Chapter 2953: 2953. Taking The Bait
Ventus and Terron were both close on Walker’s side while Mordant stayed to his front. It was clear that they had also begun to act their parts.
They were acting like guards allowing for the higher status they possessed to show that Walker had an even higher status than that.
While Walker was sure that the hollow eyed race members could find more information about him as a hero and someone related to the true sages and elemental kings, he was certain that such knowledge would just make his act even better. He wanted them to feel that he was a figure they could not anger whatsoever.
This was the game he was playing since he knew for certain that there would be more and more chances for him to show that this race needed to change their ways. However, doing so was not the question here.
Walker understood that the development he saw in this city proved that the hollow eyed race made their entire culture about contracts and business. They had created their entire city to be one of trade.
The homes were just shops with rooms above for the owners to sleep in. Those with larger shops were clearly the more affluent ones. Beyond this, they also had some dark paper contracts posted on walls as a show of strength for their skills. It was like hunters that kept the most valuable material harvested from their hunt.
It was a show of their skill being better than others. It elevated their status beyond the norm so that they could achieve more in the long run.
For some cultures that would be a better chance at marriage. For others it might be a promotion to become a captain of a squad of soldiers. Here, that was a way for them to move up and become someone who held more contracts. Who owned the fates of more people and made bigger deals.
When the largest residence and shop came in to the bustling streets, Walker noticed contracts posted on walls all around it. Standing in front were those bound by those contracts.
The shop was very busy, but that did not mean that it wasn’t clear that some were just there to gaze at the hundreds of contracts and the pitch scale dragons associated with the contracts.
Now the four of them could understand even more clearly, there was not a king of the hollow eyed people. There was just the largest contract holder who wielded the most status for their people. And right here was the very shop and home of that person.
As much as they all wished to compare it to the things they saw as they were escorted, it was too clear.
Night and day.
This shop was made from materials that were being degraded by the natural dark mana. Meaning that they were materials from other elemental planes kept protected through magic and expensive materials being added. It was proof that the owner threw around their status more for attention and fame than anything.
Something that the hollow eyed culture seemed to pride in.
But if the arrogance of the dragon race could be calmed by learning and growing with other races, why couldn’t something here change? Having a merchant race might be the best way to help Genesis adapt better with other races who were not necessarily looking for alliances.
"My contract is complete. Please look for me if you need an escort or someone else escorted. I deal in such contracts for esteemed ones such as yourself." Walker didn’t glance over.
This culture did not do payment purely. Sometimes they dealt in contracts. Those of which were a service for a service, but if something like just showing guests to someone was a contract, then it might be more of an obsession.
The fact that this person here could say they helped someone of higher status with a contract being such a massive selling point was astounding. They would use that proof of such a small thing to do more and more with new contracts. It was hard to make logical sense of this since there wasn’t even a normal sense that there could be someone who wished to do something like that ignoring quality and actual skill, it was all just based on who had contracted them once before.
Someone could make a contract to be given a handshake then if the status of the person was high enough use that same contract as proof to do a deal worth a million gold? The status would be more valuable than the gold? It didn’t make sense since they wouldn’t help the people living here!
As gates of black iron opened, Walker saw that rare herbs and flowers were planted, but their health was poor. Overly harvested and barely staying alive. It was used as a way to keep generating more wealth and status, not as a way to harvest and help. Not to mention more and more different races moving around cleaning, upkeeping, and just standing as if they were status left to be displayed.
One contract that Walker read of a heavily muscled single eyes race with dark skin read that their job was to stand tall and look at the sky. The term was twenty years! In return the contract stated that the debt was dropped, a debt that was clearly a single meal for someone who had been hungry. They had entirely been taken advantage of!
When a tougher looking pitch scale dragon in armor approached while being followed by an overdressed in dark jewelry hollow eyed race, Walker knew this was the largest player of this game of status.
"Do not speak to me, not until I have examined this dragon. It appears they are dressed for company. They are even clearly the strongest of their kind. It would look good if cleaned though. The armor is barely proper for this setting. The gems are from a fire mana plan, then the silk from a wind plane. All being degraded. They are less pure and look ragged. Disappointing, but accessories are nothing compared to the main event."
The skin crawling tone that Walker used made the hollow eyed race seem excited, like he had been offered a chance to steal away the prestige of a hero. Whether they understood it or could even understand it though, that was the question.
The true intention beyond the words made Ventus, Terron, and Mordant began agreeing quickly to show that there was more to Walker. That he had to be appeased. It was exactly what Walker needed. Because he already saw the hollow eyed man grabbing for scrolls hanging on a belt with him. He was going to try to get Walker in line right away.
"I take it you have never seen such quality in contracted labor. These pitch scale dragons were once out in the wilderness. I offered them a home and food, well, my great grandfather did. Now they are guards for my entire people. They are grand to look at. They have brought us many grand contracts. You clearly understand the best of what contracts can do, especially when gaining the strength to grow."
"I could work a contracted trade for you. That lesser pitch scale dragon guard would be fine to showcase in my banquet hall, but those two rarer guards of yours. They are not on this plane and came from the world as I have been told, I could give you many contracts for them."
Walker smiled showing all of his teeth, he did so since this was copying the actions of the hollow eyes race. Greed was all over their faces so he just had to match them.
"You have contracts for their entire race? And other races? I am in need of such things. Your people may just be who I need to procure contracts for such races." With a snap of his fingers, the hollow eyes race dealing with Walker called twenty guards forward who proceeded to show off contract after contract.
Just the pitch scale race alone was over eighty five contracts. Then another four races of contracts that had been entirely taken over by them. All villages or traveling groups. All taken in and trapped by contracts.
"Hmm, this is all of them? You put on a good show. However, you should consider the fact that if you truly knew about Genesis, you would understand that every single race is equal and my status as a hero is earned through sacrifice and moral honor. But trickery when used against those abusing others? That is necessary at times."
Terron stepped forward with Ventus as they used small puffs of their dragon breaths to begin burning the contracts. The difference in manas causing them to break down and become useless.
"You see, I saw on the contracts that when destroyed the term of the contract would be over. It’s a very unique skill set your people have, but I have seen similar skills. I also use an appraisal skill on each contract so I could handle this matter."
"What I am saying, is that your contracts and every contract within your race with another race forcing them to work for you for things as little as a single meal will now be destroyed and I have the strength and assistance to do so." Walker smiled for real this time, a happy and cheerful look that struck horror in the hollow eyed lord’s heart.
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