Chapter 2070 – This Time I Want to Gamble
“Yes, one Harpy for one hundred gold coins. Since you’re going to sell slaves anyway, I’ll take them all. How about that?” Jayad asked with a smile.
At market price, an ordinary slave was worth only about ten gold coins. Human lives were cheap. Beautiful girls and healthy strong men could sell for over twenty gold coins, while those with strong combat power could fetch thirty to forty gold coins each.
However, Harpies could fly. The mere characteristic of flight gave them many more uses. The price for flying beast eggs on the market started from seventy to eighty gold coins, and some could sell for hundreds or even thousands of gold coins depending on the monster’s strength or obedience.
Harpies were not mounts, and their nature was rather wild and unruly. The general market price was sixty to seventy gold coins per Harpy. Yet, Jayad offered an extremely high price of one hundred gold coins to buy them all.
Gaspar calculated. He currently had over eighty Harpies. If he sold them to Jayad, he would net eight thousand gold coins, which was almost the manufacturing cost of this cruise ship.
But then he thought again. Jayad, who had a conflict with him, was willing to pay such a high price to buy Harpies from him. It looked like a trap, or rather, he must have a significant use for them.
There’s a saying: seeing you make money feels worse than me making money. This saying could also be applied here. Rather than letting you get your wish and obtain the Harpies, it would be better to keep them myself and watch you suffer. That would be quite enjoyable.
“No, Mr. Everson, these Harpies are still useful to me. I can’t sell them to you. What a pity,” Gaspar said.
“That’s truly a shame.” Older Brother Jayad didn’t pester him. He secretly used mental interference once, but unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Gaspar also carried Anti-Mental Control Magic Apparatus. Moreover, as a very wealthy slave merchant, his resistance to such items was far stronger than that of ordinary merchants.
There was also a crucial point: his hostility towards Jayad was extreme, and their relationship was like fire and water. Deep down, the possibility of cooperating with Jayad was zero; there was simply no such option.
Facing such a stubborn individual, Jayad’s first attempt to amplify his greed, to make his desire for money outweigh his hostility towards him and thus achieve the transaction, failed.
“This guy, he barely has any desire for wealth. Is it because he has too much money? He’s a slave merchant not for money, but more for a sense of control and sadism,” Jayad transmitted to me, assessing Gaspar’s mental state.
That’s also possible. Indeed, some people have so much money their desires become smaller. But to be a slave merchant purely out of a desire for control and sadism, this guy is truly despicable.
“However, Mr. Gaspar, Harpies are indeed very important to me, and I must have them. So, I hope you can reconsider,” Jayad said again.
This made Gaspar even more certain of his guess. The Harpies were important to Jayad, so he definitely shouldn’t let him have his way. He still shook his head firmly: “I’m sorry, I cannot comply.”
“Mr. Antonio, I recall that when merchants have conflicting transactions, they can resolve it through a gamble, right?” Jayad suddenly asked.
“Eh? That’s correct.” Antonio was taken aback by the sudden question and quickly responded. He had also watched the previous gamble and understood what Jayad meant.
“Mr. Gaspar, when I was unwilling to transact before, you forced me into a gamble. So now, can I use the same method to ask you to gamble with me?” Jayad asked.
“Don’t forget, I can also refuse to gamble,” Gaspar sneered. The premise of a gamble was voluntary. He was very adept at tricking and luring others into gambles, and he knew the rules of gambling inside out. It was impossible to trick him in this regard.
“I will offer a price you cannot refuse,” Jayad said confidently.
Last time, Jayad accepted the gamble actually due to pressure from other major merchants and not wanting to be pestered by Gaspar. Now that they were at sea, he didn’t need to be so restrained.
“Oh? I’d like to hear it. How can it be unbearable for me to refuse?” Gaspar smiled. There were very few prices that he couldn’t refuse.
“If I lose, I will return the three slaves I won from you last time. If I win, you will agree to my transaction and sell those Harpies to me at a price of one hundred gold coins each. How about it?” Jayad said.
“Are you telling the truth?” Gaspar was a bit surprised. This condition was indeed tempting. Losing the three slaves last time had truly hurt him.
The pain wasn’t directly from economic loss, but rather those three slaves were his combat mainstays. Especially two of them who were very obedient to him. Without them, Gaspar couldn’t even engage in gambles anymore.
His greatest pleasure was seeing others pound their chests and stomp their feet in frustration after losing a gamble. This was a manifestation of his sadism. Without the three women, he needed to find three equally strong slaves, which was extremely difficult.
Especially Flame Feather, who was squatting on the railing, already half-wolf and half-eagle, was a heavyweight. Her phoenix bloodline was rare, and he had no confidence in finding a replacement for her.
Moreover, even if he lost, he would only be accepting Jayad’s transaction of one hundred gold coins per Harpy. He would have no losses at all, and might even make a substantial profit, though he might be very unhappy.
“Of course, it’s true,” Jayad said. Then he turned to the three female slaves and asked, “If I lose, would you three be willing to return to Mr. Gaspar’s side?”
“Of course.” “No problem.” Mari and Sandstone answered first. They didn’t mind at all because, with their combat power and special characteristics, they received the best treatment by Gaspar’s side, only their status was that of slaves.
“I am also willing to accept,” Flame Feather said. Gaspar’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Flame Feather. This, his most powerful slave, had always been unruly. She couldn’t be controlled without threatening her kin, yet now she said she was willing?
“Mr. Gaspar, you just don’t know how to train slaves. I’ve only had her for a week, and she’s already obedient,” Jayad said with a laugh, extending his hand to Flame Feather.
Flame Feather obediently rubbed against Jayad’s hand. Her compliance made Gaspar stare, of course, Flame Feather was this obedient to save her kin.
“Finally, if you agree to the gamble, you can also choose the method of gambling,” Jayad said last.
