“Stop, stop, stop!”
Seeing the bald boss rambling on like a machine gun, showing no signs of stopping, Violet was shocked by his eloquence and quickly reached out to stop him.
She didn’t need any skincare products, and the Snow Lotus he mentioned, if it was the same thing as Violet knew, was something that only grew at least five thousand meters above sea level, in extremely harsh conditions, and was usually guarded by powerful monsters.
Moreover, once the Snow Lotus was removed from its special environment, without proper preservation, it would quickly wither and lose its effectiveness. Even in the Snow Country itself, it was a rare commodity enjoyed only by the royal family and major nobles.
It was said that when used properly, the Snow Lotus could directly enhance the talents and strength of ice-attribute creatures. In the northern Snow Country, where such attributes were predominant, it was almost like a treasure of the heavens and earth. Even with Violet’s connections, she had only heard about it and never seen it with her own eyes.
The probability of finding drugs made from Snow Lotus in an underground black market far away from Demon Suppression City was almost nonexistent. Violet didn’t believe they would be sold at such a casual stall.
Ignoring the so-called skincare products, the girl squatted down and casually toyed with the bottles and jars in front of her, then looked up at the bald boss with curiosity.
“Why aren’t there any labels on these medicines? Just relying on word of mouth, how can anyone know what’s being sold?”
“Hehe, what’s the big deal? Oh... Miss, could it be your first time in the underground black market? Everything here is like this. We sell based on fate, and what’s effective is all in our hearts. If you don’t know the goods, you might get deceived, but that’s only fair.”
The bald boss quickly slapped his forehead and hurriedly clarified, “Of course! Everything here is genuine! After all, my old man has been doing business here for quite some time. It wouldn’t be worth ruining our reputation for a little money, right?”
“Is that so...”
The girl scanned the items on the stall without expressing any opinion.
This bald man who called himself Seventh Lord was probably not acting alone, he likely had a small team behind him.
After all, both the quantity of fresh materials and the variety of potions on display clearly indicated that they couldn’t have been produced by just one person. This guy was probably only responsible for sales.
A small... poaching gang?
Most of the vendors here were probably in similar situations, using platforms built by large gangs to sell off goods that weren’t suitable for open market transactions, and then paying a certain commission or fixed stall fee to the higher-ups, forming such an economic ecosystem.
Violet clapped her hands and stood up.
“So, Seventh Lord, how long has this underground black market of yours been around?”
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“Oh... so that’s what you two are after.”
The bald man wasn’t annoyed by Violet’s delay in purchasing goods. Instead, he chuckled knowingly and rubbed his fingers together in a market-savvy manner.
“Hehe, of course we sell information here too, but as for the price...”
“It’s fine, as long as the information you provide is indeed valuable, money is not an issue.”
The priestess casually flicked an item towards him.
“Speak.”
“Oh, oh, oh! Miss is really straightforward. Seventh Lord loves doing business with people like you!”
The bald man caught the coin tossed to him with assurance, then bit it with his teeth to check its authenticity. His smile immediately became genuine.
“The underground black market in this Demon Suppression City, as for the exact time it appeared, it’s not very clear, but it has been around for at least several decades. I’ve been doing business here for almost ten years. Back when we first arrived, it was pretty much the same as it is now.”
“So it’s been deeply rooted for such a long time...”
It seems that, just as Lilya said initially, criminal poaching organizations have existed in this country for a very long time.
Existence is truth, the fact that poachers have survived until now ultimately stems from the influence of the country’s culture.
Violet didn’t like the extreme tradition of the Human United Kingdom that vehemently excludes non-human races. It wasn’t because she was an advocate of racial equality, it was just that the existence of such a thing caused her trouble.
Because of this atmosphere, companions like Little Dragon, Leila, and Rene, who clearly have characteristics of non-human races, have to hide parts of their organs and disguise themselves as humans to avoid trouble.
Although in reality, even if they were truly seen, the consequences wouldn’t be so severe, but trouble was still trouble, especially in the case of having a relationship with Lilya.
If possible, she did hope to change this distorted atmosphere, at least not to make persecuting non-human races politically correct.
However, even if Violet intended to do something, this deeply ingrained tradition integrated into the national culture couldn’t be solved with just a few words from her. The priestess couldn’t just slaughter all the humans who discriminate against non-human races.
Let’s take it one step at a time and see how it goes.
“Since you’ve been here for ten years, you must know a lot about the organizers of this black market and those large-scale poaching gangs. Tell me about it.”
Without waiting for Seventh Lord to speak, Violet proactively tossed another coin. She had as many of these things as she needed, it didn’t matter.
Of course, she couldn’t give too much to the other party. Those who dabble in the underworld are generally not good people. It’s all about greediness. By grasping the degree of bribery, one can firmly control the direction of the conversation with simple means.
Sure enough, the bald man, having gained a little profit, immediately smiled broadly, showing no intention of confidentiality for his superiors, and continued to speak.
“Hehe, Miss, you’re quite savvy. I won’t hide it from you. There are indeed behind-the-scenes bosses in this place, and not just one.”
“The underground black market in this Demon Suppression City is divided into four regions: east, south, west, and north. They are respectively controlled by the four largest underworld organizations: the Human Alliance in the east, the Brotherhood in the west, the Ghost Thief Group in the south, and the Poison Blade in the north.”
“Among them, the Human Alliance has the greatest influence, dabbling in almost every business. The Brotherhood has the largest number of members, mainly engaged in debt collection and hired brawls, akin to a mercenary group that does everything. The Ghost Thief Group is the largest poaching gang in Demon Suppression City, mainly involved in slave trafficking, illegal drug and material sales, and the Poison Blade is an assassin organization, with the fewest members, very mysterious, but their influence should not be underestimated.”
“The Ghost Thief Group?”
Upon hearing the keyword, Violet raised her eyebrows lightly, and Seventh Lord, as if presenting a treasure, quickly nodded in agreement.
“Yes, yes, yes, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Actually, the area we’re in right now, a bit further south, is the southern region managed by the Ghost Thief Group.”
“However, something seems to have happened recently. Many members of the Ghost Thief Group have withdrawn, and I heard that even the rent isn’t being collected anymore. It’s already in a state of ownerless. Hehe, although it’s said like that, but in reality...”
The boss intentionally stopped the topic here and glanced sneakily at the two girls with a sly look. Even without any action, his intentions were very clear.
Violet frowned, taking out another coin. But this time, instead of gently tossing it to the other party like the previous two times, she threw it suddenly!
“Swoosh!”
The bladeless metal currency flashed past Seventh Lord’s ear like lightning, pierced through the blade of the sabre and the wooden stool, deeply embedding itself into the ground, leaving only a small portion exposed.
After a while, the bald man seemed to finally react, touching the blood marks on his face that had been scratched, his cunning smile gradually freezing, and visible cold sweat started pouring out.
“There won’t be a next time.”
The girl said indifferently.
“Eek! Yes, yes, yes! This humble one has eyes but failed to see, failed to recognize your extraordinary abilities, and got carried away! Please spare me, spare me!!!”
“?”
Seventh Lord’s reaction was even more intense than Violet had imagined.
She originally just wanted to intimidate this guy, to prevent him from making outrageous demands and interrupting the conversation. Who would have thought that after showing off her skill, this seemingly mighty bald guy actually knelt down without any dignity, as if afraid that Violet would kill him if she got upset?
Regardless, granting mercy directly is too...
Wait a minute...
Violet suddenly recalled the bloodstains mixed with other things on both sides of the road on the way here, as well as the indifferent attitude of the passersby after dealing with those pickpockets.
Huh? Could it be that this place is actually a den of thieves?