Chapter 46: Bargaining Genius

Chapter 46: Bargaining Genius

Lin Nuo left Huang City, looking for the princess? No way, important matters take precedence!

He headed to a nearby small town called You City. This town had quite the history; on the surface, it appeared to engage in ordinary business, but secretly it was involved in all sorts of dirty dealings—selling forbidden books and drugs, and running underground workshops producing all kinds of terrifying weapons. There were even rumors of shady transactions, but those were just rumors—totally unfounded.

Such shady transactions were collectively known as the Black Market.

There was a reason why You City was so close to Huang City; after all, Huang City is a bustling metropolis, and as the saying goes, where there are many birds, there will be all sorts of woods. Huang City was a melting pot of people, with no shortage of those willing to risk it all to deal in forbidden goods—it’s all about the quick cash.

You City served as the backyard garden for the underworld organizations of Huang City, where they circulated their dirty and wicked businesses. It was much easier for them to hide their activities in You City compared to Huang City, where they often engaged in more risqué dealings.

Lin Nuo was quite familiar with You City; after all, in his previous life, he frequented this place and was well-acquainted with the intricacies of the underworld and the Black Market. He first rented a small storage room in a remote area to set up base.

Lin Nuo was very satisfied with this little storage room, considering he had haggled the price down by half by arguing with the landlady for quite a while. It was in a secluded location, far from the city center, allowing him to do whatever he liked. Plus, in You City, access to the Black Market was easy, making it efficient for him to conduct experiments on magic devices.

Lin Nuo was on the hunt for his Black Scale Stone, a stone with explosive properties, in preparation for blowing up Su Kexin in the future.

In addition to the Black Scale Stone, he also needed to acquire other forbidden materials, all aimed at quickly dominating the world later on.

Before that, he needed to secure this base. After a day of work, he set up various traps and magical arrays around the storage room—an impenetrable net that would ensure anyone foolish enough to enter would meet a swift demise.

He was well aware that no one would venture into his little storage area; after all, that remote place had no money, no resources, and no women. Who would be crazy enough to wander there?

Nevertheless, for safety’s sake, he decided to prepare a few traps for self-defense.

Lin Nuo first removed his white robes and changed into a simple brown cloth outfit to keep a low profile. To further blend in, he darkened his face and added some wrinkles and scars to his handsome face to make himself look a bit more rustic.

“Perfect!”

After glancing in a bronze mirror, he was quite pleased with his new appearance—gone was the air of a Xuanyun Sect disciple; now he looked like an earthy country bumpkin.

But even with the change, he was still quite a good-looking guy.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Lin Nuo stepped out of the storage room, a small bag slung over his shoulder, heading into town. From his memory, Black Scale Stones were extremely rare, hard to come by even in a typical Black Market. Even if they were available, the price would be sky-high, depending on the seller’s mood.

However, Lin Nuo knew where he could buy some, after all, he was the reborn villain, just like Uncle Tong in the gaming world who wielded great power.

Arrived!

Lin Nuo walked through a long alley and stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary, old grocery store.

The grocery store was named Wang’s General Store.

“Welcome, sir! What can I help you with today?”

At this moment, a friendly young man greeted Lin Nuo with a smile.

The man looked to be in his twenties, a simple-looking fellow with an old abacus on his table.

Lin Nuo scanned the grocery store, which sold ordinary daily necessities—rice, oil, vinegar, and tea, nothing remarkable.

Lin Nuo asked, “Are you Wang Duofei, the owner?”

The owner nodded with a smile. “Yes, sir! How can I assist you?”

Confirming there was no one nearby, Lin Nuo got straight to the point: “I need a Black Scale Stone, just one.”

The owner was taken aback and quickly waved his hands. “No, no, sir! We don’t have any Black Scale Stones here. Would you like to look at something else?”

Lin Nuo continued coldly, “Wang, there’s no one else here. Let’s skip the pleasantries. Just tell me, how much?”

Wang shook his head again. “No, really, sir! We don’t have any Black Scale Stones here! Selling them is illegal; why would I sell something like that?”

Lin Nuo replied, “What if your wife finds out about your affair with Mrs. Li next door?”

Wang: “Huh? Sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

Lin Nuo pressed, “What if the city lord discovers that you’ve messed around with his wife?”

Wang: “No… sir, you can’t just make unfounded accusations like that… I would never…

Lin Nuo continued, “If the Black Market boss hears about you stealing his woman…”

“Alright, alright! I get it!”

Wang Duofei hurriedly conceded, wondering just who this country bumpkin was—how did he know so much? It was like a never-ending barrage!

“This isn’t the place to talk. Why don’t you come inside?”

Lin Nuo nodded and followed Wang Duofei into the grocery store, gently closing the door behind them.

“Little brother, who are you with to know so many things?”

“Don’t worry about that. I know you have Black Scale Stones. Hand one over.”

“I just got my hands on it, and you’re already here? Fine, I’ll sell it to you.”

Wang Duofei’s smile faded, his face darkening as he pulled out a pitch-black stone from the cabinet.

“500 gold coins, and you can take it.”

“Too expensive. Lower the price.”

“How much do you want?”

Lin Nuo held up a finger: “1 copper coin.”

“1… you’ve got to be kidding…”

—

It’s the end of the month; time to collect those soon-to-expire monthly passes!