“Alright, hurry and go contact that contact person. Here, take this. If they arrive, find an opportunity to crush it. We’ll receive the message.”
Since Eileen advised against them staying near the rendezvous point, Violet didn’t insist. Coincidentally, she could take this opportunity to visit the underground black market, rumored to “not sell anything legitimate,” and see if she could find some interesting items.
What she gave Eileen wasn’t anything valuable, just a small magic item that the priestess had bought in Sky City before – two small brittle stones the size of peanuts. Even an ordinary person could break them with force, and when one was destroyed, the other would shatter simultaneously. They were used to transmit simple messages, probably not difficult to make.
“So then, I’ll...”
“Sid, you’ll accompany Eileen to ensure her safety. After being separated for so long, you two probably have a lot to talk about. Your objectives are relatively minor, so as long as you’re cautious, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Seeing the man hesitating, Violet decisively sent him off. They didn’t need Sid to protect anything. It was better to stay with Eileen, who was just an ordinary person, as insurance. After all, it wasn’t safe for a girl to be alone in this lawless place.
Of course, the main reason was that Violet didn’t want to have a man with a perpetual deadpan expression around when she was having fun.
Amid Sid and Eileen’s grateful gazes, the four temporarily parted ways. One group entered the black market and quickly disappeared, while Violet and her pet casually chose a direction and began to wander, passing the time.
The underground black market had no name, no guards at the entrance, and couldn’t be considered particularly clean. Along the way, they frequently encountered various colored liquid traces on the roadside, corners, and alleyways.
Both Violet and her little dragon had much sharper senses than ordinary people. Even just passing by, they could easily detect the strange smells emanating from these substances after being left out for a long time.
There was everything: stimulating gases mixed with medicinal herbs, the smell of blood, various bodily fluids that couldn’t be identified, and even the stench of feces. Additionally, there were many strange odors that the girls had never encountered before, causing them to furrow their brows.
After leaving Mr. Side-Swept Bangs and Eileen, who were outsiders, behind, the little dragon girl no longer maintained her previous quiet demeanor. Perhaps to distract herself from those strange smells, she asked actively as they walked.
“Master, the Moon Shadow tribe offspring has been captured for several months now. Do you think it’s still alive? If humans wanted to eliminate this potential threat in advance, wouldn’t it be simplest to kill it directly after capturing it?”
Glancing at her pet, who was walking while covering her nose, Violet chuckled casually.
“That makes sense in theory, but Xiao Guang, if the monsters are still active within the city, it means they must have some kind of support. And I doubt humans would just casually kill that hatchling.”
“Human... Most creatures’ greed knows no bounds. When the possibility is in front of them, they will want more. From preventing enemies from obtaining the power of mythic beings to seeking it themselves, it’s just a thought away.”
Miss Dragon pondered.
“Are you saying humans want to experiment on that hatchling, or even decipher the reason for its transformation into a mythical being?”
“Well... something like that. After all, in this world where might makes right, who wouldn’t want to become stronger? The power of mythic beings is almost invincible for humans, not to mention that there might be a secret related to deities involved.”
As the two girls walked and talked, although there were quite a few pedestrians on the road, most chose to cover their faces with hoods or in various ways. When passing by, they intentionally kept a certain distance, probably wary of pickpockets. It was evident that they were all very cautious and didn’t want to reveal their true identities.
In such a black market, there were definitely thieves, and probably quite a few of them. After all, even the official guards who maintained order couldn’t be seen here. One could imagine how rampant criminal behavior would be.
In fact, on their way here, Violet and the other girl did encounter a few individuals who attempted to pickpocket them, both men and women. However, such petty actions couldn’t possibly escape the notice of Miss Priestess, especially since... she didn’t carry money directly on her person at all.
Violet didn’t make a big deal out of it, at most just hinting to the little dragon girl to exert her dragon’s authority, which scared off those would-be thieves, leaving them collapsed on the ground foaming at the mouth, and she didn’t bother with them further.
Even when such incidents occurred, the passersby on the street only cast slightly indifferent or amused glances, and no one intervened. It seemed they were already accustomed to such situations.
Truly befitting of an outlawed land.
Most of the vendors in this underground black market operated their businesses in the form of street stalls. Even if there were buildings, they resembled dimly lit shacks similar to small shops, rarely seeing large-scale and established businesses.
But it made sense, in a place like this, who would dare to leave behind a large amount of fixed assets without some background and confidence?
After walking a bit further, Violet casually chose a roadside stall to stop and observe. Passing by many stalls, she noticed that most of the items here were sealed in jars and bottles, making it impossible to discern anything just by looking.
The stall owner appeared to be an unassuming middle-aged man with a bald head, wearing somewhat tattered armor with several dried and darkened spots, possibly bloodstains from who knows where. He was lazily sitting on a wooden chair with his legs crossed, yawning.
A similarly bloodstained horse-chopping knife lay beside his leg, unmistakably not for sale.
Like others, he only spread a piece of cloth on the ground and displayed various jars, pots, and even some raw materials that hadn’t been cleaned properly—probably stripped from the bodies of monsters or creatures, emitting a foul stench.
Upon someone approaching the stall, he initially glanced up with the corner of his eye but was suddenly startled when he saw the unobstructed faces of the two girls. Quickly, he patted his buttocks, stood up, leaving the horse-chopping knife on the chair, and began to rub his hands together in the air, adopting a posture that perfectly fit Violet’s impression of a shady merchant.
The boss’s sudden reaction was so significant, definitely not because he recognized Violet and the other girl. After all, they were both wearing 【Cognitive Obstruction Mask】. It was probably just the Priestess and the little dragon girl’s stunning beauty, far surpassing that of ordinary human females, that made him feel impressed.
After all, this world was different from Earth. Lineage wasn’t some mystical thing without practical significance, it truly represented a kind of power that could be inherited.
Not to mention the numerous other races and creatures, even among humans, most nobles naturally possessed a stronger affinity for magic and better looks or physical qualities than commoners.
This was a gift passed down from their ancestors, who once possessed great power, through their bloodlines. Or one could say it was a kind of selection process—only outstanding individuals had the opportunity to become what was called “nobility.”
So, even if not 100%, in a place like this, if a woman suddenly appeared with astonishing beauty and noble temperament, openly displaying herself, nine times out of ten, her background would be anything but ordinary.
Except for the old hands and greenhorns, or those incredibly powerful big shots, ordinary people wouldn’t dare to casually show their faces in the black market.
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“Welcome, welcome! Um... what do the two ladies need?”
“Well, what do you sell here?”
While speaking, the bald man’s rough face was complemented by a pair of small, crafty eyes that darted between the two girls, seemingly observing who was in charge of the conversation. Seeing the blonde girl’s silent and slightly withdrawn demeanor, this fellow, who had long been experienced, made his judgment.
When Violet spoke, he immediately clapped his hands and adopted a flattering tone that completely contradicted his fierce appearance.
“Hehe, I have plenty of treasures here. A distinguished and beautiful young lady like yourself would probably be interested in skincare products. Take a look at this bottle, ground from the Snow Lotus of the Northern Ice Mountains, combined with extracts from over a dozen precious materials. Apply it morning and night, and within a month, it guarantees to make your skin whiter and smoother! And there’s also this one over here...”