Chapter 56

The mate market was held in a large building that was practical but not aesthetically pleasing. It had held another market of a sort, before the Develatyn arrival on the planet, and had since been repurposed for the traders to sell the women they located from amongst the population. The mate trade was lucrative for the trader as only those licenced to collect the women could do so, the outlay was minimal and the women, especially those with exotic colouring, sold at ridiculously high pricing. Daevishk knew that Nadyr had discretely invested a good percentage of capital for their family into several traders, and today, effectively, they purchased a woman from themselves. Around the edges of the building, other entrepreneurs had established small businesses aimed at serving the men that gathered to buy a mate food and drinks, as well as sold clothing and other effects the men might need to provide for their newly acquired mates. Nadyr purchased them an alcoholic beverage from