After leaving behind the Blue Dream who did not want to go with him, Alexei walked into the bazaar alone.

The bazaar, which occupies most of the port of Kherson, is open-air, there is no roof built on it, through the gap in the silk cloth, the warm sunlight at the end of spring shines directly on the body, like the caress of a lover, warm, I can't help but yawn, even if I don't feel tired, the body that aroused the lazy insect still can't help but want to take a nap and sleep beautifully.

Facing such a gentle sun, Alexei, who had not had a good rest for a long time, inevitably felt a little sleepy, he blinked, expelled the sleepiness in his brain, but his heart couldn't stop thinking about the days ahead, the distant and unforeseeable future: will I still be as busy in my old age as I am now? If it is possible, will I be able to live in Kherson for the rest of my life?

"Set up a chair, sit on the beach, go fishing, and drink a bottle of wine. What a pleasant life...... Even if it's just imagination, it makes people yearn for it. ”

Alexey's beating heart told him that he did have the urge to try to live such a life when he was tired.

But it can't be.

He's still young, and he still has a lot of work to do. Kherson will always be there, and Alexey is not.

If he had the chance, would he really come back here when he was dying, rent a hut by the sea, hide in a place that no one knew, and quietly spend the last days of a genius mage?

No, it won't.

Even if it takes a long time, Alexei feels that it is difficult for him to change, and, more likely, he will not live to his old age: "I may die in front of my own laboratory table one day, and of course, I may die under the staff of some mortal enemy, but I, Alexeian Adrian, a true mage, will never die in my bed." ”

Wiping away the dreams that occasionally obscured his mind, he understood that the essence of himself, a mage, Alexei, was still that flame that would either go out or burn forever.

Burning off his dreaming self and re-devoting himself to life, Alexei squeezed through the crowd and headed straight for his destination to the east.

His current location is the entrance to the south gate of the market, the only market area facing the wharf, which is filled with freshly caught fish from the sea, crates full of sugar cane wine and clear fresh water, and some brightly picked locally picked fruits and vegetables—all placed in a simple stall made of layers of linen cloth on wooden shelves. At the bottom of the stall there are several basins for shrimp and crabs. Next to the basin, there are several large fish that stand up to attract the attention of customers, they are still fresh, the blue and black fish eyes shine with a delicious luster, and the silver skin and sunlight shine together, and they look delicious.

But no matter how beautiful and delicious the fish looked, the mage didn't need them.

Alexei, who was not interested in the goods of the South Gate, did not delay, and went straight to the slave market at the East Gate, but the market was very large, and there were many sailors and guests, and the congested roads kept him from speeding.

The ship flying the Imperial Eagle Flag had already entered the fjord, and he didn't have much time to pick.

Alexei saw the first slave shop on his left at a glance, and he walked over. Just as the shops at the South Gate use big fish to attract attention, the slave merchant district at the East Gate also attracts customers' attention with high-quality goods. They put an iron fence-like cage in front of the stall, which usually contains one or two good quality slaves, and they are given price tags so that customers can tell at a glance whether the quality of the goods is suitable for their choice.

The strategy of putting the features of the product on display outside is effective.

At least, that's the case for Alexey. The male slave who caught the mage's eye was a middle-aged man over forty years old.

He lay on his back in the center of the cage, wearing only a pair of dirty, water-soaked shorts. There are a few gray-white weeds growing randomly on the top of his sparse head, and his weather-beaten facial features are ordinary, but the deep nasolabial folds on both sides of his nose make him look a little tough.

He was supposed to be a warrior before he was captured.

Alexei swept the man's exposed muscles, the bulging pieces of flesh were square, although because there was no deliberate shaping, the man's muscles were not very beautiful and not symmetrical, but on the whole, with the scars on his hands, feet and shoulders that were obviously different from the surrounding skin color, they did have a rough northland flavor.

Two hundred and fifty tasu.

The price tag tied to the man's wrist clearly marked his selling price.

"Where is he from?" Alexei asked, gesturing to the man in the cage and asking the young clerk, "Can it be cheaper?" ”

"Hey, who's?" the clerk put down the tablecloth used to wipe the cage, followed Alexey's finger and glanced at the man in the cage, and a warm smile instantly appeared on his face, "Oh yes, three customers have asked me about him before you." You have an eye, guest, this is a barbarian from the Northlands, I have heard that the Emperor of the Empire is preparing a army of Northlanders, and I can guarantee that you will take him home, even the Emperor will envy your good fortune, and if you pay in gold, I will give you a discount of five tasu. ”

"Sounds good, but it's still too expensive. Can you tell me about his strengths?"

"Pros? That's too much. ”

"Tell me, I'll listen. ”

"Okay. The clerk walked over to the cage and squatted down, reached over the fence with his hand, and pinched the man's arm, only to hear him exclaim, "Look, what a strong arm." ”

"Have you heard of it?" the clerk pinched the piece of meat on the man's arm with one hand, and with a mysterious expression, he turned his head to look at Alexey, "The barbarians of the Northland like to fight giant bears, how do you think his scars came from?

"yes, then why didn't he move, was he sick?"

"Probably too hungry, you may not know, we don't give our slaves much to eat. ”

Saying that, the clerk pushed the man, and seeing that he still closed his eyes tightly and did not react, he couldn't help but look a little embarrassed, he quickly explained: "Guest, you also know that the barbarians from the north drink blood, are difficult to tame, and occasionally disobedient, otherwise you wait a while, I will pull him up." ”

Alexei nodded slightly, and saw that the clerk brought a leather whip stained with salt water, and waved it twice through the fence, leaving two red marks on the man's arm with two clicks. It hurts just to hear the sound, but the latter just doesn't move, and is whipped on his hand without even blinking his eyelids.

"Hey! ”

The clerk spat angrily, picked up the keychain around his waist and unlocked the door, and as soon as he entered the cage, he raised his leather whip and whipped the male slave a few times.

Seeing that the slave under his feet still did not react, his heart also had a little wave, at this time, Alexei was standing behind him, waiting for his result, the clerk felt that something was wrong, so he squatted down and probed the slave's breathing.

Suddenly, the seemingly unconscious slave raised his head suddenly, and hit the clerk's head just right, the latter let out a short exclamation, and his jaw was smashed by the second head mallet to bite the tongue in his mouth, and blood gushed from his lips, and he hit the edge of the cage, babbling and spurting out a few mouthfuls of blood, staring at the male slave who was still bound hand and foot, his eyes full of fear and disbelief.

"Help me open it. ”

The slave man, who had knocked down the clerk with lightning speed, dragged his shackles out of the cage and handed Alexei his hands tied with twine. The vocal cords of the expressionless man, who just opened a pair of cold eyes, were damaged, his voice was extremely harsh, and Wang Chinese could not speak well and was indistinct.

"Do I think I'll help you?" Alexei snorted and walked around the man twice, and before he could say a second sentence, the man with a fierce glint in his eyes suddenly leaned on his shoulders, used his whole body as a battering ram, and slammed into Alexei with a fierce momentum.

Battle, on the verge of breaking out.