Chapter 338: Lord Hei Si Ta Fu

Lei En was originally still a bit wary; the trade hall was protected by layers of magical arrays, yet someone could still open a portal and come in directly.

He heard the two's words and was instantly startled.

The newcomer turned out to be the Lord of Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng, Hei Si Ta Fu Ao Luo Sang!

Hei Si Ta Fu was slightly shorter than Lei En, about 1.8 m tall, dressed in an unremarkable brown robe, but beneath it his muscles were extremely robust, his build broad and his physique more like a melee transcendent than a wizard.

This Legendary High-rank wizard sported a black beard, a receding hairline, black hair streaked with silver, a silver band running through his beard, a handsome face, steady eyes, and an unforgettable noble bearing.

Most striking was the black staff he held.

The staff was called the "Black Staff"; its shape was odd, the shaft twisted like a charred tree root, unassuming in appearance, yet it was an extremely powerful Legend Grade staff!

It was thanks to the Black Staff that Hei Si Ta Fu possessed power comparable to a Holy Soul wizard, and with the help of his wife Laila Ao Luo Sang, he has calmly ruled Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng for centuries.

It is said the Black Staff cannot be stored in dimensional space for some reason, so wherever Hei Si Ta Fu goes, the staff never leaves his hand.

This has become Hei Si Ta Fu's hallmark; even his wizard tower is named the Black Staff Tower.

Lei En's soul eye pierced the opponent's soul, revealing nineteen layers of soul structure; the number of Arcane Elements was incalculable, at least hundreds, the soul resembled a small sun that could not be stared at directly, just one step away from metamorphosis.

This person truly was Lord Hei Si Ta Fu, not a shapeshifted impostor.

Lei En also rose, removed his mithril mask, bowed slightly and said, "Honored Lord."

Kang Bas and Shi Fu Wei Te hurriedly took off their masks as well.

"Earl of Glamorgan, and the two of you, please sit," Hei Si Ta Fu nodded, his expression as the rumors described—always solemn and wise. He invited Lei En and the others to sit while he remained standing, and asked, "I just received a report from a masked lord: I killed a dragon priest and now wish to sell a shadow mask?"

"Yes, Your Lordship," Lei En raised an eyebrow, no wonder Hei Si Ta Fu could teleport directly into the booth; he was the back‑end of this black‑market trade hall.

The black‑market trade hall is unsavory on the surface, but in fact serves as a wealth‑extraction tool for Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng's ruler, a rather significant secret.

Yet Hei Si Ta Fu seemed unbothered by being known.

Lei En immediately guessed the other's intention.

He then proactively produced the shadow mask and said, "Please appraise it, Your Lordship."

"Hmm." Hei Si Ta Fu was somewhat surprised by the youngster's quickness, glanced twice more, and then examined the mask carefully.

The booth fell silent.

Kang Bas and Shi Wei Fu Te felt uneasy, silently scrutinizing the legendary lord, even their breathing grew shallow, daring not to disturb.

Lei En, however, remained composed; as a student of a Holy Soul wizard, he need not revere Hei Si Ta Fu so much.

Half a minute later, Hei Si Ta Fu finished the appraisal.

"Indeed it is one of the ten dragon‑priest masks, and a relatively high‑quality shadow mask; even among Epic‑grade items it's rare," Hei Si Ta Fu praised briefly, looked at Lei En, "This mask is useful to me; name your price."

Lei En was stunned for a moment—should he set the price?

Hei Si Ta Fu's power and status far exceeded his; having ruled Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng for centuries, he was truly wealthy enough to rival a nation, and few in the entire Empire were richer.

Normally he should quote the price, overwhelming him in presence and seizing the initiative.

He glanced at the opponent's soul emotions—very calm, with no significant fluctuation.

Lei En couldn't read it, so he deliberated a few seconds; his expected price for the shadow mask ranged from 300,000 to 400,000 Gold Shields.

Since he was to set the price, he chose the highest.

Others fear the reputation of Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng's lord; Lei En didn't care, demanding a sky‑high price, confident he could negotiate.

"Four hundred thousand Gold Shields."

Hearing the price, Kang Bas and Shi Wei Fu Te both shivered, their hearts nearly leapt out of their throats, fearing the lord would erupt in anger.

Yet Hei Si Ta Fu gave no fierce reaction, merely shaking his head lightly, "Too high."

Lei En intended to lower the price modestly, but saw the opponent's soul color unchanged.

Still completely calm.

This indicated Hei Si Ta Fu could actually accept the price.

A top‑tier Epic item priced at four hundred thousand Gold Shields is not unreasonable, far from a lion's overreach; if given to a dark mage, power would surge severalfold.

Hei Si Ta Fu is an Arcaneist of the Law Seal school, not a dark mage; his purchase of the shadow mask likely intends it for someone else.

Or the shadow mask hides a secret, serving another purpose.

However Lei En had no interest in probing.

"Your Lordship, I want exactly four hundred thousand Gold Shields, not a single one less," Lei En seized the psychological edge, saying, "Mo Du has one of the Empire's largest auction houses; I believe selling for four hundred thousand Gold Shields is not difficult. What do you think, Lord?"

In truth it's a bit hard; only under the best conditions could it fetch that price.

Normal price should be around 350,000 Gold Shields.

Hei Si Ta Fu stared at Lei En for a few seconds, surprise barely hidden in his eyes, as if Lei En knew something, and finally nodded, "Fine."

Kang Bas and Shi Wei Fu Te were left dumbfounded.

To them, Lei En had dealt a harsh blow to the lord and succeeded!

Lei En's face also showed a smile, but before he could revel, Hei Si Ta Fu continued, "However, you must also sell me the Green Dragon Soul, totaling five hundred thousand Gold Shields, though I will give you something more interesting in return."

This greatly surprised Lei En; he was momentarily at a loss.

He released news of the Green Dragon Soul to lure dragon‑vein sorcerer Diken Sel Si, but unexpectedly caught an even bigger fish!

The Green Dragon Soul priced at 100,000 Gold Shields is neither high nor low—just average.

But Hei Si Ta Fu is not a dragon‑vein sorcerer; a beginner‑level green dragon is of little use to him—what does he want with the dragon soul?

Lei En's mind flipped quickly, considering many things.

Diken Sel Si is a masked lord, and every masked lord is appointed by Hei Si Ta Fu; their relationship must be highly trusting, so Hei Si Ta Fu's purchase of the dragon soul likely aims to reduce the risk of Diken Sel Si exposing his identity.

"Lord, what will you use for payment?" Lei En asked curiously.

Hei Si Ta Fu lifted his hand, and a pile of silver‑crystal ore appeared on the ground, saying, "These are three‑thousand‑pound silver ore; I think you'll like them."

Lei En couldn't help but feel shocked.

Then a wave of relief; his actions in Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng could not escape the lord's notice, and having left no cover, investigation would be far too easy.

These three thousand pounds of heavy silver ore should be the result of years of accumulation at the Liz Mountain Gray Coal Mine.

He nodded, "I accept payment in heavy silver ore, but this alone is not enough."

Heistav had already prepared, and produced a memory crystal, "Inside is a spacetime coordinate located on Abyss level 404. The area is small, equivalent to two or three Empire provinces. Years ago when I passed through that level of the Abyss, I discovered a region rich in heavy silver ore, with very abundant reserves."

"If you're interested, I'll give you this coordinate in exchange for fifty thousand Gold Shields, how does that sound?" Heistav's eyes held a half‑smile, as if he was sure Lei En would agree.

Lei En's heart fluttered, yet his face remained impassive.

No one has ever been able to say exactly how many layers the bottomless Abyss has.

Each layer of the Abyss has a different environment; the only commonality is that it teems with countless Demons and a constantly corrupting, soul‑tainting evil energy that can cause degeneration. For sentient beings other than Demons, there is no place more terrifying than the Abyss.

Lei En had never heard of Abyss level 404 before.

He opened his phone's library but found no relevant information.

"Lord, do you think with my strength I could reach Abyss level 404?" Lei En pretended to be somewhat hesitant.

"Not now, but perhaps later," Heistav managed a rare smile, "And you could have your teacher help; entering the Abyss is not difficult for a Holy Soul Wizard."

Lei En forced a bitter smile; given his teacher's current condition, he could offer no help at all.

Selling a single spacetime coordinate for fifty thousand Gold Shields is far too expensive.

But if you were to sell it to Elder Titan, not to mention fifty thousand Gold Shields, even ten times that—five hundred thousand Gold Shields—Elder Sorim would likely agree immediately.

Of course, Lei En wouldn't be that foolish; wouldn't he prefer to keep it for his own future mining?

In truth he was already willing to buy, but he didn't want to agree so easily; still hesitating, he said, "The Abyss is too dangerous and far for me; please let me think it over."

Clearly, this hadn't yet reached Heistav's bottom line.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of feigned contemplation, Lei En seemed about to refuse, and Heistav could no longer contain himself, saying, "I don't know why you need so much heavy silver ore, but I can decide the Liz Mountain Gray Coal Mine in the north of the city and transfer it to you for two hundred thousand Gold Shields."

At that point, Heistav's expression remained blank as his gaze swept over Kangbas and Shiweifute.

The two felt a terrifying pressure and hurriedly lowered their heads.

Heistav's words undeniably exposed his connection to Diken*Selles; anyone with a brain could guess that Diken*Selles is one of the Masked Lords.

The identity of a Masked Lord is a taboo in Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng; privately it can be gossip, but publicly naming one is a capital offense in Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng.

Lei En had long known Diken*Selles's identity, so he was unsurprised.

For the Shadow Mask and the Green Dragon Soul, Heistav was indeed sparing no expense, even risking exposure of his Masked Lord status.

The value of the Liz Mountain Gray Coal Mine certainly exceeds two hundred thousand Gold Shields.

Even without heavy silver ore, the annual profit from mining gray coal is over twenty thousand Gold Shields, a steady gain, and it allows one to keep all the heavy silver ore produced firmly in one's own hands.

That must be Heistav's psychological bottom line.

"Deal!"

Lei En decisively agreed, handing Heistav the soul stone of the Green Dragon Soul.

The Liz Mountain Gray Coal Mine costs two hundred thousand Gold Shields, the pile of heavy silver ore on the ground is worth one hundred fifty thousand Gold Shields, the memory crystal equals fifty thousand Gold Shields; together they total four hundred thousand.

Heistav then produced a gold ticket worth one hundred thousand Gold Shields, completing the transaction.

A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes, as if pleased with the deal; he gave Lei En a badge depicting a twisted Black Staff, saying, "This is the Black Staff Token; with it you may freely enter the Castle District and the Black Staff Tower, and travel costs with the Void Travel Agency are reduced to thirty percent."

Lei En was overjoyed, "Thank you, Lord."

Heistav nodded calmly, "Give my regards to Master Anxi." With that, he opened a portal and stepped through.

Until the portal closed, Kangbas and Shiweifute both exhaled, looking as if a weight had been lifted.

"Look how scared you both are," Lei En said in good spirits, teasing the two.

Kangbas sighed helplessly, "You are a student of a Holy Soul Wizard, so of course there's no need to fear the Lord; we wouldn't dare act rashly before the Lord."

Shiweifute also nodded in agreement.

Lei En smiled without replying.

Through the Soul Eye, he discovered Heistav's secret.

This seemingly stern Lord, who instills fear, is actually a façade used to intimidate enemies or the treacherous, aiding his rule over the city. Heistav's true nature is likely calm and tranquil, with a private side starkly different from his outward demeanor.

Shortly after Heistav left, a servant returned to the private room and delivered a trade catalog.

Sure enough, the catalog lacked the Shadow Mask and the Green Dragon Soul.

Lei En skimmed through; none of the items were what he wanted, so he stopped wasting time and left the trade fair early.

Back at the inn outside the cave, he retrieved the Extreme Warrior, who opened a portal and returned directly to the surface.

The next day, Lei En went to Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng's City Hall to process the ownership transfer of the Liz Mountain Gray Coal Mine. The nominal owner, Baron Diken*Selles, was absent, but it did not hinder the handover; evidently the City Hall officials had received orders.

That afternoon, Lei En left the city to inspect the gray coal mine site, took over the mine, and became its new owner.

Standing on the watchtower, he gazed at the open‑pit coal mine, where hundreds of miners busily operated steam excavators.

Everything was orderly; mining continued unabated despite the change of owner.

Lei En's mood was complicated.

He never imagined that one day he would become a coal boss!

"Boss."

Shiweifute stood nearby and said, "I will diligently supervise the coal mine's extraction, speed up progress, and strive to mine more heavy silver ore, delivering it to Mo Du once a month."

Last night, Lei En had decided to entrust the gray coal mine to Shiweifute for operation, offering a salary Shiweifute could not refuse: three thousand Gold Shields per year, plus equity incentives.

For the legendary Iron Guard, who had long been barred from any gate, this was like a windfall from heaven.

Moreover, as the overseer of the gray coal mine and the Earl of Glamorgan's representative in Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng, Shiweifute effectively opened a pathway to Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng's high society.

Shiweifute immediately changed his address on the spot, calling Lei En "Boss" just like an Extreme Warrior would.

"Then it's yours," Lei En said, withdrawing his gaze.

Shiweifute remained reliable, so Lei En could rest easy. Even if issues arose, he could be summoned instantly for inspection.

He did not linger in Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng; with the Black Staff Token in hand, he instantly teleported back to Mo Du.

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(End of chapter)