Seeing that Lin Xuan and Uchiha Madara not only showed no fear but seemed almost eager for the Marine Admirals to arrive, Rayleigh's eyes widened in disbelief.
Initially, he had thought that Lin Xuan and his companion were simply bold due to their formidable strength, hence their reckless behavior. But now, he genuinely wondered if Lin Xuan and this Uchiha Madara had lost their minds!
However, since Lin Xuan and Uchiha Madara had made their choice, Rayleigh saw no reason to argue further. "Fine, do as you please. I'm leaving!" he said, turning to flee the auction house.
But Lin Xuan suddenly stopped him. "Old man Rayleigh, don't rush off. The Marine Admirals won't arrive that quickly. Before you go, how about helping us with one more thing?"
Rayleigh eyed Lin Xuan warily. "We've just met, and you've already ruined my plans. Why should I help you?"
Lin Xuan grinned. "You could refuse, of course. But then I'll just tell the Marines that this whole operation was your idea."
"You—!" Rayleigh nearly exploded with anger, almost lunging at Lin Xuan.
But the thought of Uchiha Madara's strength cooled his temper. Moreover, Lin Xuan's unshakable calm suggested he, too, possessed terrifying power—otherwise, how could someone as strong as Uchiha Madara follow his orders so obediently?
With that in mind, Rayleigh abandoned any thought of fighting them. It wasn't that the Dark King Rayleigh feared Lin Xuan and Uchiha Madara, but he knew any battle would drag on, and by the time the Marines arrived, he'd undoubtedly be labeled their accomplice. His peaceful, hidden life would be over!
Taking a deep breath, Rayleigh sighed in resignation. "What do you want me to do? Just know—I won't help you fight the Marines."
Lin Xuan scoffed. "Relax, old man. With your frail body, even if you offered, I'd worry you might drop dead mid-fight!"
Rayleigh's eye twitched.
Though Lin Xuan was mocking him, the comment eased his worries slightly. He straightened up and said, "Fine, what do you need? Just say it!"
But Lin Xuan's next words nearly made Rayleigh's jaw hit the floor.
Pointing at the three unconscious Celestial Dragons, Lin Xuan said, "See them? I want them to experience wearing collars and shackles. But I don't know where to find those here. You're familiar with this place—help me locate some."
Rayleigh's hair stood on end. He leaped back in shock, staring at Lin Xuan as if he'd seen a ghost. "Have you truly lost your mind?!"
Before Lin Xuan could respond, Uchiha Madara sneered and shot Rayleigh a disdainful glance, as if calling him a coward.
Rayleigh felt his temper flaring. "Do you two really not understand, or are you just pretending? Do you have any idea what this would mean?"
Uchiha Madara smirked. "What would it mean? Will the heavens collapse?"
Lin Xuan laughed beside him. "Madara, you're right. For the people of this world, seeing these three in slave collars and shackles would be like the sky falling."
Uchiha Madara frowned. "That serious?"
He couldn't fathom how these three useless-looking individuals could hold such power. In the ninja world, only the assassination of a Daimyō might cause such an uproar.
Lin Xuan added, "If you're curious about their status, just wake up one of their guards and use your Sharingan to extract the information."
Uchiha Madara snorted but did as Lin Xuan suggested.
While Madara learned about the Celestial Dragons, Rayleigh became certain that Madara truly had no idea what they represented. This baffled him, but he didn't press further. Instead, he asked Lin Xuan the burning question:
"Since you know the consequences, why are you still doing this?"
Lin Xuan smiled faintly. "No reason. I just hate that they captured me to be a slave. Today, I'll trample these so-called 'superior beings' underfoot. They love looking down on others and treating them as slaves? Then I'll let them experience it for themselves."
Enslaving Celestial Dragons—even Rayleigh felt a chill at the sheer audacity.
He could already imagine the World Government's wrath if Lin Xuan went through with this. The retaliation would be unprecedented, and even Rayleigh himself, along with everyone on Sabaody Archipelago, would be caught in the crossfire.
Desperate to dissuade Lin Xuan, Rayleigh opened his mouth—but the determined glint in Lin Xuan's eyes told him it was futile.
At that moment, Uchiha Madara stood up, having extracted the information he needed from a guard.
Coldly, he announced, "I found out where the collars and shackles are. I'll go get them now."
Earlier, when Charloss's sister, Shalulia, had treated him like a slave, commenting on capturing him unharmed, Madara had been seething. Now, after learning about the Celestial Dragons' status and atrocities, he had reached the same conclusion as Lin Xuan:
Let the Celestial Dragons taste the bitterness of slavery!
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T/N:
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