Master of Kaidan
Chapter 106: It’s So Good Not to Have Been Born Here

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: It’s So Good Not to Have Been Born Here

Under Huo Mu’s guidance, Feng Xue spent 2.1 million and bought an "Abnormal Convenient Wrapping Cloth (L)", which she used to pack up boxes and various odds and ends that couldn’t fit in the storage bag. Luckily, this wasn’t one of those shops that doesn’t offer contracts. Otherwise, Feng Xue would have had to exchange her "Identity" for Tower Coins before she could purchase the Wrapping Cloth.

After this transaction, however, Feng Xue had nearly depleted the "Identity" she had accumulated along the way. Although her daily income from Demon Entries, amounting to tens of thousands, meant she wasn’t entirely out of options, it clearly wasn’t enough to splurge in this city. So—

"Huo Mu, is there a place nearby where I can sell fantasy items?"

"Yes, boss. If you’re selling fantasy items obtained through normal channels with a complete Identification certificate, you can deal directly through regular channels. Premium items can also fetch a good price at auction houses. However, if they’re obtained through omens or violent means, or manufactured using Manufacturing Entries, standard protocol requires Identification—after all, many fantasy items have clearly evident pros and cons. Without adequate authoritative identification, buyers will have doubts. Identification takes time and costs about 200,000 per item. The upside is that contracts ensure safety."

As Huo Mu spoke with an undertone, Feng Xue’s lips slightly curved up:

"So, you mean there are channels that are not very safe, without contractual protection, but don’t require identification?"

"Of course." Huo Mu nodded, He didn’t ask whether Feng Xue was interested and just changed direction, explaining as they walked:

"There are mainly three types of informal channels for selling fantasy items: the black market, proprietary stores, and gambling shops.

"The black market is specifically for disposing of or selling sensitive items. Those who have a good understanding of a fantasy item’s effects often head here. However, whether buying or selling, one needs good judgment, otherwise it’s easy to get scammed;

"Proprietary stores are opened by individuals with Manufacturing tags. They gather various fantasy items, some as raw materials, others to study the item’s structure and formulations, and some just to display as a store’s treasured asset;

"Lastly, the gambling shops are rather unique. In a way, they’re part of the facility outside Infinite City’s residential area. Simply put, you sacrifice a fantasy item to Infinite City, which then conducts a comprehensive evaluation based on the item’s elements and amount of information, etc. It then randomly chooses three to five similar items from which you can select one. However, the risk is high, and it’s rare to get something useful. Often one only goes there to gamble with fantasy items that are worthless by weight. Compared to the first two, this facility is more frequently used by holders of Manufacturing tags."

"There are even gambling shops—what an interesting facility!" Feng Xue was secretly delighted, having found a destination for some utterly useless comic props. However, considering her nearly empty account, she said:

"Let’s go to the black market first. By the way, how much does it cost for you to introduce me to the black market?"

"No need, If you visit the black market I recommended, I can get a commission. You don’t need to pay for that part. Of course, I won’t provide any advice on prices; whether you can negotiate a good deal depends on your own abilities. And such shops do not sign contracts, so whether you gain or lose depends entirely on individual judgment."

Due to the power of the contract, Huo Mu’s reminder was serious and earnest, almost as if he was genuinely concerned about Feng Xue being deceived. Feng Xue was satisfied with this but did not take it lightly, still maintaining somewhat of a poker face as he gestured for Huo Mu to lead the way.

However, this time, Feng Xue finally realized how difficult it was to get around in the South District without a guide. One could responsibly say that even those with a good sense of direction, holding a map in this place that could be described as a sci-fi upgraded version of a cramped city, would still find it hard to avoid getting lost.

The layered map of the Monster Hunter world was already fairly complicated, but the South District map that Feng Xue pulled up with his work card was many times more complex than the Ancient Tree Forest. To put it in perspective, the map of the Ancient Tree Forest consisted of just three levels—large and two small—while just the work card’s display of the South District map had over two hundred layers, not including the platforms hidden between layers, secret passages between buildings, and movable platforms constructed by special methods.

And Huo Mu wasn’t just leading Feng Xue around; on their way to the nearby black market, he also provided Feng Xue with some basic knowledge about shops and residences and how to quickly move around in this complicated place—

"This sign with a golden sparkling icon is a public transit stop. If you want to go to some ordinary facilities, you can search with your work card and then find a fixed station. The regular electromagnetic public transport costs fifty Tower Coins per person per trip, but it doesn’t span across layers;

"Renting a flying vehicle is much more expensive, starting at twenty thousand Tower Coins, and they charge per layer. If flying from the bottom layer to the two hundredth layer, it would cost about five hundred thousand. To call one, just use the map function to search for rental flying vehicles;

"While rental flying vehicles are expensive, they are relatively faster. Considering stairs or lifts to change layers, even without thinking about congestion or transfers, it would take at least two hours from the bottom to the top layer. By renting, it only takes about ten minutes to arrive.

"To go to garbage mountain, you must enter from the designated spaceport, and each entry costs one hundred thousand Tower Coins, but there is no time limit. If you’re not worried about the risk of collapse or the ominous signs on the mountain, you could even settle there.

"But remember, any illegal attempt to reach garbage mountain will be targeted by floating guards—those spheres floating around the mountain. Generally, if you manage to come back alive from garbage mountain, the earnings won’t be less than one hundred thousand Tower Coins, so there’s no need to risk it for such a small amount of money.

"Also, the spaceships leaving from garbage mountain are free, including for those who have just crossed over. If you encounter a worthy Infinite from the mountain, you can also bring them along. The spaceport offers a complete range of services from slave contracts to slave training, though it’s quite expensive. If they’re not particularly promising, it’s recommended to use cheaper tools like the Slave Collar."

Walking on the technologically laden circular path, Feng Xue listened as Huo Mu tirelessly introduced various pieces of information, feeling rather fortunate inside.

At this moment, he was incredibly grateful that he hadn’t directly crossed into here initially; otherwise, he might have ended up as either food for an omen or wearing a collar and serving someone as a dog. But even now, he couldn’t let his guard down, as this type of contract was clearly not limited to being used on just the newly crossed-over Infinite.

"Boss, we’re here." While Feng Xue was lost in thought, Huo Mu finally stopped walking, and what appeared in front of them was a somewhat old-looking house with a modern neon sign that read "Finoletta."

Feng Xue glanced down at the salt that appeared in his hand, tossed it onto the ground, and ultimately swallowed the old frustration he’d been harboring; at this moment, he suddenly began to doubt the ingredients used here...