Chapter 246: A Small Crown

The dog-headed stall owner's face turned deathly pale in an instant, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. He crawled on the ground, voice trembling: "Rat, Rat King sir, I'm just... just..."

"Just what?" the Rat King walked slowly up to the stall, lightly lifting a servant's chin with his staff, "I just happened to hear someone wants to sell a servant for 800 Game Coins at 1600?"

The Rat King's aura was quite formidable, but his height was indeed a shortcoming.

Cheng Shuili stood behind him watching; although it was rather rude to stare now, the Rat King was indeed standing on tiptoe.

If you overlook his status and age, this pose is still quite cute.

Only Cheng Shuili, bold as could be, thought the Rat King was cute; the entire black market was shaken by this comment, instantly falling silent, all stall owners bowing their heads and not daring to speak.

The Rat King suddenly turned, his staff tracing a beautiful arc in the air before finally pointing at Cheng Shuili.

Cheng Shuili paused, almost drawing the long blade from within the Abyssal Ring.

The Rat King's voice interrupted her motion: "This beautiful lady, you are my honored guest."

These words struck like a thunderclap, and all the beastfolk present sucked in a breath of cold air.

The old fox clenched his tail, fearing Cheng Shuili would settle accounts with him now. The old dog realized things were dire, his body going limp on the ground as he kept muttering, "Spare my life."

"Now," the Rat King elegantly turned, looking at the old wolf, "This lady wants to buy your servant at a 30% discount off the market price—do you have any objections?"

The old wolf was so excited he kept kowtowing: "No, no! Rat King sir, you are wise!"

The Rat King nodded satisfactorily, then turned to the dog-headed stall owner: "As for you..."

"Rat King sir, spare my life!" the dog-headed stall owner wailed in tears, "I'm willing to give twenty servants to this lady for free as compensation!"

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow, not expecting things to turn out this way.

She was about to speak when the Rat King beat her to it: "Twenty isn't enough—I'd say... fifty."

The dog-headed stall owner's face turned green, but he could only nod repeatedly: "Yes, yes! Fifty!"

Fifty?

Cheng Shuili blinked; now her estate should have enough servants, right?

Only then did the Rat King turn toward Cheng Shuili, bowing slightly: "Beautiful lady, are you satisfied with this arrangement?"

Cheng Shuili suppressed a smile, feigning composure as she nodded: "Thank you, Rat King, for upholding justice."

"No need for courtesy." the Rat King straightened, tapping his staff on the ground, "Our black market's rules have always been strict—business is business; if you want to do it, do it; if not, don't..."

Having said that, he glanced back at the old dog, his voice icy: "Stalls in the black market are in high demand, with plenty of people scrambling to get one and still failing—yet here someone is rushing to refuse it."

The old dog's body jerked; frightened, he lowered himself further, swallowing his discontent, not daring to lift his head.

If his stall were gone, his future... would be utter darkness.

Seeing this, Cheng Shuili also realized the Rat King was using this affair to warn those stall owners.

The Rat King achieved his goal, and Cheng Shuili got fifty servants for free—this is definitely a win-win!

She stood to the side, listening to the Rat King's words while lightly nodding.

Other humans stared wide-eyed at this scene; originally astonished that a player could get on good terms with the Rat King, seeing this they couldn't help but marvel at how bold Cheng Shuili was.

The Rat King's body is small, but his voice is extraordinarily resonant; that inner-to-outer aura is terrifying, like the pressure of a high-level cultivator—these people standing far away felt their spirits tremble, yet this person standing right beside him still dared to nod...

A middle-aged man strained to make out Cheng Shuili's appearance, realizing she was barely twenty, and couldn't help but feel in his heart that she truly had the vigor of a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

If this were said directly to Cheng Shuili, she would surely blink in confusion.

What thing?

What aura? What pressure?

You don't feel it?

She didn't know; this is also why the Rat King finds her unique.

The Rat King elegantly twirled his staff, then suddenly lifted his head to show Cheng Shuili a sly smile utterly unlike his dignified image: "Beautiful lady, I wanted to say last time, I don't know if I have the honor..."

He drew out his tone, and his claws suddenly snapped a sharp clack.

Two rat-beastman guards immediately hoisted a roll of red carpet and trotted over, unfurling it with a swish before everyone's eyes.

The Rat King rose onto his tiptoes, stepped onto the red carpet, performed an elegant stage bow, and after the ceremony was complete, said the second half: "Will you become my pen pal?"

The entire black market fell silent to the point where you could hear a needle drop.

The old fox froze stiff on the ground, and the dog-headed stall owner opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

Even the usually composed guide couldn't help but cautiously lift his head, glance at Cheng Shuili, then immediately lower it again.

Just who is this human, exactly?

He could sense this human's extraordinariness, but...

But it's impossible that just because of this 'not ordinary' trait he'd earn the Rat King's favor, right?

To become a pen pal—what an honor that would be...

The guide silently lowered his head further, yet suddenly a thought he'd never had before arose.

Wasn't he recruiting servants?

He... he could too?

As the Rat King's words faded, the rat-beastman standing nearby instantly produced a feather pen and a roll of sheepskin from behind his back, bending over to hand them to Cheng Shuili with both hands.

Cheng Shuili was still dazed when the Rat King, as if conjuring, pulled a wax seal from his formal coat pocket, his eyes sparkling as he added: "If you need any help or encounter any interesting events, you can share them with me, my dear friend."

He suddenly lowered his voice, his words hinting: "If you encounter any blind beastfolk... just report my name."

As he spoke the last few words, the Rat King suddenly turned and bared his skeletal white teeth at the dog-headed stall owner, who fainted on the spot, eyes rolling back.

Turning back to face Cheng Shuili, he resumed his smiling expression: "Of course, most importantly..."

He somehow produced a small crown studded with gems: "Will you accept this token of friendship?"

That small crown glittered in the dim black market, obviously worth a fortune.

The watching beastfolk emitted successive gasps, clearly because this item was worth a fortune.

Cheng Shuili noticed that as the Rat King spoke, the tip of his tail was nervously drawing circles behind him.

The ruler of the black market now is like an elementary school student waiting for a reply to a birthday party invitation, even their beard trembling slightly.

She bent down, likewise giving the Rat King full respect, and with both hands received that small crown.

"Of course, this is my honor, dear Rat King Majesty."