Chapter 245: The Rat King Arrives

"You!" the stall owner slammed the table in anger and rose, but Cheng Shuili gave him no chance to finish speaking.

"What me?" she scoffed, "Su Rui is my person; it's not your place to be sarcastic."

Her gaze swept over the nearby stalls selling servants; last time there was only one, but this time it was different.

These Game Coins—whoever profits from them is certainly profiting.

You don't want the beastmen, yet they are hurrying to claim them!

This time she came intending to buy a dozen or twenty, and she now has over 70,000 Game Coins in hand; the last price for a servant was 800 each, so money is no issue.

Cheng Shuili thought, then turned directly to the stall next to that owner and deliberately shouted, "I'm here to buy servants; give me twenty now! If the quality is good, I'll cooperate with you in the future!"

Just as this stall owner smiled, he heard the other stall owner who had mocked the two snort coldly, perhaps out of envy or jealousy, and say harshly:

"Ha... humans are so pretentious! What's wrong with saying a couple of sentences? Are they servants and can't speak? The goods from Laolang next door are far worse than mine! The slaves he sold last time fell ill and couldn't stand after three days! People have already come looking for them! Don't doubt it!"

"What's wrong with saying a couple of sentences?"

"Su Rui is definitely her person; she can say a couple of sentences herself, no problem. What are you, some kind of thing? How dare you come to lecture?"

Cheng Shuili was about to retort, but a roar cut her off first!

The "Laolang" mentioned by this stall owner also has a short temper; how could he tolerate such words?

He slammed the table hard and shouted, "You mutt! Every time you bring goods you lick your big face and pick first, shoving the rest of us to the back! Do you really think you're important?!"

The dog‑headed stall owner, not backing down, said, "My ability is to push to the front! If you have the skill, push forward too! You're cowardly, not daring to take the first goods, now you shout? A bunch of cowards!"

"I%%#*￥#"

"You%%#*￥#"

Cheng Shuili: "......"

In short, they started arguing.

However, Cheng Shuili paused, her gaze scanning the servants on both sides.

Laogou's words were indeed accurate; the servants on his side, though dirty, all kept their eyes open and looked vigorous. The servants beside the Laolang, however, huddled in clumps and were indeed a bit frail in comparison.

In terms of cultivation, the effect is certainly not as good as Laogou's servants.

Cheng Shuili frowned; those few sentences indicated one thing: the dog‑headed beastmen's goods were indeed the best.

Su Rui also figured out what was happening.

She frowned, her eyes scanning the stalls, and finally had to admit that Laogou's servants were indeed the most spirited.

She was a bit angry, but knowing she couldn't delay Cheng Shuili's business, she lowered her voice and suggested, "Better buy from Laogou?"

The two beastmen's quarrel finally paused, and the dog‑headed beastman, with pointed ears, snorted coldly upon hearing that: "You want to buy? You want to buy and I won't sell! Beg me properly, sir; if I'm in a good mood I might give you the chance!"

Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes, a cold smile slowly curling at the corner of her mouth.

She leisurely walked to the dog‑headed beastman's stall, lightly tapped the table with her fingertip, her tone airy yet bearing undeniable pressure: "Oh? Not selling?"

The dog‑headed beastman, unnerved by her stare, still retorted stubbornly, "What? Can't understand? If you want to buy, beg me!"

Cheng Shuili let out a low laugh, then suddenly turned to the stall next door, raising her voice: "Since this sir won't sell, I'll have to go elsewhere. Laolang, I'll take all your servants."

Laolang, still fuming, heard this and his eyes instantly brightened: "All, all of them?!"

"Which one isn't a purchase? They're all servants; once bought, they'll work!"

"They can work for however many days they last!"

Having thought it through, Cheng Shuili nodded lightly, "Right, all. But I have a condition—"

She gave the dog‑headed beastman a sideways glance, deliberately stretching her tone, "You must guarantee that any good goods in the future are supplied to me first, and the price… at seventy percent of market price."

Laolang hadn't reacted yet when the dog‑headed beastman exploded: "Are you crazy?! Seventy percent? Even his junk goods qualify?!"

Cheng Shuili ignored him, staring at Laolang with a half‑smile: "How about it? If you agree, we can sign the contract right now."

Laolang, excited, rubbed his hands and nodded repeatedly: "Agree! Of course I agree!"

The dog‑headed beastman's face turned ashen; he slammed the table hard: "Laolang! If you take this order, don't expect to get even a scrap of good goods from me in the future!"

Laolang was stunned, actually beginning to waver.

Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes, her gaze lingering on the two beastmen for a moment.

Laogou, seeing this, immediately became smug: "If you want to buy, you can only get goods from me, but at double market price—1600 Game Coins per servant. You said twenty, that's a total of 32,000. Want it or not!"

Cheng Shuili does have money, but she's not a fool.

She frowned, about to call Xinxue to buy on her behalf, when she suddenly heard a shout from afar: "The Bell‑ringer has arrived!"

"The Bell‑ringer is here!"

"Stop the trade! Welcome the Rat King!"

Laogou and Laolang's expressions changed simultaneously; they quickly tidied the black cloths that had become disheveled during the argument, bowed reverently on all five limbs, and fell silent.

The entire black market fell silent at once, as if the place that had been noisy and chaotic moments ago were elsewhere.

Before the guide knelt, he whispered from beside them: "Miss Human, humans need not kneel, but stand aside and clear the main path for the Bell‑ringer."

Cheng Shuili pulled Su Rui to stand beside the guide, and looked toward the direction of the shouts.

Unlike their last meeting, this elegant old gentleman squinted his eyes, seated on a small sedan chair, four mouse‑like beastmen carrying it; the stall owners on both sides performed deep bows, making the standing humans look out of place.

As the sedan chair drew nearer, Cheng Shuili thought it would simply pass, but the Rat King elegantly tapped the chair with his staff; the mouse‑beastmen lifting it immediately halted and carefully set it down.

The Rat King opened his closed eyes, inhaled lightly through his nose, then his gaze precisely landed on Cheng Shuili.

"Beautiful human? Long time no see! Thanks to you last time, my collection could finally be complete."

Cheng Shuili gave a perfectly timed smile, "No need for thanks; you get what you pay for—your strength earned you those collectibles."

"Indeed, you get what you pay for."

The Rat King repeated Cheng Shuili's words, elegantly adjusted his bow tie, and tapped the ground lightly with his staff, producing a crisp sound.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping between the dog‑headed stall owner and Laolang, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"My dear children," the Rat King's voice was as silky as silk, "when did the black market's rules become a free license to bully customers?"