Colonial Suit

The airport's streets were wide and very clean. Sitting in a high-speed, hovering vehicle, Blood瞳's gaze was blank.

In fact, even now, he still felt a sense of unreality. Everything around him was completely different from what he knew. It was clearly another world. Looking at the buildings filled with fantastical atmosphere, the high-tech vehicles, the rosy-cheeked people, and the clean streets, he felt like he was dreaming.

This is the beginning of a new life...

“Sir, we're almost there.” The voice of his attendant, Jack, came from his ear, pulling Blood瞳 out of his daze. He turned his head and glanced at this well-behaved attendant, revealing a gentle smile.

“Okay. What kind of transactions mainly take place at this place you mentioned?”

“All kinds of transactions.” Jack replied quickly, a rare hint of excitement on his face.

“This is a real black market, sir. You should know that not everything in this universe is recognized, and the Mercenary Branch happens to be a strictly managed place. To meet the needs of some people, places like this have emerged. But believe me, sir, compared to the exchanges on the surface, you'll be more satisfied here. As long as you have money, you can get almost anything.”

“Including things from advanced civilizations?”

“Yes, sir. Everything, as long as you have money.”

“Very good. You've made me even more excited.”

Blood瞳 nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze forward. At this moment, the vehicle was about to pass through a tunnel made of pure metal. Blood瞳 noticed a faint hexagram symbol above the tunnel. After the vehicle entered the tunnel, Jack furtively took out a small gadget from his arms and pressed it.

“What's that?” Blood瞳 asked.

“A short-wave signal transmitter, sir. It's like an identity verification card. Without it, we can't enter the black market.” Jack blinked and replied quietly. “This thing isn't allowed. Sir, can you keep it a secret for me?”

“I didn't see anything.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The vehicle continued to move forward. But Blood瞳 noticed that as Jack pressed the signal transmitter, the view in front of him dimmed. The transparent roof of the vehicle gradually turned black and quickly became completely closed. Immediately afterward, Blood瞳 felt the vehicle slow down and gradually descend.

“We're descending. The ground of this tunnel is active.”

“That's right, sir. But that's just our feeling. Who knows the truth? The black market can exist in every Mercenary Branch's airport, so it must have strict protection measures. Of course, I'd rather believe they have a strong backer.”

“You're smarter than you look, Jack.”

“Thank you for your praise, sir.”

The vehicle changed its route dozens of times before finally stopping. During this time, it went up and down several times, and sometimes even rotated in place. Even Blood瞳 couldn't figure out his direction. When the roof of the vehicle opened, he immediately saw a huge square.

This was a huge space of more than ten square kilometers. It was covered by a huge steel dome. Inside, there were countless stalls densely packed together. Countless people dressed in various costumes were shuttling around. Shouts and calls for sales rose and fell. The level of chaos was nothing like a place that dealt in high-end goods.

But the reality was quite the opposite. At least Blood瞳 didn't recognize ninety-nine percent of the things here. They were all goods produced by high-level worlds, dazzling him. The attendant Jack kept explaining to him, but even so, Blood瞳 couldn't remember much.

Fortunately, Blood瞳's purpose wasn't these goods. It was to find someone.

He listened to Jack's incessant introductions, but his eyes were rapidly scanning the crowd. Soon, he spotted a familiar figure in the corner of the square. His heart skipped a beat. He really was here.

In the direction of Blood瞳's gaze, a bandage merchant was loudly hawking his wares. Behind him was an old wheeled armored vehicle. It was almost impossible for such a vehicle to appear in the universe. But he had brought it and brazenly displayed it in public.

At this moment, he was selling some seemingly mysterious potions. When he noticed Blood瞳 walking over, he was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

“Hey, let me see who's here. Isn't this my old customer, Blood瞳? Oh, now I should call you Lord Blood瞳. How is the life of a vassal? Is it more comfortable than on Planet X35?”

“……” Blood瞳 was speechless. Looking at this unselfconscious guy, he couldn't help but ask a stupid question. “Why are you here?”

“Hey, you really hurt my feelings with that question. Why would I be here? Isn't this a black market? As a merchant, where else should I be? Did you expect me to sit in a bright and clean office, wearing a formal uniform and talking to you? Young man, I think you've got the wrong person. I'm just a merchant, nothing more.”

“……” Black lines appeared on Blood瞳's forehead. “You know that's not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean? Are you talking about the difference between Planet X35 and the Mercenary Branch? Okay, kid. I'll tell you, in the eyes of a qualified merchant, the biggest difference between them is that there is no difference. I only care whether my goods will be sold, as for the location, who cares.”

The bandage merchant raised his chin, acting arrogant. “A merchant must spread his footprints to every corner of the universe and bring what you need to your side. This is a sacred and glorious mission. Of course, you have to pay.”

“Okay, I understand.” Blood瞳 rubbed his eyebrows with a headache, knowing that the bandage merchant wouldn't tell him the truth.

“Then take out your goods. Let me see if there's anything I need. As for money, maybe I still have some.”

“Kid, you're lying. You have more than just a little money...” The bandage merchant blinked and glanced mysteriously at Jack behind him, then revealed a strange smile. “As for needs, don't worry, that's the least of your problems.”

Saying that, he knocked on the carriage behind him. “Hey, you bastard inside. Take out my junk!”

With a crash, the steel plates on both sides of the carriage suddenly opened, and two long rows of stalls stretched out from inside. They were densely packed with all sorts of tattered weapons and mutated beast materials. But this time, the merchant didn't let Blood瞳 choose. Instead, he plunged into the stalls and rummaged around haphazardly. After a long while, he crawled out covered in dust, slamming a heavy lead box in front of Blood瞳.

“This is!?” Looking at the heavy lead box in front of him, Blood瞳 was puzzled. For some reason, he vaguely felt a sense of excitement, as if it contained something very important to him.

“Take a look, kid. I swear this is definitely what you need most. You won't find it anywhere else but me.” The bandage merchant said triumphantly.

The attendant Jack hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to help Blood瞳 open the lead box. But Blood瞳 stopped him. He glanced at the bandage merchant with a complex expression, then personally opened the lead box.

Immediately, a hexagonal object flashing blue light appeared before his eyes.

“Unit...” Blood瞳 groaned softly. He was completely stunned.

This wasn't the first time he had seen a Unit. But this Unit was completely different from the ones he had seen before. Not only was it a size larger, but the patterns were also more complex. The dense patterns were geometrically distributed, looking very beautiful. The entire Unit was as new as if it had just been manufactured. In the gaps of the Unit, the purplish-black cell tissue was as tough as old tree roots, strong and powerful.

Looking at this special Unit, Blood瞳's heart was filled with shock. Why did the bandage merchant know that he needed this thing? Why was this thing here?

“Who... who exactly are you?” After a while, he asked seriously.

“That's not important, is it? What's important is that I provided the goods you needed. And not for free.” The bandage merchant replied with a smile, seemingly unaware that this was a serious question.

But the attendant Jack next to him seemed to suddenly remember something. He suddenly exclaimed. “Providing what's needed and not for free... You... you're a member of the Hidden Merchant Association! You're a Hidden Merchant!”

“What does that mean?” Blood瞳 asked with a frown.

“Sir. The Hidden Merchant Association is the most mysterious merchant association in this universe. It is said that their members can appear in any corner of the universe. Nothing can stop their footsteps. They provide customers with the goods they need most, and never for free. But the most important thing is that they only appear in front of recognized customers. Others can't see them at all!” Jack explained in a panic, his eyes fixed on the bandage merchant as if he had seen a ghost.

“What?” Blood瞳 was startled. No one can see Hidden Merchants. Could this guy be invisible? But wasn't he clearly standing here? And before that, Blood瞳 had personally seen him hawking loudly. What was the point of hawking if no one could see him?

“Kid... you know too much...” Hearing Jack's explanation, the bandage merchant suddenly said in a sinister voice. Because the bandages obscured his facial expressions, one could feel a chilling coldness.

Jack's face changed instantly, because he remembered another legend, that Hidden Merchants were not that no one had seen them, but that without their approval, those who had seen them were dead...

Unconsciously, fear occupied Jack's mind and body, and he trembled involuntarily.

“Ha, kid, just kidding. What Hidden Merchant am I?” Seeing Jack's frightened look, the bandage merchant suddenly laughed. “Look, I have a shadow... If I were a Hidden Merchant, I wouldn't have a shadow.”

“Really...” Jack looked at the shadow under the bandage merchant's feet and breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, Blood瞳 had just closed the lead box and held it in his hand. “I want this thing. How much?”

“One hundred star coins.” The bandage merchant blinked and replied with a sly smile.