31: Luoshi Town

Deep in the dense forest, the night was as black as ink.

The wind howled, and every bush and tree seemed to be an enemy.

Lu Yuan leaned against a large tree, panting heavily, his chest like an old bellows.

The air he exhaled carried a hint of blood.

The euphoria brought by adrenaline was rapidly fading, replaced by endless fatigue and soreness.

He didn't know how long he had been running, but he was sure there were no pursuers behind him.

He was temporarily safe and could rest for a while.

Lu Yuan spread out the map, discerning his location by the faint moonlight.

Jiangcheng was to the east.

The Outpost was northwest of Jiangcheng's western suburbs.

His current position was probably in the dense forest on the south side of the hills.

Further south lay an uncharted, dangerous area.

To the west... the map marked a smaller settlement.

Luoshi Town.

It was said to be a chaotic place, a gathering of all sorts of people, with extremely lax management, almost in a semi-anarchic state.

Most importantly, Luoshi Town was a considerable distance from the Outpost, and its direction was relatively remote.

The Black Water Gang's people would most likely not expect him to flee in that direction.

I'll go to Luoshi Town!

Lu Yuan made his decision.

He needed a place to settle down, sell the materials he had and those few Wind Spirit Butterfly cards, and exchange them for star coins.

Then he would buy some necessities and find a way to detour from Luoshi Town and sneak back to Jiangcheng.

With the plan set, there was no time to lose.

Lu Yuan summoned the Wind Bamboo Worm, letting it hover at low altitude ahead to scout.

At the same time, he raised his Source Power perception to its limit.

Depart!

The mountain forest at night was fraught with danger.

Mostly various fierce nocturnal demonic beasts.

Lu Yuan was on high alert.

With the broad view provided by the Wind Bamboo Worm high in the sky, he could avoid most dangers in advance.

Three hundred meters ahead, a second-tier Shadow Leopard was lurking.

Bypass it!

In the bush to the left, there were energy fluctuations, seemingly a nest of Bloodthirsty Bees.

Stay away!

Underfoot, the soil was soft, with traces of large creatures passing by.

Pass through quickly!

He traveled along, encountering perilous situations, but always escaping without harm.

His Source Power was slowly recovering, but also constantly being consumed.

Maintaining the Wind Bamboo Worm's scouting and his own Source Power perception both required continuous Source Power support.

Time slowly passed during the arduous journey.

The night faded, and a touch of dawn appeared on the horizon.

Having been awake all night, both his mind and body were nearing their limits.

Lu Yuan found a relatively secluded mountain hollow, sat down against the rock wall, and took out the last of his rabbit meat and water to replenish his strength.

He habitually opened the system panel.

His gaze fell on the familiar icon.

Unique Talent: Guaranteed Gold Drop (Cooling Down)

Remaining Time: 11 hours 37 minutes.

Less than half a day left!

Lu Yuan's heartbeat quickened slightly.

Zhao She, Brother Ya, Baldy...

A fierce glint flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes.

Just you wait!

Afterward, he continued on his journey.

The mountain forest in the morning offered a much wider view, but it also meant it was easier to be exposed.

Lu Yuan became even more cautious.

He tried to choose areas with dense vegetation and complex terrain for travel.

The Wind Bamboo Worm also lowered its hovering height a bit to avoid being too conspicuous.

Occasionally encountering some lone first-tier demonic beasts, Lu Yuan chose to avoid them directly as long as they didn't provoke him.

He currently had no time or energy to hunt these low-value targets.

Time, little by little, slipped away.

The sun rose higher and higher.

The surrounding scenery also gradually changed.

The trees were no longer so dense, and exposed rocks and steep mountain walls began to increase.

A faint smell of sulfur permeated the air.

The map showed that Luoshi Town was near this area.

Lu Yuan's spirits lifted slightly.

He continued for about another half an hour.

A faint, indistinct clamor, carried by the wind, reached his ears.

There was also a faint wisp of cooking smoke rising from the direction of the valley ahead.

He had arrived!

Lu Yuan did not approach immediately.

He found a high vantage point with a good view, lay prone behind a bush, and carefully observed the small town below.

The town was not large, looking more like a temporary camp.

There were no high walls, no electric fences, only some simple wooden fences symbolically enclosing it.

He wasn't sure if it was just a surface disguise, like the Outpost.

At the town entrance, several men with weapons slung over their shoulders and cigarettes dangling from their mouths were chatting idly.

Card Masters, dusty and carrying their bags, entered and exited from time to time.

It certainly seemed much more... free and undisciplined than the Outpost.

There shouldn't be an underground base here.

Lu Yuan checked the cooldown time of Guaranteed Gold Drop again.

Remaining Time: 5 hours 12 minutes.

The time was almost up.

It was time to enter the town.

He hoped there would be no more complications here.

Lu Yuan put away the Wind Bamboo Worm, tidied his somewhat disheveled clothes, trying to make himself look less like a refugee who had just escaped from the forest.

The guards at the entrance merely glanced at him lazily and did not come forward to question him.

Lu Yuan successfully walked into Luoshi Town.

The scene inside the town was even more chaotic than it appeared from the outside.

Strong men with bare torsos and various ferocious tattoos were everywhere.

There were also some lone travelers, like him, hurrying along, warily surveying their surroundings.

There were even temporary stalls along the roadside, selling various unidentifiable demonic beast materials, damaged cards, and some strange and curious trinkets.

This place felt very much like a lawless gray area.

Lu Yuan quickened his pace, trying to avoid those who looked like trouble.

He needed to find a place to deal with the Giant Horned Rabbit materials in his backpack first.

After several twists and turns, he found a shop with a sign that read "Materials Bought and Sold" in a relatively secluded corner.

Inside, it was piled high with various furs, bones, and ores.

The owner was an uncle wearing a greasy sleeveless vest.

"Boss, do you buy materials?" Lu Yuan walked in and placed his backpack on the counter.

"Yes, what kind of goods?"

Lu Yuan unzipped his backpack, revealing neatly stacked Giant Horned Rabbit furs and some miscellaneous materials inside.

"Freshly hunted."

The uncle reached out and rummaged through them a few times, pinched the thickness of the fur, and then picked up a few pieces to smell.

"Hmm... the quality is average, rabbit skins aren't worth much, and these odds and ends aren't very useful."

He smacked his lips, "How about this, for the whole lot, three thousand star coins."

Three thousand?

Lu Yuan was shocked. Although these materials weren't top-tier, just the miscellaneous bits alone would fetch at least five or six hundred at the Outpost.

Was this boss crazy!

"Boss, this price is too low." Lu Yuan said in a deep voice, "These odds and ends alone are worth more than a thousand."

"Heh, kid, this is Luoshi Town, not Jiangcheng." The uncle scoffed, "Sell it or don't, I'm not short on stock."

Lu Yuan fell silent.

He was in urgent need of money right now and didn't want to get too entangled here.

"Five thousand." He stated his bottom line.

"Three thousand five, no more." The old man was unmoved.

"Four thousand five."

"Three thousand eight!"

"Four thousand! That's the lowest, if not, I'll find another place." Lu Yuan made to put his backpack away.

The uncle narrowed his eyes, seemingly weighing his options.

"Alright, alright, four thousand it is, seeing as you're a tough kid." he said.

He somewhat reluctantly counted out forty crumpled hundred-star-coin notes from a drawer and tossed them onto the counter.

"Paper money... can I transfer?"

"Transfer? Transfers incur a 10% handling fee, want to?"

Lu Yuan: ... Lu Yuan took the money and then took out some low-tier cards from his backpack, which he had seized from the two rogue Card Masters he had killed earlier. These were mainly gray and white quality material cards and basic skill cards.

"What about these?"

The uncle glanced at them, even more disdainfully, "Trash, just to make up the numbers, I'll give you another five hundred."

In the end, Lu Yuan exchanged a backpack full of materials and a dozen low-tier cards for four thousand five hundred star coins, plus some compressed biscuits and a few water purifiers.

The shopkeeper had indeed charged a considerable "handling fee."

There was nothing he could do; he was under someone else's roof.

Leaving the material shop, Lu Yuan felt his backpack was much lighter, but his mood was somewhat heavy.

This amount of money was just a small sum.

He had to sell those Wind Spirit Butterfly cards as soon as possible.

He walked around the town a few more times, made some inquiries, and found a card trading shop that looked a bit more legitimate.

The shop was called "Tao card Zhai," and its facade was quite luxurious. The counter displayed many cards, mostly low-tier, but the variety was quite complete.

The owner was a young lady in a skirt, looking delicate and lovely, unlike the rough men outside...