Cataclysm King

Chapter 526 Forty Thieves
In the Owl Magic Shop.

Ji Xun and the other two got several storage rings, which were filled with the goods they needed.

It seems that there are a lot of items purchased, but in fact most of them are classics handed down from the Royal Academy.

Looking at the shop owner's expression which showed that she was making a loss, classics were the most profitable business for these shops in the black market.

Important books like the Fifty-two Demonic Secrets are all replicas. They can be sold once and can be sold again next time.

It's simply a no-cost business.

As for the extraordinary materials, Ji Xun looked at the product catalog and found that there were very few eighth-level materials and none suitable for Qin Rushi.

After all, it is still a black market, and many things that are on the market have flowed into large trading companies like the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.

There are some ancient relics with good effects in the catalog. I originally planned to buy them for Bonnie and the others to update their equipment, but the prices are too expensive.

The magic cores in their hands have been almost used up, although there are still a lot of valuable war currency.

For example, [Elemental Fountain] or something like that.

But it is not convenient to expose it now, and the source is unique, which can easily attract attention.

Ji Xun and the other two didn't stay in the shop for long.

By the time they came out, it was two hours later.

The old woman from the owlery shop saw me to the door with a smile on her face.

Anyone who knows the business knows the situation of the Owl Shop. The customer who can make it close for two hours must be a wealthy customer.

What's more, the old shop owner had collected a lot of good things from her colleagues, and insiders guessed that it was a big deal.

This scene also attracted many malicious eyes in the black market.

Normally, you should leave quietly after buying something.

But Ji Xun and the other two didn't take it seriously at all. They continued to wander around the black market like outsiders who didn't know the rules at all.

The majesty of the Holy See, which has ruled for more than 100,000 years, still exists, and the things robbed by the Royal Academy cannot be seen in the light after all.

Almost all of those treasures ended up on the black market.

Especially since books cannot be used as food for ordinary people, it would be less troublesome if they could be sold for money.

The shops in the black market are almost filled with stolen goods.

Ji Xun and the other two went from store to store. They had already bought the top-level books like the Fifty-two Magic Secrets before, so it was difficult to find new ones. But there were many other books.

Considering the Royal Academy's collection of hundreds of millions of books, if calculated per capita, each person in Giant Spirit City can get more than a few hundred books.

Even if the printing presses in the black market were to start smoking, they would not be able to copy much.

And no one can read them one by one and then classify them.

Therefore, the prices are basically divided according to the level of the items. There are no copies of the classics below the seventh level, and all of them are original collections in the library.

Those small stalls were filled with classics and contained many good things.

Like some kind of profound magic, secret martial arts, or even mystical magic.
As long as you have a good eye, it's easy to find big bargains.

Because of the large quantity, the price is extremely cheap!
It can be said that it is a very cheap price.

Ji Xun and the other two were not picky. They bought all the books with the seal of the Royal Library, regardless of their rank.

I bought them in piles and piles, and I couldn't buy them all.

These classics are the knowledge of card masters that has been passed down almost without interruption in the Talen Dynasty, and this is exactly what is currently the most scarce in the Eastern Wilds.

Not only can they use this extraordinary knowledge themselves, but the revolutionary army is also in great demand.

Just like that, Ji Xun, who played "Kunlan", took two guests who looked like young ladies from big families to shop along the way and soon bought a lot of things.

Although the three of them were deliberately being careful, their situation had already been figured out by the old hands in the black market.

Ji Xun guessed that Qin Rushi and the other person had already been labeled on their foreheads by some people: aristocratic, stupid, rich, and strong.

Just when Ji Xun and the other two were leaving the black market.

On the rock wall, several men in black wearing cloaks watched the three people leave in the boat, their eyes filled with burning greed.

"Hey, where did this fat sheep come from? How could he be so bold?"

"They dare to come to the black market, so they seem to have some strength. I just asked the old witch, and those two asked for eighth-level materials, so they are probably seventh-level card masters. Judging from their momentum, they may be military personnel. I guess they are purchasing from some large legions in the north. The magic cores they took out are very new, and only large legions can get so many."

"No wonder there are so many legions coming to Giant Spirit City to make purchases recently. But there is only one level seven, and even if they are powerful, there are only two of them. Shall we take them on?"

"Let's find out their origins first. As long as they are not from those families, we can probably take them down."

"We are not the only ones keeping an eye on those guys. If we are late, others may have taken the lead. I am sure they are 100% from other places. As long as we do it cleanly, there will be no trouble. Moreover, as long as the boss takes action, let alone the seventh level, even the eighth level will have to kneel before us."

"Well, I'll go inform the boss, you guys keep an eye on it."

"."

After a few brief exchanges, the figures in the darkness dispersed.

But what they didn't know was that when they left, the shadows under their feet did not leave.

Ji Xun and the other two did not take the same route they came from, but were "careful enough" to row their boat out of the underground river.

The underground river is narrow, and it is easy to detect if someone is following you. This is a well-established safe route in the black market.

Ji Xun was rowing when Kong Que suddenly discovered something and warned him softly, "We are being watched."

She is an eighth-level Warcraft lord and has mythical bloodline, making her very sensitive to malice.

She just felt like she was in the forest, being targeted by a hunter.

"Ah."

Ji Xun didn't seem surprised at all and smiled, indicating that it was okay to worry about it.

Qin Rushi didn't say anything because she guessed what Ji Xun was going to do.

Peacock did not have as complicated thoughts as humans. She did not understand why the malicious guy was not killed.

Ji Xun looked at Kong Que's puzzled expression and thought about it before explaining: "They are a gang, and there are others behind them. Wait until they all come together, and then deal with them."

Peacock listened to this and said nothing more.

After all, the humans who followed her were easy to kill for her, so there was nothing worth paying attention to.

Ji Xun was still rowing the boat leisurely.

Qin Rushi suddenly thought of something and asked with interest, "Where did those people behind come from?"

The fact that they were not discovered by conventional means means that the person who was tracking them is quite powerful, at least level six, and has a relic that can conceal their aura.

This must be a large professional gang.

She was not surprised at all. There were no fools who could survive in the black market. The other party knew what they bought and dared to follow them. Their strength was not just that of an ordinary thief.

Ji Xun nodded: "Yes. It should be someone from the 'Forty Thieves'."

"The Forty Thieves?"

Qin Ru didn't know much about the situation in the southern continent, so he asked, "Is he famous?"

"It's really not small."

Ji Xun said: "This bandit group robs caravans near Giant Spirit City and adventurers in the Monster Forest. They have been active for decades and have not been wiped out. They are quite powerful. It is said that the leader is a very mysterious necromancer. No one has ever seen him because everyone who has seen him has died. These guys never leave anyone alive after robbery."

"."

Qin Rushi also showed a hint of amusement when listening to this.

Being a robber is just the best of it.

But she must have known Ji Xun's character for a long time, otherwise he wouldn't have been so flamboyant before.

Sure enough, Ji Xun said something interesting: "But I suspect that those guys are most likely 'official thieves'." Qin Rushi narrowed his eyes and became interested: "Official thieves?"

Ji Xun said: "Yes. According to the current clues, they may be bandits secretly raised by the alliance of several large chambers of commerce of the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce. They usually rob the goods of rival chambers of commerce and do some shady assassination business. Of course, these guys are careful enough and no one can get hold of them."

Ji Xun chose this shop not only because it has a complete range of goods.

The most important thing is that people know that this shop is related to the "Forty Thieves".

He had spent more than half a year in Giant City, and his favorite thing to do was to analyze various intelligence, deduce cause and effect, and improve his proficiency in "I am the World".

Since he is a robber, he must have a stable channel to sell the stolen goods.

The black market is the only option.

Ji Xun originally had no interest in robbers, but he had paid attention to some of the high rewards offered by the Bounty Guild and had seen many bounties posted by chambers of commerce that had been robbed.

Because this gang of "Forty Thieves" had a very strong style of committing crimes and had never been caught.

So I became interested in studying more about why these robbers are so special.

Although those guys were careful enough, with Ji Xun's current ability of deduction, any clues have cause and effect.

He traced the source of the robbed goods and identified it as the "Owl Magic Shop".

Then, the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce behind it was identified.

Although Ji Xun was not sure before whether the relationship between this shop and the thief was just a simple supply and demand relationship, he was now certain that the two were in the same group.

Those guys dared to catch up with us, they must have received accurate information from the old woman.

Ji Xun never thought of himself as a pushover.

But if trouble comes, he won't be polite.

"That's it"

Qin Rushi also became interested when she heard Ji Xun's words.

She looked at Ji Xun and smiled: "So from the beginning, you were going for the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce?"

Ji Xun looked at the darkness of the river and said, "Yes. Only a small portion of the good stuff that flowed out of the Royal Academy this time is on the black market, and most of it has been taken away by several large chambers of commerce. Moreover, the three kingdoms are now at war, and many treasures are piled up in the city's warehouses and have not been transported away. Besides, the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce is the organizer of the 'Gladiator King Challenge'. It's time to contact them."

I used to feel a little sad about spending a huge amount of money on buying things, but now it seems that it is not necessary.

The style of the "Forty Thieves" is to kill any fat sheep they target to silence them.

Ji Xun's personality is just like that. He will never show mercy to his enemies.

Ji Xun and the other two left the black market and appeared in the city again.

The surging flow of people completely concealed the presence of the person who was following.

But it doesn't matter to the three of them.

Ji Xun was basically certain that the leader of the "Forty Thieves" would not be higher than the eighth level, and might have some special means.
But for them, as long as it’s not level nine, it’s just that.

The three of them strolled leisurely in the city.

Peacocks have never been to human society. The last time Qin Rushi came here, he left in a hurry after one night and did not have time to explore the city properly.

Ji Xun guessed that the robbers still had to investigate their identities and might take action at night.

He acted as a qualified guide and took them to visit various shops in the city and eat many special foods.

It is worth mentioning that peacocks are very aloof all the time and have no good impression of humans.

But after eating the various exquisite pastries in the pastry shop, it suddenly felt like I had discovered a new world.

Compared to the Warcraft's eating habits of eating raw meat and drinking blood, human food is really delicious.

The aloof Miss Peacock turned into a foodie and kept eating all the way.

As we walked, we came to a huge cylindrical building complex. Thousands of huge Corinthian classical stone columns supported the entire theater.

This is the "Central Arena" of Giant City.

Dragonborn love fighting, and the Colosseum is a must-have building in almost every city.

At the entrance of the arena, a huge banner was hung with an advertisement for the "King of Gladiators Challenge".

On the billboard, the portraits of the ten participating gladiators were hung.

Like a wanted poster, it introduces the gladiator's origin and battle record.

These ten people are gladiators carefully trained by major chambers of commerce and nobles, as well as invited masters. Each of them is a powerful warrior who has fought in hundreds of battles.

There are knight generals, mercenaries, war slaves, professional fighters, and grandmasters of fighting schools.
Ji Xun saw Gong Wu’s profile picture at a glance.

The following is the introduction: Founder of the Baquan School, seventh-level Qigong master, proficient in the magic secret technique "gluttony", with a record of 93 consecutive wins, 7 draws and loss.
The introduction is very detailed.

When Ji Xun looked at the number "93 wins", he knew that Gong Wu had fought many fierce battles during his time in the Southern Continent.

But how come he still drew seven games and lost one?
Is there anyone of the same level who can beat that old man?

The others are even more impressive. Just looking at their introductions, they are only stronger than Gong Wu, with more than 100 wins, some draws, and few losses.

When it comes to fighting skills, there are probably few who can compare with professional gladiators.

Even Ji Xun, after looking at the profiles of those people, felt eager to try out the competition.

This is a rare experience.

Ji Xun knew Gong Wu's character, and being able to fight against masters was one of his aspirations.

Before, I chose to practice in seclusion in the East Wasteland because I had no opponents.

Ji Xun also planned to rescue people after this competition.

However, after looking at the odds, Ji Xun suddenly realized that there might be something unexpected happening in this fight: "Hey, the organizer is planning for an upset!"

In a 2-player competition, the odds of the top three favorites winning the championship are usually between 6-10 times, the odds of the middle favorites are only +, and the weakest may have very attractive odds of several dozen times.
This ensures that bookmakers do not go bankrupt due to skewed betting.

But the fact is, no matter what kind of competition it is, as long as it involves gambling, there will be shady dealings.

Ji Xun is too familiar with gambling routines.

Black whistle, black referee, match-fixing
A skilled dealer will also arrange the direction of the plot at any time based on the betting situation.

There is no Internet in this extraordinary world, and information is blocked. The Chamber of Commerce makes a fortune by relying on those dirty means.

This "King of Gladiators Challenge" is not a fight to the death, there are too many maneuverable links.

For example, this information is issued by the organizer and ordinary people cannot verify it at all.

When Ji Xun looked at a few profiles and saw that the odds of the favorites to win the championship were higher than normal, he knew that there might be an upset.

And Gong Wu is one of the dark horses, with very high odds.

Qin Rushi also looked at the Gladiator's profile and guessed what Ji Xun wanted to do, so he asked, "Do you want to place a bet?"

"Ah."

Ji Xun smiled and nodded, "Of course Senior Gong Wu won."

He finally understood where the "draw and loss" record in the introduction came from. It was probably the organizer's trick and wrote it casually.

Gong Wu came from the Eastern Wasteland, and no one in the Southern Continent knew him. It was the easiest to falsify his name so that no one would doubt anything he wrote.

But Ji Xun knew Gong Wu's strength.

No matter what dark horse it is, he believes that Gong Wu can defeat it.

Qin Rushi smiled and understood.

The earlier you buy, the more uncertainties there are and the higher the odds.

Ji Xun also found it interesting, so he went to the betting window and bought a bunch of lottery tickets. Whenever Gong Wu won, he would pick the ones with the highest odds and bet as much as he could.

(End of this chapter)