The Elven Cultivator

Chapter 321: Chapter 294: Slave Hunting Team

Green Highlands, Bilin City.

This core city of the Bilin Clan was situated on a cape along the southeastern coast of the Green Highlands, surrounded by sea on three sides and land on one.

The gray-blue city walls were constructed from massive blocks of reef rock. Their surfaces were riddled with countless tiny holes—vestiges of ancient coral polyps and shellfish, long since worn smooth and sleek by the passage of time.

The city gates stood wide open, two iron-bound oak doors swung inward.

The line to enter the city snaked from the gates all the way to the port, several hundred meters away.

Two military officers leaned against the crenellations of the city wall, their gazes sweeping over the line of people entering below.

”Another caravan from the Iron Hill Kingdom. How many is that this month?” Jonah asked.

”Who’s counting,” Field shrugged. ”A lot more than before, that’s for sure.”

Jonah chuckled. ”The other day, I heard from the tax office that Bilin City’s entry taxes this year have nearly doubled compared to last year. The folks in the assembly hall are probably laughing in their sleep.”

Field smiled as well.

Bilin City was now the busiest port in the Green Highlands, bar none.

Goods from the Silver Moon Race, shipped from the Eldron Plain, were gathered and distributed here before being transported on to the Thundering River Basin, the Frost Ridge Plateau, and even the distant Iron Hill Kingdom.

Merchants lined up to unload their goods, and the dockworkers toiled from dawn till dusk without even a moment to grab a sip of water.

As a transit hub for goods, the tolls and warehousing fees Bilin City collected alone now surpassed its entire previous year’s tax revenue.

And all these changes came after the Bilin Clan became a Vassal Race of the Silver Moon Race.

Field couldn’t help but feel a swell of emotion as he thought about it all.

Back when the City Lord defied popular opinion to offer the Magic Stone Vein to the Silver Moon Race and pledge allegiance, many had been disgruntled, privately calling him a traitor who sold out his own kind.

But as Bilin City prospered over the years, bringing prosperity to the entire Bilin Clan and increasing tax revenue year after year, those who had once been the loudest critics had all fallen silent.

Now, there were no more complaints, only flattery for the City Lord and relief at having pledged allegiance to the Silver Moon Race.

This was especially true with recent news of frequent turmoil erupting in other regions, while the Green Highlands remained peaceful and stable under the Silver Moon Race’s control.

The stark contrast made the Bilin Clan all the more grateful for their original decision.

As they were speaking, Jonah’s gaze suddenly fixed on something, and he let out a soft sound of surprise.

Field followed his gaze and saw a massive group approaching the city gates from the end of the main road.

The group numbered around seven or eight hundred people—men and women, old and young, with entire families in tow. They carried bundles large and small on their backs and looked as if they had migrated from a very distant place.

They had well-proportioned bodies and long limbs, similar in appearance to the Human Race, but with a layer of fine, grayish-brown fur covering their forearms and lower legs.

In addition, a pair of furry ears grew from the tops of their heads. The ears were broad and tilted slightly forward, like two radars constantly swiveling to catch the slightest sound from their surroundings.

”It’s the Dogman Race,” Field said, recognizing the origins of these demi-humans.

Jonah was surprised. ”So many Dogmen... that could be their entire tribe. What are they trying to do?”

The words were barely out of his mouth when Jonah turned, about to order his men to stop the group of Dogmen.

He couldn’t afford the consequences if he let so many Dogmen of unknown origin enter Bilin City and something went wrong.

’Better to stop and question them first.’

But before Jonah could act, Field stopped him.

”Wait.” Field gestured with his chin toward the side of the Dogman group. ”Look over there.”

Jonah focused his gaze and only then noticed that the Dogman column was flanked by several dozen Elf Warriors.

They were all clad in uniform, dark cyan, standard-issue leather armor.

On their chests, a silver oak leaf crest was particularly striking in the sunlight.

It was the symbol of the Silver Moon Legion.

Jonah instantly understood.

’With a Silver Moon Legion escort, these Dogmen are almost certainly a Vassal Race pledging allegiance to the Silver Moon Race.’

Meanwhile, as the Dogmen drew closer, a commotion erupted at the city gates.

Many of the merchant caravans waiting in line cast curious glances their way.

But most eyes fell upon the troop of Elf Warriors.

On the Eldron Plain and in the Green Highlands, Elves were a group whose status was considered above all others.

Not to mention, the ones who had appeared here were soldiers of the Silver Moon Legion.

The latter was none other than the renowned Black Iron Legion.

The most powerful military force in this land!

Snapping back to his senses, a guard officer at the gate immediately went forward to greet them, his face wreathed in smiles.

”Come on, let’s go down too,” Field said, patting Jonah’s shoulder. ”They’re officers of the Silver Moon Legion. It’d be good if we could get a few words in.”

Jonah didn’t hesitate, nodding immediately.

’Judging by their numbers, this has to be a company from the Silver Moon Legion. And according to the Silver Moon Legion’s organization, an Elf serving as a company commander has to be at least High Silver, maybe even Silver Peak. Someone with that kind of strength and status would be considered a ’big shot’ anywhere.’

Even though they were officers of the Bilin Clan, they wouldn’t dare show any disrespect.

However, before the two could even turn around, they suddenly saw a girl charge out from the group of Dogmen, her face full of fury, and rush toward a nearby merchant caravan.

The two nearest caravan guards instinctively reached out to intercept her, but before they could even grab the Dogman girl’s arm, she sent them both tumbling to the ground, one with each punch.

Jonah and Field watched, slightly stunned.

’These days, anyone serving as a caravan guard has to be at least mid- or high-rank Silver. In an ordinary town’s City Guard Army, they’d be considered quite capable. And this Dogman girl looks fifteen or sixteen at most, not even fully grown, yet she took down two adult guards in a single clash. Her strength is already pretty impressive.’

”Stop her! Damned animal!”

A middle-aged man who looked like the caravan leader shouted, his face ashen, his voice raw.

The caravan guards drew their weapons and charged at the Dogman girl.

However, many young and able-bodied Dogmen surged forward from their own group.

In an instant, the two sides were locked in a chaotic brawl.

The surrounding caravans retreated in fear, shoving their wagons to the side of the road. Crates of goods were knocked over and fell to the ground, and the area before the city gate descended into chaos.

The expressions on Jonah’s and Field’s faces changed, and they immediately hurried down from the wall.

”What are you standing around for? Stop them!”

Seeing his soldiers just standing there dumbfounded, Jonah cursed irritably.

As if waking from a dream, the soldiers roared and charged forward, leveling their spears and raising their shields to separate the two conflicting parties.

”Stop!”

”Everyone, back off!”

”Stop now, or don’t blame us for getting rough!”

Under the sharp shouts and threatening weapons of the City Guard Army, the Dogmen and the caravan guards finally separated.

The Dogman girl who had first charged the caravan now had a gash on her forehead. Blood trickled down her cheek, staining half her face red.

But she paid it no mind, baring her teeth and glaring fiercely at the people from the caravan.

Field’s gaze swept over both groups. His brow furrowed as he asked in a deep voice, ”What happened here?”

The middle-aged man from the caravan cupped his hands toward Field and said with a frown, ”Lord Field, this really isn’t our fault. Those Dogmen went crazy for some reason and charged us. We were only defending ourselves.”

Field glanced at the still-furious Dogmen but ignored them, his gaze landing directly on the Elf captain leading the escort.

’He’s the one truly in charge of this group.’

The Elf captain also frowned, looking with displeasure at the Dogman Race’s Clan Leader and asking in a low voice, ”What happened?”

’Our duty is to escort the Dogmen into the Green Highlands and hand them over to the receiving party. We just need to ensure their safety, not back them up while they cause trouble. If they don’t have a good reason for this, they can’t blame me for not protecting them.’

The Clan Leader of the Dogman Race was a burly, powerfully built man. Just as he was about to speak, the Dogman girl with the bloody face spoke first: ”These guys are slave traders! They captured our people not long ago! I can smell them! The ones they took are in their wagons!”

Slave traders?

Jonah and Field frowned in unison, their gazes shifting to the caravan.

They hadn’t noticed before, but now that they were looking closely, they indeed saw something was off.

This caravan had far more guards than a typical one, and they were all strong and well-built. At their waists hung not shortswords, but hand axes, and a few even carried heavy crossbows on their backs.

The caravan consisted of a dozen or so large wagons, most of which were covered with thick, black tarps, obscuring their contents.

Most suspiciously, the ruts left in the mud by the wheels of the last few wagons were much deeper than the others.

Field had been an officer for over a decade; he’d seen it all.

He could tell at a glance that those ruts were too deep to have been made by ordinary cargo.

Unless...

His gaze sharpened. Staring at the middle-aged man, his tone grew colder. ”You’re a Slave Hunting Team?”

The middle-aged man’s expression flickered, his gaze wavering for a moment, but he quickly composed himself.

He didn’t deny it. He just spread his hands and said, ”Sir, Bilin City doesn’t prohibit the slave trade, does it? We haven’t broken any rules.”

Field narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

’It’s true, Bilin City doesn’t prohibit the slave trade. No town in the Green Highlands, big or small, does.’

Hearing this, the Dogman girl grew even more enraged. ”You captured our people, and you have the gall to say that!”

The other Dogmen also glared angrily at the caravan.

”Release our people!”

”Shameless slave traders!”

”Hand them over!”

Jonah and Field exchanged a glance, both of their expressions turning troubled.

’Slave Hunting Teams are disgusting, but just like the man said, they haven’t actually violated any of Bilin City’s laws. If we rashly force them to release their captives, we’d be breaking the rules ourselves. And for any prosperous commercial town, the rules are paramount. Once the rulers break the rules and lose the trust of the caravans, fewer and fewer of them will come here in the future. It’s a vicious cycle that would quickly lead to the town’s decline. There are plenty of similar examples.’

’But if we just let the Slave Hunting Team go, it will be hard to answer to the other side. If it were just the Dogman Race, the Bilin Clan wouldn’t give them a second thought. But their status as a Vassal Race of the Silver Moon Race forces the Bilin Clan to take them seriously. Especially with Elves from the Silver Moon Legion right here. Letting their Vassal Race be bullied by a Slave Hunting Team right in front of them... if word of this gets back to the Silver Moon Race, the Bilin Clan will have a lot to answer for. If the Silver Moon Race ends up thinking poorly of the Bilin Clan over this, the cost will far outweigh any benefit.’

For a moment, Jonah and Field were caught in a dilemma, their expressions uncertain.