Following Fried, Maeve wandered through the market, slowing down in surprise at what she saw.

Fur and seafood from the North, religious paintings from the Holy City of the East, perfume clothing from the Twilight City, and sky-high tobacco leaves from Frost Stone...... Maeve, who was once a queen, found that thousands of goods that she had never seen before were available in this huge market.

"From here to there, the thousands of shops are divided into vendor areas, where soldiers, citizens, and slaves can set up stalls and sell their belongings......" Fried said to Maeve as he smiled and received a bow from a warband soldier.

Maeve was a little surprised: "Slaves? slaves are also allowed to own and buy and sell personal belongings?"

Fried glanced back at her and said slowly, "Froststone City is different from other places. ”

"Everything you see, the buildings, the possessions, the goods, even the lives and souls of all people, do not belong to us mortals. Fried looked at the dozens of towering statues of tyrants in the marketplace: "The sons of the gods have given us bodies and souls. He gave us the ability to live on the earth and to act and think. When the people die, we will naturally return everything to the son of the gods, waiting for him to favor him again. ”

Seeing Maeve's astonishment, Fried smiled and said, "Even slaves, their bodies and souls do not belong to the buyer, but to the children of the gods......

Maeve's eyes widened: "The person who bought the slave only has the right to use it?"

"As the ruler of all, the Son of the Gods promulgated the doctrine that man is only high and low because of his ill-fated fate, but in essence there is no difference in the soul of all people. Slaves are the same, of course, because they are bound to obey the orders of others, but if they are deprived of their lives because of human persecution, those who commit the wrongs are guilty of contempt for the gods, who deserve to go to hell after death. ”

Maeve chewed on Fried's words: "There are high and low people, but the soul is no different. Even if they are slaves, their life and death can only be decided by the gods, not by their buyers?"

Fried nodded and said, "That's right, so the slaves in Froststone City are not as good as livestock like other cities. On the contrary, they are allowed to own a certain amount of private property, and after being allowed to use the income of their labor to pay for the daily needs of the buyer, they retain the most basic freedoms...... These are the laws that are clearly laid down in the teachings of the children of the gods. ”

"That's really ...... Funny...... Maeve was a little unreceptive to this doctrine for a short time: "What if there is a dispute between people?

"Money, power, hatred, and lust...... In the presence of great faith, it is like a shadow under the sun, which exists, but soon dissipates. Rather than pursuing material comforts, people are more concerned about whether they will be blessed by the gods after death. ”

Fried smiled and looked back: "Because of this, compared to other cities that believe in false gods, although there are clear hierarchies in Froststone City, there are few irreconcilable contradictions and antagonisms between people. In the belief in the children of the gods, it is clear that although fate cannot be changed, the choice between good and evil is in the hands of everyone. Only by accumulating enough goodness can we be qualified to step into the Sacred Realm after death in the future, before the balance of fate. If you're lucky, you might even be able to become a Heroic Spirit ......"

Maeve lowered her head and muttered to herself, "After death...... The world?"

Fried clapped his hands and woke Maeve up, "Son, you still have a long way to go. During the days you stay in Froststone City, take a closer look and you will naturally understand the power of faith in my mouth...... By the way, here we are. ”

Maeve raised her head, looked at the huge boxy columnar building in front of her, and asked strangely, "...... is this?"

"This is the exchange of the big bazaar, and unlike the private vendors outside, it is usually a place where commodities or precious treasures are traded. Fried pulled out a black dragon chest pendant made of gold from his chest and shook it towards the shaman's apprentice who was guarding the doorway.

The shaman's apprentice, whose face was covered with oil paint, nodded slightly and said, "Welcome, Falcon Leader, what do you want today?"

Fried tilted his head behind him, "I brought an outsider, she has something to sell. ”

The shaman's apprentice spoke to the guard behind him, and while pulling out a small piece of tung wood from his bosom and handing it to Fried, he squinted at Maeve and the two boys, and said hesitantly, "Falcon, I think I still want to warn you that this is not the place for outsiders to come. ”

Fried leaned closer to the shaman's apprentice and gestured to the two Valkyries not far behind Maeve.

The shaman's apprentice suddenly stopped talking.

Fred took the tung wood chips and led the way in front of him, and said to Maeve: "If you want to sell valuables, there will be a big auction this afternoon, but the lots need to be registered, appraised and numbered, and you may have to wait a long time...... As an alternative, I can help you find a few suitable jewelry merchants who will make bids on your items, but only if they can see them. ”

"Please take me to the jeweler's shop, I'm in a hurry to get the money. ”

Speaking of this, Maeve was a little puzzled: "You didn't help me find a buyer in the vendor area, but brought me here directly, how do you know......"

Fried waved his hand and interrupted Maeve's words: "Although I am old, I still have some ability to guess the identity of others from the way I talk and behave......"

Pointing to a lavishly decorated shop in the main hall, Fried motioned for Maeve to enter: "The owner of this shop is an old friend of mine, you can just say my name after entering." ”

Watching Maeve walk into the jewelry store with the child, Fried stood at the door, turned his head, watched the two Valkyries in his field of vision get closer and closer, and said with a smile: "It's really rare, what kind of person is guarding you, and you need to travel?"

One of the two Valkyries was the tall woman who refused Maeve to give her a ring.

She stared into Fried's eyes and whispered, "That woman is the queen of the kingdom of Connaught, and the son of the gods himself promised to grant her and those two children protection. ”

The smile on Fried's face slowly faded.

He was silent for a long time, and finally said slowly: "Connaught Kingdom? Alas, I see, I should have guessed...... Froststone will soon face that devouring monster again......"

.。 m.