It was a warm, but breezy day in Venedig, and the rich, in their carriages and lavish gondolas, were making a rare trip to the open-air slave market, a circular space whose northern half was ringed with wooden exhibition platforms, beyond which were the stone buildings where the chattel was 'processed'. As the sun shone brightly in the clear sky, the merchant-aristocrats of Venedig would walk to the open space facing the exhibition stands, where chairs and miniature pavilions were already set up. Then, once all seats were full, the auction masters, smiling men and women clothed in bright silk, would then emerge from the buildings and onto the stands, before announcing, in clear tones enhanced by World Magic:
"Ladies and Gentlefolk of Venedig, we would like to announce that Karl Maximillian V of the Reich des Goldenen Grahles has given the city this opportunity, an opportunity to be the instrument of punishment to traitors, and profit from such use. Thus, beyond these stands, the former nobles whose treason had reduced them to the status of chattel are being sorted and processed, with those who are above eighteen years of age being stripped and bathed for exhibition. The first of the batch, the men and women of the Edelweiss family, known for their renowned beauty and skill in both Change Magic and Medicine, will be sold...now!" And with that, the doors to the 'centremost' (from the seated people's perspective) stand would open.
Walking out, escorted by guards, would be a set of five extremely handsome men and women, their entire bodies shaved and waxed except for their eyebrows, eyelashes, and head hair. They were fully naked and exposed, but they did not bow their heads, nor did they avert their eyes from the crowd, nor try and cover themselves. The rich merchants of the land whooped and jeered at the ex-nobles, though a few felt pity, even shedding tears at the Edelweiss' family's plight.
The oldest man in the group, a tall, muscular man whose hairs were only showing streaks of grey, was bid and sold first, then the women, leaving two males, brothers whose dark hair and eyes, as well as tall, slim, and lean bodies caused the crowds to whoop, leer, and jeer harder.
"Fredrich and Heinrich Edelweiss, nineteen and eighteen! The first is a fighter-paladin, the second is a doctor, but already a savant in his field!" said the auction officials. "Will they be bought as a joint item, or will they be separated?! What is your choice, crowd?!"
One of the frontmost merchants, a surprisingly young man with short-cropped hair, whose thin build was bedecked in gold and crimson silk, got up from his chair and miniature pavilion, which was made from the same stuff. He would then say:
"I wish to bid twenty million thalers for the both of them!" in a voice that was authoritative, another surprise, at least for the Edelweiss brothers. The younger, Heinrich, would then recognize the merchant as Kaspar Ridolfi, one of the richest men in the city, newly come to his inheritance.
"Going once...going twice...sold!" shouted the nearest auction master, a slightly fat, jolly-looking man who seemed to enjoy this job a lot. "Now that we've gotten our audience's appetites whetted, time for the auction proper to begin!" And with that, dozens of naked people, escorted by guards, would be led out of the processing buildings, few of them having the dignity or beauty of the sold Edelweiss family.
And among them was one Rote Kaufmann, stripped of all rags to expose his body to full view. As bidders swarmed to pay for the privilege of owning 'the fairest youth in all the land', his only thoughts were this - That he had to warn the Church of Existence that all was in danger!
Lin Hyou Sei and Katrin Baumann
There were rumors that one or more of Venedig’s powerful groups/factions was preparing to arrange a ‘sham enslavement’ of various noble families, and those rumors were relayed to Lin and Katrin of the Razors via word of mouth. Rumors were relayed too that the Marine Knights were to be tasked with security for the auction, something which might be useful to Lin, who would be further forwarded a cheque of thirty million silver thalers in order to buy Rote Kaufmann, the last scion of the family who took him in, from enslavement.
This cheque, which would prove to be perfectly good if ever brought to the Bank of Venedig to be ‘tested’, was accompanied by a letter saying,
This sum is yours provided that you bring Rote to the Black Cathedral in the Religious District.
Wait, wasn’t the Black Cathedral the headquarters for the Church of Existence’s Inquisition?
As for Katrin, she’d receive a most unusual customer; an Inquisitor-General of the Church. Inquisitor Malamocco was a middle-aged man who had high standards of hair care, almost to the point of vanity, but who was satisfied with whatever Katrin decided was best for his hair and beard, paying amply even as he hinted at needing her services for more than just a haircut.
Should she be willing to give him her metaphorical ear, Inquisitor Malamocco would be short and to the point, “Kill whoever buys the slave named Rote Kaufmann except for the person whose name is written on this specific list.”
Said list had one name only: Lin Hyou Sei. Wait, wasn’t he a fellow member of the Razor’s Guild?
Yan and Leon
Yan Zhu Zen was tasked with commanding the detachment of Venedig Marine Knights tasked with ensuring the security of the auction and ensuring that no last-minute attempts at rescue happened. She was to be given eight teams of five Marine Knights each for a total of forty, as well as command over a detachment of mercenaries - Disreputable people who were in it for a discount on slaves. She had also been informed of the rumors that there would be an attempt to do a ‘sham enslavement’ by an unknown party and that because of that, she should keep watch on the buyers as well.
There were fifty mercenaries in all, including one Leon/Jack, a… unique personality who was more dependable than most despite his lowborn, magic-less state.
As for Leon/Jack himself, he had been tasked to patrol the outer perimeter of the slave market, but as the auction was open air, he could see the slaves, naked and humiliated, be sold one by one; perhaps one of them would catch his eye?
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