Several hours later, as the sun dipped toward the horizon, the caravan crested a ridge.
"Phew, we're finally here!" a guard exhaled heavily, relieved.
"Haha! Tonight, it's Red Sleeve House for me—listening to tunes and taking on three!" another guard boasted.
"You? You'd be lucky to handle one, let alone three!" a third chimed in.
The guards erupted in raucous laughter, venting their pent-up tension. In the Black Horn Region, guard work was perilous, with death a constant companion. Every trip was a gamble, their lives hanging by a thread.
"Milord! Milord!" The hawk-nosed elder approached the wagon, calling softly.
Xiao Bai, seated cross-legged on the cargo, opened his eyes at the sound, exhaling a turbid breath. "Yes?"
"Milord, we're almost at Black Seal City!" the elder said, bowing with clasped hands.
"Mm." Xiao Bai glanced at the seemingly deferential elder, responding faintly.
Before calling out, the old man had lingered nearby, appearing nervous but subtly observing him. His eyes betrayed nothing, a testament to his cunning. Xiao Bai played along, pretending not to notice.
Fishing, huh?
Xiao Bai was no stranger to such games and considered himself a master at it.
Standing, he gazed into the distance.
A massive city, its walls built entirely of black stone, sprawled across the plain before the ridge. The Black Horn Region's perpetually gloomy sky allowed faint sunlight to pierce through, casting an eerie glow on the city's outline. It resembled a colossal black beast crouching on the plain.
From afar, tiny black dots—people—swarmed like ants, funneling into the beast's dark maw.
"So this is Black Seal City?" Xiao Bai murmured, his eyes tracing the sprawling city. Its scale rivaled Jia Nan City near Jia Nan Academy, if not surpassing it in bustle.
"Replying to milord, this is indeed Black Seal City, renowned across the Black Horn Region for its prosperity and thriving commerce!" the elder said, his cloudy eyes glinting with pride. "Its most famous feature is the Black Seal Auction House, whose influence extends beyond the region. Many powerful factions from the northwest continent have attended its auctions!"
The elder waxed eloquent about Black Seal City, his pride unmistakable.
Xiao Bai, hands clasped behind his back atop the wagon, listened quietly, his expression thoughtful.
Eight Gates, hm?
From the elder's tone, Xiao Bai deduced the old man was tied to Black Seal City, which was controlled by Eight Gates. The elder's earlier subtle maneuvers likely stemmed from confidence in Yuan Yi, the faction's Dou Huang leader.
As for the city's supposed grandeur, Xiao Bai remained skeptical. If it were truly so remarkable, Yuan Yi, a mere Dou Huang, could hardly hold it. Other Black Horn Region factions, especially those with Dou Zong powerhouses—save for the rule-abiding Jia Nan Academy—weren't known for their charity. They'd never let such a juicy prize fall solely to Eight Gates.
Still, the Black Seal Auction House had produced notable treasures in the original story, like the seventh-tier Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill and the Three Thousand Lightning Movement technique.
Seems Eight Gates has more to it than meets the eye, Xiao Bai mused.
Lost in thought, the caravan descended the ridge, arriving at the massive black city gates.
A long queue snaked before the entrance, where entrants paid a steep fee to a dozen black-clad guards in uniform.
"My lord, I've noticed a serious problem!" Little Golden Dragon's voice came through a solemn transmission as Xiao Bai studied the "Black Seal City" characters atop the gate.
"What is it?" Xiao Bai's gaze drifted to the black-clad guards, unfazed by the dragon's dramatic tone. The creature was usually too mischievous, only sobering up briefly during their encounter with the ancient salamander.
"We're broke! Not a single gold coin!" the dragon declared.
Xiao Bai glanced at his sleeve, exasperated. "What's that pile under your feet?"
"The ugly lizards' fire beads!" From within the sleeve, Little Golden Dragon rolled over on the beads, sighing contentedly. "Gotta say, these make a cozy bed!"
"…" Xiao Bai seriously wondered if that giant claw's pressure had scrambled the dragon's brain. Sleeping on a pile of treasure and solemnly declaring we're broke?
He ignored the dragon, whose wit flickered between sharp and dim-witted.
"Feel good?" a soft female voice called from nearby.
Xiao Bai turned to see a frail-looking woman in the queue, her cheeks flushed as if shy, addressing a bald, burly man behind her.
"Heh, little lady, feels pretty nice!" The man, leering at her seemingly vulnerable demeanor, grinned lewdly.
"Want to try here? The front might feel… even better," the woman said, flashing a charming smile and subtly accentuating her curves.
"Heh, sure!" The man, lust clouding his senses, reached out, momentarily dazed.
In that instant, a dagger slipped from the woman's sleeve, its sharp edge flashing as it slashed toward his throat.
The bald man clutched his neck, blood gushing. His eyes bulged, incredulous, at the woman who moments ago seemed poised for intimacy, now striking with ruthless precision.
"Tch, another fool new to the Black Horn Region. Any woman surviving here isn't to be trifled with," a bystander sneered, shaking their head, clearly accustomed to such scenes.
The gate guards glanced briefly at the struggling man, then turned away, indifferent.
Soon, only a corpse and a congealing pool of blood remained. A few burlap-clad figures emerged from nowhere, expressionless, deftly bagging the body and tossing it onto a cart before vanishing.
The crowd reformed the queue, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Bai eyed the bloodstain and the countless dark, mottled patches on the stone ground, gaining a renewed appreciation for the Black Horn Region's chaos.
"Huang, was it?" Xiao Bai called to the caravan elder.
"Don't dare, milord. I'm the third in my family—call me Huang San. How may I serve?" The elder smiled, stepping forward.
"Thanks for the ride," Xiao Bai said with a nod, smiling. "But I've one more favor to ask."
"No trouble at all! On the road, everyone hits rough patches. It's nothing!" Huang San waved dismissively, grinning. "How can I assist?"
Xiao Bai produced a fire bead from his sleeve. "I lost everything in my ordeal, save for this bead, comparable to a third-tier fire-attribute magic core. I'd like to trade it for some gold coins. Is that possible?"
With the city entry fee looming, Xiao Bai preferred to avoid trouble, hence the request.
Huang San eyed the crimson bead, its searing aura making him swallow hard, a flicker of astonishment crossing his face. Despite his experience, he'd never seen such a thing.
"No need, milord. You're with our caravan—you won't pay an entry fee. Keep the bead!" he said. "If you need gold in the city, you can trade it at the Black Seal Auction House. That's our destination!"
Huang San spoke cheerfully, a glint of delight in his eyes.
"Is that so?" Xiao Bai smiled. "Then I'll trouble you."
"No trouble at all! Please wait, milord. I'll speak to the gate guards." Huang San excused himself and left.
"Heh, Black Seal Auction House," Xiao Bai murmured, watching the elder's retreating figure, a playful glint in his eyes.
Huang San chatted familiarly with the gate guards, then waved the caravan forward. Under envious stares from the queue, they passed through the heavy gates.
The caravan rolled down wide streets lined with shops, all built in the region's signature black stone, fitting the Black Horn Region's grim aesthetic. Yet, Xiao Bai couldn't help but feel exasperated: in just a few hundred meters, he witnessed a dozen bloody brawls, met with indifference by passersby.
Chaos.
That was his impression of Black Seal City.
"Milord, we've arrived!" Huang San announced half an hour later, as the caravan halted before a colossal building bearing the ancient characters "Black Seal."
"This is the famed Black Seal Auction House, where all manner of herbs and magic cores are traded!" he added.
"Thank you," Xiao Bai said, nodding. "You've traveled far and must be eager to offload your goods. Go ahead."
With that, he leaped off the wagon and strolled into the auction house.
"Follow them to handle the handover. I'll report to the supervisor," Huang San instructed the burly man as Xiao Bai's figure vanished.
"Third Uncle, someone who commands a legendary beast like that must have an extraordinary background. We shouldn't meddle, lest we court disaster," the man said, frowning.
"Heh, extraordinary? In the Black Horn Region, no matter your backing, if it's done cleanly, who'll know?" Huang San's face twisted with ruthlessness, then fervor. "That's a dragon! A creature that, at its peak, stands at the continent's summit! Reporting this is a massive merit—do you realize what that means?"
"No more slaving in this wretched caravan, risking our lives in wind and rain! If the higher-ups succeed, the rewards could propel you to greater heights! Do you want to languish at the bottom forever, bullied and slaughtered, dying unnoticed?"
"But…" The man hesitated.
"No buts! Indecision achieves nothing!" Huang San glared, then softened. "You're the last of our line. I'm old, stuck where I am, but you're young, talented. Seize this chance, understand? Every powerhouse's rise is an epic of opportunity and risk."
"Alright," the man sighed, nodding.
"Go. Keep the team in line. No one speaks of today until I return!" Huang San ordered, then slipped through a side door beside the auction house.
___
Inside, Xiao Bai was greeted by a cacophony of voices. Giant screens hung around the vast hall, scrolling item details. People milled about, browsing crystal counters or haggling with clerks.
Surveying the scene, Xiao Bai marveled. Compared to this, the auction house in Wu Tan City was a joke.
Interesting, he thought, his lips curling. They're treating me as a prize?
Shaking his head, he dismissed it.
"Sir, how may I assist you?" A maid approached, bowing. Despite Xiao Bai's tattered appearance, her gaze held no disdain.
"I want to sell this," Xiao Bai said, flipping his palm to reveal a fire bead, raising the surrounding temperature.
"This…" The maid stepped back, startled, then recovered. "Please follow me!"
She led him to an appraisal room on the second floor. "Sir, I can't identify your item. Our professional appraisers will examine it. If it's valuable, it could be auctioned!"
Xiao Bai felt a touch exasperated. A Da Dou Shi-level fire bead—had he overdone it? All he wanted was some gold for clothes and lodging.
Nodding slightly, he entered. Might as well, since he was here.
A sparse-haired elder looked up, his sharp eyes scanning Xiao Bai. "Please sit. What needs appraising?"
Without a word, Xiao Bai handed over the fire bead.
"This… a magic core? No, similar but less rigid…" The elder muttered, intrigued. "Such volatile fire energy!"
"How many gold coins?" Xiao Bai cut in, uninterested in the analysis.
"Sir, this is new to me, but its energy is third-tier, so it's not highly valuable. Its rarity, however, makes it worth 20,000 gold coins. How's that?"
"Fine. Trade these ten together and store the remaining gold in a storage ring," Xiao Bai said, producing ten fire beads.
"Very well!" The elder nodded, intrigued. "If you've no other business, please wait in the main hall. Someone will deliver the ring."
Xiao Bai nodded and left.
"Is this the one you mentioned?" the elder asked, squinting, after Xiao Bai departed.
"Yes, Supervisor!"
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