In Pieces

Chapter 22: From now on I'm a eunuch.

"Why would I tell you anything?" the Regent retorted, without slowing down his pace.

"Why wouldn't you? It's not like I will spill the beans to anybody – my lips are literally sealed," said Aidan.

"Do you think, just because we're from the same world, I owe you something?"

Aidan laughed out loud. Of course, he didn't have any such ridiculous notions.

"What are you going to do with me then? As long as I'm alive, I will keep pestering you. And for some reason, you're clearly reluctant to kill me... You could keep me in the dungeon, sure. But we both know it's a temporary solution."

"Don't underestimate my position. I can send you far, far away from the capital, so you will never bother me again," the Regent sneered.

"Why didn't you do it in the first place? Why did you go through the trouble of taking me here and showing me all of this?"

"Because Corus made a request. It had absolutely nothing to do with you per se."

"And why do you do his bidding all of a sudden? According to this world's messed-up settings, his status is low – you could have easily ignored his request to see me. Also, I'm not a complete idiot – I know Corus has no particular attachment, be it to me or the real Minn guy. He wouldn't have made any trouble, even if you hadn't brought me. Admit it, you are testing the waters. You want to know if I'm a potential ally or a foe. I'm telling you now, you won't know that unless you show all your cards. Just do it, and we will know where we stand," Aidan suggested.

"I see you've given it some thought."

Aidan was actually just making a guess. However unlikely, Jake-the-Regent might have been a madman with no discernable motivations.

"Are you going to tell me why you are hiding these people at a collective jungle farm?"

The Regent was quiet for a while. They were almost out of the woods by the time he finally said something. "Do you know why the savages are buying the slaves from us?"

"I guess, to work them to the bone. Corus told me, no one has ever returned from those lands," Aidan said thoughtfully.

"I was under the same impression at first. But then I couldn't understand why they would pay top price for our weak slaves who are not really suitable for hard work. At the same time, they are not interested in the slaves from the northern lands. And those guys are strong and sturdy."

Aidan felt a bit uncomfortable. "Other uses?" he suggested, remembering the time when General Kear had sent some poor guy to his room for "entertainment".

The Regent shook his head. "The Kingdom to the South of us has a whole school for that kind of slaves. Believe me, our so-called "slaves" can not compare. They bring a bunch of those to my dear nephew every time they visit. The savages are not interested in them at all. "

Aidan had no more ideas, so he just shrugged. The Regent didn't keep the suspense up for too long.

"The savages use the people they buy from us to grow their magic plants. That's why they are so valuable to them," he said.

"So, they use these guys as some kind of gardeners?" Aidan was still confused.

"More like garden fertilizer," the Regent said quietly.

Aidan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't be saying what I think you're saying."

"Different organs are useful for different kinds of plants," the Regent expression grew cold. "For example, you can only grow wish-fulfilling blossoms if you put one piece of liver inside the soil. Or, let's take the agony fern – for that you'll need..."