Chapter 182: The Peculiar Mr. Wenders
The moment the two stepped inside, the din of hawking voices assailed their ears. They noticed that the lowest-ranked vendors here were War General Level, all projecting their External Qi to prevent sneak attacks. Some half-closed their eyes, while others bellowed like ordinary stall owners.
The presence of projected External Qi made the interior somewhat oppressive. Ordinary people entering might even find it difficult to breathe.
“That door is probably some kind of Alchemical Item, isn’t it? But not using that door to isolate the pressure would indeed affect the outside,” Su Jiu said softly as they walked. Along the way, they had seen all sorts of Bloodlines, with some non-human appearances making it difficult to distinguish them as Monsters or Humans.
The items sold in the streets within were equally bizarre, opening Su Jiu’s eyes. After all, the Merit Mall only sold standardized items, and not to mention the market in Huayang. Was that the market for selling pork and cabbage?
Su Jiu withdrew his gaze and focused on the white furball beside him, asking softly, “Are we going straight to the VIP seating?”
Glancing at Su Jiu, Yun Xi took out her phone, dialed a number, and put it on speaker. While waiting for the call to connect, she said, “No, we have to wait for an old man from the Sea Clan. Let’s see if he can sell us the information directly… I roughly know who the owner of this information is. While you were sleeping like a log, I used a bit of your money to buy information from that Sea Clan member. That person is now selling things in this market…
Yun Xi paused, glanced at Su Jiu, and said indifferently, “Well, and I bought ten barrels of instant noodles as payment. Your account isn’t strong enough; there’s a limit. Group X Liaoer [Jiu Long Wu, ( ) San w] Ba Qi Yi San.”
“How much did it cost?”
Looking at Doubi Xi’s cheeky demeanor, Su Jiu stiffened. He really wanted to pin this guy down and beat him up!! What did she mean by sleeping like a log? Who is your elementary school teacher to use such phrasing! And – what’s with using my money? This guy is really capable of causing trouble. A Blood Clan Duke using his subordinate’s phone to buy instant noodles… Wait.
Su Jiu suddenly thought of something, his eyes fixed on Yun Xi, and he asked seriously, “The instant noodles you mentioned, aren’t they the energy noodles that we Blood Clans eat?”
“Uh… including the cost of gathering information, it’s probably around 200,000 US dollars.”
Su Jiu suddenly put his arm on Yun Xi’s shoulder. Seeing Su Jiu’s kind smile, Yun Xi quickly changed the subject and said, “It’s mainly about buying at the auction. It’s too much of a loss. You never know if some lucky dog will outbid you. Is it too much for me to send you a few boxes of instant noodles after helping you so much?”
“Will he really sell it to us directly? Logically, if we need it, wouldn’t it be more cost-effective for him to put it up for auction?” Su Jiu seemed to be drawn into the conversation, asking with uncertainty on his face.
Yun Xi chuckled and explained, “Do you really think Count Sam is doing charity? He has to give twenty percent of the auction proceeds to those nobles. That’s a full fifth, and that’s quite a lot.”
The next moment, the call was connected. A tired American accent came through, with a voice as dry as an unlubricated axle.
“Beep beep— Hello, is this the little girl from yesterday? You want to make a deal with me, right? A High-ranking War General level Priest is also interested. If you still need it, come to the Usi Small Shop on South Street. Let’s talk face to face.”
Hearing this, Yun Xi frowned, her voice turning somewhat cold, “Didn’t I pay a Beginner Magic Crystal as a deposit to have you keep it for me? What do you mean by going back on your word now?”
“The Magic Crystal, I can return it to you… I explained my situation yesterday. The reason I’m auctioning this information is because I need money to treat my wife. This Priest is willing to try to treat her, and if it’s successful, the information naturally belongs to her.”
The voice on the other end of the phone was low. After saying this, he hung up.
“Beep beep—”
“Damn it! Someone went to find that seller before us. I need to know what’s going on with this old guy.” Yun Xi cursed under her breath and was about to call back when Su Jiu stopped her.
“Stop cursing. Shall we go see what’s happening?”
Su Jiu pulled Yun Xi’s hand and headed towards South Street. Seeing Yun Xi’s indignant look, Su Jiu flicked her forehead with his finger and laughed, “Didn’t they say they’d return the money? We won’t lose anything by going to see.”
After walking for a while longer, taking two or three small turns, the two finally arrived at the so-called South Street. They saw countless shops that had been taken over. After searching for another half hour, they still couldn’t find it. Their calls kept showing that the person was busy, which began to trouble them.
The two stood in the middle of the street, staring blankly at the bustling crowd, as if the Usi Small Shop had vanished. Su Jiu frowned and then found a nearby shop selling rare medicinal herbs. He asked the shop owner, who was meditating inside, “Excuse me, have you heard of the Usi Small Shop?”
“I have.” The shop owner slowly opened his eyes, pointed to a flame-like medicinal herb priced at $200,000, and quietly watched Su Jiu and Yun Xi without saying anything further.
Su Jiu’s mouth twitched. He scanned the price of the herb and recognized it as Flame Grass, which could be exchanged for 400 Merit Points. Considering that 500 Merit Points was equivalent to a low-level Magic Crystal (500,000 Long Guo Currency), these guys were truly ripping people off.
Seeing Su Jiu scan the code to get the herb, the shop owner nodded with satisfaction. Then, he showed a gentle smile and looked at Su Jiu strangely, pointing to an alleyway and said, “You’re looking for that peculiar Mr. Wenders, right? His shop is in that alley. He only sells fire-attribute items. Seeing as you’re probably Blood Clan, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu curiously asked, “You all probably took over the houses of the original residents to open your shops, so why is he opening his shop in there? Is he planning to do some dirty business?”
“Dirty business?” The shop owner laughed. He slowly sat down, looked into the alley, and said softly, “I heard this guy was a Holy Knight, but then somehow he defected. He was also seriously injured because of it. However, he’s been poor and downtrodden all these years and hasn’t done anything dirty.”
“He even bought his shop from the owner’s family. Isn’t that funny? Buying a shop in a temporary black market.”
“Holy Knight, is he from the Holy Light Sect?” Su Jiu subconsciously glanced at Yun Xi. Seeing her also looking confused, he cautiously asked. Upon hearing “Holy Knight,” his heart tightened. They had made quite a few enemies with those people, and he felt they had even been put on a wanted list.
“Holy Light Sect? Probably not… Anyway, Mr. Wenders’ background is quite significant. I need to get back to business, you two go ahead!” At this moment, the shop owner saw another “fat sheep” falling into his trap, his mouth beaming with joy. He waved towards Su Jiu and began to serve him enthusiastically.
Seeing that the shop owner was no longer paying attention to them, Su Jiu had no choice but to follow the direction he pointed. Along the way, Yun Xi seemed to be lost in thought. She looked at the small alley, tilted her head, and murmured, “Holy Knight, what a familiar term…”
Arriving outside the Usi Small Shop, the facade was dilapidated, and even the wooden sign with the words “Usi” was tattered, as if forcibly hung there. However, looking inside through the red painted door, it was quite clean. Standing outside the door, Su Jiu hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed the door open. The next moment, a strong fire attribute energy assailed them. Su Jiu could even smell a hint of charcoal. In front of him were piles of red rocks, seemingly stacked from some volcanic rock. Waving away the smell, Su Jiu looked around, about to find where Mr. Wenders was.
“What do you want to see? I have basically all fire-attribute items here,” a hoarse voice sounded. The voice came from a small sofa not far away. It was a blonde young man wearing a white short-sleeved shirt. His handsome face was filled with fatigue, and he had a gray-haired woman resting on his lap, occasionally lowering his head to brush her hair.
