The stall owner was choked up, his face turning pale and then red.
Su Rui also suddenly snapped to her senses, watching from the side in a daze.
The guide watched in silence, casting a few more glances at Cheng Shuili. To be honest, he still could not see what was so unique about this item.
Was it really a bargain?
If one were to look into it, even Cheng Shuili did not know how to tell the difference.
But she had seen the description of this long spear back at Tiger Brother's weapon shop. She could no longer remember the color and details of the spear shaft, and now that this stall owner had treated it this way, she would not be able to see them clearly even if she did remember.
Cheng Shuili recognized this item solely by this tassel of red silk.
Its color was too unique. After entering this godforsaken place, Cheng Shuili had seen several long spears, and only its red tassel had this specific hue.
Besides, bargain hunting was essentially gambling.
Even if this spear was not the one from Tiger Brother's shop, she was still willing to spend a few game coins to buy it.
In the end, the stall owner glared fiercely at Cheng Shuili and squeezed a sentence through his teeth: "...Three hundred game coins, that is the lowest!"
Cheng Shuili smiled slightly, placed the long spear back on the stall, and added fifty: "One hundred. Take it or leave it."
The stall owner stared at the long spear, struggling for a few seconds before cursing as he pulled up the payment page and shoved the spear toward her: "Take it, take it! Consider it my bad luck!"
Cheng Shuili picked up the long spear with satisfaction and winked at Su Rui as she turned around.
Bargain hunting, as it turned out, really did rely on a keen eye and a little bit of... acting.
As the group was about to leave, a figure wrapped entirely in black cloth slammed into them. Cheng Shuili stepped to the side, easily dodging the impact before turning around.
The group stopped and looked at the person together.
The newcomer must also have been a stall owner, as only a pair of eyes were visible. He stepped over the items laid out on the ground, crouched beside the stall owner, and asked anxiously: "Did you make a sale?"
"A little mouse just came and told me that the person who bought Old Lame's item last time is here at your place!"
"Whatever you do, do not sell her anything! That human is too shrewd; we cannot make any money off her."
The stall owner had been looking down at the game coins that had just arrived in his account, but his fingers stiffened upon hearing his companion's words.
He slowly looked up. The eyes visible above his headscarf blinked in confusion at first, but then his pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks, and he squeezed out a question through his teeth: "...What did you say?"
His companion in black cloth slapped his own thigh in frustration: "The one who bought Old Lame's totem last time! A very tall female human!"
As he was speaking, he suddenly noticed the three people standing in front of the stall and his voice rose sharply: "Eh? Eh?!!"
Cheng Shuili flashed an innocent smile.
The companion in black cloth seemed to have suddenly found his target, pointed a finger, and shouted: "Yes... it all matches! It is her! It is her!"
This shouting was becoming somewhat noisy.
The stall owner suddenly exploded, grabbing his companion by the collar.
Veins bulged on the back of his calloused hands, and even his voice was distorted with anger: "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!!"
His companion was even tougher, raising his hand to slap him across the face: "I was kind enough to warn you, and you are taking your anger out on me!"
The stall owner's head snapped to the side from the slap, and his headscarf shifted, revealing his covered face and ears.
He was a fox beastman, and now, as he clutched his face, the rage in his eyes almost threatened to erupt. He forced it down, however, and turned his target toward Cheng Shuili instead.
"You!" He gritted his teeth, his finger trembling as he pointed at Cheng Shuili, "Give the spear back! This deal is off!"
Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow, leisurely shouldering the long spear as the red tassel swayed lightly with her movement: "The money and goods have been exchanged; how can there be any talk of going back on it? You should know the rules of the black market, shouldn't you, uncle?"
"Rules?" The stall owner sneered, abruptly lifting the black cloth of his stall to reveal several sharp daggers underneath: "In my territory, I am the rules!"
His eyes were fixed tightly on Cheng Shuili, but he had no intention of raising a hand to grab a weapon.
The rules here did not only apply to players; if they, as stall owners, showed any intent to attack, those guards would not be soft-hearted.
He was displaying these weapons for the purpose of intimidation.
But he had forgotten...
This human was the very person who had figured out what was going on after hearing his explanation about the "blood rust"!
How could she be scared off by such cheap tricks?
Cheng Shuili watched the stall owner's posturing and could not help but laugh out loud. Not only was she not scared, but she took a step forward, leaning on the long spear with one hand and tilting slightly to get closer to the stall owner's angry, distorted face.
"Uncle," she said in a light tone, even tinged with mockery, "if you really dared to use these knives, you would not be setting up shop here."
She lightly tapped the sharpest dagger on the stall with her fingertip, the metal emitting a faint "ding": "You had better be careful... you never know if there is a gun pointed at you from somewhere you cannot see."
The stall owner's hand clearly trembled.
The guide chimed in at the perfect moment: "Our black market stalls are in high demand. If you do not want to work here, there are plenty of others who do."
The stall owner's expression grew increasingly ugly.
Cheng Shuili noticed cold sweat seeping from his temples and knew the timing was just about right.
She suddenly stopped smiling, her gaze turning sharp.
"Listen," she lowered her voice so only the stall owner could hear, "I know the origin of this spear, and I know you do not understand its value at all."
Cheng Shuili tilted her head and continued: "One hundred game coins—you have already made a profit. If you are willing to tell me where you got this thing, I can give you another 50 game coins."
Cheng Shuili had originally thought he was a tiger-headed beastman and that this spear had been handed to a relative by Tiger Brother before he entered the dark room.
It was only after the slap knocked off his black cloth covering that Cheng Shuili realized he was a fox beastman.
Since he was a fox... where could he have gotten the long spear from?
The stall owner suddenly let out a sharp, cold laugh, his fox ears twitching violently under his tattered headscarf. He slammed his hand down on Cheng Shuili's hand, which was resting on the stall, with enough force to make the daggers jump.
"50 game coins?" He bared his sharp teeth, spittle flying, "Do you take me for a beggar?"
The guy snorted coldly again, clearly blinded by rage and unwilling to earn those 50 game coins at all.
Cheng Shuili drew out her words: "Anger is one thing, but we cannot pass up on earning game coins, can we? 50 game coins—how much can all the things on this stall of yours even sell for in total? Do not be impulsive, okay?"
The stall owner was about to say something else when his companion in black cloth patted him and lowered his voice to advise him: "Old Fox! The transaction for the long spear is already over; this is a different deal now! Since it is a business that makes money, why not do it?"
Rate on N.U.
