Chapter 247: Mixed Beast

"Oh, Your Majesty, I like this title."

The Rat King seemed quite pleased; he stepped back, and two rat-beastmen immediately rolled up the red carpet and hoisted it onto their shoulders.

The Rat King continued to stare at Cheng Shuili; he seemed increasingly satisfied, and finally, with a gentlemanly bow, he blessed, "My dear friend, you will become even stronger in the future. Though you now possess only two traces of a king's aura, I look forward to the day you become the King of Ten Thousand Crowns."

Two traces of a king's aura? King of Ten Thousand Crowns?

Cheng Shuili clearly did not grasp the meaning, and the Rat King had already stepped back onto the sedan chair. He waved at Cheng Shuili and finally said, "I look forward to your reply."

Cheng Shuili nodded and watched his party depart.

Until that silhouette vanished, the black market remained completely silent, and every beastman's gaze fell upon Cheng Shuili.

Meanwhile, Cheng Shuili herself… was bowing her head, pondering what the two traces of a king's aura meant.

If the title "Supreme King" counts as one, what would the other be?

She furrowed her brows and thought for a long while before retrieving Olsing's Wolf Fang from the depths of her memory.

Right, this is the wolf clan's king's token; in that case…

Cheng Shuili suddenly lifted her gaze toward Laolang; he flinched and immediately flashed a flattering smile.

I really forgot about this treasure earlier, but it's not what she guessed; this item doesn't work inside the Abyssal Ring.

Cheng Shuili cleared her throat, took the wolf fang out of the ring, and, under Laolang's wide‑eyed astonished stare, slipped the fang into the pocket of her clothing.

It's not that she won't wear it; it really would choke the neck.

But…

It should work now, right?

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow, watching Laolang at leisure.

He was still stunned, but when his eyes met Cheng Shuili's, his knees gave way and he dropped to his knees with a thud.

Before Cheng Shuili could speak, he knocked three Bang—Bang—Bang heads, then suddenly raised his voice to an Awooo.

Immediately, the black market was filled with a few chaotic footfalls, and several figures wrapped in black cloth knelt neatly before Cheng Shuili. After bowing three times, a few wolf‑beastmen shouted in unison, "We have seen Lao Da!"

The kneeling beastmen stood up, yet their eyes never shifted away; now that these few have knelt, the eager ones also want to kneel.

This is a perfect chance to curry favor!

A few beastmen glanced at each other; seeing no one step forward, they abandoned the thought.

Su Rui's gaze swept over the beastmen… looking at the pairs of black pupils exposed, she silently stood behind Cheng Shuili.

Is this your Lao Da? Then shout!

This is her Lao Da!

Cheng Shuili was also puzzled by the address; she asked, "Don't you call him 'King'?"

Laolang scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed: "We're all mixed beasts, we don't understand those etiquettes…"

Mixed beasts…

That reason works.

Now Laolang is one of us, so that one who was just shouting "Buy or not" and threatening Laolang…

Cheng Shuili's gaze fell on the trembling Laogou standing nearby.

Laogou, who was trying to sneak backward, suddenly froze, as if bound by a petrification spell, daring not to move.

His tail seemed to puff up; even though it was wrapped in black cloth, Cheng Shuili could still see it.

Cheng Shuili cleared her throat; before she could speak, his knees gave way and he slid to kneel on the stone slab, polishing it to a shine.

"M-Master!" his voice trembled, completely lacking the haughty aura he had at the start; his forehead thumped the ground with a Bang, and after a single bow, he wept and shouted, "I, the lowly, cannot recognize Mount Tai! I, the lowly have eyes… no, no, no, I have no eyes!"

While speaking, he suddenly began slapping his own face wildly, each slap spawning a new phrase: "A dog's mouth can't spit ivory!"

"My brain got caught in a door!"

"My whole family are idiots!"

The old fox silently buried his face in his paws.

What a disgrace to beastmen, that dog has completely embarrassed the black‑market merchants.

But it wasn't over yet; he slid his knee forward to Cheng Shuili, raised both hands above his head holding a bunch of keys, and said, "These are the keys to my warehouse! Inside are fifty robust servants you may pick at will! It's not that I'm unwilling to give more, I truly have nothing more!"

While speaking, he suddenly tore open his coat to reveal an inner lining stuffed with pockets, "Look! These are my years of savings, all offered to you, pleading for you to spare my life, sob sob!"

He wept while kowtowing; the entire black market fell silent, save for Laogou's heartfelt, dry howl echoing.

A human player watching whispered softly, "This acting… even in the real world could win an Oscar."

His companion shook his head, "And more…"

A foolish beastman, still not recovered, whispered, "Doesn't the black market forbid violence? Why is Laogou scared?"

Another beastman sneered, lowering his voice, "Not allowing us to act? That restriction applies to us, not to ordinary humans! Who is this? Seeing that tiny crown, what's the difference between that object and seeing the Rat King himself? This human is already acting; who would dare fire a gun?"

"Speak softer! Do you think no one can hear?"

Indeed…

Did you think others can't hear?

Cheng Shuili glanced thoughtfully that way, then reached out to take Laogou's keys. She glanced at his so‑called savings; indeed they were items a dog would like, useless to humans, who would have no interest.

She gave a half‑smile, neither confirming nor denying whether she'd spare his life, and said, "Go fetch the goods first."

Laogou immediately nodded and bowed in agreement.

A few wolf‑beastmen standing nearby exchanged glances, hesitating whether to follow, when suddenly Cheng Shuili shouted, "Laolang, keep up!"

Laolang's eyes lit up; he's a resourceful beast! Of course he knew what it meant when Lao Da called him now.

He and Laogou conduct the same trade; they're rivals in the same line, and a warehouse is of utmost importance to any merchant.

When Lao Da summons him now, it's definitely with the intention of offering support!

Laolang felt gratitude, his eyes growing moist; since he set out as an adult, every beastman except those few wolf brothers has bullied him…

Wuu wuu wuu...

A beast's life is not easy; meeting Lao Da is his blessing!

Laogou walked in front leading the way, Laolang followed closely, and the guide and Su Rui followed behind Cheng Shuili.

The group nearly went through the whole black market, but no further incidents occurred along the way.

The black market is large, but there are many little mice; the little mice relay information to every stall owner, so now all stall owners are aware that this human...

This is Wanwan, who must not be provoked!

Cheng Shuili initially found it novel, glancing twice at everything she passed, but after seeing through a few deceitful tricks, she lost interest.