Chapter 123 Black Market Boss Qianye
Stepping into the black market, Pei Hening quickly surveyed the surroundings; the black market was both clean and chaotic.
This chaos is not filth, but a disruption of the natural order, like a hibernating bear not hibernating.
The creatures that roamed the black market were all dressed in black robes and wore various masks.
It's a bit like an animal gathering.
"Come with me."
Chu Xuange pulled her through the crowd and toward a house that looked quite old on the street corner.
"This is a shop run by a demon; it's very famous in the black market."
The shop was built of stone and had a rough decor, but the soft furnishings were quite exquisite. Pei Hening noticed that there were three colorful spiders slowly weaving their webs on the shop floor.
There was a record player in the store, and the melodious and beautiful songs were extremely pleasant to listen to.
The shop owner was a creature wearing a jellyfish mask, nestled comfortably in a soft, egg-shaped magic chair, her eyes half-closed.
Upon hearing footsteps, the boss lazily opened his eyes, glanced at them, and then closed them again, seemingly uninterested.
"Boss Qianye, I've come to get something."
The boss, Qianye, who was wearing a jellyfish mask, seemed to have been injected with a strong coffee, instantly becoming energetic. She stood up and straightened her posture: "Order information."
Chu Xuange showed her the order information.
"Wait."
As Qianye spoke, she turned and walked towards the back door.
"The store is out of stock."
Pei Hening was surprised.
Chu Xuange: "A long, long time ago, someone caused trouble in the black market, destroyed many things, and released the source of the plague that represents death. The Silent Hall and the City of Sin jointly set the rules of the black market."
"Is the Silent Hall considered the regulatory body for the black market?"
"It is not an address, but a hall of fame symbolizing the power of glory."
Pei Hening digested what Chu Xuange had said and observed the items in the shop.
There were no goods on the walls, only a few exquisite paintings and some gorgeous nets interspersed among them, reducing the blank space on the walls and ceiling.
These webs, without a doubt, were woven by those three spiders outside.
Qianye pushed open the door and walked in, holding a silver square box in her hand.
She placed the square box on the table and pushed it over: "Take a look, sign for it if there are no problems."
Chu Xuange opened the box and saw Pei Hening curiously leaning over. He slightly lifted the box so that she could see what was inside: a model combining a study and an alchemy room.
He smiled and handed her the small box: "Take a look too."
Pei Hening only realized now that the design of this study was very similar to her study before the game "Road Survival" came about.
Does it look familiar?
Pei Hening held the box in both hands and fell into a long silence.
After Chu Xuange signed for the package, he heard her say, "Why did you move my study here?"
He put his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the shop, saying, "You miss home."
"I don't know when we'll reach the end of this road. The only thing I can do is to ease your longing for home within my capabilities."
Pei Hening felt as if the small box in her hand weighed a ton.
She put the props into her backpack and looked at him: "I really like this gift."
Chu Xuange smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. How about we take a stroll together? I'll take you to find that dwarf and check on your cherry tree."
"Okay, let's go take a look."
Chu Xuange had the dwarves plant small cherry trees, which produced small, sweet, and delicious cherries.
Pei Hening and he walked to a stall selling various handicrafts. The stall owner was a man in a black robe wearing a dog mask.
"Is there anything you need, sir?"
Seeing that the two hadn't left, the man in black took the initiative to ask them a question.
"Lambert, it's me."
The man in black, Lambert, said, "Guest, are you here to see the cherry tree that you're fostering?"
Chu Xuange nodded, and Lambert packed up his stall and led the two of them to the place where he had placed the cherry trees.
Pei Hening noticed that as they moved further away from the black market, a small group of dwarves gradually appeared around them, weaving handicrafts.
She noticed that these dwarfs were pale and thin, dressed in tattered clothes, with dry and yellow hair, and looked malnourished.
The dwarves noticed them and took the initiative to greet Lambert.
"Lambert, why are you back so early today?"
"Lambert, did you buy medicine for little Ella?"
"Lambert, why did you bring other people with you?"
It seems this Lambert has a lot to do.
"I've bought Little Ella's medicine, here you go!"
Lambert handed a bottle of medicine to the person who had asked him.
He led them around the low houses to the place where he planted cherry trees: "I've used the latest plant nutrient solution and potting soil, and they're growing very fast."
"These are the planting data recorded according to the customer's wishes."
Chu Xuange took the data sheet: "Thank you."
Pei Hening discovered that the gap between the rich and poor among the dwarves was truly enormous; Gallagher, Ryan, Lambert, and the female dwarf she encountered at the tax station were simply two extremes.
She still asked, "I've seen information about dwarves in the encyclopedia of species. Aren't you dwarves the best at forging weapons? Why do you sell handicrafts instead of forged weapons?"
Lambert paused for a moment before reluctantly replying, "It's no secret. Our talent is indeed in forging weapons, but the forging process has been lost. We have no materials or records to learn from, and we don't have the money to buy the materials needed to forge weapons."
"The forging technique has been lost? But isn't Master Galakh a legendary weapon forger? He's also a dwarf."
Lambert's face twisted in pain as he suppressed the resentment surging within him and couldn't help but sneer: "If it weren't for him, our forging techniques wouldn't have been lost, and the dwarves wouldn't have fallen to such a state. He's just a piece of trash."
Pei Hening sensed Lambert's hostility towards Gallagher and considered whether to continue the topic.
Why do you say that?
Lambert lowered his eyes, his attitude evasive: "This is a private matter of our dwarf race, and it's not convenient for us to say too much. I apologize, guest."
Pei Hening looked up at Chu Xuange, who nodded.
Back at the black market, on the way back, Pei Hening asked, "You didn't know about this either?"
Chu Xuange nodded: "I'm not quite sure. In the previous timeline, I heard about Galah in Sin City. He stopped the alien races from launching attacks against the dwarves several times."
"He is a great guy in the eyes of the residents of Sin City, and has a very good reputation. As for the fact that the dwarfs' forging techniques have been lost, I've never heard of that."
Because Gallagher had a good reputation and excellent craftsmanship, he reminded Pei Hening to order weapons from him during the closed beta test.
Pei Hening was completely bewildered: "That's really strange. Why would he be considered so bad in Lambert's eyes?"
"I don't know. If you're curious, I'll ask around next time I go to Vice City."