Chapter 265: Secret Auction
How should I put it? The Empire gives Owen a strong sense of division.
The Imperial border regions are completely medieval in appearance. Peasants are crude, nobles are arrogant, knights are flamboyant. Everyone is baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, trying to prove they’re not to be messed with. Even among the peasants, brawls and bullying are frequent.
This is mainly due to excessive poverty and instability. The difficult life forces them to raise every barb on their bodies, and while reminding others not to approach, they also hurt themselves.
The situation only changes as you get closer to the heartland. It seems to become more civilized.
The peasants here are also illiterate, but because most of them are self-sufficient farmers who own their land, they are more honest and hardworking. The commoners are mostly artisans, with skills to support themselves and stable incomes.
The gentry and knights are more cultured than those on the Northland border and enjoy a good reputation locally. Therefore, if there is a conflict between the peasants and commoners, they will be invited to judge right and wrong. And regardless of whether the outcome is satisfactory or not, no one will refute it, let alone have objections.
As for the lords, they are aloof and awe-inspiring, rarely interacting with commoners, like people from two different worlds.
Owen found that this method of rule was surprisingly stable. After careful consideration, he discovered the secret behind it.
In fact, the most crucial point of the entire class system is that there is a large number of self-sufficient farmers and artisans forming a solid foundation for the upper ruling class.
The two most numerous groups, after having a stable income, naturally yearn for peace. Because only in peace can they farm their land and conduct their business. Therefore, anyone who incites unrest is their enemy. Even a righteous outlaw like Robin Hood would have no place in this atmosphere of rule, because the vast majority of ordinary people do not need occasional small favors, but rather a sufficiently stable life.
As for the gentry and knights, their status and position come from the local lord, and the lord also needs to rely on them to guide the thinking of the grassroots. The two complement each other.
Therefore, the seemingly simple class division makes the local lord’s rule as solid as a rock. No wonder even though there is an uprising every few decades, it doesn’t hurt their foundation, let alone shake the lord’s rule.
This is precisely what every traditional noble relies on. They have each ruled this land for hundreds of years, and every inch of this place is deeply imprinted with their mark. Even the Emperor cannot make any move on this land without going through them.
In fact, it was the same in the ancient times of my previous life, only they were called aristocratic families.
The saying “Dynasties change like flowing water, but aristocratic families are as solid as iron” is no joke. Unless you break everything down and repeatedly forge it into a single entity, you cannot unravel this stubborn class system.
And as long as the class system exists, there can be no leap forward, let alone development. The Empire clearly possesses extraordinary power and has a group of mages comparable to Da Vinci, but for thousands of years, apart from becoming increasingly bloated, the Empire has not changed much.
Moreover, beneath the seemingly peaceful surface, there is a dark and cruel side. If everything were so beautiful, where would the chaotic evil organizations within the Empire come from? Where would the unrest that erupts every few decades come from? Where would the people who are eager to pioneer the Northland come from? It’s just maintaining a superficial peace.
“Auction?” Owen put down the book in his hand and looked curiously at Count Dekla, who was savoring fine black tea.
“Yes, a secret auction will be held nearby. I received an invitation. I wonder if you are interested in going to have a look.” After savoring the taste, Count Dekla put down his black tea and said to Owen casually.
Secret means shady, and shady means illegal. No, there’s no question of legality. Unless they’re auctioning nobles, even auctioning off the Emperor’s underwear is legal. As for slaves and such, it’s even more commonplace. Although there is no large-scale slave trade in the Empire, it doesn’t mean there are no slaves. In fact, many nobles have the habit of buying slaves. As for where these slaves end up, it’s not something commoners should ask about.
“Then let’s go and see.” Although Owen knew that there would definitely be things happening at this auction that were against his moral compass, his inner curiosity about the darkness drove him to agree. He considered it intelligence gathering.
“When we get to the Imperial Capital, I’ll take you to a top-tier secret auction. That’s where the real good stuff is. This auction here is just to pass the time.” Because of the long journey, the envoy mission and the enfeoffment group had to rest here for a few days. Coincidentally, Count Dekla received the invitation and planned to take this opportunity to deepen his relationship with the other party. After all, they were young people with little resistance to some of the things at the secret auction.
With a strange smile, Count Dekla made an appointment with Owen for the time and leisurely went back with the complimentary black tea.
Walking so slowly, Count Dekla was deliberately doing it for those two to see. Who wouldn’t want a potential asset? It just depended on who was quicker.
After the other party left, Owen pondered for a moment and snapped his fingers. Shinobi immediately emerged from the shadows.
“You come with me tomorrow, Charle stays behind to prepare for backup.” Judging by Count Dekla’s attitude, the secret auction shouldn’t be dangerous. But as a transmigrator and it being his first time in the Empire, Owen wouldn’t be surprised by any unexpected situations. For example, a few hot-blooded youths rushing into the auction to save someone, or encountering a beautiful young assassin with a tragic past who wants to assassinate a fat and greasy noble, or someone coming to assassinate Count Dekla, causing him to get involved. These things all needed to be considered in advance.
At night, eight black knights in black armor, escorting a strange pure black carriage, arrived silently.
Wearing a mask and a robe, Owen boarded the carriage. Inside sat Count Dekla, similarly dressed.
Neither of them spoke, because there was a magical restriction inside the carriage. In addition to eliminating sound, it also prevented them from seeing outside. Coupled with a function similar to a suspension chassis, it made people inside feel like they were isolated from the world, unaware of anything happening outside and unable to predict where the carriage was going through other senses.
This was mainly for confidentiality. Obviously, the secret auction didn’t want people to know the route or location.
However, this method only worked on ordinary people. Not to mention Owen having a dozen ways to crack it, just looking at Count Dekla’s calm demeanor, you could tell he was also prepared.
Two more people got on along the way. Everyone was in masks and black robes. If you fiddled with the shoe soles and shoulder pads a bit, even height and body shape would be hard to determine.
The reason for such secretive attire was mainly to prevent others from knowing who they were. After all, the items at the secret auction were not only tricky, but some special items could easily make people guess their shameful fetishes.
Everyone had a reputation to uphold. Some things could be done, but not spoken about. They had to be concealed.
