bad for your business?

Normally that would be the case, but I do not mind it.

Really? Is slave trading not the kind of business where you have to make each and every customer count if you want to stay afloat and br driven out by the rivalling shops?

And more importantly, am I you precious customer, or is it that you do not have any need for me after all and you are just entertaining yourself by talking with me? Or maybe he has somehow figured out that the last time I bought Roxanne from his I have done so by cheating my way into paying thirty percent less for her with my Thirty Percent Discount Bonus Skill? Because if that is the case, then I might be pretty much screwed in here.

You might be surprised, but this line of work does not suffer from a lack of potential customers, even though some people might view the ownership of slaves as somewhat. . . unsavoury for the times, but we have our own shipping routes and enough of an established customer base to allow ourselves to ignores any such voices of complaints. Also, because every Slave Shop receives its slaves from a different area, there is no business rivalry to speak of to begin with, so at times we the shop owners are able to accommodate each other like that.

So every Slave Shop actually has its own sphere of influence and the area of operations?

That is right. For example: this fine establishment that I happen to own services the entirety of the town of Vale, and also stretches all the way towards the plains to the south of it.

So there are special circumstances to trading in slaves, huh?

So that is how it is.

As I said, I will be more than happy to write you a letter of introduction to the Slave Trading Company based in the Imperial City that I am on particularly good terms with. They have an excellent reputation and a steady supply of slaves of all races throughout the entire year, so I am sure that if you decide to do business with them, you are going to be thoroughly satisfied.

You are pretty confident about that, huh?

What can I say, spring is a busy farming season where slaves are especially needed for their worth as physical labour in the fields, so you can say that they are in constant demand.

I thought that they might be in demand when there is the most manual work to be done, but it is nice to receive a confirmation like that from someone who knows what he is talking about. But if spring is a busy season, then does that not mean that the slave companies will not be as eager to sell their slaves to individual customers if they can make more money selling them to farm owners or nobles who have their own patches of land? If I were them, I would have done it like that and then waited with the selling of the slaves to the individual customers until after the intense farming season would settle down. And looking at it from the buyers perspective, the hasty purchases also do not make any sense. If you know that you are going to need many slaves to tend to your piece of land, then the smart decision would always be to prepare as many slaves as you can in advance. If you do not possess the talent or the ability to be forward-thinking like that, then that probably means that the ownership of slaves is not something you should be dabbing into.

All right. Got it.

I guess I will simply have to go pay them a visit and see for myself if it is going to be like that or not. Even if they end up doing business a little bit differently from what I am used to, it should nor be too much of an inconvenience for me, as long as I will be able to get what I want. The only thing that I will have to keep a careful eye on is going to be the price.

If you are saying that I am definitely going to be satisfied, then I guess I will take you up on your word.

Before we do that, would you like to have a look at the other people I have right now who might fit well for the position in the Partys vanguard? Most of them are men, but I think that you will find a few who might satisfy yours needs among them.

Hmm. . . thank you for the kind offer, we might as well do that since I am already here.