[Ella, I've found that they're holding an auction for the Witches that the Grand Dutchies didn't want. They are likely the weaker and older ones. I will wait here in the city until tomorrow afternoon or whenever I run out of the money that I took from the bodies in the bandit camp.] Wolfe informed her once the Farmer had explained the basics of the auction.
[Did they really just let you into the city after everything that happened?] She replied incredulously.
[Do you think that they would be brave enough to tell me that I couldn't go? They think that I did all that by myself because I was upset that they shot at me.
I was also pretending that I didn't know they were working together, and I made them spend all day sorting through the bodies. I didn't see them send anyone out at all, much less in your direction, but get an early start in the morning, and I think you should be able to make it to safety with the group.]
[That is excellent news. But what are you going to tell them when you leave town?] Ella asked.
[That I'm taking my loot back home to the Frozen Wastes, of course. The farmers think that I should stop at all the villages and see if the women want to be married off or take jobs, but we can debate that once we're out of the city.] Wolfe laughed.
[Definitely later. We are headed for the Academy, so meet us there with whoever you manage to find.] Ella agreed, and Wolfe could feel her exhaustion through the bond.
[Sleep while you can. I will see you soon, and then we can spend some proper time cuddling.]
The Farmers were set up all through the central marketplace, with guards surrounding the area so that they didn't go wandering and breaking curfew.
The stated reason was to prevent smuggling during the overnight hours, but Wolfe could tell that the whole city was on a strict lockdown, and everyone feared the soldiers.
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm Most likely, there had been a lot more disappearances than just the Witches that they were selling. Slave traders rarely had many moral qualms, even if they were supposed to be soldiers gathering essential assets to keep their nations running.
The Gormana soldiers had chosen to do it in a more acceptable way, so Wolfe knew it was possible. The Grand Dutchies simply didn't want to.
It wasn't specifically stated who the renegades that they had run into during their first trips outside the Academy were selling the people they captured to, but it was a safe bet that it was the same people who were here in person now.
Wolfe didn't have much to trade, but he had a nice block of cheese that was among the items packed as travel snacks by the kitchen. It was most likely made with nuts of some sort since they didn't have any cows at the Den, but it would do as an offering to the communal stew pot.
"How many of you are pure human? I've got some very good homemade cheese, but it might be from a magical plant, I don't really recall." Wolfe asked.
"That's fine. We've all got at least a little Witch blood. Even a few percent is usually enough to let us digest magical plants, and I can't think of anyone who doesn't have a Witch in the last four generations of their family." The Farmer nearest to him shrugged.
"Plus, mixed into the stew, it will burn off most of the excess energy, so it won't hurt anyone's stomach, even if they're human. They might get a bit hyper and gassy, but that's about the worst of it." Someone else laughed.
Wolfe passed over the block of cheese, and the Farmer cut a small slice off the end to test it before deciding how much needed to go into the pot.
When the cheese hit his tongue, his eyes rolled back in bliss, and a soft sigh escaped his lips.
"Tell me, Demon, where in the world did you manage to acquire this?" He pleaded.
"The witches in the Frozen Wastes made it for me. It's part of the travel rations that I brought along from home. It's good stuff, isn't it? I should have brought more of it with me." Wolfe agreed.
"If you can bring more of it back, we will pay quite well for it. The humans might not want it, but there are other villages in the area, and the locals would be more than happy to have it." The Farmer agreed as he chopped small pieces off the block and into the stew.
Eventually, the whole block was added, melted and stirred into the pot, creating a thick and creamy texture for the mostly vegetable stew. Wolfe was a bit dubious about the concoction, as everyone who came by simply looked at the pot and decided what it needed next, then added something from their own supplies.
It did smell good, though, and with the amount that most of them had been drinking, it wouldn't matter if it was horrible.
"So, how many do you think will be up for auction tomorrow?" Wolfe asked a drunken guard, who had joined in the revelry once his shift ended.
"Oh, tomorrow is a good one. They loaded up at the coast and told us that they didn't want any of the last batch, so we've got nearly fifty in the city who are scheduled for the auction. Did you plan on opening a business here? You look a bit more wealthy than most of these farmers." The guard replied.
"I was thinking of taking a bunch back home with me. I've got a lot of cheese to process. Did you try the stew?" Wolfe replied.
"Oh, that was excellent. Yes, I can see how you would want to get as many new staff as you could if you had the recipe for making that. Half of what the farmers bring we can barely stomach. They have all sorts of strange vegetables here in the Southern Woods. But that cheese would be amazing with some smoked sausage and crackers."
And just like that, Wolfe had his new cover story for dealing with the soldiers of the Grand Dutchies. It would even work when he was expanding his influence through the Frozen Wastes. If he came across Grand Dutchies soldiers, he could pretend to be a travelling merchant selling exotic cheeses and spices.
Cheese might take a lot of room, but many spices were said to be worth their weight in gold, so a whole backpack of them was worth the trip.
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