Chapter 88: Solomon
Clang.
A blade aura split the air, sweat dripping from Su Xiao's chin. He wore a heavy black vest that weighed at least 900 jin.
Practicing the blade with this on was quite taxing on his stamina, but Su Xiao planned to increase his training load in the near future, since his Strength, Agility, and Endurance attributes had recently seen considerable improvement. While weighted blade practice had minimal effect on improving his swordsmanship, it could temper his will.
Drenched in sweat, Su Xiao took off the metal vest. With a clang, it hit the ground, and a wave of relief washed over his body.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
The communicator in the room rang. Su Xiao opened it; it was Yan Chen.
"The buyer is ready. Meet at Locke Street."
"Mm."
Ending the call, Su Xiao casually threw on a set of casual clothes. Just as he was about to leave his Exclusive Room, he noticed Bubu Wang lying on the already broken bed.
Su Xiao transferred 2,460 Paradise Coins to Bubu Wang. He still had 100,000 Paradise Coins left, so he just gave the odd amount to Bubu Wang.
"Allowance. Also, go get a new bed."
Bubu Wang, still half-asleep, grunted in acknowledgment, its front paws twitching.
"Try to lose some weight, you lazy thing. You can barely run anymore."
"Grr~"
Bubu Wang replied and went back to sleep.
"Forget it. Next time I encounter a new species in a derivative world, I'll let you taste it."
"Oww!!"
Bubu Wang let out a miserable howl, remembering past experiences. Whether it was eating insectoids or cyclops giants, none of them were pleasant memories.
Ignoring Bubu Wang, Su Xiao left his Exclusive Room and headed toward Locke Street.
Locke Street was essentially the "black market" of Reincarnation Paradise. Items sold on Locke Street couldn't simply be described as having dubious origins. Most of the things sold here were bizarre and cheap.
They say you get what you pay for, but on Locke Street, you could buy good stuff cheap. However, these good items were dangerous. They might be signature equipment of a member from a large adventure group, or items that had been fought over by hundreds of Contractors before mysteriously disappearing.
These items all shared one characteristic: they could cause trouble, even lead to death.
Locke Street was owned by a single force: the Traveling Group within Reincarnation Paradise. All usage and rental rights for the shops on Locke Street were held by Traveling Group members.
As a result, this place was a gathering spot for madmen and lunatics. Most Workers never came here, because the Contractors loitering around had terrifying auras. Who knew if they might suddenly fly into a rage over some trivial matter?
Su Xiao didn't frequent Locke Street. After all, he had killed members of the Traveling Group before, and had old grudges with two Traveling Group members, Revolver Guy and Gulu.
This time, Yan Chen chose Locke Street as the meeting point because the mage wanted it. Apparently, the mage had some connection with the Traveling Group, even moving his Exclusive Room near Locke Street.
Su Xiao entered Locke Street. The layout was simple: one street lined with various shops. The shop names were bizarre, like "Old Stories House" (intelligence organization), "Incinerator Shop" (can hire powerful Contractors for assassinations), and "Ears" (intelligence relay station).
There weren't many Contractors on the street, but every passerby had a strong aura and behaved somewhat abnormally.
"Over here."
Yan Chen stood in the middle of Locke Street, in front of a restaurant. This was one of the few normal shops on Locke Street.
Su Xiao approached, and Yan Chen gestured for him to sit inside. They ordered a few things and sat across from each other at a round table.
"Where's the guy?"
Su Xiao picked up a glass of watermelon juice and downed it in one gulp. The intense blade practice earlier had drained a lot of fluids from his body. Now, a glass of iced watermelon juice felt incredibly refreshing.
"Still need to wait a bit. That guy's name is Solomon. He hates waiting. Even though we're the sellers, he's one of the few buyers, so we have to arrive a little early. For the Paradise Coins, you don't mind a little patience, right?"
Yan Chen seemed a bit troubled when mentioning that mage.
"Is he a dark mage?"
Su Xiao suddenly asked.
"How did you know? Have you met him?"
Yan Chen was quite surprised.
"No. He's here."
Su Xiao sensed a mass of darkness approaching. This darkness was gloomy and oppressive, as if it had swallowed the light around it.
A man wearing a black pointed hat and a black robe, with his collar covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of eyes, pushed open the restaurant door and walked in.
The man's pupils were pitch black. There was no distinction between whites and irises. The moment he entered the restaurant, frost formed on the surface of all glassware, and beads of water condensed.
"Boss, turn the AC up!"
A diner shouted. The shop owner, leaning against the counter, lowered his eyelids.
"Even if this were a volcano crater, it'd still be this temperature. Some rookie looking for trouble."
The restaurant owner looked at the black-robed man.
"Solomon, put away your 'pet.'"
Anyone who could open a shop on Locke Street was no pushover.
"Active period. Can't."
The black-robed man, Solomon, only said five words, roughly meaning his servant was in its active period and couldn't be put away.
"Tch, a walking air conditioner. Just don't let your 'pet' scare the customers."
The owner exhaled a puff of frost and shook his head.
"Fine."
Solomon tightened his collar, stepped forward into the restaurant, and a few diners got up and left.
Su Xiao studied Solomon. He sensed no trace of human aura from him. It was as if Solomon had merged with the darkness. This wasn't a bloodline or skill; it was the dark demonic energy filling his body.
Solomon's gaze swept the restaurant. When he saw Yan Chen, he walked over. As he approached within ten meters of Su Xiao and Yan Chen, he stopped, his pure black eyes fixed on Su Xiao.
"Natural enemy."
As soon as Solomon spoke, a pitch-black viper slithered out from his collar. The snake had a triangular head, dense scales, and flicked its forked tongue. It was a mutated black mamba.
After a moment's hesitation, Solomon stepped forward and sat across from Su Xiao, a bit closer to Yan Chen.
"The item."
Solomon was a man of few words, rarely speaking more than five at a time.
Yan Chen signaled Su Xiao to bring out the [Moon Essence]. [Moon Essence] appeared in Su Xiao's hand, and he placed it on the round table.
"Your offer."
As a Law Destroyer, Su Xiao was more sensitive to Solomon's aura. This guy was different from any mage he had ever fought. He had a feeling that even if he got close to Solomon, the man wouldn't be as flustered as other mages.
"300,000."
Solomon produced a Paradise Coin savings card, the exact amount being 300,000.
"Solomon, even though I'm the middleman for both of you, this price is a bit low."
Yan Chen could take a commission from this deal, so he didn't need Su Xiao to haggle.
"Tight budget."
After saying those four words, Solomon remained silent no matter what Yan Chen said.
After a full five minutes of Yan Chen trying to raise the price, his chest was heaving slightly. The reason was that Solomon sat there like a statue, motionless and silent.
"You said... 'natural enemy' earlier, right?"
Su Xiao spoke. Solomon, who had been staring straight ahead, showed a slight emotional fluctuation.
"350,000. If not, forget it. Natural enemy."
Solomon made as if to leave, not wanting to stay long, and his address for Su Xiao remained "natural enemy."