Swallowed Star: Drawing Talents

Emerging from the military armory, Yang Wu, accompanied by two Flowing Silver Guards, swiftly headed towards his final destination in Dragon City—the slave market!

Having already purchased the planetary defense system, acquiring high-level slaves was a natural next step, otherwise, he would find it difficult to cope alone when cosmic adventurers arrived.

The slave market teemed with people, with expansive slave trading malls occupying large areas, their entrances adorned with numerous display stands.

However, these stands showcased not mere objects, but living, breathing human beings.

Some individuals even approached potential customers, enthusiastically introducing the slaves on display, each slave dutifully releasing their aura in cooperation.

Apprentice-level, Planetary-level, and Star-level beings were all available as slaves here.

The slave trade was an immensely profitable industry, with some planetary lords using entire planets to cultivate slaves, harvesting them like韭菜 (chives).

Crop after crop!

Even some powerful forces in the universe directly enslaved weaker races, breeding generations solely for the purpose of selling them into slavery, an endless cycle for their descendants.

Walking through the slave market, witnessing entire clans being sold, thousands upon thousands transported away like merchandise, Yang Wu felt a chill run down his spine!

Despite the detailed descriptions in the original novel, witnessing it firsthand was far more shocking.

This slave market laid bare the dark, cruel, and predatory nature of the universe, exposing it in all its gory detail.

No matter how beautifully adorned the surface of this world might be, its essence remained one of barbarity and plunder.

Not only did the weak lack human rights, but even the strong could be openly bought and sold.

To filter out strong humans, the higher-ups retained certain competitive mechanisms, such as the division of human races and the existence of slavery.

Only the strong could attain higher status and better treatment, while the weak suffered miserably.

But honestly, Yang Wu doubted this mechanism.

He had once pondered a question: if Earth were plundered by cosmic adventurers or seized by the human race's higher-ups, would Luo Feng still wholeheartedly act for the human race?

No!

Knowing Luo Feng, Yang Wu believed that if he left the human race, not retaliating would be considered good temper.

Moreover, this system of slavery-based competition inherently harbored significant risks.

Imagine a genius who has been a slave since childhood, their values twisted; would they truly feel a sense of belonging to the race after growing up?

Would the human race's higher-ups be unaware of this?

Perhaps, under pressure from other peak races, they maintained the status quo for the sake of the bigger picture, as this system was deeply rooted and any change would have widespread repercussions.

Perhaps, to permanently safeguard their own interests, the higher-ups represented not only themselves but also their countless followers and descendants.

Or perhaps, they simply didn't care!

Was the race truly selfless?

No, true selflessness was only found in a small number of individuals, such as the City Lord of Chaos and the Founder of the Giant Axe.

Yang Wu calmed himself, realizing his strength was still too weak; abolishing slavery was beyond his current capabilities.

However, one thing was certain: anyone who dared to lay a hand on Earth would have their claws chopped off.

No matter how long it took, no matter who they were!

Despite Yang Wu's usual affable demeanor, he was inherently ruthless, and anyone who crossed his bottom line would learn what a truly ruthless person was like!

Instinctive caution had led Yang Wu to choose a steady approach, but now, to hell with the risks!

Risks were for the future; without any sense of security now, who cared about the future?

After this return trip, he would ask Babata for the account and obtain an undying corpse from the Yunmo Star spacecraft to sell at the Cosmic Galaxy Bank.

That cheapskate Babata wouldn't easily hand over the undying corpse; he would need a convincing story to trick Babata into agreeing.

Yang Wu's heart felt heavy as he quickly arrived at a large slave merchant's mall.

Inside the mall, a gray-haired manager, nearly two meters tall, immediately greeted him.

His eyes gleamed: 'Respected sir, what kind of slaves are you looking for? Whether beautiful or powerful, we can provide them all here.'

'Show me the Star-level slaves,' Yang Wu said calmly.

The gray-haired manager was overjoyed; Star-level slaves were highly priced and extremely profitable.

'Sir, please come to the reception room for a detailed discussion!'

In the spacious reception room.

A virtual projection appeared before Yang Wu, displaying a large number of slaves' appearances, heights, detailed strength data, racial information, and prices.

'Star-level fifth-order martial artist: 80 million Black Dragon coins; Star-level seventh-order: 500 million; eighth-order: 2 billion; ninth-order: 5 billion.

Psionic masters are three times the price of martial artists of the same level!'

Yang Wu scrolled through the virtual projection, pondering.

'Give me three Star-level ninth-order psionic masters, all from the Black Meng race,' Yang Wu said after a long pause, pointing to the selected virtual projections.

The manager was astonished; though he sensed Yang Wu's extraordinary status, he hadn't expected him to be so generous, ordering three Star-level ninth-order psionic masters in one go.

45 billion Black Dragon coins!

He hastily noted it down: 'Certainly.'

‘Give me seven Star-level ninth-order martial artists,’ Yang Wu said, pointing to the virtual projection: ‘All from the Camon race.’

The Black Meng race was more talented in psionics, while the Camon race had advantages in martial arts.

What a huge deal!

The manager was ecstatic; a rare opportunity, he hadn't misjudged this young man as a big client.

‘Sir, do you have any other needs?’

The manager was thrilled; if this deal went through, he would not only receive a substantial bonus but also potentially move up in his position.

‘What kind of discount can you offer?’

‘Sir, the slaves you want total 80 billion, and we can offer you a 5% discount, which would be 76 billion,’

the manager said respectfully, ‘This is absolutely the biggest discount we can give you.’

‘Let’s settle it on the spot!’

Yang Wu said, since there were only ten slaves, there was no need to go to the planetary docking port to settle the transaction.

‘Alright!’ The manager beamed.

In the basement of the slave mall.

Adhering to the principle of customer supremacy, the slave merchant's efficiency was extremely high; in about ten minutes, they completed the highest-level recognition procedure for the slaves.

‘Master!’

Ten slaves with extraordinary bearing bowed slightly towards Yang Wu in unison, their voices filled with utmost respect.

‘Follow me,’ Yang Wu said.

‘Yes, Master.’