Chapter 187: Black Seal City
Several hours passed, the sun gradually setting in the west. The caravan passed over a mountain ridge.
"Wow, we're finally here!" One guard breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haha. Tonight, there's red sleeves and music in the brothels. I'm going to beat three of them!"
"Just you. One is enough, and three?"
"Haha."
The guards laughed loudly, venting their frustration.
In the Black Horn Region, guarding is not easy. The mortality rate is extremely high. Every trip is like hanging your head on your belt.
"Sir! Sir!" the old man walked to the front of the car and called softly.
Xiao Bai, who was sitting cross-legged in the truck, heard the voice, slowly opened his eyes and exhaled lightly.
"Sir, we're almost there!" the old man bowed.
"Yes!" Xiao Bai glanced at the seemingly respectful old man before him and replied calmly.
Before calling him, the old man looked nervous and hesitant, but in fact he was observing him for a moment.
But the old man was very cunning, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking from his eyes, so Xiao Bai pretended not to know.
Fishing!
He was an expert at it, and he thought he was no less capable than anyone else!
He stood up and looked into the distance.
A huge city, its walls made entirely of black boulders, lay on the plain in front of the mountain.
The gloomy sky, unique to the Black Horn Region, was penetrated by the faint sunlight, shining on the outline of the city, like a pitch-black beast crawling on the plain.
From afar, the bustling small black dots, like ants, continued to gather and pour into the dark mouth of the beast.
"Is this the Black Seal City?"
Xiao Bai whispered to himself, his eyes fixed on the huge city below. Its scale was no less than that of the Canaan City at Canaan Academy, and it was even more prosperous.
"My Lord, this is Black Seal City. It's a renowned and prosperous city throughout the Black Horn Region, boasting a vibrant commerce!"
"The most famous of these is the Black Seal Auction House. Its influence extends beyond the Black Horn Region, even reaching the entire region beyond. Many powerful factions in the Northwest Continent have participated in the auction here!"
The old man spoke eloquently about Black Seal City, a hint of pride gleaming in his aging, murky eyes.
Xiao Bai, standing on the truck with his hands behind his back, didn't interrupt him, listening quietly, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
The Eight Gates?
From the old man's tone, he could tell he was connected to Black Seal City, and that Black Seal City was controlled by the Eight Gates.
The confidence behind his previous series of small moves must have been Yuan Yi!
Xiao Bai remained noncommittal about the prosperous Black Seal City he'd described. If it were truly that impressive, it would be hard to believe that Yuan Yi, a Dou Huang, could hold it.
The other factions in the Black Horn Region, especially those headed by Dou Zong masters, aside from the disciplined Canaan Academy, aren't exactly docile.
They wouldn't sit idly by and watch such a sizable piece of meat fall into the hands of the Eight Gates.
However, the Black Seal Auction House, in the original novel, did produce quite a few valuable items, like the seventh-grade elixir Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill and Three Thousand Thunderbolts, both of which originated there.
"It seems there's quite a bit of secrets within these Eight Gates!" Xiao Bai muttered to himself.
While he was lost in thought, the caravan roared down from the mountaintop and arrived at the massive, pitch-black city gate.
A long line had already formed at the gate, and every entrant seemed to have to pay a hefty entrance fee to a dozen or so men in black, dressed like guards.
"My Lord, I've discovered a serious problem!"
Just as Xiao Bai was looking up at the three large characters "Black Seal City" above the gate, the little golden dragon suddenly spoke in a serious voice.
"What's up?"
Xiao Bai's gaze slowly shifted downward, landing on the dozen or so uniformed black-clad men at the city gate.
He ignored the startled tone of the man in his sleeve. Normally, the little golden dragon was too playful, only becoming serious for a moment when he encountered the old lizard underground.
"We're out of money, not a single gold coin!"
Xiao Bai glanced at his sleeve and said unhappily, "What's that pile under your feet?"
"Fire beads from that ugly lizard!" Within his sleeve, the little golden dragon rolled over on the beads and sighed comfortably, "You know what? Using these as a bed is pretty warm!"
"...!" Xiao Bai seriously suspected the pressure of the giant claw had damaged his brain!
He was sleeping on a mountain of gold, and he was told so seriously that he was out of money?
He didn't bother to pay attention to this normally sharp-witted fellow, now acting like a mentally retarded person.
"Would you like to touch me?" a soft female voice called from nearby.
Xiao Bai turned his head and saw a seemingly delicate woman in the procession entering the city. Her face flushed slightly as she shyly asked a bald man behind her.
"Hey, girl, that feels good!" The bald man, seeing the woman's frail appearance, gave a lewd, excited smile.
"Would you like to try touching her here again? The front might feel even better!" The woman suddenly smiled, slightly puffing out her chest, and said in a seductive voice.
"Hey, sure!"
Just as the bald man, aroused by the sight, reached out for her hand, stunned, a dagger suddenly slipped from her sleeve, slashing with a sharp, cold light, and slashing at his throat.
The bald man instantly clutched his throat, blood gushing from it.
His eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the delicate woman before him, who had just been so charming and seemingly ready for a sexual encounter, yet had she acted so ruthlessly?
"Tsk tsk. Another idiot who just arrived in the Black Horn Region. Which of these women who can still survive in the Black Horn Region is easy to mess with?"
Someone in the crowd sneered and shook his head, obviously not the first time he had seen such a situation.
The black-clad man guarding the city gate glanced at the bald man who was struggling on the ground, turned his head away, and ignored him.
Soon, there was only a body on the ground and a pool of gradually solidifying blood.
Several figures in sackcloth clothes walked out from nowhere, their faces expressionless. They nimbly stuffed the body of the man into a sack, as if they had done it countless times, and then tossed it into a cart and quickly left.
The onlookers lined up again, chatting and laughing, as if the scene just now had never happened.
Xiao Bai looked at the pool of blood on the ground and the countless brown patches on the surrounding bluestone ground. He gained a new understanding of the chaos in the Black Horn Territory.
"Master Huang, right?" Xiao Bai looked at the old man in the caravan and said.
"I don't deserve it. I am the third child in my family. You can call me Huang San. What can I do for you?" The old man said with a smile.
"I am sorry to bother you all the way!" Xiao Bai nodded and smiled, "But I have something else I would like to ask Master Huang."
"Don't bother me! Everyone encounters difficulties when traveling. It's just a small favor!" The old man waved his hand and said with a smile, "How can I be of any service?"
Xiao Bai pulled a fire bead from his sleeve and said, "I'm in trouble this time and have nothing but this fire bead, which is comparable to a third-level fire magic core. I'd like to exchange it with Master Huang for some gold coins. Is that possible?"
There was a city entrance fee, and Xiao Bai didn't want to be nosy at this moment. This was the only way!
The old man looked at the fiery red bead in Xiao Bai's hand, and a hot breath emanated from it. He swallowed hard, a hint of surprise crossing his face.
Although he was quite knowledgeable, he had never seen anything like it before.
"You wish to enter the city, sir? Actually, there's no need. You won't have to pay the entrance fee if you follow our caravan. You can keep this bead!"
"If you need gold coins after entering the city, you can exchange this for some at the Black Seal Auction House. Our destination is right there!"
the old man said with a chuckle, a hint of joy in his eyes.
"Is that so?" Xiao Bai smiled and said, "That's a bother!"
"No, no, sir. Wait a moment, I'll go tell the city guards!" the old man said, taking his leave.
"Haha. Black Seal Auction House!" Xiao Bai watched him hurried back, a playful smile in his eyes.
The old man approached and chatted with the black-clad guards in a familiar manner. Then, he waved to the caravan and passed through the heavy city gates, under the envious gazes of the queueing crowd.
As the caravan moved along the streets, Xiao Bai leisurely scanned the city. The roads were wide, shops were numerous, and every house and ground he saw was black, quite fitting for the Black Corner Territory's style.
However, one thing left Xiao Bai speechless: in just a few hundred meters, he'd witnessed over a dozen fights, some bloody, yet the people around him seemed accustomed to it, turning a blind eye.
Chaos!
This was his impression of Black Seal City.
"Sir, we've arrived!"
Half an hour later, the caravan stopped in front of a massive building, emblazoned with the ancient characters "Black Seal."
"This is Black Seal City's most famous auction house. They'll accept any medicinal herbs or magic cores!"
"Thank you!" Xiao Bai nodded. "Seeing you've come so far, I'm sure you'd like to complete the handover quickly. So, on your way!"
With that, Xiao Bai hopped off the truck and slowly walked through the auction house's gates.
"You go with them to take over, I'll report to the supervisor!" After watching Xiao Bai disappear, the old man instructed the burly man behind him.
"Uncle San, to be able to make such a legendary demon beast recognize its master, its identity must be extraordinary. We'd better not get involved with it, lest we get into trouble!" The burly man frowned.
"Haha, so what? Entering this Black Horn Territory, even if you have a powerful background, as long as you act cleanly, who will know?" The old man's face was grim, but then it became enthusiastic.
"That's a dragon! A legendary dragon!"
"If it grows to its peak, it will be a creature standing at the top of the continent. If we report this to the higher-ups, do you know what a great achievement it will be?"
"It means you and I won't have to stay in this shabby caravan, going through wind and rain, living with our heads hanging on our belts!"
"If the higher-ups succeed, there might be a great reward, allowing you to reach a higher level!"
"Do you want to spend your whole life at the bottom, being bullied and slaughtered, and one day die without anyone knowing?"
"But..." The burly man still hesitated.
"Stop it! What great things can you achieve with such indecision?" The old man glared at him grimly, then softened his tone.
"You're the only one in our family. Uncle San is old, and this is all he'll have in his life. But you're still young and talented. You must seize this opportunity, understand?"
"The rise of any powerful figure on this continent isn't an epic, fraught with both opportunity and risk."
"Alright!" the sturdy man sighed and nodded.
"Go! Keep an eye on those in the team. Forbid them from discussing today's events with anyone until I return!"
With that, the old man walked to the side of the auction hall and entered through a side door.
As Xiao Bai entered the auction hall, he was greeted by a bustling clamor of voices. Huge screens hung around the edges displayed information about various items.
The hall was incredibly large, filled with people coming and going, constantly lingering in front of the crystal counters, examining items or conferring with the staff on prices.
Xiao Bai looked around. It was his first time seeing such a large-scale auction. Compared to it, the one in Wutan City seemed like a joke.
"Interesting!" Xiao Bai's lips curled up slightly. "Are you taking credit for me?"
He shook his head and ignored her.
"Sir, what can I do for you?" A maid stepped forward and asked, bowing, but she didn't show any disdain for the ragged Xiao Bai.
"I want to sell this!" Xiao Bai flipped his palm, and a fire bead appeared in his palm, gradually increasing the temperature around him.
"This..." The maid took two steps back, surprised for a moment, then said, "Please follow me!"
The maid led Xiao Bai to a treasure appraisal room on the second floor and bowed, "Sir, I don't understand what you're selling. I need to take it to a professional appraiser. If it's precious, we can even put it up for auction!"
Xiao Bai was slightly speechless. A fire bead from a great fighting master—was it too serious to come here? He just wanted to exchange it for some gold coins, change his clothes, and find a place to stay.
With a slight nod, Xiao Bai pushed the door open and walked in. He was already there.
An old man with sparse, graying hair saw someone come in and his sharp eyes slowly swept over Xiao Bai.
"Please sit down. What do you need to be identified?"
Xiao Bai said nothing, casually handing over the fire bead.
"Is this... a magic core? No. It looks like a magic core, but not as hard as a magic core."
"Such violent fire energy!"
The old man studied it with great interest, muttering to himself.
"Tell me! How many gold coins can I get in exchange?" Xiao Bai didn't have time to listen to his nagging and asked directly.
"Sir, although this is the first time I've seen this thing, judging by its energy fluctuations, it's only at the third level, so its value is not high, but it is rare. I'll give it to you for 20,000 gold coins. What do you think?"
"Okay, exchange these ten together, and use a storage ring to store the remaining gold coins for me!" Xiao Bai pulled out ten fire beads from his sleeve.
"Okay!" The old man nodded with interest. "If you have nothing to do, please go to the front hall and wait. Someone will hand the ring to you!"
Xiao Bai nodded and turned to leave.
"Is this the man you were talking about?" The old man asked softly, his eyes narrowed slightly after Xiao Bai left.
"Sir, it's him!"
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(End of this chapter)