Chapter 720: Four Months Later (1)
Chapter 720: Four Months Later (1)
September 25, 2017
For Zhang Xiaobai, his recent luck could be considered quite good.
He had been stuck at the threshold of Strength 69 for an entire year, and finally, just a few days ago, he managed to break through this barrier.
What surprised him even more was that after surpassing the threshold of 69 and entering the 70s, Zhang Xiaobai's luck took a turn for the better. The day before yesterday, while running a dungeon, he unexpectedly obtained a Golden Chest.
This delighted Zhang Xiaobai, as Golden Chests were not easy to come by. Even for those with a Strength of 80, it was extremely difficult to obtain one. For him to obtain a Golden Chest in a dungeon suitable for his Strength of 70 was like stepping on dog poop and getting lucky.
However, his luck didn't stop there. When he opened the chest, this mere Golden Chest surprisingly yielded a [Enhanced System Building Upgrade Token]. His luck was simply incredible. Lu Haikong had opened dozens of chests before finally obtaining this item from a Legendary Chest. Zhang Xiaobai, on the other hand, casually obtained an item of this caliber from a Golden Chest.
Nevertheless, Zhang Xiaobai himself wasn't entirely satisfied with this item. After all, he was a Lone Warrior, and such an item was of no use to him.
Furthermore, he wasn't quite sure if obtaining this item was a good or bad thing. Ideally, he would have preferred for the chest to directly grant him a manual for a cultivation technique or some pills to aid his cultivation. That way, he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of exchanging the item for a manual.
Fortunately, it was now much easier for him to exchange the item for something else compared to before.
In the past, it would have been quite troublesome for Zhang Xiaobai to exchange the Enhanced System Building Upgrade Token for what he wanted. On one hand, Zhang Xiaobai's reclusive personality meant he had few friends, and while he knew of some Lone Warriors, he didn't dare approach them casually.
After all, the item he held in his hand came from a Golden Chest, and he was only a minor expert with a Strength of 70. If someone were to be tempted by the item, he might not be able to exchange it for what he wanted without being taken advantage of. Worse still, he might even be killed on the spot.
Fortunately, five months ago, Lu Haikong started an Item Auction in Northern Sealed City, which made every otherworldly lord pay attention to Lone Warriors.
In the past five months, countless Item Auctions targeting Lone Warriors had been held all over the world, as everyone wanted a piece of this enormous cake.
However, it turned out that this cake wasn't so easy to eat.
In the past five months, at least a hundred such markets had been opened worldwide, but very few had lasted. Even those that did survive were much smaller in scale compared to when they first started.
There was no other way, even though these markets offered astonishing profits, they also carried immense risks. Almost all Lone Warrior markets had experienced bloody lessons in these five months.
Lone Warriors were a double-edged sword; they could bring enormous profits to otherworldly lords, but also immense danger. For instance, one otherworldly lord who controlled an entire prefecture, following Lu Haikong's example, held an Item Auction, but was attacked by greedy Lone Warriors who directly broke up the auction and took the otherworldly lord with them, causing his entire power to collapse.
However, despite the various dangers, the enormous profits were still attractive, and many people still wanted to safely enjoy this cake. Some had even made achievements in this regard, like Lu Haikong's Northern Sealed City, which was the best in this aspect.
It was said that the Lone Warrior market in Northern Sealed City brought Lu Haikong tens of millions in profits every month.
At this time, Northern Sealed City was Zhang Xiaobai's first choice. After all, he had been there several times in the past few months and was relatively familiar with and trusted the trading environment there.
So, Zhang Xiaobai spent three days traveling from Youzhou to Northern Sealed City.
Upon arriving at Northern Sealed City, Zhang Xiaobai stopped and did not immediately enter the city.
As someone who had been there several times before, Zhang Xiaobai knew that starting three months ago, all Lone Warriors entering Northern Sealed City had to register and obtain a Temporary Residence Permit to enter the city.
If one entered the city without registering, they would be lightly expelled or have their property confiscated, and in severe cases, be executed on the spot. Zhang Xiaobai understood that this rule was implemented to better control the Lone Warriors within Northern Sealed City.
Once the number of Lone Warriors in Northern Sealed City reached a certain level, potentially threatening the city, the authorities would begin to regulate them. Zhang Xiaobai wasn't sure how this regulation would work, as he had only stayed for two or three days each time he visited and didn't know much about the city.
Zhang Xiaobai found the registration office at a side gate of Northern Sealed City and registered his name, Strength value, and other information. After symbolically paying a 10-gold registration fee, Zhang Xiaobai received a palm-sized wooden token.
After obtaining the residence permit, Zhang Xiaobai could finally enter the Northern Sealed City. With this token in hand, he could move freely in most parts of the city.
Upon entering, Zhang Xiaobai didn't linger in the commercial or residential areas. He had no intention of snooping around the military zone either. Instead, he headed straight for the trading market that Lu HaiKong had specifically built for lone warriors.
The market wasn't very big, occupying only a dozen acres, perhaps even smaller than some larger estates. However, considering Lu HaiKong's rule that no more than 1,500 lone warriors could reside in the Northern Sealed City at any given time, the current market size was sufficient.
Despite its small size, the trading market was bustling with activity.
As soon as Zhang Xiaobai entered the market, he saw a long row of street stalls. He knew that these stalls were mostly owned by lone warriors, and setting up a stall here only required a fee of ten to one hundred gold, depending on the location.
Zhang Xiaobai's favorite spot in the Northern Sealed City was this street market. After all, the goods on these stalls were mostly obtained by lone warriors through instances and dungeon runs, and one could find all sorts of peculiar items. With a keen eye, it was often possible to find hidden treasures, which was why many lone warriors loved these stalls. It was said that even Lu HaiKong would occasionally visit this street market for fun.
"What a day! The street market seems unusually quiet today," Zhang Xiaobai, clearly remembering that it wasn't this quiet when he first arrived in the city a dozen days ago.
However, with his valuable items in hand, Zhang Xiaobai didn't want to investigate further. He directly headed towards the auction house, clutching his Enhanced System Building Upgrade Token.
Speaking of which, Zhang Xiaobai was quite naive. Anyone with some experience would never enter the market and immediately head for the auction house without checking the street stalls on both sides. Such behavior was like openly telling others, "I have good stuff, come and rob me!"
But this wasn't entirely incomprehensible, as Lu HaiKong's trading environment was renowned for its safety. Nothing should have happened.
However, today was different. As soon as Zhang Xiaobai made his move, someone with ill intentions noticed. Before he even reached the market, a man suddenly rushed over and enthusiastically grabbed Zhang Xiaobai's shoulder. "Brother Li, it's been months! I've missed you so much!"
Zhang Xiaobai looked at the man who had suddenly grabbed him, initially confused. But then he felt the token he had tied around his waist move slightly, and he immediately knew something was wrong.
In the 1619 version of the game, the token was a valuable item.
The man's expression changed as well. He hadn't expected this naive guy to have such a trick up his sleeve, tying the treasure to his body. Now, stealing it wouldn't be so easy.
However, not being able to steal it didn't mean he had no other tricks. The man's face darkened as he held Zhang Xiaobai's hand, and before Zhang Xiaobai knew it, the man's hand was on his neck.
Zhang Xiaobai immediately felt a sharp object pressing against his neck, and his face paled.
"Kid, I'm just after money. If you want to live, follow me quietly," the man whispered in Zhang Xiaobai's ear.
At the same time, several other figures approached, forming a subtle encirclement.
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaobai's eyes showed a hint of despair.
He had traveled a long way to reach the Northern Sealed City because of its reputation for safe trading. But he hadn't expected that in such a 'safe' place, he would run into trouble as soon as he arrived. In this situation, if he followed them, he might lose not only the items in his possession but also his life.
"This is Lu HaiKong's territory. Don't you fear death for doing this here..." Zhang Xiaobai tried to speak up, but halfway through, he felt a chill on his neck as the man's weapon clearly pierced his skin.
"Shut up, you little brat! Lu HaiKong is nothing. I do business on his territory, and what can he do to me? Follow me quietly, or I'll kill you right now!"
In this situation, Zhang Xiaobai was completely hopeless. Under threat, he had no choice but to follow the men to a secluded area.
Now, Zhang Xiaobai could only hope that these men were only after money.
However, just as they reached a relatively secluded spot, a voice suddenly rang out.
"You there, yes, I'm talking to you. Stop right there!"
The man holding Zhang Xiaobai was startled and turned to see a young man in his twenties with a well-proportioned, slender figure and a fair-faced boy. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate, and he shouted at Lu HaiKong, "You little brat, get out of my way! Don't block my path!"
As soon as he spoke, he felt the air around him grow colder, and then a chill on his neck. He lost consciousness before he could react...
(End of Chapter)
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