Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 105
105, Mari-nee with what she can’t do with and what she can do now
We left the plaza in a hurry, deciding to return to our base for the time being.
We wanted to avoid being noticed by the cult members any further, and I also needed to consult with everyone about what to do next.
The issue at hand, involving a system akin to slavery, was too significant for me to handle alone.
Once back at our base, we quickly gathered our usual group with three into a small room and started discussing Joshua.
Joshua had lost a conflict with a family within Xenoa, akin to a mafia in the real world, and ended up being enslaved by one of the families.
The king had previously mentioned that “Xenoa values organizations and families over order,” which implied that people outside of these organizations or families were not valued.
Joshua, not being skilled in combat, failed repeatedly at various tasks and ultimately was sold as a slave to a merchant from Liberta.
The fact that slave trade between Xenoa and Liberta was commonplace was shocking to me.
Fortunately, it seemed that the merchant master did not abuse his slaves, but looking at Joshua, it was clear his treatment wasn’t exactly good either.
I wanted to help him, but given the constraints of the system, it seemed that the only solution might be to buy his freedom with money.
I had the money and could do it if I decided to.
Thinking that if it would set Joshua free, I voiced my thoughts, but…
“It’s not the same as picking up a stray dog or cat, you idiot.”
“You’re definitely not thinking this through enough,” another said.
“It’s typical of Maria to act on impulse to help others, but this time I’m not impressed,” Roulette added.
I received criticism from everyone.
And Roulette? Impulsively helping others? I don’t recall doing that… probably.
“What you were about to do is, to put it bluntly, buy Joshua as a commodity. But he’s not the only slave, is he? If you save Joshua, what about the other slaves? You don’t have infinite money. And what do you plan to do after buying him?”
“Well, I’d set him free…”
“And then what? He has no skills. He can’t fight. Even within Caldia, there’s a stark difference in treatment and living conditions between the inner city and outer city. How is a foreigner supposed to survive in such an environment?”
I couldn’t argue with Mareus’s words.
If he needed something to sustain himself, the only thing I could teach him was cooking.
But my cooking was just an extension of home cooking, made intuitively, so I wasn’t sure if I could teach it properly.
Even if I could teach him, there was still the problem of where he would work.
We could hire him at the cafeteria, but Retya and Ryle were already managing it well, and as Mareus said, we couldn’t hire many people.
As I pondered, Joshua murmured.
“This is enough.”
His tone was resigned, as if he had given up on expecting anything.
“I’ve never been treated this well since leaving Xenoa… thank you.”
He smiled faintly, but his eyes seemed darker.
I wanted to say something but didn’t know what.
Perhaps to ease the burden on me, Joshua said he would go carry some luggage and started to leave.
I almost reached out to stop him, but Mareus’s logical argument replayed in my mind, and my hand hovered in the air.
Is there really nothing I can do for him…?
As if reading my inner conflict, Mareus offered a lifeline.
“Hold on. There’s a difference between not being able to change the slavery system and not being able to do anything at all.”
“What do you mean?”
I wasn’t quite sure what he was getting at.
“Turning a blind eye to this would leave a bad taste in my mouth. And as a craftsman, there are things we can do right now.”
“I agree. At least, we could improve these shackles and chains a bit,” another added.
“We could line the inside of the shackles with fur to prevent chafing,” Roulette suggested.
“If you want to lighten the chains, you could make the links hollow, but that might cause them to resonate like a bell. Maybe we should switch from iron to a different material.”
“What about wood? It’s easy to work with and lightweight.”
“But it wouldn’t sound metallic when the chains clash, would it?”
“We could make it a bit heavier by attaching thin sheets of iron to the wood. Then, we could apply acid to give it a corroded look, making it indistinguishable from the original chains at first glance.”
The three experienced craftsmen quickly began formulating a plan to make immediate improvements.
Watching them work was reassuring, a feeling I hadn’t had in a while…
“But couldn’t we just remove the chains and shackles entirely?”
“They don’t seem to be anything special.”
“Should we just try breaking them?”
Just as I felt reassured, things took a dubious turn.
Especially with Roulette suggesting we break the iron chains… well, if it’s Roulette, maybe she can actually do it?
As I pondered over these trivial thoughts, a voice echoed from somewhere.
“Those chains are enchanted. Forcibly removing them is not advisable.”
The voice was unmistakably familiar.
When the hidden door under the carpet opened, as expected, it was the king.
“It can’t be helped, I shall lend my power!”
No way he just dramatically appeared like that without timing it on purpose, right?
And hasn’t he been visiting here too frequently lately??
The secret passage meant for emergencies now seemed like it was being used for casual strolls.
Isn’t that counterproductive…?
By the way, Kanna, who was about to cheer for the king’s entrance, was swiftly silenced by Roulette. She was mumbling something with her mouth covered, but for now, it should be fine, I think.
“These shackles and chains function like bells. If they are destroyed, the owner will be alerted. They are made robust enough not to break easily. Moreover, breaking them might lead to repercussions for the person’s family back in Xenoa, depending on the contract.”
“That sounds like a pretty crude system, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed. But think about it. Do you think it’s worth adding complex enchantments to slaves bought as cheap labor? Binding someone’s life with magic is not cheap.”
“That does make sense when you put it that way.”
Mareus seemed somewhat convinced from a craftsman’s perspective, but that wasn’t the point I wanted to discuss.
“Your Majesty, why do Xenoa and Liberta engage in the slave trade? At least, we don’t have slaves in Caldia, right?”
“I do not recognize slavery as a legitimate system in our country, but I cannot impose our laws on other nations. As for why Xenoa and Liberta engage in slave trade, it has to do with Xenoa’s political structure and geography.”
According to the king, Xenoa is located northeast of Caldia, separated by a vast forest teeming with powerful monsters, known as the ‘Great Forest of Demons,’ making travel between the two countries almost impossible.
To the west of Xenoa lies Legios, but between these two countries are treacherous snow-covered mountains, also impassable for ordinary people.
The north and east are surrounded by the sea, leaving only a narrow plain to the south and center.
However, the land is barren and not suitable for growing crops.
As a result, they are forced to brave the ‘Great Forest of Demons’ to fight monsters, selling the materials obtained to earn a living.
The only feasible trading partner for these materials is Liberta, with whom they share the only manageable land route.
Liberta, in turn, sells food, primarily imported from Caldia, to Xenoa.
The problem lies in the importance of the traded goods. Liberta also trades with other countries and wouldn’t face a severe blow if they couldn’t buy monster materials.
But for Xenoa, not being able to buy food from Liberta would result in starvation.
It was clear who had the upper hand in these negotiations.
“So, in exchange for continuing to purchase materials, Liberta proposed the slave trade. For Xenoa, it wasn’t an entirely negative arrangement since they could dispose of unwanted members of defeated families from conflicts and convert them into money. And thus, the practice has continued until now.”
After hearing this explanation, we all fell silent.
We could understand the logic behind it, but it was hard to accept.
Especially from an emotional standpoint, it was difficult to come to terms with.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, the king changed the subject.
“While that’s the history of how things came to be between the two countries, the important question is what can be done now for this person, isn’t it?”
“Right. Let’s start with what we can do. Hey, Kanna, about gathering materials… wait, is she okay?”
“What do you mean?”
Roulette responded in her usual calm manner, while Mareus pointed at Kanna, his face tense.
“No, I mean… Kanna’s face isn’t just pale; it’s turning white.”
“It seems I accidentally covered her nose as well while trying to silence her struggle.”
As Roulette removed her hand, Kanna, now rolling her eyes back, collapsed dramatically.
Roulette attempted to play it off with a sheepish smile, as if to say, “Oops,” but I didn’t miss the look of horror on Joshua’s face as he witnessed the scene.
N-no, it’s fine, really!
There’s nothing to be afraid of, okay?
I silently reassured myself, thinking that I was probably trying to convince myself as much as Joshua… but that’s a secret I’ll keep to myself.