?While the traders were surprised by the soldier's apparent annoyance, one person watched the soldier from afar with keen interest. His eyes never left the soldier.
Then, he stood up, 'I need to tell the boss.'
With inconspicuous movent, he began to navigate through the bustling crowd, the man left the free-duty zone and made his way toward the city.
Because there are so many people, none of them finds him suspicious. And he, himself doesn't do anything that attracts unnecessary attention either.
His journey led him to one of the nondescript houses that lined the street in the eastern part of the city.
Without hesitation, he entered the building, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Inside the house which he was very familiar with, the man reached a seemingly ordinary room.
He approached a specific spot on the floor and lifted a section of the wooden flooring, revealing a concealed opening beneath.
The man descended a set of hidden stairs, the passage leading him beneath the ground.
The cool, damp air enveloped him as he traversed downwards.
....
Albert led his family back into the underground room, the sa place where he had earlier waited for the bald man.
Throughout the process of bringing his family here, Albert encountered no difficulties.
Luck seems to be on his side.
"Fuu... it's really cold down here," Albert remarked as they reached the room. His breath ford a mist in the cool air.
"It is, but we've already grown used to it," replied the bald man.
He was anxiously waiting for Albert all this ti. His impatience was thinly veiled for every passing second.
He wished for nothing more than to get rid of Albert from this city as soon as possible.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
The bald man responded with an impatient tone, "You seem to take your sweet ti, huh? I thought you were on the run."
"My bad! It's really hard to move discreetly with all the stuff we brought together with us."
"Sigh... Whatever! Is this all of your family?"
He cast an assessing gaze at the three people standing close to Albert.
The woman standing closely behind Albert must be his wife, while the other two, who look considerably younger, were his son and daughter.
Each of them carried a small bag, presumably precious items belonging to them.
It was a far cry from the imnse wealth the Ferrons actually possessed.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to take everything together with them.
The bald man felt a twinge of curiosity about the bags' contents, given the Ferrons' affluent status. However, he restrained himself from delving into their personal belongings.
"Yes. So... when should we move?" Albert asked.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Before the bald man could reply to Albert's question, he heard a footstep coming toward them. His body instinctively tensed but shortly after, a man erged from a nearby tunnel.
Recognizing the man as one of his lackeys, the bald man eases his posture.
"Boss!" he called, sounds like a slight panic in his voice. "The soldiers... they are here, searching for Albert Ferron."
The bald man raises his eyebrows in response to the news. He was shocked at how fast the soldiers were there. But, his shock was overshadowed by the Ferrons who lost all the blood on their face. Their face was visibly paled.
"Where are they right now?" he asked his lackey.
"At the free-duty zone. They lingered around there and in the eastern part of Tegrot as well, asking people a bunch of questions. I don't think they are going to go away so soon."
Panic crept into Albert's voice as he asked, "What are we gonna do now?"
"Did they block the path out of this kingdom?"
"No,not yet." The lackey shook his head.
"Then, there's nothing to be worried about. Follow ."
Guiding them through another path, the bald man led the Ferron family out of the room.
The tunnel felt notably longer compared to the one they had taken to reach the initial room.
As they erged into another open space, they were greeted by a vast underground area, several tis larger than the room they had been in before.
For Ferrons, the sheer size of the space was unbelievable. Not to ntion, it was located beneath the ground.
"Just how many years does it take to dig this?" Albert wondered aloud.
"Ten years or so. This place was gradually expanded over ti." the bald man replied.
"We have been using this place for our business since the era of Count Gyalcakes."
"Business, huh?" Albert looked around. A prison-like room lined up left and right.
Being a rich man with many connections, he does know about this and now he sees it with his own eyes.
Of course, the prisons contained its inhabitants. Most of them were in their early teenage years.
"If the king gets to know about this, it won't end with a simple death," said Albert.
In Ryntum County, any sort of human trading was banned from the ti of this founder. It's understandable since Ryntum traces back its root to a commoner's origin.
And when the House of Ryntum established itself as a kingdom, the law was applied to the rest of the territory.
However, the law regarding human trading was not universal. Aside from Ryntum, Cerdeauxia and a handful more, slavery persisted. What Albert currently is seeing is probably the legacy left behind by the Gyalcakes.
Perhaps, it was the only place in the kingdom that still operating to this day.
Well, since there was demand, this guy supplied it to the neighbour next door.
"I know, that's why I wish to get rid of you quickly." the bald man replied.
"But, if these kids go missing, wouldn't the authorities eventually know?" Albert questioned.
"They are either orphans or not citizens of this kingdom."
"Ah! No wonder you seem so relaxed."
Their footsteps eventually ca to a halt.
Before them lay a row of wagons, complete with horses and all. As for how it gets here, there's a slope path that used to take them to the ground.
Albert couldn't help but notice the flurry of activity as n bustled around, loading the wagons with various items.
However, Albert was keenly aware that these 'goods' were not only your typical commodities.
The bald man handed multiple large gunny sacks to the Ferrons. "We're going to move you like those grains."
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