Chapter 134: The World's Greatest Scum
Seeing this scene, Ian's gaze turned icy, but a raging fire of anger burned hotter and hotter in his chest. Rayleigh was right; being auctioned off at a human auction house was nothing compared to this. The true tragedy of slaves was the life they endured after being sold.
And becoming a Celestial Dragon's slave was the most tragic of all!
Even as he watched, Ian tried his best to remain calm. He still had unfinished business and couldn't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture here.
Inside the slave prison, it seemed a new batch of slaves had arrived, which was why Ian witnessed this branding scene. After the branding was done, Ian saw one of the armored guards pull out a ringing baby Den Den Mushi and start talking. Once the call ended, they opened a cage, dragged a person out, and left with him.
After the armored guards withdrew, Ian waited until no one was around before slipping inside.
The slave prison held many people. A rough count put the number at about seventy or eighty.
Thanks to the soundproof barrier, Ian appeared almost silently. At first, the slaves in the prison didn't notice him, their heads hanging in despair as they stared blankly at the ground. It wasn't until he stood in front of one cage that the slave inside saw him.
This was a tall, sturdy man. When he saw Ian appear, he was puzzled at first, but then he noticed the difference in Ian's attire, and a spark of light burst into his eyes!
He excitedly tried to step forward, but his hands and feet were chained to the wall, preventing him from moving. Instead, he only rattled his chains.
Ian stood outside the iron cage, his soundproof barrier enveloping it to keep him from making any noise.
Even so, his movements seemed to catch the attention of others. The slaves in the prison lifted their heads one by one, trying to see what was happening, and immediately spotted Ian, a figure completely clad in black!
Though it was black, his outfit was entirely different from the so-called black-clad guards, and they could tell at a glance.
This sparked a thought in the slaves' minds that they usually wouldn't dare to imagine, and they too became excited.
But they silently refrained from making any noise, only struggling to stand up, moving to the edges of their cages, and watching Ian with hopeful eyes.
That look made Ian uncomfortable. He knew these slaves saw him as someone who had come to rescue them.
However, Ian couldn't let them go just yet...
He stepped back a little, letting his soundproof barrier recede as well, then pointed at the cage where the slave had been taken by the armored guards, and then at the direction the guards had left, making a puzzled gesture.
Even if he spoke, the slaves couldn't hear him because of the soundproof barrier, so he simply used sign language and gestures.
Fortunately, the tall male slave in the cage understood. In a hoarse voice, he whispered, "I heard a bit. They seem to be taking him to the Celestial Dragons!"
Just as Ian had guessed!
So, he put a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture, then raised his wrist and pressed it down, signaling the slaves to stay calm. After that, he ran out of the slave prison, chasing after the departing armored guards.
The slaves in the prison made no sound, watching Ian leave. Once he was out of sight, they quietly sat back down in their cages, but the look in their eyes was completely different from before!
There were also video Den Den Mushi in the slave prison, meant to monitor and prevent escapes, but since Ian had already taken care of the surveillance room, his appearance went unnoticed.
He moved at his fastest speed, catching up to the guards escorting the slave, and then tailed them from a distance.
The guards left the slave prison, escorting the slave toward the largest building. Ian knew these guys were taking the slave to see the Celestial Dragons, so he decided to follow and observe.
As he followed them inside, Ian saw them bring the slave into a room. He looked at the sign above the door, which read "Entertainment Room."
He couldn't go in, so he had to press himself against the door to eavesdrop.
The soundproof barrier mainly eliminated sounds within Ian's range, but external sounds could still reach him. This was something Ian had asked Walnut to set up earlier to aid his movements, and it was also why he had heard the slave's words earlier.
Pressing his ear to the door, Ian heard a foolish voice say, "Father, did you call me here to show me something?"
"Haha, my son!" another voice laughed. "Last time, you said you wanted to see what happens to someone who eats two Demon Fruits, right? This time, the two Demon Fruits tributed by the Pear Blossom Kingdom were taken from my fellow Celestial Dragons just to satisfy your curiosity!"
"Father, really? I can't believe you remembered that! You're so good to me!" the foolish voice said, sounding genuinely moved.
"Who says you're not my son? It's good for children to be curious. As a father, it's my duty to enlighten you!" the other voice said. "Today, we'll use this lowly commoner for an experiment and let you see it with your own eyes."
The conversation between the two Celestial Dragons had a fatherly and filial tone, but it sent a chill down Ian's spine. He finally understood what this entertainment room was for...
"Go, son. Head to the collection room and bring the two Demon Fruits here!"
Hearing this, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the Demon Fruits were already in the room, which would have forced him to break in.
With a flip, Ian used the wall to leap onto a beam. Just as he got up, he saw the entertainment room door open, and a Celestial Dragon man with a bubble helmet stepped out, hopping and skipping as he walked outside.
Damn! Listening from outside, Ian had thought it was a Celestial Dragon child talking to his father, but when this "child" came out, Ian realized it was a man in his twenties!
Curly hair, a freckled face, and a stupid expression—this guy in his twenties was still hopping and skipping as he walked.
Ian knew that Celestial Dragons valued bloodline purity, and most of them likely practiced inbreeding, so it wasn't surprising to see such an idiot. Knowing this guy was heading to the so-called collection room, Ian quickly and quietly followed.
Ian guessed correctly. The Celestial Dragons' treasure storage wasn't inside their residence but in an underground chamber outside.
The Celestial Dragon's idiot son, completely unaware of Ian following him, went to the garden outside, pressed a button on a rockery, and the rockery rumbled aside, revealing a downward passage.
Ian followed closely behind him, slipping into the passage just before the rockery closed.
The underground chamber wasn't very deep, but once Ian descended, he found it was enormous. As soon as he entered, he was nearly blinded by the glare of gold and jewels.
The collection room was filled with countless treasures and gold, piled haphazardly throughout the hall, as if the Celestial Dragons couldn't be bothered to organize them.
Ian's eyes sparkled with greed. He wondered if the system would accept these gold and jewels for top-up. If it did, he would be set for life!
Just these treasures and gold alone were probably worth tens of billions of Berry, and this was only the wealth of a single Celestial Dragon family. It showed just how unimaginably rich the Celestial Dragons were.
Even if the system didn't accept gold for top-up, it didn't matter, because Ian had already spotted a corner of the hall piled high with countless Berry bills. These stacks of cash occupied a large area, conservatively estimated to be worth several billion Berry!
The Celestial Dragon's idiot son didn't even glance at the jewels and gold, walking straight toward the depths of the treasure room. To him, these things had long lost their appeal.
Ian didn't rush to grab the money either, following behind. But as he went deeper, he saw something that made him even angrier.
The Celestial Dragons' collection room wasn't just for storing their wealth; it also housed their collections!
And what were their collections?
They were specimens!
Just like hunters who mount the heads of their prey on the wall as trophies, the Celestial Dragons' collection room had similar displays, but with a difference: the specimens were of various human races!
As Ian walked, he saw many human specimens, all naked and posed in various positions. Some had been beautiful young women in life, others strong men, but now they were nothing but empty skins...
Besides human specimens, there were also specimens of other races, though fewer in number. There were Longarm Tribe, Fish-Man Tribe, and Mink Tribe specimens, all arranged in different poses to highlight their uniqueness.
These were whole specimens, and there were also parts specimens—various eyeballs, ears, and other body parts preserved in glass jars filled with liquid.
When Ian saw this, he threw up!
He watched as the Celestial Dragon's idiot son finally reached two treasure chests, opened them, and took out two Demon Fruits. Ian could no longer hold back. He drew the Enma sword from his hand and walked forward step by step.
When he reached the Celestial Dragon's back, the guy had just turned around. Seeing Ian suddenly appear before him, he was startled, but this idiot still didn't realize what was happening. He pulled out a gun, pointed it at Ian, and said, "Lowly commoner! Who are you!? Who allowed you to be here!?"
But at that moment, he was within Ian's soundproof barrier, so his words couldn't be heard. Ian only saw his mouth moving, but no sound came out.
After speaking for a while, the guy realized something was wrong. He couldn't hear his own voice either, and panic set in. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger at Ian.
The bullet fired from the gun was blocked by Ian's Enma sword, which sliced it in half as it flew past.
With a swift movement, Ian appeared right in front of him, thrusting the Enma sword straight into his open mouth and out through the back of his head.
Watching the guy fall, Ian pulled out the Enma sword and flicked it casually, sending the blood on the blade flying.
"The world's greatest scum—that term describes you perfectly, without a doubt!"