Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Night Visit to the Black Market

The black market.

A place for things that can’t see the light of day.

Some black markets follow the mantra: "The most dangerous place is the safest place."

But most of the time, the most dangerous place is, in fact, the most dangerous place.

And the safest places are the ones that are cautious and low-key.

Zhao Chi rushed along with Gu Qing.

He only felt the gentle evening breeze, cool and comfortable against his face.

The sky was dark, but outside the surrounding city walls, sapphire-blue fluorescence roiled continuously.

It was an Array teleporting Magical Beasts.

Day and night, without rest.

Gu Qing looked around curiously.

She was extremely curious about the surroundings, which Zhao Chi found utterly ordinary.

All sorts of strange thoughts and exclamations of wonder constantly appeared in her mind.

Zhao Chi listened in silence and continued on his way.

「The neighboring village, outside a septic tank.」

Even before reaching the septic tank, a thick stench filled the air.

It was many times fouler than a normal septic tank.

This was intentional.

Beside the septic tank stood a small, short stone house.

Inside sat an old man, blind in one eye.

Zhao Chi approached. "Sir, I’m here to make a Trade. Please let me in."

Zhao Chi was controlling Gu Qing to speak, so the voice that came out was, of course, Gu Qing’s soft, feminine one.

The old man turned a deaf ear.

As if he hadn’t heard a thing.

Zhao Chi repeated himself.

The old man looked up. "Huh...?"

He seemed to be in a poor mental State.

Zhao Chi sighed. "I don’t know your secret code, and no one recommended me, but I want to make a Trade. Please, let me in."

A flicker of suspicion passed through the old man’s eyes.

But he remained dazed. "Huh?"

Zhao Chi said, "I wish everyone in the Central District would drop dead."

"Huh? Haha, ahem?"

The old man had been putting on an act, but he suddenly let out a couple of laughs.

Then he went back to playing dumb.

Zhao Chi’s patience was wearing thin, but he suddenly sensed a change in the situation.

The thick stench from moments ago had vanished.

Moreover, the surrounding sounds had gone quiet. It was as if he had entered another space.

Zhao Chi’s heart jumped in alarm.

He quickly checked the system and saw there was an exit option.

’That’s a relief...’

"Miss, don’t be nervous. Is this your first Time?"

The old man’s voice was surprisingly young.

Zhao Chi understood now. The person in front of him probably wasn’t an old man at all.

"Yes, this is my first time."

The "old man" nodded and said,

"Alright. I’ll tell you this upfront: to enter, you must register your Identity information.

"This information detection and identification method is our own creation. It’s extremely secure; people from the Central District can’t track it.

"The fact that we’ve operated here for many years is proof of that.

"However, we can track this registration within the Great World. If anyone betrays us and leaks secrets, we will hunt them down to the ends of the earth, relentlessly!

"Of course, if you behave yourself, there won’t be any problems. This will become your identification marker, allowing you to enter directly next time.

"If you agree, you can register. If you don’t, please leave.

"But if you dare to leak any information, we won’t let you off easy either.

"Do you understand?"

It was half threat, half warning.

But it was also reasonable.

Zhao Chi hesitated for a long while before finally nodding in agreement.

’I have to enter the black market, and right now, the Identity is Gu Qing’s, so it should be safe enough.’

The "old man" smiled.

He raised his hand.

[You have received a registration request from "Strong Fragrance Food Street." Do you agree?]

’Strong Fragrance Food Street?’

’Here? At a septic tank?’

Zhao Chi didn’t understand at all.

Gu Qing chuckled inwardly.

Zhao Chi frowned and clicked "Agree."

A flash of green light swept over him.

[Registering...]

[Registration Successful!]

[You are now a registered member of "Strong Fragrance Food Street."]

[Please choose a name for yourself.]

The "old man" said, "Give yourself a new name. You can use your real name if you want, too."

’Of course I can’t use my real name.’

Zhao Chi thought carefully.

Gu Qing spoke in his mind, ’My lord, I’ve thought of a good name, very fitting for this place.’

Zhao Chi replied, ’What is it? I can’t think of anything right now.’

Gu Qing said, ’How about "Woman Looking for Food"?’

Zhao Chi: ’Why is it so weird?’

Gu Qing: ’Hee hee, isn’t this place "Strong Fragrance Food Street"? And we’re here looking for food, right?’

Zhao Chi: ’...I get it. It’s a pun, isn’t it? On "Zhao Chi’s Woman"?’

Gu Qing: ’That’s right! My lord, you’re so smart. What do you think of the name?’

Zhao Chi: ’It’s clever, but it’s better to pick a normal name. Nothing too strange, something common would be best.’

Gu Qing: ’How about "Hopelessly Straight Guy"!’

Zhao Chi: ’You’re a woman.’

Gu Qing: ’Hee hee, just kidding. How about Zhao Si?’

Zhao Chi: ’Zhao Si?’

Gu Qing: ’Yep! It’s your surname, my lord, plus a little something about me. The Zhao surname is super common. And since we’re going to sell Silk Stockings, the "Si" from "silk" makes the name memorable, right?’

Zhao Chi: ’That could work.’

He thought about it for a moment more. It was indeed a good idea.

Zhao Chi typed in "Zhao Si."

The "old man" laughed.

"Zhao Si? Heh. Go on in. Don’t cause any trouble inside. Behave yourself, or you’ll be in for a world of hurt."

He pointed to the septic tank outside the house.

"The septic tank?" Zhao Chi asked for confirmation.

The "old man" waved his hand impatiently. "That’s the place. Hurry up, I’m busy."

Zhao Chi couldn’t see what he was so busy with, but he knew it was pointless to ask again.

Just then, the vile stench returned.

Zhao Chi saw no other choice and slowly walked over.

He walked very slowly, especially when it came to taking that first step into the septic tank.

SPLASH!

He fell in!

’HOLY SHIT!!!?’

Zhao Chi didn’t dare open his mouth, but he was cursing wildly in his mind.

Gu Qing also let out a short scream.

’I thought I’d float on the surface and walk somewhere, not actually fall in! What the fuck??’

But in the next moment, they appeared in a dim square.

The area was surrounded by lit torches.

The torchlight had a limited range, only illuminating a rough outline of the area and obscuring the details.

The ground was black earth.

It wasn’t level, but it was packed solid from being trodden on.

Under the torchlight, it reflected a greasy, yellow sheen.

The sky was pitch-black, with no stars or moonlight.

Even the blue light from the walls and the Array was gone.

This meant it wasn’t the Great World, but a separate space.

There were few people around, making the square feel desolate and eerie.

He looked down at himself.

His clothes were perfectly clean.

’So that disgusting septic tank really was a Teleport Point. Who has such a sick sense of humor?’

’But I guess it makes sense.’

’Those noble masters would never deign to come here.’

’And the Soldiers under them would never jump into a septic tank to investigate.’

’Besides, without being registered, they’d just end up covered in filth if they jumped in.’

He opened the system and saw a "Return" option.

Zhao Chi immediately clicked it.

His vision blurred.

The stench returned.

When his eyes opened again, he was back beside the septic tank.

His Body was still clean.

The stench was coming from beside him.

But strangely, the small stone house and the "old man" were gone.

As if they had never existed.

Zhao Chi quickly scanned his surroundings.

No one was around. It was safe.

’How do I get back in?’

Gu Qing’s thought came through: ’How else? You definitely have to jump back in.’

Zhao Chi: ’You’re braver than I am. Let’s go!’

He jumped again, and sure enough, he was back in the square.

Now, the black market tour could truly begin.

Although it was a small square, there was only one path leading out.

Zhao Chi followed the torches forward.

Before long, the torches became more numerous and burned brighter.

He could now see a brighter light ahead.

After walking a bit further, the path widened, and the black earth underfoot gave way to stone slabs.

The number of people on the road began to increase, though still sparse.

Everyone wore homemade masks, keeping themselves completely covered, afraid of their Identity in the Great World being discovered.

Gradually, the crowd grew denser.

The surroundings grew brighter as well.

People had started setting up makeshift stalls on both sides of the road.

They spread cloths on the ground, displaying various materials and items.

Zhao Chi gave them a quick glance. Most of it was just miscellaneous junk; nothing he needed.

Further ahead, proper shops began to line the sides of the road.

The light here was much brighter.

Each shop was illuminated by a Spirit Light Technique, casting different Colors and creating a neon-like Effect.

But white and yellow light were the most common, making the place look brilliantly lit.

For a moment, Zhao Chi felt as if he had wandered into a night market.

There were many more people here.

In front of the shops on both sides, many people had set up stalls. No one drove them away, allowing them to sell their wares wherever they pleased.

Gu Qing’s exclamations of amazement hadn’t stopped for a while now.

She was like a sheltered child who had never seen the world, finding everything astonishing.

Although she didn’t want to disturb Zhao Chi, she would occasionally take control of the eyes subconsciously.

Gu Qing would always apologize shyly afterward.

Of course, Zhao Chi didn’t blame her.

Zhao Chi said in her mind, ’Gu Qing, you control the left eye, I’ll control the right eye, but let me control the Body.’

Gu Qing: ’Can we really do that? Okay!’

They tried it, and it worked.

Now, Gu Qing’s two eyes no longer moved in sync.

The left eye, controlled by Gu Qing, darted all over the place, looking here and there.

The right eye, controlled by Zhao Chi, remained relatively steady.

He had two goals for coming here. One was to sell Silk Stockings and make money.

The other was to buy some practical items that could provide a short-term boost to his Combat Power or production Ability.

Something like a selectable Treasure Chest would also be good.

Since he was new here, he needed to play it safe.

He carefully examined the shops on both sides.

Although this was a black market, it had all sorts of shops, resembling a full-fledged commercial street.

An Exchange, a Weapon shop, an armor shop, an Accessories shop, a Medicine shop, an item shop—they were all here.

Restaurants, teahouses, brothels, inns, barbershops, and bathhouses were also all present.

As Zhao Chi’s gaze fell upon a brothel, his eyes automatically shifted away.

Zhao Chi: ’Gu Qing, did you just control the right eye?’

Gu Qing: ’My lord, don’t look at those women. They’re so unpleasant.’

Zhao Chi: ’...I wasn’t looking at them. I was looking at the Building.’

Gu Qing: ’Don’t lie to me. We share the same vision.’

Zhao Chi: ’Alright, I won’t look.’

Gu Qing: ’Exactly. If you want to look, we can go back home and look. We have so many women at home. Aren’t they prettier than these women? Are the ones at home not enough for you to look at?’

Zhao Chi: ’They’re enough, they’re enough. Just having you is enough. Let’s go to the Exchange.’

Gu Qing: ’I don’t believe you for a second.’

Zhao Chi found this amusing.

Right now, he was targeting two types of shops.

One was the Exchange.

The Exchange should have the most comprehensive selection of goods.

The other was a fashion shop.

Fashion shops could sell clothes, but they could also buy them back.

After a brief comparison, Zhao Chi entered the largest Exchange nearby.

It was a spacious, three-story wooden Building.

Inside, the light was bright, the place was bustling with noise, and business was booming.

Dozens of staff members were already overwhelmed with work.

Zhao Chi paid them no mind and walked over to a self-service machine on the side, connecting to the system.

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