The night in Kafa is beautiful. The trade center on the Crimean peninsula is known as the "city that never sleeps" in the mouth of foreigners. Chechen walked on the broad main road and came to the square area in the center of the city.


    There is a huge round fire platform on the square in the city. This fire platform will burn a raging flame both during the day and at night, especially in the night, it will shine like a blooming pearl. Unlike the Cossacks and Poles who used tar and candles as lighting materials, the Tatars used a black liquid inadvertently excavated from the ground during the construction of the city. This liquid not only burns for a long time, but also does not need to be refined.


    Around the fire platform, countless vendors sell a wide range of goods in front of their stalls. While these commodities are marked with the price of metal money, they also indicate the price ratio that several slaves can exchange.


    Like Ackerman''s salt, Kafa''s slaves were hard currency.


    The whole city of Kafa is divided in an orderly manner according to the typical West Asian style. The north side, where Chechen is about to go, is the largest slave trading market in the whole Kafa city.


    In this market, the biggest customers are Arabs, Turks and Persians.


    Chechen saw that all the business was carried out in broad daylight: a young woman was stripped of her remaining clothes by slave traders in full view of the public, so that two bearded Arab businessmen could check, play and flirt. If they agree with their customers, these poor girls will be roughly washed by eunuchs and slaves, put on their veils and sent to the carriages of Arab businessmen. Waiting for them will be a dark life, and their children will not be free, will become little slaves and continue to serve their masters.


    Chechen''s gorgeous clothes made the slave traders think he was a rich customer. The slave traders leaned on and sold their slaves.


    A slave trader even grabbed Cherchen''s hand and pressed it on the chest of a Russian girl in his hand.


    After seeing that Chechen was not interested in female slaves, they began to sell male slaves again.


    And female slaves can only be used by slave owners to vent their anger and do housework. Male prisoners are obviously more useful and can create wealth. Especially those with special skills. For example, doctors, blacksmiths, carpenters, clerks, textile workers, engineers, professional soldiers, mercenaries, etc. They are trying to make the market be the target, and the price is the highest.


    Especially mercenaries and professional soldiers. The * * * rulers of that era, whether Persian, Egyptian or Moroccan, had realized the military changes brought about by the progress of Western military technology, so after buying them, the sultans would lure these soldiers with high salaries and fields, so as to form a Western army composed of European slaves, Against European countries and their close neighbors. But this does not mean that these slaves are in a better situation. On the contrary, material rewards are mostly based on the premise of changing religion, that is, joining the * * * religion.


    Although many people pretend to believe in paganism with the idea of more freedom and more opportunities to escape after their conversion, their skin color and appearance incompatible with the local people and the state of being monitored still make it difficult for them to escape and return to their hometown.


    Although he sympathized with the situation of these slaves, Chechen was not the Savior and had no ability to rescue them. After asking where the slave trader Harmon is, Cherchen gets rid of the entanglement of the slave traders and finds the slave trader who holds the same ethnic group of Oksana in his hand.


    When Cherchen saw Harmon, this is said to be the oldest slave trader in Kafa city. He was checking his slaves wholesale from Tatar Raiders and Crimean nobles in various ways. Harmon tugged at the muscles of a strong white slave to test his strength. Then Harmon pried open his mouth with a wooden stick and looked at his teeth like a horse or a donkey; Harmon even opened the slave''s underpants and carefully examined the slave''s skin to see if there were obvious diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases and skin diseases.


    "Very good." Harmon praised. This shows that the slave has passed his inspection and can be put on the stall.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chechen and Harmon talked about his intention to buy Oksana''s family.


    "Introduced by okosana?" old Harmon looked up and down at Chechen. After a while, he showed a knowing smile.


    "Kid, that gypsy woman tastes good," Harmon asked with a smile.


    Obviously, he regarded Chechen as a dandy who worshipped under the pomegranate skirt of oksape.


    Chechen didn''t answer. He followed Harmon to a wooden cage.


    "Five, 300 Taylor," Harmon said, shaking the key.


    Sure enough, it''s a rip off price. When Chechen passed the market just now, the strong male slave promoted by a slave trader was no more than 45 Taylor.


    Chechen didn''t bargain with Harmon. He took out a money bag and threw it to Harmon.


    "People are yours."


    Harmon didn''t count the money in it. After years of experience, he had a feeling that he would know the amount of money in the money bag after weighing it twice.


    Chechen led the five skinny Gypsies. They were strung together with ropes. There were old people and children inside. They looked at Chechen and mistakenly thought he was a little slave owner. Everyone trembled.


    "Don''t be afraid, I''m Oksana''s friend," Chechen said, but the slaves just looked at him blankly.


    Then, Chechen is ready to take people away. Just then, a slave threw himself on the cage.


    "Take me away, my benefactor and protector. I will be loyal to you to the death," said the slave.


    Che Chen fixed his eyes. At the first glance, he was attracted by the man''s eyes.


    What a pair of wild eyes! The eyes went straight into the black hole, as if to absorb everything. Chechen has never seen such eyes.


    Che Chen looked at the man carefully again. He was medium to short and looked general. The slave''s face was full of curly beards, his hair and beard were brown, and the beard on his upper lip covered his lips because it had not been repaired for a long time; The bridge of his nose is as straight as marble carving.


    "Damn slave, what''s his name?" Harmon whipped his hand on the wooden fence.


    The slave retracted his hand in pain. Harmon was about to hit the second time, but Cherchen grabbed Harmon''s arm.


    "What''s your name?" Chechen asked.


    "Master, my name is Stephan Racine," said the slave.


    Chechen hesitated. Although he was interested in Stephan Racine, he had to take risks to buy him and take him back. After all, your own boat is the biggest secret.


    After hesitation, Chechen still took out a money bag full of 50 Taylor.


    "This slave is mine," Chechen said to Harmon.


    Harmon took the money bag. He wanted to sit down and raise the price, but he hesitated and gave up the idea. After all, Harmon also has professional ethics - he earns enough from Cherchen today.


    Cherchen took the six slaves he bought and left the slave market. He opened Stephan Racine''s handcuffs and said to him, "you are free."


    Stephan Racine moved his wrist, but there was no joy in his face.


    Stephan Racine grabbed Chechen''s hand, kissed it, and asked Chechen, "please don''t drive me away, master. Let me join your team, I will be very useful."


    Chechen''s mind was shocked. Did the man see his identity?


    "Do you know who I am?" Chechen asked tentatively. His hand had crept up to his back, where a leaf hammer was hidden.


    Stephan Racine pointed to the long thin sword around Chechen''s waist.


    "You must be a great mercenary. I''ve seen many mercenaries coming to Kafa use this weapon, but none of them are so murderous. Master, my childhood dream is to become a soldier galloping on the battlefield. I don''t want to be a serf all my life, because I don''t think I''m inferior to the noble master. I want to change my destiny." Stephan Racine said as if singing.


    Che Chen slowly took out his hand on his back waist.


    "I''m really a mercenary," Chechen said frankly.


    Stephan Racine''s face was filled with joy.


    "But I don''t need subordinates now. Here are five Taylor. Take them first. If I need you before you use up the money, I''ll come to you."


    Stephan Racine took the money. He kissed Chechen''s hand again.


    "I''ll wait, master," he said. "There''s one more thing, master, I want to tell you."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "You''ve been cheated."