Chapter 31: I Hate People Who Only Speak Halfway!

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Seeing the bald boss chattering away like a machine gun, showing no signs of shutting up, Miss Vilyric was shocked by this guy’s eloquence and quickly raised her hand to stop him.

She didn’t need any skincare products, and if the Snow Country Ice Lotus he mentioned was the same as what Vilyric knew, then it was something that only grew at altitudes of at least five thousand meters on snowy mountains. The living conditions were harsh, and it was extremely rare, usually guarded by powerful magical beasts.

Moreover, once the Ice Lotus leaves its special growing environment, without proper preservation methods, it would quickly wither and lose its potency. Even in the Snow Country, it was a rare item that only the royal family and high-ranking nobles could enjoy.

It was said that if used correctly, this thing could directly enhance the ice attribute biological potential and strength. In the North, primarily dominated by ice attributes, one could say it was a heavenly treasure, and even with Vilyric’s connections, she had only heard of it and never seen it with her own eyes.

The probability of finding medicines made from the Snow Country Ice Lotus in the underground black market in Demon Town was nearly nonexistent, and Vilyric didn’t think it would appear on such a casually set up stall.

Not bothering with those so-called skincare products, the girl crouched down, casually tinkering with a few bottles in front of her, then curiously looked up at the bald boss.

“Why don’t any of these medicines have labels? Just relying on your mouth to sell, how can anyone know what you’re actually selling?”

“Heh heh, what’s the big deal? Oh… Miss, you wouldn’t be a first-timer in the underground black market, would you? Everything here is like this—it’s destiny that sells, destiny that buys, as for the effects, they’re in our hearts. If you don’t recognize the goods and get scammed, well, that’s on you.”

Saying this, the bald boss quickly patted his head and hurriedly clarified.

“Of course! Everything here is genuine! After all, our Seventh Master has been doing business here for more than a day or two, there’s no need to ruin the reputation over a little money, right?”

“Is that so…”

The girl looked noncommittally over the items on the stall.

This bald man calling himself Seventh Master was probably not a lone wolf; he likely had a small team behind him.

After all, the quantity of these fresh materials and the seemingly diverse range of potions clearly could not be produced by just one person; this guy was likely just in charge of sales.

A small… poaching gang?

Most of the vendors here were probably in similar situations, using a large group’s platform to sell goods that shouldn’t be handled openly, then paying a certain percentage or fixed fee to the higher-ups, forming such an ecological economic chain.

Vilyric clapped her hands and stood up.

“So, Seventh Master, how long has this underground black market been here?”

“Oh… so that’s what you’re both after.”

The bald man didn’t seem irritated that Vilyric wasn’t purchasing anything, but instead chuckled knowingly and rubbed his fingers together like a businessman.

“Heh heh, information is something we sell here too, but the price…”

“That’s fine, as long as the information you provide has value, money isn’t a problem.”

Miss Priestess flicked an item toward him.

“Speak.”

“Oh my! Miss is really straightforward; I, Seventh Master, love doing business with people like you!”

The bald man caught the gold coin that landed smoothly in his arms, bit it with his teeth to check its authenticity, and his smile immediately became sincere.

“As for this underground black market in Demon Town, I’m not too clear on when exactly it started, but at least it has existed for decades. I’ve been doing business here for almost ten years; when we first came, it was already quite similar to how it is now.”

“It’s been so deeply rooted for such a long time…”

It seemed just as Liliya had said; this country’s poaching criminal groups had existed a long time ago.

Existence itself is reason enough; the fact that poachers still haven’t been eradicated ultimately reflects the influence of the national culture.

Vilyric didn’t like the way the United Kingdom of Humans had such an extreme rejection of other races, not because she was some sort of racial equality advocate, but rather because the existence of that mentality just caused her trouble.

Due to this trend, companions like Little Dragon Daughter and Renée, who clearly bore features of other races, had to hide parts of their bodies and disguise themselves as humans to avoid trouble.

Although in reality, even if they were seen, the consequences wouldn’t be too severe, trouble is still trouble, especially considering her connection to Liliya.

If it were possible, she would indeed hope to change this distorted atmosphere, at least not to promote the persecution of other races as politically correct.

However, even if Vilyric wanted to do something, this deeply ingrained tradition in the national culture couldn’t just be solved with her saying a few words. The priestess certainly couldn’t slay all the humans who discriminate against other races.

Just one step at a time, let’s see how it goes.

“Since you’ve been here for ten years, you must know quite a bit about the organizers of this black market and the major poaching gangs, right? Tell me about them.”

Before the Seventh Master could speak, Vilyric tossed out another gold coin. She had as many of these as she wanted, so it really didn’t matter.

Of course, she couldn’t give too much; those mixing in the underworld typically weren’t good folks. It was crucial to manage the level of bribes to keep the conversation on track.

Sure enough, with a little incentive, the bald man’s eyes lit up, and he had no intention of keeping secrets for the higher-ups, immediately continuing to share.

“Heh heh, Miss, you’re really savvy. To be honest, this place does have some behind-the-scenes bosses, and not just one.”

“This underground black market in Demon Town is divided into four areas: southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest, all controlled by the four largest crime syndicates. That’s the Eastern People’s Alliance, the Western Brotherhood, the Southern Ghost Thieves, and the Northern Poison Blades.”

“Among them, the People’s Alliance has the greatest power, mostly dabbling in all kinds of business; the Brotherhood has the largest number of members, primarily in debt collection and hired fights, essentially serving as a mercenary group for anything; the Ghost Thieves are the largest poaching gang in Demon Town, primarily dealing in slave trafficking and selling various illegal potions and materials; and the Poison Blades are an assassin organization, the fewest in number, very mysterious, but their power shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“Ghost Thieves?”

Hearing this keyword, Vilyric raised her eyebrows, and the Seventh Master quickly nodded like he was offering a treasure.

“Yes, yes, yes! You’ve really caught the crux of the matter! Actually, if you go a bit further south from where we are now, you’ll be in the area controlled by the Ghost Thieves.”

“However, it seems something happened recently; many of the Ghost Thieves’ members have withdrawn, and I’ve heard even the rent isn’t being collected—it’s now essentially ownerless. Heh heh, but while that’s what they say, in reality…”

The boss deliberately paused the topic, sneaking a sly glance at the two girls. Even without any movement, his intention was crystal clear.

Vilyric frowned and pulled out another gold coin, but this time she didn’t toss it lightly as before; she hurled it with force!

“Whoosh!”

The edge-less metallic currency sliced through the air past Seventh Master’s ear, went right through the blade of a cleaver, and embedded itself deep into the ground, leaving only half of it exposed.

After a long moment, the bald man finally seemed to come to his senses, touching the blood drawn from the scratch on his face. His sly grin gradually froze, and visible cold sweat began to drip from him.

“There won’t be a next time.”

The girl said indifferently.

“Y-yes! Yes, yes! I, I have eyes but failed to recognize you, and I got carried away! Great one, please spare me, spare my life!!!”

“Huh?”

Seventh Master’s reaction was even more intense than Vilyric had imagined.

She intended merely to intimidate him a bit, so he wouldn’t try to squeeze her for more money, disrupting the conversation. Who would have thought that after showing just a little bit of strength, this seemingly imposing bald man would cowardly kneel down, seemingly afraid that Vilyric might just kill him if she was displeased?

Whatever it was, pleading for mercy was too…

Wait…

Vilyric suddenly recalled the bloodstains mixed along the roadside and other things she saw upon arrival, as well as the indifferent attitudes of passersby after dealing with those pickpockets.

Hmm? Could it be that here, it’s actually possible to engage in a black-on-black scenario?

   

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