Chapter 372: Groceries and Spices

Xia De, who was very interested in Anthem Square, walked around the square and looked around. He even discovered a person gambling with Luo De cards on the square. The other party sat on the ground and claimed that if anyone could win three out of five games against him, they could get a Luo De card with special rules from him, only each challenge required a fee of 5 pence.

Quite a few people were watching them play cards there, and that special card also had an appraisal certificate, which meant the card itself was genuine.

It was just that Xia De heard from the onlookers nearby that this person had been setting up a stall here for 8 years and had only lost once, not knowing what means he used to maintain victory.

The other party must be cheating, but Xia De had no interest in exposing it. After all, people who spent 5 pence to play cards should mostly know that there was a problem here. Whether they wanted to enjoy the fun of gambling with strangers or really thought they could get that special card, it was hard to say.

Xia De also didn't forget his purpose for coming here. In the intelligence provided by Yi Lu Na, the middle-aged man who wrapped a headscarf and sold spices often appeared in the south of Anthem Square, and he would wear a pair of rain boots in any weather and place a triangular wooden sign in front of his stall.

These features were obvious enough, so Xia De saw him during his stroll around the square.

The other party had a pushcart, and there were bottles and jars on the pushcart. To his left was a vendor selling herbs who claimed to be able to cure any injury. The vendor wore a long robe that dragged on the floor, and the strange patterns on his body were like the style of the primitive tribes in the southern forests of Kasonrike, looking very professional. To the right was a grocer who sold everything, with a pushcart beside him, waterproof canvas spread on the ground, and various sundries placed on it.

Because the herb merchant on the left was somewhat insulting to people's intelligence, Xia De pretended to be interested in the grocer's goods and stood in front of the other party's pushcart to check the goods. This distance was close enough, and the voice in his head gave an answer:

【The man with the headscarf on your left is a Ringed Shushi, middle ring, specific level needs further contact to confirm.】

It seemed that the third thing Yi Lu Na chose finally had some value.

"Sir, what do you want to buy?"

Xia De stood in front of the grocer for too long, so the small merchant who had no customers for the time being took the initiative to talk to Xia De.

Xia De was not panicked and naturally picked up the conversation:

"I keep a cat at home, and I want to get some safer toys for that cat. You also know that cats, this kind of animal, always like to swallow all kinds of unclean things."

The somewhat thin merchant sized Xia De up, as if guessing his identity and the thickness of his wallet:

"Then why not buy this..."

The merchant picked up a colorful feather:

"This is only 1 shilling."

"Sorry, you don't have anything I'm interested in here."

Xia De shook his head immediately. He wouldn't pay so much for a dyed chicken feather.

After thinking about it, Xia De reached out and picked up a deck of Luo De cards:

"I want to buy this. I have a deck of Luo De cards myself, but I want to get a spare one."

Actually, it was because after having 【Treasured Object】, individual cards might be damaged when used as weapons, so they needed to be replenished frequently.

"This is an old deck, 5 pence for you. Do you need anything else? Oh, since you are a Luo De card player, are you interested in participating in a non-public profitable private Luo De card gambling game?"

The merchant asked familiarly, his eyes were very spirited, and there was a smile on his face.

"Non-public profitable private," basically equivalent to an illegal underground casino, similar to the kind of casino at the Lucky Southern Cross Club at night. The grocer who mixed in the Lower City District actually had the task of soliciting business for the casino.

"No, no, my wallet doesn't allow me to do this for the time being."

Xia De said.

So the merchant whispered again:

"Then are you interested in the trading of special Luo De cards?"

"You still have this?"

Xia De asked in surprise. Special card-faced Luo De cards, depending on the number of issues and the era, were generally 1 pound and up, while Luo De cards with special rules were at least 40 pounds each. The small merchant in front of him should be talking about the former.

"Yes, absolutely genuine. Grocers like me usually hoard some valuable small things that are easy to preserve, waiting for generous customers to slaughter... earn a sum, and Luo De cards are very good commodities. Some Luo De card enthusiasts, every time they go to a city, will go to the hands of small merchants in the city to look for those cards until they replace the whole deck with special card faces."

The merchant introduced familiarly. Xia De imagined the sense of mission of collecting cards, feeling that such people must be very rich.

"Of course, some high-end shops will even have Luo De cards with special rules for sale, but I'm afraid the price is not something ordinary people can accept."

The merchant had no customers for the time being, so he chatted with Xia De for a few more words. Xia De also took the opportunity to inquire about the square, focusing on the situation of the spice-selling Ringed Shushi next to his stall.

The other party was talking to a customer and didn't notice that a guy with ulterior motives was on the side.

"Oh, by the way, since you sell groceries here, do you accept groceries?"

Xia De thought and asked.

"Of course, but I only accept valuable things here."

The merchant replied, and then saw Xia De hand over the three books he had tucked under his arm. The merchant raised his eyebrows and wanted to refuse, but Xia De blinked at him, signaling him to look at the content inside.

The grocer nodded in surprise, carefully opened one of them, and his originally narrowed eyes immediately widened:

"This... this is really good stuff."

Licked his lips, and while speaking, he hurriedly flipped through the other two books, a very sincere smile appearing on his face:

"This is really not bad, these three... how about half a pound?"

This price was quite reasonable. After all, the quality of these three picture albums was very high, and even if one had money, it was not easy to buy them. Xia De knew that this kind of grocer who introduced business to casinos would definitely sell this kind of illegal publication, so he nodded:

"Of course, but you can't charge me for that deck of Luo De cards."

Xia De selling these magazines was of course not to make a profit, but to create an excuse to chat here for a while. And just as he thought, after the goods and money were cleared, the grocer's attitude toward him was obviously better.

Xia De also learned that the spice merchant next to the grocer had only started selling goods here half a month ago. And the other party definitely wouldn't come on Sundays, and would appear on time at nine o'clock every morning on weekdays, working until five o'clock in the afternoon before leaving, lazier than most business people on Anthem Square.

Having obtained the basic situation, Xia De planned to formally contact the spice merchant to confirm what the other party was doing. And the other party was definitely a person, not a relic, so he didn't intend to make an in-depth investigation, just didn't want to delay Yi Lu Na's task.

It was just that Xia De had just arrived at the spice merchant's side when a familiar figure appeared on the square.

Doctor Schluch Lake walked over from the crowd carrying a suitcase, stopped for a step to let a wild dog chasing a big white goose run past him, and the blue-eyed doctor waved to greet the spice merchant wrapped in a headscarf:

"Good afternoon, Madison."

"Good afternoon, Schluch Lake."

The two shook hands, and then the doctor noticed Xia De on the side. Xia De's attire for going out today was different from usual, so he couldn't see him at a glance:

"Oh, Xia De, why are you here?"

The doctor asked with a smile, greeted Xia De enthusiastically, and then said to Mr. Madison, who sold spices:

"This is the newcomer Hamilton in our group that I mentioned last time. Xia De, this is Mr. Alan Madison, a student at the Success Higher Medical College."

Success Higher Medical College was a magic academy as famous as Saint Byrons and Zalas, proficient in alchemy and potions.

Mr. Madison, who had a headscarf on his head, looked at Xia De in surprise, somewhat unable to believe, and whispered to the doctor:

"Schluch Lake, are you saying that this newcomer in your group, who is addicted to Luo De card gambling and sells pornographic magazines here, is your group's newcomer? I noticed him just now."

It seemed that he had noticed the movement on Xia De's side just now.

"Hmm?"

The doctor looked at Xia De in surprise. Out of trust in Xia De's character, he helped him explain:

"He... is probably doing some commission, he is a detective... Let's go somewhere else to talk, it's not safe here."

Xia De was a bit embarrassed and extremely fortunate that the doctor didn't continue to chat on this topic.

There was an inn next to Anthem Square, which was the "Three Cats Inn," with three crouching cats vividly carved on the wooden sign. The inn had four floors and occupied a large area. The first and second floors were open-style restaurants and taverns, but there was no floor in the middle of the second floor, but a patio, which made the view of the first floor more open, while the usable area of the second floor became a bit small.

The third and fourth floors were guest rooms with separate compartments. This was considered a relatively good inn in the Lower City District of Tobesk.

Doctor Schluch Lake, Mr. Madison, and Xia De found seats in the corner of the second floor of the inn.

None of them mentioned what Xia De did just now, and Xia De also learned from the conversation that this Mr. Madison, who wrapped a headscarf, was a six-ring Ringed Shushi, and also the group leader of the correspondence students, and was an old friend of the doctor for many years.

Mr. Alan Madison lived nearby and was very familiar with this place. When the maid with open buttons on her chest and a very low collar came over, Mr. Madison could even call out the other party's name and greet her.

"Do you know? At night, well, after seven o'clock, there will be some nice girls sitting in the corner here. If you have money, you can..."

Xia De and Doctor Schluch Lake looked at him in surprise at the same time.

"Don't look at me like that, I also heard it from others, I am a person who keeps myself clean."

Mr. Madison waved his hand to defend himself, and then the three of them started talking about business.

The doctor came to find Mr. Madison because the latter, through the relationship of Doctor Schluch Lake, ordered a batch of sensitive metal powders on the local black market, and Doctor Schluch Lake could get a commission from it.

And talking about the reason why Xia De appeared here, Xia De mentioned the church:

"The Orthodox Church has noticed the special spices you sell here. Because it hasn't attracted attention yet, the task was just given to the subordinate Ringed Shushi team. I have a friend in the church, and he entrusted me to come and see the situation."

"Actually, I wanted to ask just now, Madison, are you so short of money that you need to set up a stall outside?"

Doctor Schluch Lake also asked curiously, and Mr. Madison shook his head helplessly:

"Of course it's not to make money. How much do you think this kind of work can earn? I got a special magic technique some time ago. The learning requirement for the magic technique is a ritual. I sell spices on Anthem Square, which is part of the ritual."

"There are actually such strange learning requirements?"

Xia De asked curiously, and the doctor nodded:

"Those magic techniques that can only be used by middle-ring and high-ring Ringed Shushi, the learning conditions are of course very complex. For example, the maze lock used by the thirteen-ring Ringed Shushi God-Caller some time ago, the learning conditions for this kind of magic technique are enough to be written into a book. Looking at the magic techniques that can be used by the middle ring, Madison's is indeed too complex. Are you sure you weren't cheated by someone?" ===== CHAPTER 373 =====