Chapter 151: The Blacksmith and the City Lord

Chapter 151: The Blacksmith and the City Lord

Karl held a worn-out pocket watch in his hand, a satisfied smile on his face.

"I was just wondering how to get in, and someone delivered the key right to me. I didn't lie to him, though; ordinary people who enter the Dark Market are only treated as food. At least I can make some money from it."

"Click..."

The pocket watch emitted a crisp sound, indicating the location of the entrance.

Karl turned and stepped towards the side wall, his body disappearing as if sinking into water.

At the same time, a faint aura of spirit emerged from the pocket watch, enveloping him within it.

To enter the Dark Market, one needed a special token. Each time the market opened, the token would mark the location of the entrance. This old pocket watch was one such token.

Suddenly, the scene changed dramatically.

Outside, dusk was approaching, and the sky darkened.

Yet, before Karl was a world as bright as day, illuminated not by the sun but by countless stars in the sky.

The Star Realm!

Or was it?

Karl could sense that there were still some restrictions in this place, and a wizard's mental power couldn't easily draw upon the energy of the Star Realm.

However, similarly,

this place was no longer part of the mortal realm, and certain 'law-like' entities entangled the physical bodies here.

"Ribbit... Ribbit..."

"Welcome to the Dark Market!"

A flower resembling a sunflower extended its slender stem from the side, smiling obsequiously at Karl.

The flower, once covered in seeds, had transformed into a woman's face, with strands of flesh between her teeth.

As Karl's gaze landed on her, the woman immediately extended her tongue to lick her teeth, swallowing the flesh and chewing it slowly.

Beneath her, there were several pieces of clothing and some white bones.

Carnivorous Flower!

The guardian of the Dark Market.

All around, clusters of flowers concealed an unknown number of these creatures.

After a year of hunger, they would pick out ordinary people who had mixed into the market and devour them to satisfy themselves.

If that young man from earlier had entered, he would have met the same fate as the remains beneath the Carnivorous Flower.

"Please remember this."

"The use of force is not permitted in the Dark Market. Otherwise, you will be expelled by the power of the rules. As for where you'll end up..."

"So far, not a single expelled person has returned."

"The three streets and six buildings are off-limits. Of course, you can enter if you wish, as long as you're not concerned about getting out."

"Don't leave the market area. No one can guarantee what you'll encounter. Maybe you'll receive a blessing from a deity, ribbit... ribbit..."

The Carnivorous Flower let out a frog-like cackle, seemingly trying to showcase its sense of humor.

"Never provoke the blacksmith Gando. His hammer can easily smash you into a meat patty..."

"He's the only one allowed to use force in this market."

"Or maybe a person?"

"Anyway."

The Carnivorous Flower lowered its 'head' and spoke respectfully, "I hope you find what you're looking for in the market."

Karl continued on his way.

Beyond the forest where the Carnivorous Flower resided, three forked paths leading to different streets appeared before him.

At the end of each path was a street.

A signpost stood in the middle, with three signs nailed to it.

The sign pointing to the left had an engraving of a vibrant rose, the symbol of the Bloodthirsty Roses.

Bloodthirsty Roses!

A foreign organization similar to the Sanctuary.

Its leader was rumored to be a vampire walking in the night, with origins tied to a fallen deity.

They specialized in providing weapons that fed on others' life force and various magical tools.

The sign on the right had an engraving of a hammer, the symbol of the blacksmith Gando.

This resident of the Dark Market had been there for an unknown duration, and no one knew the extent of his power.

There was even a rumor.

The reason the dukes allowed the Dark Market to exist was because of the presence of the blacksmith Gando.

The sign in the middle had an engraving of stacked books, the symbol of the Sage, but that entity had long since disappeared.

The vampire, the blacksmith, and the sage had founded the Dark Market, but only one of them remained.

Karl thought for a moment,

then headed down the right path.

He was curious about the blacksmith Gando, who was likely a powerful survivor of the Gods' War.

Moreover,

In Burke's memories, the blacksmith Gando wasn't dangerous.

Not far ahead, a street filled with weeds and lined with dilapidated houses came into view.

Some houses had been occupied, and the occupants displayed various goods at their doors.

"Dark Elves from Duke Joe's territory. They are the darlings of the night, with an inherently cruel and bloodthirsty nature."

An elderly man with a hunched back stood behind several bird cages, shouting loudly,

"You only need three thousand pounds of lean meat, and they're yours!"

The bird cages didn't contain birds but instead held small elves with black skin, sharp teeth, and claws. They constantly struck the cages with their wings, creating shadows and colliding within, never stopping despite their injuries.

With their speed and sharp claws, they could easily wipe out a war squad if released.

To capture them alive...

Only a Great Knight would stand a chance.

"Soul Fragments!"

A person hidden in a black cloak stood at a house's entrance, with clusters of soul fragments dancing before him.

"Soul fragments of a Knight are worth a thousand pounds of lean meat. Soul fragments of a Great Knight are worth five thousand pounds."

"A tamed giant, with strength comparable to a peak-level Great Knight, is available for only eight thousand pounds of lean meat."

"The special spell seal, Burning Hand, is not of the supreme quality, but its power is still formidable. The price..."

"..."

Karl walked ahead, his expression unreadable, but his mind was filled with surprise.

No wonder it's called the Dark Market; there truly is an astonishing variety of people and items for sale, broadening one's horizons.

'Lean meat!'

'After removing the skin and bones from a fully grown wolf, and discarding other parts, only about ten pounds can be considered pure lean meat.'

'A thousand pounds of lean meat would require nearly a hundred fully grown wolves!'

'It seems not only Ferdinand's territory, but other places are also placing increasing importance on food.'

'Lean meat has replaced Divine Grace Coins as the hard currency in the Dark Market, and it's likely that the outside world will follow suit in just a few years.'

'However...'

Karl's gaze shifted, deep in thought:

'Although the people here have peculiar auras, most of them are still at the Great Knight stage.'

'There aren't many with First Rank strength, even fewer at the mid-rank, and I haven't encountered anyone at the late First Rank yet.'

Although the people in this world might possess certain oddities and secrets, and have the ability to overcome stronger opponents.

Like Conn.

But he's at the mid-First Rank, and with his wizardry, he's considered a formidable opponent in the market.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The sound of impact brought Karl back to his senses.

At the end of the market, a structure larger than the other houses was shaking in an orderly manner.

Hmm?

It's not a building!

It's a person!

A towering giant, over seven meters tall, with a robust build.

The giant had lush hair, and was squatting, holding a massive hammer, continuously forging a weapon.

As he swung his arms, his hair shook, revealing thick chains as thick as his arms.

One end of the chain extended into the earth below, while the other end kept him firmly in place, leaving only enough space to swing his hammer.

He wasn't half-crouching, but kneeling on the ground.

Ironsmith Gando!

In Karl's perception, the giant before him was like a blazing sun, radiating an incredibly terrifying energy.

Second Rank?

No!

He's very likely a Third Rank!

"Bang..."

The hammering suddenly paused.

The hair on the giant's face parted, revealing a pair of cloudy eyes that fixed on Karl.

"Young man, don't pry into me with your peculiar methods, or else... my hammer will fall on you next time."

He raised his arm and brought it down with force.

"Bang!"

The terrifying sound reverberated throughout the entire market, and the sparks that flew out shook the ground, causing Karl's body to tense up.

An extreme sense of oppression made it difficult for him to breathe, and even his thoughts paused for a moment.

Terrifying!

Frightening!

Pure strength made Karl's heart race, and even his abyssal bloodline trembled.

"Sorry."

After a moment, he spoke:

"Respected Gando, please forgive my curiosity."

"Curiosity?" Gando snorted, his voice rumbling like thunder in Karl's ears:

"These two words have led to the demise of countless powerful beings, but I doubt you'll remember."

He snorted again.

"I can forge, upgrade, and sell spell seals here. I accept Great Providence, soul fragments, or lean meat in exchange."

"Great Providence?" Karl looked up:

"What do you need Great Providence for, senior?"

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"Of course, to live." Gando withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to Karl, and continued hammering the weapon in his hand, muttering:

"Everything is for survival!"

Survival?

Karl wanted to ask more, but the other party's attitude was cold, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

After some thought, he asked:

"Senior, what spell seals do you sell?"

"Two kinds." Gando continued hammering:

"Eagle Eye and Gale Slash, each for ten thousand pounds of lean meat or ten soul fragments of Knight-level beings."

"Eagle Eye? Gale Slash?" Karl frowned:

"Senior, these spell seals are too common, and their ranks are low. They don't seem worth this price."

"Hmph!" Gando scoffed:

"My spell seals are of higher quality and fresher than those outside, and there's a good chance you'll gain new abilities from them."

Karl expressed his skepticism.

"Senior."

He took out a high-quality Beast Pill and placed it before him:

"How much lean meat is this worth?"

"Beast Pill." Gando recognized the pill, his gaze sweeping over it, and said:

"Five hundred pills for a spell seal."

"..." Karl clenched his teeth:

"I want the Eagle Eye spell seal."

With a wave of his hand, he took out all the Beast Pills from his storage space, filling the wooden box with the neatly stacked pills.

A large portion of these were the shop's supplies, and he would need to find a way to replenish them after this.

"Good."

A hint of laughter appeared in Gando's voice.

He finally released his grip on the hammer and reached into the void, pulling out a broken corpse.

He tore off a strip of meat from the corpse and tossed it down.

"Take it!"

"The Eagle Eye spell seal!"

With a wave of his hand, the corpse disappeared.

Hmm?

So that's how spell sigils are made?

Karl was stunned.

"What is it?" Gando gripped his hammer again, "Surprised?"

"Yes, I am a little surprised," Karl regained his composure and took the meat strip, his expression turning complex as he spoke, "So spell sigils are made from someone else's corpse?"

"The body of a powerful individual contains their essence, and with a simple process, it becomes the spell sigil you hold," Gando explained in a calm tone, "When I die, I suppose my body could also be used to create a spell sigil to enhance power."

"You're a bit late. A few decades ago, I had Supreme Spell Seals for sale here."

Naturally, the corpses of even stronger individuals were used.

No wonder the production of spell sigils in the Duke's territory had been decreasing over the years; they must be running out of corpses.

"Heh..." Karl shook his head and tentatively asked, "Do you have any Sacred Techniques for sale?"

"Sacred Techniques?" Gando glanced at him, "Those are for those who walk the path of knighthood. I, as an existence like this, cultivate my abilities."

"Young man!"

"I know you have many questions, but do you know how I survived that great war back then?"

Before Karl could speak, Gando continued, "Put away your pitiful curiosity. Only by not prying into the existence of certain beings do you have a sliver of a chance to survive."

"That's why I lived while others died!"

Karl looked deeply into Gando's eyes. Regardless, the person before him was the first Third Rank being he had ever encountered.

And he wasn't dangerous.

Third Rank beings inherently possessed numerous mysteries, let alone one who had survived the Gods' War.

Even if he was cold, Karl would bother him more in the future.

...

Leaving the Dark Market, Karl sat cross-legged on the magic carpet, hovering in the air, and bowed his head to examine the meat strip in his hand.

About two fingers long and as thick as one finger, the meat was tender and pink, with a resilient texture. Indeed, it was as fresh as Gando had claimed.

"Spell Sigil..."

Shaking his head slightly, he placed the meat strip on his face.

The skin on his face cracked, as if the serrated edges of a tentacle were gripping the meat strip, slowly devouring it.

The meat strip squirmed like a living thing, turning into fine threads of blood that seeped towards his eyes.

In an instant, Karl's eyes turned blood-red.

His pupils irregularly dilated and contracted, and the veins within them changed under the influence of the spell sigil.

Soon, Karl closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again. His vision sharpened, and he could see the scene a few yards away clearly.

His pupils dilated, and he could discern even the finest dust particles.

"It's somewhat useful, but not very effective. For a Legendary Knight like me, the perception enhancement is almost non-existent."

"Especially since I also have a Third Rank Abyssal Bloodline."

Shaking his head, just as he was about to give up, Karl's eyebrows rose as he looked down at the ground beneath Death City.

In his vision, a black mist swirled beneath the city.

This aura was far less concentrated than Gando's, but it was vast and spread countless threads throughout the city.

As far as he could see, almost everyone in Death City had a black line connecting them to the black mist below.

The reason he said 'almost' was that some people didn't have it, or at least not yet.

"As long as you live in Death City for a while, unless you receive redemption, you'll never be able to escape it for your entire life."

"No wonder there's such a rule! Now I understand!"

Karl realized, "This city has a massive barrier, and anyone who enters it will be watched by the black line. After living in the city for a while, the black line connects the person to the core of the barrier."

"No wonder merchants don't dare stay in the city for too long. If they get entangled, without permission to leave, the black line will harvest their lives."

"City Lord!"

"Death Maiden!"

"She's using the lives of nearly a million people in the city to maintain her power, but she's still not Third Rank."

Karl narrowed his eyes, "No! Something is devouring her energy. Without these million people's sustenance, her strength would surely be weakened!"

"Hmm?"

"I've been discovered!"

Karl's eyes suddenly felt hot, and two tears of blood flowed from them. He quickly flashed away and hid in the Dark Market.

The spell sigil was broken!

But as he entered the market, the sense of crisis that had been hovering over him disappeared.

"That was close!"

Karl wiped the nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead and, in the process, wiped away the tears of blood from his eyes.

'Death Maiden Mevia's condition is probably the norm for powerful beings in this world. Their strength is suppressed and weakened, so they dare not reveal themselves easily, and for years, they've been coiled up in their lairs.'

'This limit... It's most likely Second Rank!'

'No wonder the powerful beings in this world rarely show themselves. Even when they do, it's usually a swift battle.'

Karl stroked his chin and, in the market, chose an unoccupied house to enter. He casually hung a sign at the entrance.

"Buying Sacred Techniques and Oddities. Price negotiable!"

For the next period, he planned to explore the Dark Market, hoping to find what he desired.

He also needed to find Cathedral Acolyte Lev and the highly likely hidden Ana.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end