Chapter 69: THEY ARE HALFLINGS/ ALL ChapterS HAVE BEEN FIXED
Some had human faces but sprouted antlers from their heads.
Others had scales or tails or wings folded tight against their backs.
One small being, no taller than her waist, had skin that shimmered like liquid metal.
Another looked like a mushroom—a tiny, humanoid mushroom with a drooping cap.
And there were many others just like the ones she was seeing.
A man with a whip stood before them, shouting prices to a crowd of onlookers. "Fresh stock! Half price! Take them before they spoil!"
Lin Yue stopped. Her heart pounded. "What are they?" she whispered.
Mira answered quietly, her voice strained. "They are what some call halflings, Madam. Neither fully human nor fully beast. They are... not accepted in proper society. Many see them as abominations. They have no rights, no protection. They can be bought and sold like animals."
Lin Yue’s blood ran cold. "Slaves."
"Yes, Madam."
She watched as a well-dressed man approached one of the chained figures—a young woman with delicate, shimmering wings and skin that gleamed like mercury.
He grabbed her chin, turned her face side to side, then shook his head and walked away.
The woman’s eyes were hollow, empty.
"Why does no one want them?" Lin Yue asked.
Mira’s voice dropped lower. "Because they are seen as useless. Too weak for labor, too strange for companionship. Some are killed when they cannot be sold. It is cheaper than feeding them."
Lin Yue’s hands trembled.
She looked at the chained figures—a tall man with proud antlers, a similarly aged woman one beside him with shorter horns, the tiny mushroom creature, the mercury-skinned beings.
They were not animals.
They were people.
"Madam, we should go," the lead guard urged. "This is not our concern."
Lin Yue ignored him and she walked closer.
The man with the whip noticed her. His eyes narrowed. "You looking to buy, lady? I got prime stock here. These two—" he pointed to the antlered ones "—strong. Good for labor. This one—" he gestured to the mushroom, "—can work in gardens. The little ones—" he nodded toward the mercury being, "—pretty. Decorative. Some like them for that."
Lin Yue’s stomach turned. "How much for all of them?"
The man laughed. "All of them? You cannot afford all of them."
"Name your price."
He named a sum, absurdly high.
Lin Yue did not flinch.
She raised her hand and waved it over the payment terminal the man held out. A soft chime confirmed the transfer. The man’s smile vanished. He stared at his device, then at her.
"You serious?"
"The chains. Now."
He shrugged and unlocked the shackles.
The halflings huddled together, trembling, their eyes wide with fear and disbelief. The stag spoke first, his voice raw. "Why? Why would you buy us?"
Lin Yue looked at them at their bruises, their hollow eyes, their torn clothes. "Because if I did not, they were going to kill you."
The stag’s eyes widened. He looked at the man with the whip, who was already counting his credits, already forgetting they existed.
"We have nowhere to go," the stag said quietly. "They will hunt us down. Or someone else will catch us and sell us again."
Lin Yue thought of the estate, of the empty rooms, of the staff she had been trying to hire. "I have a place. It is not much, but it is safe. You will have work, food, a roof. If you want it."
The halflings looked at each other. The mercury-skinned girl with wings stepped forward, her voice barely a whisper. "You are... you are not like the others."
"No." Lin Yue said. "I am not, I’m not as cruel as they are."
She turned and walked back toward the car, the four figures following behind her in a dazed, stumbling procession. The crowd parted, whispering, staring. The man with the whip spat on the ground but did not stop them.
Mira fell into step beside Lin Yue. "Madam, what will the prince say?"
Lin Yue adjusted Auriel in the carrier and did not look back. "Uriel will understand."
Mira glanced at the four figures trailing behind them, their chains gone but their fear still visible. "Will he?"
"He will." Lin Yue opened the car door and gestured for the halflings to climb in. "Now, we need to get them some clothes and necessities before we return to the estate."
Ben held the door open, his expression tense. "Madam, the car is not large enough for all of us."
Lin Yue looked inside.
The back seat was designed for three, maybe four at most. With four halflings, two guards, Mira, and herself carrying Auriel, that made eight bodies in a car meant for five.
It would be more than a tight squeeze—it would be nearly impossible.
The stag stepped forward. He was not young, there were lines around his eyes, a weariness that spoke of years of hardship. His antlers were full and proud, but his face was gaunt.
Beside him, the doe was smaller, her antlers just budding, but she too was an adult, her face hardened by suffering.
"She can sit on my lap," the stag said, his voice low and steady. "We will manage."
The doe nodded and climbed in, settling onto the stag’s legs.
The mushroom creature and the butterfly hybrid exchanged a glance.
Then, without a word, they both shrank.
The mushroom’s cap flattened, its body compressing until it was no larger than a child’s toy. The butterfly’s wings folded tight, her form diminishing until she fit in the palm of a hand. Her mercury-like skin shimmered even at that size.
Lin Yue stared. "They can do that?"
Mira nodded, climbing into the front seat. "Many halflings have adaptive abilities, Madam. It helps them survive."
Jack the younger guard and Mira squeezed into the remaining spaces.
The car was crowded, limbs pressing against limbs, the air warm and close.
Lin Yue settled into her seat with Auriel on her chest, the mushroom creature perched on her shoulder, the butterfly resting on Mira’s sleeve.
Ben started the engine.
The car pulled away from the black market.
Lin Yue looked at him. "Hey, what’s your name?"
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Ben, Madam."
"Ben..." she said. "You’re staying with me. And you behind will go with Mira to the employment center. We’ll split up."
Jack nodded. "Yes, Madam. I’m Jack by the way.."
Lin Yue looked at the halflings in the back.
The stag had his arms wrapped around the doe, steadying her.
"Sorry about this," Lin Yue said. "Next time, we’re taking a bigger car."
The stag met her eyes.
There was no resentment, just exhaustion and something that might have been hope. "You’re already giving us more than anyone ever has. We can manage."
Lin Yue held Auriel closer and watched the city pass beyond the window.
She had no idea what Uriel would say.
But she had made her choice.
