Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis (autobiographies to read .TXT) 📕

The sound of the hammer striking wood reverberated through the room, breaking me out of my wishful thoughts.

"—and sold for 29 gold and 5 silver! You may collect him and make your payment in the back room."

The curtains fluttered open for a moment, as the guards brought a young man— one of the slaves— back to the room I was in; I looked out past the curtains, and caught a glimpse of the auditorium once again.

It was a huge space, filled with hundreds of seats, all of them occupied. The audience nearly completely encircled the small stage with the podium on it, and a grand chandelier hung from hundreds of feet overhead, illuminating the room.

We were in the building at the heart of Boleria. It was called the Grand Market, for it was where most of the trading took place within the city. And it was the dome that hung over our heads now.

The enormous dome I saw— made of gold and decorated with gems— actually housed this public hall, filled to the brim with people. This structure, that was built as a grandiose display of wealth and affluence, was actually a place to sell slaves. An auction hall.

The curtain flickered open again, and a fancily dressed couple walked in. I turned away, as they made their payment and settled their business. And five minutes later, they, along with the young man from earlier, were gone.

It must have been around evening when this public auction started. This was the only place slaves were allowed to be sold in the city— one of the regulations Boleria had in regards to the trading of slaves. We had only arrived in the city in the afternoon, and now, six hours later in the evening, hundreds of rich people gathered here to buy a slave. So much for being one of the ‘better’ cities, huh?

The Bolerian officials that helped set up the auction did not even comment on the fact that myself and a few dozen young women were part of the Mancis Company’s inventory— the most I got was a look of sympathy from a brown haired woman working here. The trading of women or kids as slaves was not allowed, but the transportation of them was— as long as the company paid a higher fee. And thus, the auction continued without any issue.

The next sale took ten minutes to finish. And the one after that took thirteen. Then the next, and the next, until finally, it was the last one for today. But the final sale was much quicker than the ones before it, taking less than a minute before someone bid 40 gold coins. That was the largest purchase anyone made so far.

So when the man who made the purchase came in, naturally, everyone treated him like a king. And he dressed and acted like one too.

He came in with a dozen servants and bodyguards following after him. Everyone I had seen so far had been wearing a suit if it was a guy, or a gown if it was a girl. But this man was dressed in robes. He wore a red cloak around his back, and a purple regalia with gold trimmings underneath it.

He did not have a crown, but he was decorated in jewelry from head to toe. He had a different ring for every finger, and even one in his right ear. He wore three different necklaces around his neck, and had two bracelets on each hand. He dressed like trouble, and he acted like one too.

The first thing the young blonde did was walk up to the slave he just bought. He took one glance at the slave, and waved dismissively at him.

"Worthless," the man loudly announced to the room. Staff from the Mancis Company and the Grand Market immediately began asking him questions, but he ignored them.

His bodyguards kept them back as he cast his gaze around the room, and stopped at the women chained to a corner; he walked up to a green haired woman and pointed at her. "Her. I’ll give you 50 gold for that woman."

It was at this point, Marcus decided to act. The head guard for the Mancis Company stepped between his merchandise and the man. "These women are not for sale."

"Why not?" the man asked, as if it were a surprising thing.

"The sale of female slaves is not permitted in Boleria. If anyone were to find out—"

"Not permitted?" he snorted. The rich man arrogantly gestured to a Bolerian official. "There’s no need to worry about them. I’ll ensure that the staff here remain quiet. Gold is a very convincing tool, after all."

I watched as the small group of Bolerian officials glanced back at each other, uncertain what to do or say at the idea of them being bribed. This man was trouble, but the funny thing about trouble was that oftentimes, trouble brought opportunity as much as it brought hardships. And I saw an opportunity appear on the horizon, peaking over the edge, almost in view.

Marcus visibly hesitated, but he managed to speak. "The Mancis Company only partakes in legal transactions—"

I seized it.

"Legal?" I laughed, loud enough for it to echo throughout the room. The auditorium beyond the curtains was empty now that the auction was over, and the only people left were the ones in here. "That’s a lie. Everyone here— none of us are from the Free Lands! We were kidnapped from Rem, Felan, Elios… this entire company is committing criminal activities!"

I was not sure whether my pleas would be heard by anyone other than the Bolerian officials. I was not even sure if they would act on it. But I had to do something. Julian Mancis, the owner of the company, froze mid step as he came out