Chapter 31 : My Heart and Actions Are Clear as a Polished Mirror; All That I Do Is Just!

Faced with Perica’s praise—

Ron scratched his head a bit awkwardly.

“You bad maid, all you know how to do is flatter me.”

“What’s so cool about what I did?”

“It’s just a burst of pointless compassion, nothing more.”

As he spoke, the smile on Ron’s lips gradually faded.

From his point of view—

What he did wasn’t much different from those animal rights activists breaking into slaughterhouses.

Seeing Ron suddenly fall into gloom—

Perica smiled gently.

“Master, your compassion isn’t pointless~”

“At the very least, that catgirl really was saved by you, wasn’t she?”

Hearing this—Ron shook his head helplessly.

“No…”

“I can save one slave, but can I save them all?”

“Just look at this slave market.”

“So many slaves just like that catgirl are still trapped in cages.”

“Even if I bought them all, the slavers would just restock in no time.”

“So in the end, my good deed is meaningless.”

“There’s no way I can save all the suffering people in the world.”

Upon hearing this— Perica smiled calmly.

“Then, Master, since you understand all this…”

“Why did you change your mind in the end?”

“You were already prepared to leave back then, weren’t you?”

Faced with her question— Ron was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly.

Yeah.

The reason he changed his mind back then was exactly because he realized something:

If he had walked away silently.

Then he, Ron, would’ve been shackled by the way of thinking from before he transmigrated!

He’d transmigrated for crying out loud — why was he still worrying so much about the moral evaluations of good and evil?

Those so-called moral judgments were all intangible!

He had started with a god-tier opening as a noble — was he really going to let himself be bound by those rules?

Hypocritical?

Hypocritical, my ass!

If something pissed him off, he was going to step in!

If that kind of action was to be judged as hypocrisy, then fine — he’d be the most hypocritical scoundrel in the world!

My heart and actions are as clear as a polished mirror — all that I do is just!

In this world, where there was no one to judge him — why should Ron suppress his own desires?!

Of course— Those were not things he could say directly to Perica.

After polishing his real thoughts a bit, Ron replied casually:

“Maybe it’s just that I didn’t want to betray my own heart?”

“I can learn to deal with bad people using the most ruthless means, without a shred of mercy.”

“But if maturity means standing by and doing nothing when it comes to good people—”

“Then I’d rather stay immature.”

As he said that, Ron stretched lazily, no longer tangled up in questions of right and wrong.

Perica nodded in agreement after hearing his words.

“That’s exactly why I think Master is so cool.”

“If a man who can stay true to his heart isn’t called cool, then what is?”

Hearing her praise — Ron chuckled and scolded:

“I told you to stop flattering me.”

“If I ever get too full of myself one day, it’ll definitely be your fault, Perica!”

The two continued joking and strolling through the slave market.

Behind them— The oddly dressed alchemists from earlier were also browsing nearby.

Watching the two picking out slaves—

The man leading them tugged his hood down further.

Beneath the hood— A sinister smile spread across that scarred and pitted face.

“What a pleasant surprise~”

Under that eerie gaze— Ron, who was picking out more slaves, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He sharply turned around to look behind him, but didn’t spot a single suspicious figure.

“…An illusion?”

Ron narrowed his eyes.

But before he could think too much about it—

The merchant caravan owner from the imperial capital enthusiastically introduced:

“Our slaves here are all excellent workers—strong and sturdy!”

“Especially these rare Western region **!”

“Just look at those muscles, that build!”

“Don’t be put off by their brown skin and fierce appearances—”

“They can plow a whole acre in one morning! One of them works harder than an ox!”

“And the price is fair too—just four gold coins!”

“These are all native folks captured from the Dragon’s Nest area!”

“Miss this opportunity, and you won’t get another!”

Hearing this— Ron rubbed his chin and frowned.

“Uh, they are impressive.”

“But still…”

“Men are just a bit…”

Ron just couldn’t bring himself to pay for a male slave.

Though he didn’t finish his sentence—

The merchant, quick to read between the lines, immediately caught on to his customer’s thinking.

“Totally understandable~!”

“Folks like you, Master—wealthy types—usually don’t want to spend money bringing a man home!”

Hearing that— Perica quickly tried to correct him.

“No, no, our young master is very kindhearted! He’s not thinking like that at all!”

She said it with a face full of pride.

What she didn’t expect—

Was Ron waving his hand with a deadpan expression.

“No, no, that’s exactly what I meant.”

“No men. I only want women.”

The moment those words dropped—

Even the always composed Perica couldn’t stop herself from choking.

“Didn’t you just get all sentimental and compassionate—”

Before she could finish— Ron declared, absolutely shameless and with righteous conviction:

“Are you kidding me?!”

“My money may be a lot, but it’s still limited!”

“Before I’ve rescued every single girl in the world, how could I possibly waste funds elsewhere?!”

Crack.

Perica’s expression froze—something inside her seemed to shatter.

Ignoring her devastated look, Ron continued speaking to the merchant.

“Do you have any female slaves who can work just as well?”

Hearing Ron’s very specific request— The merchant nodded eagerly!

“Oh, absolutely!”

“Right this way!”

Following the direction he pointed— Ron saw a group of female barbarians locked in cages—each one more muscular than the last.

Ron’s face twitched.

“Forget it, boss.”

“I’ll just take the ** instead.”

“How many do you have? I’ll buy them all.”

Upon hearing that— The merchant gasped.

“I’ve got three hundred of them!”

“Each one of them can plow twenty acres a day with nothing but hand tools.”

“With proper farming equipment, they could do even more!”

“You want that many? What on earth are you planning to do?!”

Faced with the merchant’s alarm— Ron shot him an annoyed glare.

“Why so nosy?”

“You’ve got money to make, don’t you?”

Sensing Ron’s displeasure— The merchant lowered his voice and gave a warning:

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

“Only nobles have the privilege of stockpiling private forces. A merchant without a title doing that—well, that’s illegal.”

“And worse—it’s considered treason!”

“If you’re caught, they’ll cut your head off!”

To that well-meaning warning— Ron waved his hand casually.

“They’re not cutting your head off, are they?”

“Less talk, more transaction. I pay, you deliver.”

At that— The merchant seemed to piece together Ron’s true identity.

He dared not press further and quickly began preparing the purchase contract.

While the merchant busied himself with paperwork—

Ron wandered off to browse more goods.

In a cage tucked away in a corner—

Ron spotted a strange girl.

“Huh?”

“Boss, what’s this one?”