Chapter 70: Destiny Slab?

The first to arrive were the three people, including Qi Changhai, who took the VIP channel.

As soon as they stepped into the Black Market, countless gazes immediately focused on them, whether merchants or beast tamers purchasing items, all staring intently, their eyes blazing as if they had seen some great treasure.

“What’s going on!?”

Qi Changhai, feeling the intense scrutiny, broke into a cold sweat, thinking he had taken a wrong turn and fallen into an enemy’s trap.

Even the gold-armored baboon, which had been arrogantly strutting along the way, couldn’t help but swallow hard when it saw the powerful and eager pets around; its baboon face contorted with dread.

Brother, we really can’t win this fight!

Just as they exchanged glances, ready to take their leave, the female beast tamer who had brought the two-headed snake asked:

“Do you know who that yellow-robed masked person is?”

After all, Sun Jie had welcomed that person from outside, maybe these people know some insider information.

Damn it…

Qi Changhai wanted to curse out loud, spooked first by the “Collector” and now by these people.

Is the Collector fated to be my nemesis?

He hadn’t done anything wrong; he was simply preparing to trample a son’s classmate to dispel his inner demons.

Why does it feel like suddenly bad luck has crowned him?

Feeling weary, Qi Changhai was about to gesture that he had no knowledge, when Qi Wei spoke first:

“I know, he is a collector!”

Only, what he collects are not treasures but monsters; that should be close enough…

“Collector?”

The crowd was puzzled and curiously looked at him.

And Qi Wei did not disappoint them, passionately beginning to recount the events that had happened earlier.

In fact, even without embellishing, the suppression of a tyrant monster with a single sentence is shocking wherever it happens.

However, Qi Wei’s version included some multidimensional detail descriptions and a touch of exaggeration.

Things like erasing laws, shaking the Mother River, dark tentacle mutations, incarnations of chaos shadowing the world, and so on, leaving the audience dumbfounded.

Such a significant event had happened outside, and they actually hadn’t been killed by the aftereffects?

Beside them, Qi Changhai felt strange, listening to stories that seemed incredibly familiar, as if he had read them somewhere…

Wait, aren’t these Qi Wei’s previous essays?

Just with a change in the protagonist’s name!

Qi Changhai looked at his son, who was speaking with gusto, with complex feelings.

It seemed that everything he had done tonight was in vain.

In such a case, he could only console himself: admiring such a high-level powerhouse is at least a bit more promising than Lu Yu, that kid.

With a little effort, crushing Lu Yu shouldn’t be a problem… right?

As more and more beast tamers entered the Black Market, the news spread, causing a sensation.

Soon, everyone knew that a tough person capable of collecting dark overlords as collectibles had come to the Black Market!

This, however, did not affect Lu Yu, who was still strolling around in the Black Market.

Only his mood was not so good.

He had hoped that with the Eye of Truth, he could join in on some protagonist-like lucky finds. Not demanding artifacts or holy treasures, but just a bunch of secret treasures would do.

However, these guys turned out to be sharper than he’d expected!

Everything on display had been sifted through countless times, bereft of any spirit. Someone flaunted a bone, claiming it was the remains of an ancient god from a century ago, with only the chosen one able to activate it and attain the godhood of the ancient gods, embarking on an ascension path.

Lu Yu took a look with the Eye of Truth—ribs of a little cow, not from the last century, but gnawed on last week.

These guys are really good bluffers!

True to those who have emerged from a sea of blood, they could talk nonsense without a blush.

Watching them, he was even tempted to join in the hustle in a couple of days.

Until… he saw someone spend ten thousand to rent a stall.

“…”

So expensive!

The range of the Black Market is not small, with at least a few hundred stalls, meaning that, including the Special Sector, several trade associations are making at least tens of millions in net income every night by just providing a venue. In a month, it amounts to a revenue of over a billion.

And the Evil God Cult, unable to bring out money from human society, would settle their debt with gold or extraordinary materials and still possibly face the risk of confiscation.

Having a bite at both ends, this is truly a lucrative business!

Lu Yu felt sour sitting on a high lemon mountain.

The Little Hamster too was scared by the resentments of the abnormal cultivator, subconsciously moving a bit further away, causing the yellow robe to be stretched into an arc and begin to wriggle.

This sight made Sun Jie’s eyelids twitch nervously, wondering which collectible was about to make a run for it this time.

The commotion felt bigger than before!

The surrounding area was instantly silent, everyone warily watching the rumored “Collector” under the yellow cloak, ready to smear oil on their soles and flee at any sign of trouble.

“Stop messing around!”

Lu Yu had Little Spider tie up the Little Hamster, gag its mouth, and then threw it into his pocket to prevent further chaos.

“This binding method feels a bit strange…”

Lu Yu glanced at it and suspected that Little Spider might have been peeking at his phone lately.

Hm, he’ll clear his browsing history when he gets back—to keep a clean slate in the world.

Underneath the yellow robe, tranquillity was restored, but Lu Yu felt somewhat awkward amid the reverent gazes around him.

A pseudonym for travel has its pros and cons. Although the objective of deterrence was achieved, it also made shopping inconvenient.

Even if there were good items available, people may not dare to offer them up.

What if you were robbed, and along with it, made into a collectible?

As Lu Yu pondered his dilemma, Sun Jie, standing by his side, timely proposed a small suggestion:

“Respected guest, why not take a look at the Black Market’s mutual aid society? It’s organized by several groups, and only beast tamers with transfigured spirit beasts have the qualifications to participate. It’s for exchanging the items they need. Some items are difficult to appraise, and you, with your profound knowledge, could help to take a look.”

See? That’s how to speak artfully!

“Hmm.”

Lu Yu naturally agreed and followed Sun Jie straight to the depths of the Black Market, into an underground cavity with a round table and thirty armchairs arrayed around it.

Lu Yu saw that about two-thirds of the seats were occupied, representing twenty beast tamers with transfigured spirit beasts. As for the Morning Star-tier beast tamers, it was uncertain whether any were hidden among them.

Dayuan City, the border’s premier city, certainly had its share of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

Their reaction to Lu Yu’s arrival was one of surprise but not of fear. They nodded as a sign of welcome, even looking forward to seeing what kind of treasures he might bring out.

The exchange continued, with people constantly offering treasures and interested parties making bids. In the case of multiple interests, items would be auctioned off, but always within a reasonable range.

Compared to the outside, where genuine and fake items were indistinguishable, the quality here was significantly higher, with many items that piqued his interest.

For instance, a dragon bloodline-containing “Dragon Eagle Heart,” the “Frost Snow Sub-dragon Ice Breath Bag” where its presence turns everything to frost, and the consciousness-awe-inspiring “Ghost-faced Snake Corpse,” among others.

Some were even Morning Star-tier overlord materials!

In the least capable age, he encountered the materials he most wished to obtain.

Tears in his eyes!

Most of them were seeking materials or engaging in potion trade, so even if he wanted to freeload using the knowledge from the Eye of Truth, it wouldn’t be possible.

Therefore, Lu Yu could only watch as one by one, the materials slipped away, leaving but a wisp of sighs in his heart.

Poverty limited him!

Nevertheless, his silent presence seemed to indicate to the others that not a single thing could arouse his interest.

Truly worthy of a “Collector,” they grew more and more curious about what treasures were hidden in his collection.

The curious group continued exchanging until an item appeared, catching Lu Yu’s attention:

“This is…”