Chapter 100 The small circle of high-level professionals
Su Lun followed Mr. Hei all the way down.
The two walked through the streets of the black market, then climbed over the fence, and continued walking deeper into the darkness on a steel pipe more than one meter thick.
There was an endless abyss beneath his feet, and ordinary people would be frightened to leave. Su Lun felt lucky that he had good balance, otherwise he would have fallen into the endless darkness if his feet slipped.
After walking through dozens of meters of pipeline, Mr. Hei seemed to remember something, took out a cloak and handed it to Su Lun, saying: "This is the entry token of this small circle. Wearing it will save you a lot of trouble."
"Um."
Su Lun nodded and took the cloak. After taking a look at it, he felt it was inexplicably familiar. Isn't this the same kind of cloak that Mr. Black wears?
【Concealment Cloak】
Detailed explanation: An alchemy cloak with advanced concealment formation, it has a certain degree of sight distortion, voice change, and mental detection weakening.
nice one!
Su Lun put on the cloak, as if his body was isolated from the outside world, and suddenly he felt like he was hiding in a cave and watching people.
This gives him more security than his turtleneck trench coat.
The two continued walking and passed through an abandoned sewer.
Mr. Hei said as he walked: "Before you go in, I have a few simple rules to tell you. This small circle is a membership system. Only three or more members recommend at the same time, and new members are eligible to join. You'd better not say anything then.
You joined through me, otherwise there might be trouble. Of course, with this cloak, no one will question you. Also, don’t inquire about the identities of other members, and be careful not to be found out..."
"There will be one or two exchange meetings every month, and the information will be printed on the third row of the advertising column of the "Old London Daily News". The 'Hill Code' of the decoding method..."
"The people here are very mixed, not as friendly as you think. They may be wanted criminals, evil alchemists, or spies of the 'Umbrella Organization' with ulterior motives..."
"What kind of material knowledge do you need to find? You can see how others exchange it later."
"..."
Su Lun listened carefully and nodded frequently.
Not long after, the two came to a rusted iron door, walked in, and the space suddenly opened up again.
This is a space about the size of a basketball court. There are large and small pipes everywhere, and it looks a bit like an observation room in an ancient sewer system.
He has been to the black market so many times, and this is the first time he knows that there is such a secret gathering place at the bottom of the black market.
.......
There was only a solitary gas lamp in the space, illuminating the round stone table in the center engraved with a complex pattern of a six-pointed star alchemy array.
Dark, mysterious, silent.
There was no sound in the huge space, and a thick mysterious atmosphere filled the air.
Mr. Black seemed to be the host of the party. As soon as he arrived, the men in cloaks who were resting in the dark corner gathered around.
"Mr. Black..."
Everyone said hello one after another.
Mr. Black nodded.
Su Lun only took a casual look. There were fifteen figures around the round table. Although their heights and shapes were different, they were all wearing the same cloak. Their appearance was unclear, and their voices were also changed. Thinking that under these cloaks, they were all from the outer city.
There were high-level professionals, perhaps among them were cadres of their Cross Society, but he didn't look much at them.
Mr. Hei said: "Okay, today's exchange can begin."
Everyone seemed to be familiar with the process. No one said nonsense and got straight to the topic.
Su Lun originally thought it was a serious and cold exchange meeting of a mysterious organization, but it sounded more like a tea party.
As soon as it started, it became lively.
"I need some information. The butler of the Custer family in the inner city was assassinated, and the murderer fled to the outer city. I want to know what channel the guy used to get out of the city. In addition to offering a reward, the Custer family will also provide...
An opportunity for cooperation..."
"..."
"A batch of arms was robbed at the Sunbird Military Machinery Factory's branch in Dongcheng. Is there anyone here who can contact the group that did it? I'm not looking for trouble, but I want that batch of goods. The price is negotiable..."
"..."
"Is there any news about the S wanted criminal who came out of the inner city?"
"There is news that she was last seen in Xicheng District. People from the Umbrella Organization kept a close eye on her and caught clues, but they didn't catch anyone..."
"Do any of you know the origin of that woman?"
"Haha, I heard that he is a very powerful mechanical warrior. He seems to have escaped with some 'research secrets'..."
"No one would dare to take over such a troublesome figure, even if he has a shocking secret. Oh, except for that organization..."
"..."
A group of cloaked men exchanged information with each other.
Occasionally, if there is secret information that needs to be traded, it will be written in an envelope and traded.
If it is not too important, they will continue chatting along the topic. Everyone will tell the information they know, and they will often piece together the truth of the whole thing.
After all, these are high-level professionals from the outer city. The events they mentioned are of a very high level, and the news channels are very wide. Moreover, almost all the questions asked can be answered by someone.
It was like watching the news broadcast. Su Lun was listening silently, and only then did he realize that Jiulingdun was so lively.
After listening for a while, he roughly understood the function of this small circle.
Here, they can learn real-time information about the entire outer city and even the inner city.
Su Lun also noticed that everyone at the round table, except him and Mr. Hei, more or less spoke.
This seems to be a tacit understanding, or a customary rule.
No one can get news for free. To participate in the exchange, you must give some of your own information.
This is why Su Lun always felt as if someone had just peeked at him, probably seeing that he was a newcomer.
.......
After the information exchange stage is over, it’s time to exchange items.
A cloaked man said: "I need advanced materials for the rare profession [Blight Warlock]. The advanced direction is probably 'Water Element Control', preferably high-quality silver products from the ruins, the price is easy to say..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, someone immediately picked up the conversation.
"I happen to have a silver cursed object [Tears of the Poison Pool Crocodile] in my hand, which should meet your requirements. But I need to exchange for a complete set of the latest 'Frost Giant Battle Armor' armor from the inner city..."
"That thing is a 'controlled product' for the inner city army...it's not just about the price."
"I'll add a second-level rare water spell [Acid Dissolution] skill scroll..."
"Deal! But the armor will take about a week to come out."
"no problem."
The two of them quickly settled down without saying a word.
The things from both parties were handed over to Mr. Hei for review. Even though the man didn't take out his armor, he seemed to have said a few words of promise and the deal was concluded.
Only then did Su Lun understand that Mr. Hei was not only the host of the party, but also the "appraiser" and "guarantor".
Everyone seemed to trust him very much.
He said there were no problem with the materials and scrolls, and the deal could be concluded immediately.
Su Lun knew some of Mr. Hei's identity, so he wasn't too surprised.
What surprised him even more was how powerful these cloaked men were!
"Frost Giant Combat Armor" is said to be the latest generation of combat armor recently equipped by the Inner City Guards. The army hasn't even finished equipping this thing yet, so how can someone come up with it?
.......
As soon as the trading session started, many high-end things that Su Lun had never heard of appeared one after another.
"I need an evil-destroying cursed object for high-level ghost species. It would be best if someone can take out the [Sacred Cross] of the Carter family in the inner city. The price can be negotiated..."
"I have in my hand a few pages of manuscripts from "On Alchemical Metaphors" written by Master Arnold, the great alchemist of the same period as Sir Isaac. But the content has not been deciphered, and I cannot guarantee that it is alchemical knowledge.
.I would like to exchange a message..."
"Can any of you provide clues to the curse material for the third-level professional advancement? As long as it is of the melee type..."
"..."
The cloaked people all put forward their own needs, and seemed to have prepared them in advance, bringing enough trade items in exchange for their needs.
The materials required are very high-end, almost all of silver quality or above.
Moreover, I haven't heard anyone reveal the price, it's all by bartering.
Only then did Su Lun understand why there were few second-level materials for sale in black market shops. Even if there were, they were only a few low-quality samples.
Because the output of high-level curse materials is small, the audience is even smaller.
Unlike first-level materials that are available to everyone, advanced materials can only be used by second-level and above professionals, and it is difficult to sell them if they are displayed.
Professionals who can obtain high-end materials probably don't lack a small amount of money, but they also lack materials suitable for themselves.
Therefore, bartering is the best way.
.......
Su Lun listened silently for a while and completely understood the rules of this exchange meeting.
At this time, he remembered Mr. Hei's previous suggestion that he could come here to ask questions, and he spoke directly.
"I need a complete copy of the spiritual secrets practiced by ancient alchemists. There is also a silk thread with curse properties that is thin enough and flexible. It is best to be able to satisfy the puppet master's control... The price is negotiable."
Although Su Lun didn't know the value of the two materials, he also felt that he probably couldn't come up with materials of the same level that could be traded with them.
But regardless of whether there are fish or not, let’s make a net first and then talk about it.
As soon as these words came out, the entire cloaked people around the round table fell silent for a moment.
"Spiritual Mystery" belongs to a very advanced field, and these people may not even know what it is.
The market demand for puppet master's materials is very small, and few people keep them for exchange. Even if they do, they will probably be sold to the inner city.
Su Lun watched him become cold as soon as he opened his mouth, and was stared at by a group of people.
Fortunately, the cloak blocked the visit, otherwise he might not have been able to stand here calmly under the gaze of a group of at least second-level professionals.
I was about to skip the topic when I saw it, but at this moment, someone suddenly spoke.
"Do I have the 'spiritual magic' you mentioned here, but I do have a thread that meets your conditions and has very magical curse properties. If you are interested, you can take a look."