Chapter 351 - 351: The Black Market
The black market was a special place. Su Wan and Xu Yuan were even more interested in exploring it, especially since President Nami had mentioned it.
“Tristana, have you heard of the Red Dragon Store?” asked Su Wan
“I’m not very familiar with it. I don’t know much about Canglan City as a whole. I only came here for the Scarlet Flame Demon Spider Silk because the Qing You Pavilion Chamber of Commerce had it. I was told to meet you in your territory.”
Su Wan didn’t dwell much on it. She’d find out anyway. The carriage traveled fast and reached a wide square.
Contrary to popular expectations, the black market wasn’t located in some dingy and grim place. It was actually a huge castle that acted as a market. There were many buildings closely arranged near the castle.
In the center of the square was a statue of a griffin. Beyond that was the entrance to the castle.
Many soldiers guarded the area. From time to time, a Pegasus would swoop above and cast shadows on the ground.
The soldiers stood ready to resolve any accidents or fights in the square.
At the castle entrance, a huge signboard stood upright with the words: Canglan City Black Market.
Xu Yuan wondered whether a black market could be considered legitimate if it was common knowledge and was maintained by Canglan City.
George had been waiting for them in the square. When he saw their carriage, he walked forward.
“Lady Tristana, I’ve arranged for all of you to enter the market without any problem,” said George as he helped Tristana out of the carriage. Su Wan and Xu Yuan also got out of the carriage.
“Thank you, George. Please take us in.”
“Of course. This way, please.” George led the way.
Su Wan, Xu Yuan, and Tristana headed toward the entrance. The guards at the entrance didn’t stop them.
Many people watched them from afar. Some tried to take that as an opportunity to sneak in but were stopped by the soldiers.
Xu Yuan ignored the stares. He passed through the entrance and looked around eagerly.
The interior of the castle was turned into a commercial hotspot. Stalls and shops with all sorts of wares were erected on both sides of the main path.
Unlike the shops outside, the wares in this market were unique and rare.
There were bloody wolf heads and rotting corpses for sale. There were ores with magic, water that could be used for scrying, leaves that flew without even a gust of wind, etc.
There were all kinds of strange items for sale. Xu Yuan was delighted by everything. He had stayed in the territory for so long that such items astonished him.
As they made their way further, they could see shops that sold rare resources and treasures, but the price was ridiculously high.
Xu Yuan wanted to take some trinkets home. His wish died when he saw the price tag.
The natives had lived in the Overlord Plane for far longer than any hero or Lord. They could tell whether the wares were legitimate at a glance. Entering the black market wasn’t for the naive of heart.
George explained the rules of the black market.
Xu Yuan was fascinated by everything. He was quite happy to just look at the strange wares without buying them. Just discovering such rare treasures was enough.
Su Wan asked George about the location of the Red Dragon Store.
George led them through a small path toward the shop. They walked a while and finally reached the shop.
Su Wan and Xu Yuan were surprised. They hadn’t expected such a dilapidated place to exist after seeing the other wonders of the black market.
Even in such a prosperous place, dirt-ridden shops existed. The store’s front glass was covered in dust and stains as though no one had cleaned it in a hundred years.
As they entered the shop, they saw that the shelves and furniture were on the verge of collapse. Things hung from these shelves and sometimes fell to the floor. It was very messy. Not one soul had ever entertained the idea of sweeping the floor once in a while.
On the counter sat an old man with graying hair. One of his eyes was covered by a black patch. He was sitting on a rocking chair that creaked and squeaked. His eyes were narrowed to slits. It wasn’t clear whether he had fallen asleep.
Su Wan opened his attribute panel.
[Bartos]
[Level: 3]
He looked so old and wise that Su Wan had assumed he was someone powerful, but he turned out to be a noob. ‘Just Level 3?’
“Hello,” said Su Wan as she stepped forward. “I’m very sorry to disturb you.”
The old man slowly opened his eyes. His right hand flew to his chest as he raised his head to look at Su Wan.
“Who are you? Look around, take whatever you want, pay, and leave! Don’t disturb me!”
“Mr. Bartos, President Nami sent me here.”
The old man perked up when he heard Su Wan mention Nami.
“Nami… that little girl has so much potential. She should go somewhere to broaden her horizon. Why did she send you? How can a lesser Lord help me?”
Su Wan narrowed her eyes. “I could help you in exchange for your help with something 1 need.” She realized that this old man wasn’t as simple as she had thought. He seemed to be very familiar with Nami.
“You think too highly of yourself.” The old man snorted.
“Mr. Bartos, let me introduce myself. My name is Xu Yuan.” Xu Yuan stepped forward.
As soon as he finished speaking, a majestic aura radiated from him. The dark energy swept across the world. The small space felt the brunt of it.
The old man was trying to go back to sleep when he was startled awake by the aura. He sat up in his chair.
“A Dark Demon Dragon!”
Xu Yuan slowly retracted his massive aura..