Chapter 213: The Cruel Marketplace of the Stars

Lining both sides of the corridor were rows upon rows of prison cells.

That’s right. What Sandik called the cargo hold looked to Mu Qingxue and her group like nothing more than a collection of prison cells.

Each cell covered about a hundred square meters or more, packed with beings from countless different races. Some looked humanoid, others didn’t even come close.

“Everyone, this floor alone holds members of 2,708 different races from the four main spiral arms of the galaxy, and each one has its own special talent. Whether you’re after brute strength for hard labor or brilliant minds for research, I’ve got it all. And the prices? Completely fair.”

“Take these folks, for example, the Blackrock people.”

Pointing to a nearby cell, Sandik began introducing them.

“They’re from the Lokes Star Region in the fourth main arm. Used to be a Tier II civilization until a Tier III civilization wiped them out about 180 years back.”

“But, they were lucky—born with raw strength and naturally docile personalities. With a little training, they’re perfect slaves, highly praised by every civilization. So instead of wiping them out, that Tier III civilization rounded them up and spread them across dozens of star systems.”

“Over 180 years, even though their civilization was destroyed, their population multiplied by over ten thousand. Now, you’ll find their descendants serving as slaves all over the Milky Way.”

“Now, look at these. They might not be much to look at, but their flesh is considered a delicacy—top-tier cuisine across the galaxy. They’re always in hot demand.”

As they walked, Sandik rambled on, naming each race as if reciting an endless catalog.

For the first time, the Federation group realized just how cruel the universe could be.

Sure, they’d heard stories of the slave trade before, from the Klein or the various civilizations in the Desolate Star Region.

But nothing they’d heard compared to what they were witnessing now.

They used to think a ‘slave trade’ meant conquering a civilization and selling its people off. Simple as that.

But now…

These civilizations were raising generations of slaves like livestock, exploiting every method to keep them breeding, turning entire races into a permanent business.

It was heartbreaking.

Compared to this, the Federation’s purges seemed almost merciful.

Half an hour into their walk behind Sandik, the mood grew heavier for everyone.

At that moment, Mu Qingxue, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped.

“Sandik, what’s this?”

They faced another large cell, but this one was different—it wasn’t packed tight. Instead…

There were less than ten people inside.

What caught Mu Qingxue’s attention, though, was—

The people imprisoned here looked almost exactly like humans.

Almost, but not quite.

If not for the white wings on their backs, they would have been indistinguishable.

Eight women in total, all with blonde hair and a single pair of pure white wings.

Even with dirt smudged over their faces, Mu Qingxue could still tell they were all strikingly beautiful.

“Now, this is high-end merchandise…”

Noticing Mu Qingxue’s reaction—plus the obvious similarity in their appearances—

Sandik sensed an opportunity. Maybe…

His first deal of the day had finally come.

And, as an experienced trader, he knew just what to say.

So he went straight for it, “This is premium stock…”

Truth was, these weren’t premium at all—they were basically worthless.

After all…

They didn’t have any remarkable strength, nor any particular talent.

What, you think good looks are enough to make a sale?

Looks alone aren’t worth squat. Every race has different tastes—what’s beautiful to you might seem ugly to someone else.

A slave’s price depends on their physique or whether their race has any unique skills.

But in rare cases, even the most worthless slaves can fetch a good price when the right customer shows up.

Like now…

“Do you have their physical examination reports?”

“Of course! Absolutely.”

Sandik nodded and immediately pulled up a virtual panel.

It displayed a detailed report on the race.

Mu Qingxue scanned through all the data, a flicker of surprise appearing in her eyes.

“How much?”

“You have to understand, this really is top-tier—”

“Just give me the price!”

“Flat price, all eight for 100,000 Galactic Credits!”

Galactic Credits…

Mu Qingxue had heard of them, since five of the Federation’s subordinate civilizations came from the prosperous sector of the Orion Arm.

Galactic Credits were the common currency of the Milky Way, jointly issued by the Galactic Council made up of seventeen Tier IV civilizations. Of course, the Federation knew about them.

Problem was, the Federation didn’t have any Galactic Credits.

“Ah, I forgot—you’re still in the Desolate Star Region, probably not yet connected to the Galactic economy, so you don’t have Galactic Credits.”

“But that’s no big deal. We can do all this by barter. As long as what you offer matches the value, it works for me.”

As he spoke, Sandik opened another virtual display.

It listed prices for various materials.

“These are the basic exchange rates for major goods in the Milky Way. All the Federation has to do is provide items at double these prices, and we have a deal.”

That actually sounded fairly reasonable.

Mu Qingxue nodded—she didn’t have any issue with the double markup.

After all, once you hand over the goods, there’s still the trouble of transporting and reselling them to get actual money back.

In interstellar trade, a twofold price increase is perfectly fair.

As for the 100,000 Galactic Credits, she wasn’t clueless—she knew Sandik was floating a highball offer. The real price was much less.

But that didn’t matter.

After looking at the prices for traded materials in the Milky Way, Mu Qingxue realized something else.

First, while 100,000 Galactic Credits was a bit stiff, it wasn’t outrageous.

Second, anything weapon-related was worth a fortune.

And among the items actually available, military gear from Tier III civilizations was the ceiling. Anything from Tier IV was nowhere to be found.

“Sandik, is military equipment from Tier IV civilizations banned from circulation in the Milky Way?”

“No, there’s no explicit ban. The thing is, no Tier IV civilization would sell to outsiders. Sometimes you do see a few pieces on the black market—like a jump engine or energy shield—but nothing’s openly traded.”

Sandik shook his head.

He was just a Tier VII merchant from the Fanguang Alliance. Only Tier IX or X merchants could get their hands on Tier IV arms.

All he could do was handle some arms deals in the Tier III range.

Even though Sandik came from a Tier IV civilization, at least—

On the surface, every Tier IV civilization, including Fanguang, had a tacit agreement: never sell jump engines or energy shields to lower-tier civilizations.

Otherwise, what if someone suddenly warped a warship right next to your capital planet and started bombing from orbit?

How would you stop that?

Of course, there were a few exceptions. Some merchants with underground connections managed to get their hands on small numbers for the black market.

But those prices…

A single jump engine could easily—

Cost as much as an entire star system.