Chapter 342: Identity Lease
Chapter 342: Identity Lease
The moment Aly Kun appeared, the morale of the expedition team plummeted.
—A Tier Six Merchant!
Aly Kun was a prominent figure in Nine Bays City.
Through various activities, everyone present knew this powerful individual.
If they were facing a Fifth Stage enemy, they might still entertain thoughts of a challenge.
But the insurmountable gap brought by Sixth Stage power was enough to shatter all illusions.
Even the explorer Lezer was no exception.
As the leader of the team, he needed to be responsible for his companions.
He couldn’t lead them into a certain death.
Lezer released the sensor he had pinned beneath him and spoke to Aly Kun with a wary tone:
"Mr. Aly Kun, we..."
Aly Kun cut Lezer off directly:
""Explorer, I know you’re unhappy about running around the forest for nothing. But unfortunately, this Hidden Realm was discovered by our Merchant Guild first. There’s no dispute over ownership and development rights."
As he spoke, a powerful surge of Essence erupted from Aly Kun.
The great merchant pulled out a golden Twin Serpent Coin from his pocket, immediately capturing everyone’s attention and subconsciously making them feel submissive to this power.
A genuine Sixth Stage Awakened.
He didn’t even need to make a move; just the pressure of his power rendered everyone present unable to act.
Seeing the sudden silence, Aly Kun nodded in satisfaction and made his decision with a tone that conveyed complete control of the situation:
"Of course, I understand your hard work."
"Once we return to Nine Bays City, I can issue a Gold Voucher in my personal name. You can use it to exchange for an equal amount in any world where the Merchant Guild is present."
Lezer struggled to speak:
"But Mr. Aly Kun, the forest’s anomaly..."
The great merchant interrupted the explorer again:
"Oria’s attitude might seem a bit hasty."
"But you must understand that what happens here will profoundly impact the entire world, and it is a goal we at the Riverbank Chamber must achieve."
"Not dealing with you is already my greatest tolerance!"
"..."
Aly Kun’s words
Almost admitted that the forest’s anomaly was related to them.
At the same time, he used his Sixth Stage Awakened status to convey a message to the expedition team.
If they stayed here obediently and didn’t interfere with their actions,
They could live.
Lezer’s face showed reluctance.
He looked at the Sixth Stage merchant before him and tried to make one last appeal:
"But there are countless people in the forest..."
Aly Kun’s brow furrowed, and the overwhelming power in the room converged on Lezer:
"I am handling this matter. You just need to stay here obediently and not make things worse..."
Bang!
Before Aly Kun could even finish his sentence, a gunshot suddenly erupted in the forest.
Everyone’s gaze shifted to the source of the gunshot.
There, they saw Lindsey holding a flintlock gun, the muzzle pointed directly at Aly Kun, who had just been lecturing Lezer.
"I... you..."
Aly Kun’s eyes stared blankly at Lindsey.
In the next second, he felt an pain in his chest.
Blood soaked through his shirt, trickling down from the wound.
The strength drained from his body, and he soon collapsed weakly to the ground.
"Huh?"
"This..."
The scene before them almost scrambled everyone’s thoughts.
Even Lezer could only call out Lindsey’s disguised name in a daze:
"Drake? You... you...?"
"..."
Lindsey remained silent.
He stepped forward quickly and kicked the Twin Serpent Coin out of Aly Kun’s hand.
Then, Aly Kun’s appearance began to change.
The aura of a Sixth Stage great merchant dissipated.
In its place lay a plain-looking man, the pain from the gunshot making it difficult for him to even struggle!
At this moment, Lindsey finally spoke to Lezer:
"Given the meticulous nature of a Sixth Stage merchant, there’s no way he would voluntarily reveal such information to us."
"And it's even more unfortunate."
"A while back, Aly Kun negotiated a big deal in Nine Bays City. He personally attached great importance to it and definitely wouldn't have had the time to cause such a huge mess outside the city."
"..."
Listening to Lindsey's reasoning, Lezer's expression was a mix of emotions.
In terms of facts, Lindsey's choice wasn't wrong; he successfully saw through this imposter pretending to be Aly Kun.
But if the situation were different.
If the person standing here today was truly that Tier Six merchant.
Then Lindsey's shot might have resulted in the annihilation of their entire Explorer team.
The Explorer bitterly smiled and shook his head:
"Drake, your insight is indeed formidable."
"But in the future, it's best to be cautious. It's genuinely too dangerous to take action against a Tier Six Awakener for such a reason."
Respect for the strong is a universal common sense in countless worlds.
But at this moment, Lezer had a feeling.
In front of him, on this companion he had traveled with for more than a month, he seemed to sense a lack of such 'common sense.'
"Aside from a Twin Serpent Coin, he didn't display any powerful moves." Seeing Lezer's expression, Lindsey further explained, "And I've dealt with Tier Six merchants. In a situation where they have an advantage in strength and are unconstrained by the environment, they're definitely not this easy to talk to."
After explaining his views, Lindsey glanced at the map.
【Map】 The skill's normal effect range is small, so he zoomed out to take a broader look.
Aside from the four people in front of them, there was one last red dot deep in the valley.
"There's someone else hiding?"
Lindsey frowned.
Since the other party didn't intend to reveal themselves, he wouldn't just rush in blindly.
"Let's clarify the situation first."
Lindsey walked around to the Sensor's front.
Originally, with Lezer releasing his suppression, the Sensor had already gotten up from the ground.
But seeing Aly Kun's replacement being shot down by Lindsey, he obediently found a tree to lean against and squatted down, hugging his head, with an attitude as if he'd never dare to cause trouble again:
"Sir, I was also paid to do this!"
"In the contract signed with the merchant, I'm not allowed to reveal any messages. This is a constraint of the rules and the transaction."
Facing Lindsey, this star of slaughter, the Sensor didn't dare hesitate and honestly explained his reason for not speaking up.
Lindsey pointed to the man pretending to be Aly Kun beside him:
"This guy is a fake, but the Twin Serpent Coin he holds doesn't seem like a forgery. His identity should be rather special, right?"
Bound by the rules of the transaction, the Sensor couldn't answer.
But he was very clever and praised Lindsey:
"Whether it's strength or wisdom, you're the best among us!"
Lindsey understood the Sensor's meaning.
So he turned back to the man lying on the ground.
He didn't immediately provide aid but instead picked up the Twin Serpent Coin that had been kicked away.
【Artifact: Twin Serpent Coin - Goods Lease】
【Tier Six merchants use their wealth to rent out their personal identities to others. They can also be used as disposable items, like regular Twin Serpent Coins.】
【The extremely rare Twin Serpent Coin made by Tier Six merchants is of higher value.】
"..."
"Even something like identity can be rented out with a Twin Serpent Coin?"
Lindsey sighed.
According to Elaine, he hadn't heard of merchants having similar abilities. This was probably a skill developed by Aly Kun himself.
Seeing the man bleeding heavily on the ground,
Lindsey didn't delay any further. He turned and shouted to the female physician at the back:
"Mira, please come over and stabilize his injuries."
"Don't let this guy die just like that!"
(End of Chapter)
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