Before they became slaves, they had their own lives, their own paths, their own relationships... But everything shatters once the collar is fastened around their necks.

The slaves are bound by the power of the contract, unable to defy their "masters" at all.

Every gold coin in the slave trade is stained with the blood and tears of slaves, tainted wealth drenched in black blood.

But... so what?

No matter the era, no matter the world, without power, one ultimately becomes a toy for others to manipulate.

Driven by fate, adrift on the tides of time.

...No, not everyone is indifferent to the slaves.

The Paladins care.

This group of stubborn fools is always at the forefront of fighting against evil!

They care whether the slaves are fed and clothed, whether the slaves are treated unfairly, whether they have lost the will to live...

If Herbert were really just a Paladin of the Mist Monastery, he would be like the other Paladins.

He would reject the slave trade, only wishing to destroy it and sever the chain of sinful desires.

But obviously, Herbert is not an ordinary Paladin.

He has a very flexible moral baseline.

The slave trade sounds very unjust, only making one think of the cruel treatment of slaves.

Slave merchants scour the lands for slaves, treating them as commodities, utterly ignoring their wills.

All of this is true.

Evil, it is truly evil!

Trading with slave merchants and buying slaves is also abetting the wicked.

No buying, no killing.

Yes, that's completely right.

But actually... just think from a slightly different perspective, and the situation becomes entirely different.

Herbert buys them, brings them to his territory, treats them kindly, giving them a new life.

How is that helping the criminals?

It's clearly rescuing the slaves destined for a tragic fate.

Putting an end to greater and more brutal crimes right here with him!

Indeed.

This is evidently saving them!

Just like saving half a pig, half a chicken, half a duck from a farmer during New Year...

Ahem!

Alright, most of the above is Herbert's absurd sophistry.

Herbert is not unaware of what he is doing; as long as he participates in the trade, he can be considered an accomplice to evil.

Such actions are absolutely contrary to the position of a Paladin; if other Cultivators find out, it would cause no small stir.

And after carefully weighing the risks involved, Herbert still resolutely chose to carry out his plan.

Currently, Herbert does not have the qualifications to be a pioneer fighting against the tides of time, cannot become the rebellious force standing in opposition to the world.

So... buy!

The population is indispensable to the Elda Territory, and the slave population is an essential part.

Although the plan is thus prepared, Herbert does not intend to immediately initiate this part right now.

The timing is not ripe yet.

On one hand, purchasing slaves takes time; it's impossible to order today and have them delivered the next day.

Moreover, Herbert doesn't accept just anyone; there are certain standards of requirement.

On the other hand, even if the slaves arrive quickly, there's no place for them to reside.

The preliminary preparation work is not yet complete; this matter has to wait for a bit more.

Thinking of this, Herbert smiled oddly and softly questioned, "But who says I need to look outside now?"

["Hmm?"]

Nenasha was momentarily stunned, unsure what sudden inspiration he had.

["If not outside, who are you looking for? Wait, you're not planning to bring those Heroic Spirits back, are you?"]

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her.

Is he planning to target those broken spirits around the Heavy Knight Heroic Spirits?

Strictly speaking, this is indeed a good choice; the Heroic Spirits require no food, no rest, and have experience constructing buildings in the Divine Kingdom. They are the epitome of perfect infrastructure workers,

but the Heroic Spirits have one fatal flaw—they don't last long.

["Herbert, I advise you to abandon this idea until you've constructed the Heroic Spirit Pool."]

["The state of those broken Heroic Spirits is peculiar; without the power provided by the Heroic Spirit Pool, they cannot manifest for long."]

Previously, their manifestation was triggered by Herbert's appearance; usually, they remain hidden within broken Soul Cores.

If forced to deploy them in such a state, the only outcome is their complete demise after exhausting their power.

And clearly, this is not in Herbert's interest.

If he charges in blindly, it will lead to wasted efforts, complete failure!

Fortunately, Herbert hasn't lost his reason; he waved his hand, signaling Nenasha not to overthink.

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood. Although they are part of my plan, they're not the pioneer force for initial development."

["Then what is your target?"]

Herbert turned around, looking at the mist, as if seeing many figures hidden in the fog, he whispered:

"In these mountains, aren't there plenty of residents who can be recruited?"

"Those... Demons."

Has anyone ever stipulated that only humanoid creatures can become nationals of the Elda Territory?

There hasn't, right?

"Besides, there's now an exceptionally suitable candidate to let me give it a try."

He clenched his half-spiritualized palm, softly laughed, and murmured: "With the loss of their leader, the entire tribe is in chaos, the ambitious vying for the throne..."

"Would you say, is there a more opportune time to take advantage of the situation?"

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