Chapter 2278: Another Use
“That’s right, these sea monsters before us are all completely dead, their cells have perished, and they’ve lost all vitality, rendering them unable to split or infect.”
The black market boss suddenly understood and said with a smile, “So you also know that the essence of the ‘gift’ is actually these sea monsters. But those are special, otherwise, why would there be such a big difference in value?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?” Jayad immediately realized that things weren’t that simple. However, seeing the black market boss looking at him with a playful smile, he instantly understood and handed him one gold coin.
This black market boss specialized in handling such transactions. How could he not know the relationship between the ‘gift’ and sea monsters? Furthermore, he had seen at a glance that Jayad and these Yellow King believers were here to gather intelligence. It was impossible to get information for free without paying.
But with money, it was different. The black market boss smugly weighed the gold coin in his hand. It was substantial. The Yellow King believers used gold coins minted by themselves, bearing an abstract depiction of the King in Yellow. The gold used was purer than the coins commonly found on the market, which were mixed with other metals.
“My sea monsters are hunted by pirates or Adventurers on other islands or at sea. Several other islands are also plagued by sea monsters, but only the Lord of Saint Port Island will purchase sea monster corpses at a high price. Therefore, they smugly transport them here to sell.” After receiving the gold coin, the black market boss seemed to be talking about completely unrelated intelligence.
“Wait, didn’t you say the Lord offered bounties for hunting sea monsters? Why has it turned into purchasing sea monster corpses?” the crew member, who hadn’t understood, asked confusedly.
But in reality, Jayad and the other Yellow King believers had understood and guessed, just looking at him speechlessly.
The black market boss chuckled, “Offering a fixed bounty for sea monsters, higher than for other monsters, and specifically requiring complete sea monster corpses for the reward – anyone with eyes can see that this is a way to acquire sea monster corpses.”
“I see. But why is the Lord purchasing sea monster corpses? And didn’t you say earlier that Judges strictly prohibit hoarding sea monster corpses in private?” the crew member was even more confused. Wasn’t this a contradiction?
“Yes, that’s why the Lord of the City’s stated reason is to prevent pollution and corrosion from sea monster corpses. The Lord will uniformly collect and destroy them. Only those who bring complete sea monster corpses to the Lord’s fortress will receive their bounty,” the black market boss explained.
“No matter how powerful the Judges are, they can’t control the local Lord. Here, the Lord’s word is law. Although everyone is spreading rumors that the Lord is collecting sea monster corpses not for destruction, but for some ulterior motive.”
“So, if locals hunt sea monsters and say they’ll take them to the Navy Fortress for the reward, it’s hard for Judges to intervene. But since they are troublesome, this business of mine emerged – smuggling sea monster corpses hunted on other islands here, and then letting others buy them to present to the Lord.”
After hearing the black market boss’s words, not only the crew member but even the two accompanying Yellow King believers seemed to have a lot of clarity, but then more questions arose.
One Yellow King believer asked confusedly, “If that’s the case, why don’t you just deliver them to the Lord and claim the reward yourself? And for those smugglers, they could also deliver them to the Lord themselves. There’s no need to just earn the middleman’s profit, right?”
“Of course, some do that. But selling them on the black market actually earns more than the Lord’s bounty,” the black market boss said with a smile.
“Why? The buyers want the sea monster corpses to claim the bounty from the Lord. How could buying a sea monster cost more than the bounty? Wouldn’t that be a complete loss?” This time, it was the Yellow King believer’s turn to be confused. Instead, that member seemed thoughtful, as if he had thought of something.
“It’s to atone for their crimes, isn’t it?” Jayad blurted out the reason. This not only required knowledge of the bounties posted on the notice board yesterday but also thinking from a specific perspective, such as that of a criminal.
“This young man understands well. Yes, it’s to expiate sins. The Lord has granted permission to offset criminal responsibility without claiming bounties. For those wanted criminals who have committed offenses, the most urgent thing is to have their wanted status removed. And destroying sea monsters is one of the most lucrative ways to do so,” the black market boss praised Jayad.
“But they are wanted criminals. If they appear on the beach, they don’t even need to fight sea monsters; other Bounty Hunters and Judges will deal with them first and claim the bounty. So the best way is to come to us to buy sea monster corpses at a high price, and then directly go to the Navy Fortress to clear their names. It’s quick and safe.”
The Yellow King believers finally understood the connection. A wanted criminal eager to clear their name wouldn’t care about money. In other words, this was equivalent to directly using money to wash away sins, much like the Church selling indulgences.
“I understand, but how does this relate to the question I asked?” Jayad inquired, as the topic seemed to have been sidetracked by the black market boss.
“Heh, it’s highly relevant. For example, do you think the Lord would not know that these wanted criminals are buying sea monster corpses from us to atone for their crimes?” the black market boss asked.
“That’s certainly possible,” Jayad replied. Even if the Lord himself was incompetent, he would surely have advisors and think tanks. Such an obvious matter should be apparent even to a less intelligent strategist.
“He knows, yet he hasn’t stopped it, and even accepts them fully. This indicates that his original intention was not to eradicate sea monsters, but to obtain these sea monster corpses. That’s why I believe he has an ulterior motive,” the black market boss had said something similar earlier.
“This brings us back to your original question. I can tell you directly that once sea monsters are on the island and leave the Miasma range, their cells rapidly lose activity and die, turning into these completely dead corpses.”
Jayad recalled the situation last night. When the Miasma spread onto the shore, it encountered resistance from Divine Power and died instantly, unable to continue its spread. This was because Saint Port Island itself was being corroded by the Sea Goddess’s Divine Power. The two different corrosive forces were in intense conflict.
Considering that the Miasma and sea monsters were fundamentally the same kind of creature, sea monsters should also be quickly killed by Divine Power upon coming ashore. No wonder the Judges weren’t in a hurry to pursue the sea monsters that broke through yesterday but instead demanded the corpses from them.
However, the samples collected by the Yellow King believers were alive, with abnormally strong vitality, constantly splitting. This was likely because they preserved the samples in special containers, which also isolated them from the surrounding environmental corrosion and Divine Power.
“As for the ‘gift,’ it’s a specially treated part of the sea monster’s organs that still retains its activity. Anyone who eats it will immediately mutate into a half-sea monster. Only a very small number of mysterious individuals are selling these ‘gifts,’ and I suspect they are the Lord’s subordinates,” the black market boss said.
