Indeed, compared to bribing with money, dealing with guys like Seventh Lord was more straightforward and effective with forceful intimidation.
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After displaying strength far beyond his understanding, he didn’t dare to push his luck any further and immediately honestly revealed everything he knew.
As it turned out, although the manpower of the Ghost Thief Group had seemingly withdrawn from the underground market, not even collecting routine fees anymore, it didn’t mean they had truly lost control of this area. Their informants still had a clear understanding of all the major and minor events happening there.
In fact, not long ago, there was a large-scale poaching group, second only to the Ghost Thief Group in scale, that, seeing this area unmanaged, harbored ambitions of taking over as the ruler of the southern underground market and even seizing control of the lucrative businesses previously controlled by the Ghost Thief Group.
However, before the other three major forces in the underground black market could express their stance, this group, barely expressing their intentions, lost control due to the increasingly tense situation during a large-scale poaching operation. Most of the core members, numbering in the hundreds, were wiped out by the monsters in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains.
Seventh Lord wasn’t very clear about the specific reasons and circumstances, but he later heard that it was probably because there was a mole in that group, and this mole held a fairly high position, misleading their judgment of the situation, which led them straight into the hands of the powerful monsters.
Although there was no concrete evidence pointing to the Ghost Thief Group, this large group had been established for decades, and it just so happened to encounter trouble at this particular time. It’s hard to believe there wasn’t any shadow of external interference.
As for more valuable secrets, such as how many hidden bases the Ghost Thief Group had in the southern region and where they were located, it was not something someone like Seventh Lord would know.
As for the things he sold, with the previous incident involving the Snow Lotus of the Northern Ice Mountains, Violet didn’t believe this guy could really sell anything good. Even materials that Miss Priestess wouldn’t even look at. So, she left, leaving behind the bald old boss with his slashed horse sword, looking submissive, and took her little dragon girl away.
Unlike auction houses, the black market didn’t have professional appraisers to assist, and the situation of mixed quality goods was even more serious. Buyers needed to have sharper judgment, otherwise, if they were cheated into buying a pile of rubbish, they would most likely have nowhere to reason.
Following Seventh Lord’s directions, the two girls headed south, and soon entered another area that was noticeably different from before.
It was obviously more chaotic and disorderly. In many places, blood was even splattered directly on the walls, while below, there were bosses calmly selling goods.
Here, over 90% of the stalls were set up by small to medium-sized poaching teams like Seventh Lord’s, selling mostly strange and rare drugs without permits, smuggled goods, or valuable materials directly stripped from monsters.
It seemed that guy wasn’t just talking nonsense, this was indeed the territory of the Ghost Thief Group.
As they ventured deeper, Violet noticed that besides the usual contraband drugs and materials, many stalls began to display caged monster offsprings. What was even more outrageous was that occasionally, there were humanoid creatures huddled in large iron cages, only partially covered by black cloth, both males and females, all quite young and attractive.
From their obvious or subtle racial characteristics, it was clear that these were not humans but creatures abducted by poachers, creatures that fit the aesthetic preferences of humans.
Furthermore, among the passersby who occasionally brushed shoulders, some were followed by scantily clad, unmasked monster slaves. When the bosses saw these people, they would greet them more eagerly than usual, as if having a slave behind them wasn’t inappropriate. Instead, it had become a symbol of special status.
Cultural vices, in this dark underworld, were magnified infinitely. Civilization tore off its hypocritical facade, and malice and enslavement became an expected glory. Violet even witnessed someone brutally beating a petite nonhuman girl in the street just because she was walking too slowly, or branding a slave contract onto someone’s skin with a hot iron.
While the girl screamed in agony, the surrounding humans either looked on emotionlessly or laughed and cheered, as if all their dissatisfaction and negative emotions found release in such actions.
“...........”
“Master, are you feeling displeased? Would you like me to kill all those humans?”
Perhaps sensing the tumultuous emotions emanating from the black-haired girl through their contract, Little Dragon Girl, who didn’t feel much about harming lesser beings, tentatively made this suggestion.
“...No need, it’s just... this trip hasn’t been in vain.”
They weren’t saviors or righteous heroes, just a corner of the underground black market in the southern district of Demon Suppression City. Perhaps Xiao Guang could easily kill all the humans around, but what would that accomplish?
From the eyes of the passing monsters, Violet couldn’t see even a hint of resistance. Even when treated as objects for sale or abused, they only whimpered in self-pity, begging for forgiveness and mercy.
Deep down, they might also long for salvation, but redemption never just appears out of thin air.
To give an inadequate example, if the sisters, Leila and Rene, had given up resistance and lived as slaves seeking survival after being captured, they would never have met Violet by chance and regained their new lives.
Every cause has its effect. If you give up hope, who else will come to save you?
...To lose dignity, pitiful and laughable to the extreme.
“Let’s go, let’s continue forward.”
It had to be said, the variety of goods in the underground black market was indeed abundant, but so were the scams.
Occasionally, at some roadside stalls, they saw what seemed like powerful magical equipment or grimoires, but they were only superficially appealing. In reality, they all had glaring flaws or absurd side effects. It might deceive ordinary people, but it couldn’t fool the sharp-eyed Miss Violet.
But as the Mr. Side-Swept Bangs had said earlier, these guys really dared to sell anything and do anything. In just a short while, Violet had already seen several types of contraband universally prohibited in various worlds.
Some individuals even shamelessly consumed hallucinogenic drugs in public, with several nonhuman girls following behind, their misty and eager gazes fixed on the drugs in their hands, evidently suffering from severe addiction.
Using addictive drugs to control unruly monster slaves is also one of the common methods used by poachers.
As they walked, the two girls arrived at a stone building that looked much more formal than those small vendors. There were no strange liquids staining the walls, and even two burly guards were standing at the entrance.
At the top, there hung a sign with four gilded characters—”Universal Emporium”.
This place... should be the market of some large-scale poaching group. In this underground black market where people eat people without leaving bones, if one doesn’t have enough background and strength, they wouldn’t dare to be so ostentatious.
Let’s go in and take a look. If Violet kept walking outside, she was afraid she might not be able to resist... directly dealing with those scum.
Uh... They probably don’t need any kind of pass or membership.
Well, if they really need one, they’ll get one. After all, they’re doing business, they can’t just turn customers away, right?
After exchanging greetings, the priestess led Little Dragon Girl straight to the gate.
However, somewhat unexpectedly, the two guards, dressed in coarse cloth and looking fierce with their weapons, did not stop the two girls. They just glanced at them and let them pass.
That’s convenient.
There were quite a few customers in the shop, and many scantily clad maids were leading guests around, seemingly introducing and selling.
This place was indeed much more upscale than those small vendors outside. Not only were there conspicuous signs directing to areas like the “Equipment Section” and “Medicine Section,” but the place was also quite clean. It might not be spotless, but at least there weren’t any strange smells.
This shop also engaged in slave trading.
In the particularly spacious area marked as the “Slave Section,” there were many massive cages made of steel, and from here, Violet could see the situation inside at a glance.
There were quite a few, just from what was being displayed, probably around two to three hundred slaves.
Although most of them were likely monsters living in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, there were also humanoid orcs, as well as hybrids with hardly any difference in appearance from humans, mixed among them. In the innermost cages, Violet even saw several beautiful avian-winged people trembling.
Speaking of which, in the eyes of human criminal poaching groups, winged people were indeed a sought-after commodity. Among them, those with outstanding looks, like the azure-winged people, the silver-winged people with strong magical talents, and the rare and precious white-winged people, were the most valuable.
The former were mainly sold as sex slaves, while the latter two, while serving as tools for gratification, also provided combat power. Especially the white-winged ones, due to their scarcity, outstanding strength and looks, and the possibility of having a trace of angelic blood, were said to be heavily sought after and sold at high prices whenever they appeared.
Violet wasn’t particularly clear about the specific situation, but considering the experiences of Leila and Rene, there must also be poaching groups specializing in capturing winged people within the borders of the Azure Sky Kingdom. And most of them were likely human.
Wait a minute, if winged slave people, who should be far south, appeared here, could the trafficking organization that captured Leila and Rene, taking advantage of others’ peril, also be in Demon Suppression City, or even part of one of the large groups here?
As she pondered this, one of the maids who had noticed Violet and Xiao Guang entering the door had already hurried over to them and bowed humbly.
“Welcome to the Universal Emporium. May I help you with something?”
She had wanted to mock the name “Universal Emporium” when she saw it outside. The name sounded quite arrogant.
Unable to resist, Violet decided to tease the maid, who had nearly exposed half of her ample curves and cleavage.
She smiled maliciously.
“So, in this Universal Emporium, does it mean you can buy anything? Miss, then... what if I want to buy you?”
“?”
The maid’s body trembled slightly, then she discreetly lifted her head, cautiously assessing the noble and black-haired girl in front of her. There was a hint of peculiar color in her eyes, and soon, she continued in an extremely humble tone.
“Of course, it’s possible. As long as you can pay the price, you can buy anything here, including me.”
“You see, there are clearly things you can’t buy. Your...eh?”
Now, it was Violet’s turn to be surprised.
“Are you serious? Isn’t it prohibited in the Human United Kingdom for humans... wait a minute...”
The priestess stared at the maid’s body, which was almost indistinguishable from a human’s, scanning her up and down, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“You... are a demon?”