Chapter 83 Captive Slaves
The sky was just beginning to brighten.
Inside the indigenous tribe, there were cries and wails. Many houses had been swept away, and the ground was in disarray, scattered with countless unhealed bloodstains and corpses. The strong smell of blood had attracted many dangerous wild beasts, but they were smart enough not to approach the village upon seeing it. Piles of animal skins, valuables, and swords were collected and stacked in front of the central chieftain’s residence, including a good number of gold and silver items, as the indigenous people liked to use gold and silver to showcase their status.
In the central open area, there was a dark mass of human heads.
All weapons had been confiscated, and the captured indigenous people were divided into women, children, and adult men, each tied together by their arms with ropes. There were hardly any elderly among the indigenous people since their average lifespan was less than forty years, so most of them were adults, and those who had passed fourteen years of age were considered adults in this place. The battle from last night had not allowed them to forget, and the bloodstains on the ground filled these indigenous people with fear, especially in the way they looked at Soren, as if he were some terrifying existence!
The fight ended swiftly after defeating the spirits.
There were basically no surprises; the ordinary indigenous warriors could not withstand Soren’s attacks. Although he had only just entered the realm of high-level professionals, he was not without confidence against legendary creatures. The number of captives had not yet been counted, but a rough estimate suggested there were about 800 to 900 people. After all, the number of those who escaped last night was minimal, and the Drow warriors quickly controlled the situation, as Drows were a race heavily reliant on slaves.
“Indeed!”
Soren gazed at his busy subordinates and thought, “The efficiency of Drows is indeed much stronger than that of pirates.”
Both the discipline during battle and the process of capturing slaves were completely superior. Drow warriors excelled far beyond the elite pirates under Soren’s command, as Drow society was built on the support of slaves. Thus, they were quite adept at controlling them. However, the creatures most skilled in enslaving other races were still the spirit-sucking monsters, as such beings existed solely to control other races. Drows were adept at dark arts, but for Soren, their abilities were indeed much more useful than those of pirates.
“Your Excellency!”
A cyclops pirate approached Soren and slightly bowed in respect, saying, “The statistics are complete.”
Soren glanced at him and inquired, “What were the casualties?”
The cyclops turned to look behind him, a bit sheepishly, and muttered, “Twenty-six were killed, forty-two were injured, and the remaining were mostly minor injuries. I have already given those who couldn’t be saved a swift end.”
Such high casualties?!
Soren’s expression was not pleasant. He turned to look at the Drow side, where Andrei Darkblade was collecting the bodies of his comrades. A total of three Drow warriors had fallen, while most others were injured. The discrepancy was glaring; this was the difference between having discipline and not having it in battle. Nearly thirty elite pirates had died, and if other pirates had been involved, morale might have collapsed. In contrast, only three Drow had died, and there were only about a dozen or so injured.
It seemed that in large-scale battles, pirates were indeed not that formidable.
“Send a signal for reinforcements!”
Soren looked at the cyclops before him and commanded in a low voice, “Use the ships to transport these slaves back. First, send the children and women, then the adults. Have the people in the camp come to assist, and anyone who causes trouble will be killed without mercy!”
The indigenous tribe did not possess much wealth.
All the spoils added up to only about ten to twenty thousand Ginds in value, and that was after considering their accumulated fur goods. These items had to be transported to the Southern Coast to be exchanged for money. Here, there were only regular living supplies. Most of the captured indigenous people were ordinary individuals, but a small number were professionals, closely monitored and numbering around fifty to sixty. As for the original chieftain and higher nobles, Soren had already wiped them out.
Not a single one of these indigenous elites could be left alive; they all must be killed to ensure control!
The pirates began getting busy.
Fierce-looking pirates kicked and shoved the indigenous slave captives forward. Just last night, many of their brothers had died, and their tempers were understandably short. Soren felt little compassion and only warned them not to harm the slaves, for these were important assets he needed. Long ropes bound the wrists of the indigenous slaves, and they were pulled forward like livestock. The warships had already docked in the nearby river, and these slaves would soon be transported back to the camp.
“Set it ablaze!”
Soren looked at the already ruined village and said solemnly, “Burn it all down!”
A great fire erupted.
Many indigenous people wailed and cried as they watched their former homes turn to flames. Now, they had lost their last refuge. As they saw their tribe completely consumed by fire, some were furious, but more appeared numbed, as if they had lost all hope, allowing the pirates to control them and take them onto the warships. They were now slaves and commodities, having lost their haven, with no hope or choices left, not even the courage to resist.
Thick smoke rose.
Soren gazed at the village turned into a sea of fire and then turned to look at the lines of slaves bound with ropes, a faint smile appearing on his face.
He had finally gained a foothold in the Overseas Islands!
By eliminating the indigenous tribe before him, this island was now his territory. Unless he provoked other indigenous tribes himself, the chances of them attacking Soren would significantly decrease. At this moment, he finally had the time to develop slowly, and these almost a thousand slaves would provide him with a large workforce, greatly accelerating the progress of the camp’s construction.
“It’s a pity about the farmland.”
Standing on a higher slope, Soren looked at the farmland near the tribe and said regretfully, “These farmlands have been cultivated for many years, and there are specially dug ditches. Though the area isn’t large, it is quite valuable. Unfortunately, the place I want to develop isn’t here, and the rivers here are not very convenient for connecting to the sea, so I must abandon all these farmlands.”
Farmland can be reclaimed.
But the location of a natural harbor is hard to change by manpower; Soren could not alter his plans for a piece of land.
Power cannot be dispersed, for the Overseas Islands are very dangerous!
………………(To be continued ~^~)
