Chapter 24: Sky-Rending
Gem Street was bustling with people, quite lively, showing no signs that this was a world where an Ancient God had descended.
Among the pedestrians, two contractors from Holy Light Paradise hurried along. From the second-floor window of a street-side inn, Su Xiao happened to catch sight of them through the window.
Many contractors had gathered on Gem Street, which was normal; this place served as the world's hub for supernatural resources.
News of purchasing Immortal-rank gems had been released. After a morning had passed, indeed over a dozen people expressed willingness to sell Immortal-rank gems, but none of them were the ones Su Xiao needed.
These contractors from Apocalypse Paradise were all very cautious. They wouldn't go to the transaction location themselves but would send familiars or temporary summons instead. This way, at worst they'd lose one Immortal-rank gem without facing danger.
If Su Xiao chose to kill the familiar to seize the Immortal-rank gem, the contractor who lost the gem would immediately explain the situation on the world contact platform.
This would make it almost impossible to purchase gems from other Apocalypse Paradise contractors, unless the price was raised very high and they encountered someone exceptionally stubborn.
The good news was that Beini had already made progress. She traveled between Gem Street and the Insect Kingdom, not only befriending many insect merchants but also establishing cooperative relationships with many gem craftsmen on Gem Street.
Both parties were channels, coming into contact with many supernatural gems daily, especially the gem craftsmen.
Beini's purchase price for crystal resin accessories was 10% higher than other traveling merchants, so gem craftsmen were naturally more willing to sell their crystal resin accessories to Beini.
When selling, Beini raised the price of crystal resin accessories by 50%. The reason was that the crystal resin accessories Beini purchased would first be placed in the team storage space. Su Xiao would take them out, enhance them through Alchemy, and then let Beini sell them.
Higher purchase prices and higher quality made Beini very popular on both Gem Street and in the Insect Kingdom, which also attracted the attention of those with ill intentions.
Amu handled this aspect. Whoever came, he would chop them down. Not only would he chop that person, but he would also deal with the faction that person belonged to.
If there were few enemies, he'd use freeze + Dragonheart Axe. If there were many, ordinary Apollo would suffice. After Amu slaughtered three gangs, those coveting this profit all withdrew their claws.
They were waiting, waiting for Beini and Amu to vanish from the face of the earth. Gem Street had a rule: large quantities of crystal resin accessories couldn't be sold to the Insect Kingdom, to maintain the long-standing price gouging against them, thereby squeezing that side.
The ones maintaining this rule were, of course, the Kodo School. They weren't just the managers of Gem Street; the entire 'Danke City' was their territory.
Those watching from the shadows were destined to be disappointed. The Kodo School did send people, preparing to eliminate Beini and Amu. But after meeting and negotiating, the Kodo School representative suddenly realized, oh, they were 'one of their own,' all a misunderstanding.
Currently, Beini was extremely busy. After gem craftsmen purchased gems, Beini would check them one by one, looking for Immortal-rank gems suitable for Dragon-Slaying Flash. Unfortunately, the number of Immortal-rank gems was very small, and those suitable for Dragon-Slaying Flash were even fewer.
Not just on Gem Street, when insect merchants obtained gems, they would also notify Beini immediately. Even if Beini didn't buy, after inspecting the gem, she would give the insect merchant a small amount of crystal resin.
Besides these two channels, Archbishop Noah also promised to open his treasury to Beini, but Beini could only enter the area where gems were stored.
With all channels open, the only thing left to do was wait.
Su Xiao didn't have to wait long. Early the next morning, a woodpecker landed outside the window, tapping on the glass with its beak.
Baha opened the window, and the woodpecker flew in. Its chest expanded, revealing mechanical structures inside. A probe projected a holographic image. The person's appearance was very grotesque; whether due to the influence of an ability or heaven's punishment, the facial features combined on him looked like an alien.
In Baha's words, this person had the bearing of an Ancient God.
Strangely, although this person looked grotesque, his first impression was quite good. It wasn't a forced effect from Charm, but a sense of humility emanating from deep within his bones.
"Honored guest, I am Si Yang, a member of the Integrity Merchant Guild. Were you the one purchasing Immortal-rank gems with sharpness characteristics on the contact platform?"
Si Yang had come for the appointment. Unlike miners or combat-type contractors, his purpose for entering this world was both to purchase ores and to sell resource extraction consumables, as well as recovery potions and such.
"It's somewhat rude to meet this way, but my strength, ahem~, I hope the guest can forgive me. I'm also doing this to guard against those with ill intentions. Of course, I feel that you, honored guest, are definitely not that kind of person. This isn't flattery, but my intuition."
As Si Yang spoke, he raised his hand, and a list of holographic images appeared, showing information on various equipment, gems, and consumables, with prices marked behind them.
After Su Xiao examined them, he gained an understanding of the wealth of Apocalypse merchants. Catching one, even doing nothing in this world, would still net a huge profit.
Scrolling to the bottom of the holographic list, Su Xiao didn't find the gem he needed. Disappointment was inevitable in his heart. If even an Apocalypse merchant with this kind of financial power didn't have it, the probability of obtaining the needed gem began to seem slim.
"Is the honored guest disappointed? Actually, I still have some treasured items I've kept hidden away. As for the price..."
"..."
"Then I won't hold back anymore. Honored guest, what do you think of this Immortal-rank gem? It completely meets your requirements, even better."
Si Yang spread his palm, and a projection of a cyan gem appeared in his hand, displaying its information.
[Sky-Rending]
Origin: Eighth Rank War World
Quality: Immortal Rank
Type: Gem (Rare)
Effect: After embedding, weapon sharpness +175 points, weapon penetration +150 points, weapon durability +25 points, grants weapon intermediate indestructibility trait.
Rating: 1499 points (Immortal-rank gem rating is 1000~1500 points).
Introduction: Sharp to the extreme, enough to tear even space itself.
...
Si Yang waited quietly, neither praising his goods nor offering a price, but waiting for Su Xiao, as the buyer, to speak first.
After Su Xiao finished examining the attributes of [Sky-Rending], he decided that this gem absolutely had to be obtained.
"Not bad."
"If the honored guest is satisfied, shall we discuss the price?"
"Sure."
"You see, it's like this. First, we're conducting this transaction within a mission world, which increases the cost and risk of the transaction. Second, this gem is very rare, extremely rare. However... as one party in the transaction, I should also show sincerity. 12,000 Soul Coins, what do you think of this price?"
After Si Yang finished speaking, he stood there smiling, patiently waiting for Su Xiao's reply.
Hearing this price, Su Xiao was puzzled in his heart. It was too cheap. This gem in Reincarnation Paradise would cost at least 14,000 Soul Coins. But thinking that this was an Apocalypse Paradise world, Su Xiao speculated that perhaps the prices were different?
Su Xiao currently had 5,878 Soul Coins and 165 pieces of Light Silver Ore, valued at an estimated 7,590 Soul Coins. Together, the total value was 13,468 Soul Coins.
"5,800 Soul Coins, the difference made up with ore."
"Of course, may I ask what kind of ore?"
"Light Silver Ore."
Su Xiao took out a piece of Light Silver Ore. Seeing this ore, Si Yang's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't it the Light Silver Ore that Prince and the other three from Heaven Team had been robbed of?
Thinking of this, Si Yang tentatively asked, "Hunter Sir, where did you get this Light Silver Ore?"
"Mined by my followers, near the Lost Withered Forest."
Saying this, Su Xiao narrowed his eyes, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
"Huh?"
Si Yang was stunned for a moment, then returned to normal. He didn't believe what Su Xiao said. No one would reveal the location of a resource point.
"The mine vein there has been dug out. Heaven Team was also there. In terms of mining speed, Heaven Team was more efficient. But, why are you so curious about the origin of the Light Silver Ore? There's nothing more common than mineral resources."
Su Xiao looked at Si Yang, his gaze turning dangerous. Si Yang quickly said:
"Hunter Sir, Heaven Team posted a message on the contact platform a few days ago. They were robbed. At the time, probably dozens of people saw that message."
"Is that so?"
Su Xiao laughed as he spoke, as if feeling balanced in his heart. The attitude he displayed was that he had previously sent his followers to mine, and they got robbed. Now learning that Heaven Team was also robbed, he immediately felt balanced.
"Hunter Sir, could it be that your side also..."
Si Yang shook his head with a smile. Having mineral resources robbed was truly too common. Otherwise, miners wouldn't need to pay high prices to hire combat-type contractors.
"Heavy losses. One of my followers died."
"That despicable masked man."
Si Yang said indignantly. This time, it was Su Xiao's turn to be 'puzzled.' He wanted to create a second mineral resource plunderer.
"What masked man?"
"Hunter Sir, wasn't the one who robbed your minerals a masked man?"
"He did wear a mask, but wasn't male. Before my follower died, he grabbed a few strands of pink short hair. Judging from the soul memories fed back before his death, the enemy's figure was female. Other clues were very vague."
Su Xiao said this, not because a follower had actually died, but to create a false impression.
"Still a gang operation! Those bastards! They all..."
Si Yang cursed angrily, denouncing the ore-robbing team for the 'misfortune' Su Xiao had suffered. After all, Su Xiao was his customer, so it was better to flatter him. At the end, Si Yang added, "Hunter Sir, am I right?"
Baha remained expressionless on the side. Whether it was right or not, he didn't know. But he did know one thing: flattery must be done cautiously.