A Single Person's Infinite Wonderful Life

Li Wei raised an eyebrow and said, "Although I have a bad temper, I still know the most basic etiquette. Since you have given me this face, I will naturally give that king face in return."

The lady-in-waiting breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Li Wei was willing to attend the banquet. This was a way to give King Ottocre a way out. They could then mediate at the banquet and perhaps persuade Li Wei to stop looking at the kingdom in this way.

Although the saying "one shouldn't hit a smiling face" doesn't exist in this world, there are similar proverbs. As long as everyone can save face, many things can be resolved peacefully.

Li Wei's figure vanished from the female official's sight, and she finally couldn't contain her surprise. Although teleportation magic existed in this world, very few mages could use it. Every mage who could use teleportation could be called a "master." Moreover, teleportation not only consumed a large amount of magic power but also had a longer preparation time than other spells. Li Wei's ability to move himself instantly was, in her eyes, quite incredible.

Li Wei appeared in a small alley. He had changed into clothes that fit the style of this world and had arrived near the city's slave market.

The origami cranes that were released earlier were not only Li Wei's eyes, but after being modified, they also became spatial coordinates for him to use teleportation spells. As long as there is a beacon, this teleportation spell can instantly teleport anyone, no matter how far away they are.

Li Wei can now teleport back to Earth in this universe instantly using the beacon above Earth, but he doesn't plan to do so, since he hasn't had enough fun here yet.

The city's slave market was a huge tent-like building, resembling a circus from the outside. Li Wei arrived at the entrance of the giant tent, where a short, stout man with round-framed glasses, a top hat and tuxedo, and jeweled rings on all ten fingers—a nouveau riche-looking man—stood before him.

"Sir, do you need slaves?" The slave trader flashed a professional, ingratiating smile.

"This place sells slaves? It's interesting that this country still allows slavery," Li Wei chuckled.

Chapter 4. Slaves

The short, stout slave trader grinned exaggeratedly and said, "Wherever there are people, there are classes. It's normal for some unlucky souls to become slaves for various reasons. Besides, slavery is a tradition in this country. The reason I set up my marketplace here is because in this country, the slave trade is a legal and legitimate business."

As a kingdom in the late feudal period, slaves were considered an important source of labor for the country.

Li Wei asked, "Are there any interesting slaves here?"

The slave trader rubbed his hands together and laughed, "That depends on how you define 'interesting,' but I'm confident in the quality of the slaves I have."

To be able to open a slave market in the capital requires not only wealth and skill, but also strong connections. Slave merchants are confident that the slaves they have are of higher quality than those of their competitors.

The slave trader chuckled, "I have a very complete selection of slaves here, whether they are combat-type, labor-type, or the kind of slaves that nobles like for entertainment, we have them all, and there are discounts for bulk orders!"

Li Wei glanced around; the dim lighting wasn't conducive to ordinary people. He snapped his fingers, and the dim light inside the giant tent brightened up.

“I still prefer a bright environment, so I can see more clearly when choosing slaves,” Li Wei said with a smile.

The slave trader didn't say anything, his face still bearing that professional smile. However, Li Weilu's actions made him realize that the young man in front of him was not an ordinary idle nobleman, but a being who had mastered powerful magic.

However, the slave trader didn't have a habit of overcharging people. After all, he had been in business for a long time and cared a lot about his reputation. For him, money could be earned back, but a lost reputation made it much more difficult to make money. So, whether they were regular customers or new customers, locals or tourists, he would provide relatively high-quality service so that they could buy the slaves they wanted.

Li Wei said, "I am quite confident in my own strength. I don't need ordinary combat slaves, and as for labor slaves, I don't have any businesses here, so I don't need any related slaves to manage for the time being. What kind of ornamental slaves do you have here?"

The slave trader, with a warm smile, said, "Guest, please follow me. The slaves I have for viewing are of the highest quality among our peers. Their appearance and physique are impeccable, and they are all original and unopened. You don't need to worry about handling them."

Li Wei followed the slave traders to a relatively remote area. Unlike the roars and shouts from the combat slaves, the area with the ornamental slaves was much quieter.

Slave traders possess a large number of high-quality slaves, and both male and female customers can find suitable goods according to their needs.

"Guest, take a look at these slaves, see if any of them meet your needs?" the merchant said.

Using a positioning spell, Li Wei located the cage where Raphtalia was, and stopped in front of it.

It was a petite girl with animal ears, who looked to be about seven years old. She was sitting in the corner of the cage, coughing softly from time to time.

"This is really troublesome. The weather has been so changeable lately, and these relatively fragile ornamental slaves are prone to getting sick. This little one is a raccoon-type demi-human. According to our tests, her bloodline is quite pure. Before she became a slave, she should have had some demi-human noble blood. But now, she's just a plaything," the merchant sighed.

Li Wei crouched down and reached into the cage. The raccoon girl's face showed a look of terror. After becoming a slave, she had suffered a lot, which made her extremely wary.

Li Wei was not surprised by the other party's wariness. He had scanned the other party with his senses and found that the slave traders were quite careful with their goods. The girl had no hidden injuries or obvious scars.

··· ·Requesting flowers···· ·

Before falling into the hands of slave traders, Raphtalia's former master was a military nobleman. Raphtalia was often whipped, and her body must have been covered in scars. However, these scars are now completely invisible, which means that the slave traders had given her excellent treatment in order to sell her for a good price.

"How much is this?" Li Wei asked.

"Three gold coins, please," the slave trader said with a smile, rubbing his hands together.

Raphtalia's beauty is among the best of all demi-human girls. It is precisely because of her beautiful face that slave traders are willing to spend money to treat her. If she were just an ordinary demi-human girl, she would be dead and not worth saving for slave traders who are obsessed with money.

... ......

Li Wei raised an eyebrow. He realized that the world line he was in seemed to be different from the one in the anime; it was a completely new world line.

In the original storyline, Naofumi Iwatani bought Raphtalia for only a few dozen silver coins, but in his case, the price suddenly increased so much.

However, Raphtalia is in a much better situation now than she was in the original storyline. Although she still has psychological trauma, her body is in very good condition.

Li Wei said nothing, and gently tossed the three gold coins into the slave trader's hand.

After arriving in this world, Li Wei's senses had already scanned a lot of things. He knew very well what the kingdom's standard gold coins looked like, their weight, and their size.

Three gold coins are definitely a bit pricey, but considering that Raphtalia is in good physical condition now, the extra money can be considered as a service fee.

The slave trader pocketed the gold coins and said, "Please follow me, sir. I will help you finalize the contract to ensure the slaves don't escape."

Chapter 4. Regaining Freedom

Li Wei said, "There's no need. Just wash off the slave marks on her."

Hearing Li Wei's words, not only the slave traders, but even Raphtalia, who was being bought and sold, were stunned.

Raphtalia watched Levi's retreating figure with a look of confusion in her eyes. She was well aware of her current status: a slave whose future life would likely be filled with suffering. But now, the other party was saying he would erase the mark of slavery from her body. How could she not be surprised?

The slave trader said, "Sir, are you serious? If you erase the marks from her body, you won't be able to control her. She's a high-class item worth three gold coins. What if she runs away?"

Li Wei laughed and said, "She has to be able to escape. Besides, this country is quite unfriendly to demi-humans. Even if she escapes, she has nowhere to go."

The slave trader laughed and said, "That's true, then let's do as you decide, sir."

Looking at the petite girl, Li Wei thought to himself that if she leveled up rapidly during this period, her size would also increase accordingly. This was a characteristic of demi-humans; if demi-humans gained a lot of experience to level up before adulthood, their bodies would mature prematurely, but humans would not mature prematurely in such a situation.

However, Li Wei didn't expect Raphtalia to participate in the battle. At the moment, Raphtalia hadn't resolved her psychological issues and was simply unable to participate in high-intensity combat.

Levi smiled at Raphtalia and said, "Introduce yourself, little one."

"Raphtalia," the girl whispered.

"It's a very nice name, it has a noble feel to it. The person who chose this name must be very cultured," Li Wei said with a smile.

Raphtalia was somewhat lost. This name was the last thing her mother left her. The monster invasion brought by the wave destroyed her village, and her parents were also killed by a giant three-headed dog during the wave's monster invasion. This was a shadow that she could not escape from the depths of her heart.

The slave trader had his men bring over special magical pigments and began applying them to the slave mark on Raphtalia's collarbone. The slave trader himself was also a spellcaster with considerable skill, and he had made all the marks on his slaves himself.

After experiencing a brief stinging sensation, Raphtalia looked at her barren chest. The once prominent slave mark had now disappeared, leaving only smooth skin.

Generally speaking, to make themselves more conspicuous, slave traders would brand slaves in prominent places, such as the face, chest, or wrists, so that people could easily identify them as slaves.

The slave trader put away the paint, handed the tools for removing the marks to a staff member, and said with a smile, "Little girl, you're very lucky. You've met a kind person. I must say, fate is truly a strange thing."

Li Wei said, "Once the mark is removed, I might patronize your business again."

"That would be wonderful! I've been eagerly anticipating your visit," the slave trader chuckled. He was quite welcoming of a generous customer like Li Wei, who didn't haggle at all; after all, in business, one shouldn't easily refuse customers.

Li Wei gently patted Raphtalia's head. He had to admit that those round raccoon ears not only looked quite cute, but also felt incredibly soft and fluffy to the touch.

Li Wei felt no desire for this little girl; in fact, he felt more like he had gained a daughter.

Li Wei laughed and said, "Raphtalia, from now on you are no longer a slave. Hmm, you are my companion."

"Companion...can I really...?" Raphtalia was still somewhat dazed by the current situation. After all, just a few minutes ago, she was a slave whose fate was in the hands of others, but now, the mark of slavery on her body had been removed.

“Why not? I am the rule. If I say it’s okay, then it’s okay,” Li Wei said with a smile.

Li Wei took Raphtalia's hand and said, "The most important thing now is to take you out to eat, then change you into some new clothes, and while we're at it, give you a bath..."

Raphtalia nodded mechanically. After her parents perished in the tidal wave, she had led a life of constant wandering. She was later kidnapped by human traffickers, and her first master was a military nobleman who liked to whip people. She was beaten half to death, covered in blood, and thrown out of the manor along with her companions. The other companions all died from their injuries, and she was the only one who survived. However, she didn't get far before she was captured by a slave-catching team and bought by slave traders.

It can be said that she has never had a good life since her parents left. She originally thought that being bought would mean living that hellish life again, but her new owner, Li Wei, treated her very well.

"Thank you, Master," Raphtalia said softly.

"Don't call me master. My name is Li Wei. You can call me by my name directly. If you're not used to it, you can call me sir. But you must not call me master anymore. You are not inferior," Li Wei said with a smile.

Levi felt more like a father to Raphtalia, so he raised her as if she were his daughter.

The slave trader watched Levi and Raphtalia's departing figures with a strange expression. He muttered to himself, "What strange customers. They treat the slaves they buy like family, even though the two of them don't seem to know each other. Hmm? Why am I curious about this? Is it because I haven't rested well these past few days?"

After leaving the slave traders' camp, Levi led Raphtalia to a bustling commercial district. Raphtalia seemed somewhat timid, clinging tightly to Levi's hand. From time to time, demi-human slaves wearing collars could be seen on the streets.

Not far away, a slave owner was whipping his demi-human slave who was working. The demi-human slave was not slacking off, but the slave owner was still laughing and swinging the whip hard, seemingly enjoying the pained expression on the demi-human slave's face.

Chapter 4. Discrimination

Seeing Raphtalia staring intently at the beaten demi-human slave, Li Wei asked, "Are you angry?"

Raphtalia shook her head. She felt only sadness and dared not be angry. Although she was also a citizen of the kingdom, she was a resident of the Demi-human Autonomous Territory. The Demi-human Autonomous Territory was the last refuge for Demi-humans who were discriminated against by humans. She was well aware that this country was quite unfriendly to Demi-humans.

There are indeed countries on the mainland ruled by demi-humans, but they are too far away from here. Some people in the demi-human autonomous territories want to go there, but after leaving the autonomous territories, they are easily intercepted by bandits or slave-hunting teams on the way, and because of discrimination, they cannot get any supplies along the way.

The kingdom's discrimination against demi-humans was so extreme that signs reading "Demi-humans and dogs not allowed" were prominently displayed in various places. In the kingdom, demi-humans were not allowed to dine in restaurants; even if they paid, they could only buy inferior food and had to find a safe place to eat on their own.

Discrimination against demi-humans was ingrained in the kingdom's very fabric, so Raphtalia didn't even feel anger, because anger was pointless and would only annoy her.

Li Wei gently stroked her head and said, "You can express your inner emotions to me, whether it's sadness or anger, you can tell me."

Raphtalia whispered, "Because we are demi-humans, it's normal to be discriminated against in this kingdom. This is a human country, not a demi-human country. All we can do is endure it."

After experiencing various hardships, Raphtalia possessed an inner maturity beyond her years. She knew that the world was cruel, and if she had no power to change it, the only thing she could do was learn how to integrate into it.

Li Wei didn't say anything; after all, one's perspective is determined by one's own position.

The two stopped in front of the family restaurant. Raphtalia saw a wooden sign hanging at the entrance, which read in the Kingdom script, "Demi-humans and dogs are not allowed to enter."

Raphtalia said, "My lady, I'll just wait here. You can go in first. Don't worry, I won't run away."

Li Wei took Raphtalia's hand and walked directly into the restaurant.