Mana 4 Chapter 3 (Patreon)

As I prepared to make my move, the doors opened and two men flanked us. I quickly reassessed the situation. While the slavers had been poorly equipped and only able to take me in my weakened state, these men were well armed with simple but well-made swords belted at their hips and chain mail peeking out from under their robes.

The way they moved also made it clear that they had more formal training than the slavers, which was admittedly a very low bar. I’d have to wait for another opportunity, but I could at least see if they would listen to reason.

“Hello, this woman illegally captured me and threw this collar on me.” I said to the guard with a smile.

“Shut up. They don’t care.” Mohawk pricked my back again with the knife. True to her word, neither of the men even blinked at my statement. It was worth a shot.

I stepped forward, and both men continued flanking me, guiding me deeper into the auction house. Meanwhile, Mohawk stayed behind and an elderly man began speaking to her. It looked like she was done dealing with me at that point.

“So, where are we headed?” Neither spoke, clearly more well trained and professional than poor, dead Chains. But I wasn’t one to be silenced. “Have some nice accommodations for me?”

It was like talking to a brick wall. But based on the decor, I had a feeling my cell would at least be nicer than at the shack. A man in fine robes passed through a set of curtains, and I got a view of a packed auction house eagerly awaiting the next sale.

“Through there. You were late.” The guard finally spoke as he pushed me into a room behind the stage filled with staged valuables. It looked like they sold much more than slaves out of the auction house. There were a number of crates packed with straw, just barely showing what lurked beneath. Each clearly marked.

Off from the room, there were two ramps that led out to what I assumed was the auction stage. I could hear bidding going on beyond the ramps. Two other individuals were in chains like me, standing alongside a team of guards posted up along the walls. The two guards with me blended seamlessly into the background. I wasn’t sure which, if any of them, were my original two guards.

But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like we had bonded. One guard was as good as another.

I looked around, knowing better than to let panic settle in. I needed to be smart and strategic.

Leaning over to one of the others in chains, I asked. “So, how’s the food here?” There wasn’t much I could do in the situation besides test the limits.

“No talking.” A guard barked, and I shrugged, the chains around my ankles clattering.

Leaning up against a vertical beam, I started whistling the time away. Although my whistle was cut off when a gauntleted hand smacked the back of my head. I turned to say something, but the well dressed middle-aged man came back into the room.

“Is he causing trouble?” He frowned at me. “You just came in.”

Another man came into the room. The same one that had been talking to Mohawk. “Yes, he did. Supposedly, he’s quite the fighter. Fresh to our world.”

“Details?” The one that came from the stage asked.

“Apparently a sword fighter, a cultivator, and he was able to create a domain, though his seller said it was ineffective.”

“Interesting. Have anything to say for yourself?” He asked me.

I shrugged. “I’ve killed lots of people. Entire organizations, actually. My old world got boring, and I came here to play around. Let me go, and I won’t come back here to kill you all later.”

The old man snorted, and my chains shot up in the air, hauling me up the beam. “Things are a little different here. Do not mistake me for the miscreants that brought you in here.”

I looked up at the chains, studying them. Nothing I could see was holding them. If it wasn’t for the damn collar, I’d be able to access my mana and get a better understanding of what he was doing.

My best guess was he had an affinity for metal like I did. But when I looked back down at him, he was staring at my chest. More specifically, he was staring at my rings now that my robe had slipped open wider.

“What are those?”

“Colorful designs that I liked. Think they are cool?” I smirked, finding it interesting that he didn’t know what they were. But I wasn’t about to fill in details he didn’t know. I tucked away that he didn’t recognize my rings for later.

The man didn’t move, but he didn’t have to. A guard hit me for him.

“I’ll take this while you puzzle out what you want.” The old man who’d taken me from Mohawk lifted something from a crate and went out to the stage. Meanwhile, the middle-aged auctioneer puzzled over me.

“You could really make this far easier for yourself.” He poked Quinn’s ring. A probe of his mana forced itself into my body and the collar around my neck activated, burning its painful enchantment into my mind. The pain alone knocked the wind out of me. “Oh. Didn’t mean to do that. They put quite the enchantment on you.”

He squinted and stepped away. “Maybe they were telling the truth. We should get rid of you sooner rather than later.”

The chains stopped holding me up, and I fell to the floor, landing on my rear. “Thanks. I’d love to get out of here.”

I could hear the bidding picking up through the doorway on whatever it was the man had carried out, followed by silence as a winner was announced.

“You’re up. Fair warning, if you cause trouble, I’ll kill you on the stage as an example. We can’t be seen to lose control over our merchandise.” The middle-aged auctioneer warned.

I followed along with short steps and made my way out onto the stage, taking in all the details I could. The place was nice, rich curtains parted a smooth wooden stage from the crowd. But small orbs in the corner of the stage put out bright lights into my face that made it nearly impossible to see the crowd or what was beyond them. I’d hoped to scope out some exit options.

“I have quite the special treat for all of you! A fighter, fresh into our world. You can mold him into what you need him to be. He was found in the Jungle of a Thousand Paths before he could walk, but yet put up a fight that killed two slavers.”

I snorted. Of course, Mohawk had blamed their deaths on me. My snort earned me a look of disdain from the auctioneer before he continued.

“He has shown himself to be an expert swordsman and a powerful cultivator, no doubt at the peak of his previous world. He produced an incomplete domain, suggesting he at least has the capacity to become a celestial.” The auctioneer put that out there like it was a big deal. A very big deal.

And it must have been, because someone already started shouting. “Ten thousand mana crystals.” The voice was an oily sounding man.

The auctioneer turned and looked at me, a greedy sneer on his face that just reeked of satisfaction, before turning back. “Any other bids?”

A smooth, sultry woman’s voice spoke next. “Twenty thousand.”

Instinctively, I preferred her, but I had a feeling anybody buying me as a slave wasn’t going to be my favorite person.

“As you can see, this slave is not just a capable fighter, but in fantastic health! Enjoy him in bed or as a guard, or even both! The options for his use are quite vast, making him a wonderful investment.” The auctioneer continued to sell me, and I was conflicted if I should be insulted or flattered.

“Thirty thousand.” The oily man said again, even as another deeper voice tried to speak over him.

“Would you do me a favor and let me have this one?” The female voice asked before announcing. “Thirty-five Thousand.”

There was some grumbling in the crowd, and the auctioneer’s smile became stiff. She must have some sway in the area if she was able to pressure the price. I smirked at the auctioneer’s discomfort in the silence. No one bid against her.

“Are you sure you want to give up this prize, Mr. Ying?” The auctioneer asked and received a silent room in response.

“Then to Madam Orchid goes this auction.” He rapped his gavel and shooed me off the stage. “Enjoy that one.” He took stock of the room after dismissing me and looked for his next item to auction.

A guard grabbed me and led me back to my spot while the auction continued. I puzzled over the bits of information I’d gotten. The auctioneer had said Madam with a bit of a sneer, which made the name feel less a class standing, and more like a brothel owner.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, people started filtering into the room and collecting their items. A woman rolled into the room in a long, puffy white dress and smiled at me. “Come along. Take this and this.” Her perfume wriggled its way up my nose and lodged itself there. It was beyond strong. It was like she wanted to smack everybody in the face with the scent.

Collecting the items she’d pointed to as we passed, I learned that if nothing else; she was wealthy. Based on one of the tags on a piece of fruit, it was worth as much as I was. That was a sobering thought, given that someone was likely going to consume it. What good did a fruit do anybody?

“Do you know who I am?” Madam Orchid asked as we walked.

“Not a clue.” My running theory was that I’d been sold to a brothel, but I didn’t want to risk offending her. I figured I’d try to win her over and see if we could come to an agreement.

“Well, you’ll find out soon. Surprised you aren’t more interested in that fruit in front of you.”

“Expensive for a piece of food. I’m guessing it has something to help in cultivation.”

She turned slightly and raised her brow. “Partially correct. That there is a very rare material that will help someone step onto the path of cultivation if they haven’t been able to naturally do so.”

I looked at the crate I was carrying, understanding the importance of such a material. “Then I understand its value. Being a mage opens many doors.”

“You speak as if you understand this world already.” She gave me a calculating smile.

“I understand enough about how worlds generally work. Human nature hasn’t seemed to change much with the new world.” My tone was dry, like I was talking about the weather. After being a sect leader for thirty years, the things I’d seen could fill hundreds of scrolls on how to cheat to get ahead. Numerous times, I’d had to step in to enforce some boundaries. Not everybody was a depraved cheater, but there were a scant few who would exploit an opportunity.

“Good. Then I hope you understand when I say that I’ll get my investment out of you, plus interest. But I won’t keep you forever.” Madam Orchid gave me a cool smile.

I didn’t have to like it, but it was the first option I’d gotten to get out of this mess. “I just hope that you make it a reasonable interest rate so it isn’t just slavery by another name.”

“I think I’ll like you.” She smiled and continued on through the city without another word.

As we walked in silence, I got a better understanding for the woman that would be my… employer. My pride was still refusing to think of her as anything else.

Madam Orchid made an impression on people passing by in the streets. I had thought with her status we would be in a cart, but we were on our feet. Yet she walked like she was above the common rabble on the same street. No one else wore blindingly bright white, like dirt didn’t touch her.

As we walked, the city began to become nicer. It appeared the auction house was at the border between the wealthy and poor areas of the city.

As we moved deeper into the wealthy area of the city, it became clear what building we were moving towards.

A tower-like building with nine floors rose up above the homes and shops. Like Madam Orchid, it was pristine. A building made of white marble. Yet people seemed to avoid it except for the few that walked in quickly.

“This will be your new home. I’ll have one of the other servants show you the ropes and explain the rules. Can I count on you not to run?”

“Of course.” I lied. If she gave me the opportunity, I’d disappear from this city. First, I’d hunt down Mohawk for some starting cash.

“Uh huh.” She didn’t sound convinced. “We’ll at least change out that nasty piece of work for something more comfortable while you stay in the Orchid Pavilion.”

That was progress, at least. “What will it do?”

“The same thing that one does, but different settings. Instead of restricting your use of mana, it will restrict where you are. You leave and the pain starts.” She said simply.

Nodding, I followed her into the building, which was possibly even more ornate than the auction house. The first floor looked to be split between a grand dining room and another closed off area.

“Hello Madam.” A girl greeted by standing and bowing from behind a dark wooden desk at the entrance.

“Can you keep an eye on this one? I’ll go grab someone to show him around.”

“Yes, happily Madam.” She dipped her head as she spoke. There was no collar around her neck that spoke of being forced to be in the building. “I’d be happy to take him in and find someone.”

“No. I’ll have to get someone to man the desk then.” Madam Orchid chided the overeager woman as she walked deeper into the pavilion. She hadn’t seemed concerned about me running. I wondered how far I could get.

Curious, I tried to strike up a conversation. “So, are you forced to work here?”

“No. It is an honor to work here.” The woman snapped, glaring daggers at me. “You should be thankful for the opportunity.”

“Uh huh.” I wasn’t so sure I agreed with her assessment. “Well, as you can see, I’m not exactly here by choice.” My fingers tugged at the collar for emphasis.

“This pavilion is a place to cultivate. Powerful cultivators come and go from here constantly. If you know what is good for you, you’ll use that to your advantage.”

I stored that interesting piece of information. They must be high-class clientele paying for dual cultivation. Sounded like an excuse for a brothel, but if this woman was okay with being used, that was her choice. “Am I going to be forced to… service the clientele?”

“Eww. No.” The girl wrinkled her nose. “How is it possible that you don’t already know this? The Orchid Pavilion is well known.”

“I just came to this world. I was chained and collared before I could adjust to the immortal mana and the gravity.” Even now, I was working to adapt. I could feel my body low on energy after the walk to the building, but I was hiding it as best as I could.

Her mouth made a big O. “You were caught in the Jungle of a Thousand Paths?”

“Something like that.” I said, feeling a bit friendlier now that she wasn’t quite so antagonistic. Apparently, she felt at least a little sympathy for me and my situation.

“Then you have no idea what this place is. Okay, let me give you the basics. People come here looking for particular aspects to cultivate. Madam Orchid trains us as a small sect with a variety of techniques. Many of us have mastered various cultivation techniques and types. The clients spend sometimes up to years here, fostering a relationship and intertwining their cultivation path with a partner to change their cultivation.”

I frowned. “It isn’t just dual cultivation?”

“It is so much more than dual cultivation. Do you even know how cultivation works here?”

That sounded far more like the practice of understanding and forming a domain than the cultivation I’d become accustomed to. “There must be ranks?”

But before she could answer, Madam Orchid came back with a man past his prime.

I did a double take at the man. Without his long beard, I almost didn’t recognize him. “Tiger Elder?” Before me was someone I recognized. One of the Tiger Clan elders of The Ferrymen that had left in the previous accension.

“You know each other?” The Madam looked between us. “Fate is such a tricky thing.”

“Please, call me Charles. I don’t deserve to be called an elder.” He cupped his hands and bowed, his eyes raking over me as confusion flickered across his face. “It hasn’t been a hundred years, has it?”

“No. I came here on my own.” I looked at the man who had once been an elder of the sect and left with Fairy Su and the rest of the sect’s elders with the previous ascension. “How are you here?”

“Enough chitchat. Charles, show him around and explain things to him. I expect him to be working tomorrow.” With that, the Madam excused herself. The lady at the desk had sat back down and was waving to a man that was just now entering the establishment.

I turned to Tige—Charles. “Tell me what happened.” Politeness was gone from my voice.

“First, let's get that collar off of you. We can swap stories after that.”