Chapter 397: Shadows of the Trade Fair

Raisins! Raisins! Fresh, ordinary dried raisins—6 trade points per jin!

Lamb meat, sliced lamb meat—slaughtered and grilled on the spot, and I promise it’s not human flesh!

Human milk, sheep milk, camel milk! Come and taste them right now!

At a bustling trading fair, Yenir strolled around casually with Huang Yuanhao and the others, all the while checking out the state of the Bloodshadow Legion Safe Zone. As the largest safe zone in the Far Frontier, the survivors here looked far better than those in many inland zones.

With vast lands and a sparse population, the threat of corpse surges had long been nearly eradicated.

Resources here were abundant. Unlike many inland safe zones still peddling rat jerky and cockroach milk, supplies weren’t that scarce.

Thanks to the rich mineral deposits and thriving livestock, Yenir hadn’t seen any beggars or starving vagrants along the way.

High-rises had sprung up in the core inner city, lit brilliantly. Despite the military-style architecture with anti-air installations, it looked much like a thriving metropolis on the brink of apocalypse.

The shouts of vendors made one feel transported back to pre-apocalypse urban life.

“Young Yenir, the development here seems even better than what I remember from before…”

“Did you notice? Even the small vendors can afford electricity. I recall the Far Frontier didn’t have much energy ore—mostly spirit energy alloy ore…”

“The level of prosperity here rivals even the safe zones near the Capital.”

Trailing behind, Huang Yuanhao watched the inner workings of the safe zone with wide-eyed admiration.

Compared to the chaotic private safe zones with their disorganized management and endlessly flowing sewage in non-core areas, the Bloodshadow Legion’s governance was on a completely different level.

This commercial hub was the most chaotic area of all, yet it remained impeccably organized. Every vendor stayed within his assigned spot, and soldiers in red-black uniforms patrolled diligently.

There were no disturbances—not even the kind of thugs common in private safe zones made an appearance.

That showed just how firmly the Bloodshadow Legion held their safe zone.

A closer look revealed that maintaining such control after the apocalypse required a comprehensive administrative system and strict military regulations.

Listening to Huang Yuanhao’s astonishment, Yenir nodded slightly, recalling the documents he’d gathered.

If it weren’t for the Military personnel here, most would have just marveled at the Bloodshadow Legion’s stellar management. But for them, it revealed something else entirely.

The Bloodshadow Legion’s management style and troop organization were remarkably similar to the Authorities’. They invested enormous effort in governing the safe zone to establish authority—the implications were clear.

Of course, unlike official safe zones, some of the systems here were a bit different, retaining elements typical of private safe zones.

For example…

Looking up as he ventured deeper into the commercial district, Yenir instantly spotted an elevated platform surrounded by a crowd of survivors and caravans.

There, an Awakener clad in a leather coat was excitedly spitting and touting the goods beside him.

“Don’t miss out if you’re passing by!”

“The Black Camel Merchant Guild’s latest stock is on display! If any boss is interested, just name your price!”

“Come on over! Check out these products—boasting impeccable dentition from proper training!”

While talking, the leather-clad vendor roughly pried open the mouth of a man beside him as if displaying an animal, so everyone could scrutinize his teeth.

Like animals, a person’s dental health reveals whether they’re well-fed and in good condition.

The man—branded on his face and with a chain around his neck—opened his mouth blankly for the onlookers’ inspection.

Many such captured slaves were displayed on stage.

The only difference was that these individuals were all Awakeners.

Seeing Yenir pause, Huang Yuanhao leaned in to explain quietly:

“Young Yenir, this must be a slave-selling caravan. Those on stage were likely captured when a Settlement was overrun…”

“Such scenes are all too common in the Far Frontier.”

Perhaps thinking Yenir, having spent most of his time in the Capital, hadn’t encountered this before, Huang Yuanhao continued his explanation.

In inland safe zones, while some survivors might auction off their own labor, being sold like a commodity was strictly banned by the Authorities. Such blatant human trafficking was not tolerated by the Military.

At the very least, they’d be skinned.

Yenir merely frowned and casually glanced at the stage.

On another platform, the scene was entirely different.

Seven or eight girls in traditional ethnic attire danced nonstop, flaunting their figures as the crowd’s hungry eyes roved over them.

Undeniably, they too were captured female slaves.

Young and fairly attractive, their scanty outfits inevitably drew lewd remarks from the onlookers.

“Four hundred trade points! Boss! That’s the lowest price! Look—these are all the young ones. The lesser quality ones have already been sent to the Mine!”

“Four hundred? You say that’s too expensive? These girls have been well-trained! Many are even maidens!”

Like merchandise on display, the madam in charge of the female slaves roughly grabbed one of the dancing girls, forcing her hand for a bald burly man to inspect.

“Look—these two are sisters! Don’t worry, no matter how you treat her, she won’t resist. Her family is in our Mine! She can do everything from splits to acrobatics!”

“What?! You want to check her right here to see if she’s truly a maiden?”

“No way, or else how would I sell her! Don’t worry—if she turns out to be fake, it’s ten times your money back, guaranteed!”

The madam bobbed her head like a rattle. Seeing the burly man’s interest, she slid her hand between the girl’s chest and squeezed forcefully.

In that brutal instant, the girl trembled violently and cried out in pain.

As the bald man eyed her with purchasing intent, deep sorrow flickered across her eyes.

Four hundred trade points could buy several hundred jin of grain. Once sold, she would be a slave for life, and her existence would likely last no more than three years. Yet, she had no choice.

In a grim chorus of misfortune, the madam listened with perverse satisfaction to the girl’s cries:

“Sir, did you hear that sound?”

“That doesn’t sound like a maiden—what is this? How about taking her? Two bundled together, seven-fifty!”

Below, the burly man greedily eyed her pale skin and delicate face, feeling his heart stir. He knew the madam was playing to tempt him, yet he couldn’t help but be drawn in.

He only hoped to negotiate the price a bit.

The quality of these girls was indeed high, but unfortunately, they weren’t Awakeners. Buying an ordinary person for a few hundred points was not only a waste of resources—it added virtually no combat strength. Of course, if these girls were Awakeners like the male slaves, their price would be far out of his reach.

“Young Yenir, are you planning to buy a batch of these?”

“Actually, it isn’t necessary. They look pitiful, but there’s just too many of them… In private safe zones, ordinary people are stripped of all dignity.”

Noticing Yenir’s slight frown, Tang Hai’s two henchmen exchanged silent glances, assuming Yenir had simply never seen such a scene before, their hearts softening a bit.

What is this? Some safe zone arenas are even more revolting—not to mention the venues set up by the bigwigs.

Without a word, Yenir only furrowed his brow as his sharp eyes caught sight of a group of people locked in cages at the far end of the merchant area.

He had seen this before in his previous life. As the apocalypse struck and official control dwindled, he became all too familiar with such scenes over those two years. Even Xiao An nearly got captured.

After order collapsed, the depravity of certain humans surpassed even that of monsters.

What surprised him most was the attire worn by those caged individuals.

“Young Yenir?! That group looks like they’re one of our own?!”

Beside him, Huang Yuanhao followed his gaze, his face suddenly blanching as he noticed the slave uniforms that hadn’t yet been used.

The military green uniforms and badges were unmistakably Military in style.

“Construction Corps, Third Army, Infantry Combined Brigade?”

A burly soldier, his limbs bound by chains, glared fiercely at the vendor on stage. Behind him, an entire squad had been captured.