Chapter 157: Not Simple

After some haggling, the ring belonging to Andeli was bought by someone for 34 Shide each, and then more people proceeded to trade.

Most of the items being traded came from the Zheng Shen Church, so it was no wonder these fellows were wearing masks.

"I have a handwritten copy of 'Wonderful Supernatural Creatures' here, but I don't know the price, and I hope someone can offer a reasonable one," a lady said honestly after trading a portion of her goods. "This book contains quite a few introductions to marine supernatural creatures; I wonder if any of you are interested."

"I guarantee it is authentic and valid," the lady repeated.

The recent news had made mutated marine creatures the focus of the Royal Capital, so this handwritten copy of supernatural creatures might be useful.

However, most Awakened at this level would not consider this issue.

Not to mention, most of the people selling supplies here were ordinary people who had not yet reached the level of being Awakened.

"If it is authentic and valid, I am willing to purchase a copy for 5 Shide; after all, you can still sell many more," Ye Laoshi spoke up again, which made everyone around look at him.

People who would spend money on books were not ordinary people.

Moreover, this person had just purchased something related to a Calamity; this item had no energy at all, so there was simply no way to handle it well.

Perhaps one might be cursed at any moment, who knows.

"Very well," the lady took out the handwritten copy directly, and Ye Laoshi also fished 5 Shide out of his bag.

The items sold next were nothing new; the vast majority were medicines for treating injuries and illnesses.

Ye Laoshi also considered these things, but then thought about how the players had no need for such things at all.

Because players could directly choose to die; unless there was some unavoidable reason, there was simply no need for treatment.

Until it was Ye Laoshi's turn.

He also needed to sell some things; those players had given him quite a few odds and ends, some were materials, and some were purchase requests.

Ye Laoshi took out a slip of paper and said, "I need to purchase a complete formula for an Illusionist, a pair of Three-eyed Frog eyes, and a complete Mandrake. At the same time, I am selling a pair of Petrified Frog eyes, two Red-tailed Dragonflies, plus a few Sun Charms."

Almost everyone frowned.

As for the items Ye Laoshi was looking to buy, they all belonged to things they did not have.

Even the leader sitting at the very top presiding over the meeting felt that the things Ye Laoshi was looking to buy were truly completely unrelated.

An Illusionist's formula certainly would not contain Three-eyed Frog eyes; the Three-eyed Frog was a type of poisonous frog, and while it wouldn't kill anyone if paired poorly, it would certainly cause some mutations. As for the Mandrake, if it were just the root or leaves, it would be relatively easy to obtain, but a complete one was a bit hard to get. As for the Petrified Frog, the price of this thing had to be at least 2000 Shide, which counted as a high-priced commodity here; the Red-tailed Dragonfly was secondary, though there should be people who want it.

As for the Sun Charms... everyone was a bit confused.

If this person were from the Sun God Cult, the things he was looking to buy did not belong to the style of those things at all.

Could it be that someone else needed him to make the purchase?

Those who had originally had some thoughts about Ye Laoshi now felt that they should not move against this person lightly.

There was no telling how many people were behind this guy; if they acted rashly, they might end up being robbed by him.

Not to mention, perhaps this guy himself was very powerful, which was why he had so many good things and could also purchase these items.

"I can manage to get some Mandrake," the person who had just sold the books said. "However, I cannot deliver it in a short time. I wonder what method I can use to contact you?"

"You can write a letter directly to the Chamber of Commerce's contract office, specifying that it be forwarded to the Xiahui People; however, after more than a month, this contact method will be invalid," Ye Laoshi stated the address he had previously agreed upon with Luolita. "The same goes for other supplies; if you have them, just mail them to the Chamber of Commerce."

This... involved the Wealth Church again?

The lady nodded; although it was not good to deal directly with the Zheng Shen Church, it was very easy to find loopholes with the Wealth Church.

It seemed this man was also using the name of the Wealth Church; the Xiahui People, to think they would use this method.

It made sense; those exiled Xiahui People generally did all kinds of work, it was just that the scope was a little larger, so there should be some special way to identify them.

"How much for the Petrified Frog?" a person whose voice sounded somewhat aged asked.

"2000 Shide, this is a fair price," Ye Laoshi did not mince words; this price was considered a price the players recognized, though of course, if the other party wanted to buy more, there wouldn't be such a cheap price later on.

"May I ask where it came from?" the other party's voice was somewhat dry.

Ye Laoshi smiled and said, "This thing usually requires waiting for the Petrified Frog to die, doesn't it? As for where it comes from, this creature exists across the whole country; it's nothing new anywhere."

"That is true, but I didn't bring that much money," the other party seemed a bit embarrassed. "If you still have this kind of material at the next gathering, I will purchase it."

"Very well," Ye Laoshi nodded. "Then, is there anything else you need?"

"How much for a Red-tailed Dragonfly?" a young man asked.

"1500 Shide each," Ye Laoshi had inquired about the Wealth Church's prices and added a bit on top of that.

The youth muttered, "The Chamber of Commerce only charges 1400, your price..."

"If the Chamber of Commerce could sell them directly, I would be willing to lower the price," Ye Laoshi refused the other party's haggling. "This is a fair price."

Everyone else felt that this young man was a bit too stupid; the other party had already said to send a letter to the Chamber of Commerce to make contact, could he not know the Chamber of Commerce's prices?

This way of haggling was truly too clumsy.

However, the young man did not feel there was any problem. "If it were 1450 Shide, I could purchase it right now; I just bought some herbs and really don't have any more money."

Thinking that he might need money later, Ye Laoshi said, "Very well, this is my first time coming to this gathering, let's just consider it making a friend. This Red-tailed Dragonfly is of quite good quality; let's just exchange money and goods."

The young man took out a money bag and placed it on the waiter's tray.

The waiter nodded, counted it, and handed it to Ye Laoshi.

And that Red-tailed Dragonfly was also handed into the youth's hands.

Seeing that dragonfly, the youth's eyes shone; even through the mask, one could feel the youth's excitement.

It was clear this was something he had been looking forward to for a long time.

As for the Sun Church's charms, some people were interested, but they only sold for 10 Shide in total; the price was not high.

However, a good start was half the battle; at least the things Ye Laoshi sold were things people would have a need for.

That is to say, in the Royal Capital, this was a very large market, and there were not a few people who needed them.

"I am very happy that today's trading has created a new high point," the exchange concluded, and the host sitting at the very front said with a smile. "Very good, I think I will soon be able to see some young people gain a new life."

He looked emphatically in Ye Laoshi's direction, discovering that this young man was very mature, as if he were already a person in his twilight years.

Thus, he thought to himself, perhaps this was a person of no small age, currently disguising himself as a young man.

What could his identity be? Awakened to become an actor?

Thinking of this, he laughed at himself, then said: "For the next gathering, we will use the old method to notify you, in about a week or so. Management has been quite strict recently, so I hope everyone won't cause trouble. I hope to see you all again next time."

"Alright, this time, the young person who just purchased the Red-tailed Dragonfly will leave first, followed by this big client."

The other party quickly analyzed the time and location for departure, and Ye Laoshi was ranked second.

He had obtained the most money, and the items he purchased could also be said to be at a high price.

This indicated he could provide better things next time, and this host did not wish for any major problems to arise.

With this newcomer here, perhaps the scope of his own transactions could expand further next time, and he might even be able to buy things he was interested in.

Ye Laoshi was not afraid at all; after all, he did not fear death. After handing over the mask, he left in a generous manner, without a shred of attachment.

As for the remaining people, they began to discuss things, whether relevant or not.

"First the Wealth Church, then the Sun God Cult; this person's identity doesn't seem simple."

"At the very least, we can be sure he isn't from the Zheng Shen Church looking for trouble." The host chuckled, "With people like this around, couldn't our materials be more abundant?"

"That may be so, but it would be better if he didn't bring us any trouble." The old man speaking lowered his voice, "The formula for an Illusionist—I feel that if he were an actor, he shouldn't need such a thing."

The crowd remained silent; this newcomer's appearance was truly too strange, and his identity was completely unfathomable.

The host also very much hoped for such newcomers to appear, and he said to that old man: "I hope he can come often."

Returning to the dormitory, Ye Laoshi logged off immediately and began to report the situation to the players.

This transaction had earned him quite a bit of money, and at the same time, he hoped to see the God of Calamity's view on the Thousand Hands.

He had taken this thing out to look at it; it looked like a bear's paw, very hard, the size of a palm, and pitch black all over.

It is said that this thing represents Calamity, and whoever obtains it will not have very good luck.

Ye Shengzu: I will publish that manuscript on the forum after I finish translating it in the near future, but I think it would be best if someone came to the Royal Capital to help. Luolita is currently unable to continue completing the mission; the people from the Wealth Church are watching her very closely. As for Evans, this guy has been missing for several days, and I don't know when he will return.

Preschool: You'eryuan and the others are currently heading to the Port City. I have to watch the shop and can't go for the time being. Everyone else has formal jobs; for example, Feng Buxi, he simply cannot go.

Yunxiao: I can send people over, and we all have the status of the Wealth Church, so it won't be a problem.

Mengmeng: I think I can go too, and I can come back with Luolita when the time comes.

There were quite a few people who wanted to go to the Royal Capital, which made Chen Zhi, who had been watching from behind, feel a bit worried.

He had no way to manage the players located in the Royal Capital. If it were an honest person like Ye Laoshi, it would be easy to handle, but if they were very flighty players, he couldn't just let them go.

Should he apply some buffs to them?

Chen Zhi, who had reached out his hand, felt this was not good; being too deliberate wouldn't work.

Fortunately, he could still control these players through Andrew.

For example, let the more obedient players head to the Royal Capital to assist Ye Laoshi in handling relevant matters.

Or, simply let NPCs go instead; for example, Saina, as she herself also needs to make a trip to the Royal Capital to see how Evans is doing.

The journey to the Port City was smoother than You'eryuan had imagined. Because the wind was favorable, the Port City, which should have taken three days to reach, was arrived at in just a day and a half.

The port here was much larger than Tana City's; it could dock hundreds of sailing ships, and there were even a few Cement Ships present.

"Looking at your gait, if you were at sea, I'm afraid you wouldn't even be able to walk," Captain Bulutuo said with dissatisfaction. "I thought the War Church would train you on how to ride a ship. Then again, you only need to fight those barbarians; you don't need to go out to sea at all."

"We don't wish for this either, but we were really in too much of a rush along the way." Perhaps it was also due to the currents; the journey up was exceptionally bumpy.

Zhuguli, who had finished vomiting, finally straightened his waist. He really didn't understand why he would have this kind of reaction when he was already in a game.

Being characters generated by the game as well, why were his other brothers fine?

"Perhaps it's because of the awakening," You'eryuan speculated. "People from the War Church aren't suited for sailing after awakening?"

"That makes sense. This is the territory of the Storm; people from the War Church had better be a bit more restrained," Bulutuo laughed. "What, are you scared already? That's right, Tana City doesn't have the presence of the Storm Church."

Tana City was far from the port and had little connection to the Storm Church.

Most members of the Storm Church were Sailors; they didn't like to come onto land and usually only had a few strongholds at the ports.

The Port City had such a church; in fact, the Storm Church managed the entire Port City just like the Wealth Church used to in Tana City.

Other churches did not have the ability to control such a city.

They could only exist within the city through missionary work.

Of course, the people here still believed in the Storm more.

"Alright, I know you are all honest Believers, even if you have already obtained the favor of other gods. Follow me. Andrew arranged for us to find a person named Aibu Yibaniersi at the port hub. This person is responsible for the purchase of ships. After we finish discussing serious business, we will go find the warehouse."

(End of chapter)