32: Being taught a lesson by an older man, unexpected information

"Nickname, do you buy cards?" Lu Yuan asked directly.

Nickname sized Lu Yuan up. "Of course I do, handsome. What kind of card? Let me see it."

Lu Yuan carefully pulled out four Wind Spirit Butterfly beast taming cards from his pocket and laid them side by side on the counter.

The emerald green card faces glowed faintly, and the four Wind Spirit Butterfly patterns were lifelike.

"Wind Spirit Butterfly?" A hint of surprise flashed in Nickname's eyes, then she quickly regained her composure.

She picked up a card and examined it carefully.

"A one-star green card, good condition, quite rare."

"Boss, name your price," Lu Yuan said.

Although the Wind Spirit Butterfly was only a one-star green card, its scouting and support abilities were quite practical, especially in the wild. Its market price should not be low.

"Hmm..." Nickname pondered for a moment. "Although this card is rare, it's only one-star after all, not strong in combat, and has a narrow audience. How about this, three thousand star coins per card?"

Three thousand?

Lu Yuan almost laughed in anger.

Women are all bad news!

"Boss, this is a Wind Spirit Butterfly, not a Gray Caterpillar." Lu Yuan's tone was displeased. "You should know its value. I won't sell for less than four thousand five."

Just then, a commotion came from the shop entrance.

Several men, dressed in hunting gear and smelling of blood, walked in, their voices loud.

"Boss! Give me some blank cards, and see if you have any cheap white healing cards!"

"Damn it, we almost got caught this time! Jiangcheng is really cracking down now!"

"Tell me about it! I heard Black Crow of the Black Water Gang personally gave the order; all entry and exit points of the city have extra personnel, especially young people, they're searching them incredibly thoroughly!"

"Don't know what they're looking for, it's making everyone nervous..."

The men complained as if no one else was around, their voices clearly reaching Lu Yuan's ears.

Black Crow? Black Water Gang? Strictly checking young people?

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat!

Sure enough!

The Black Water Gang had already reacted and set up a net in Jiangcheng!

He remained calm on the surface, continuing to haggle with the boss.

"Four thousand five, not a star coin less."

The middle-aged boss glanced at the hunters, then at Lu Yuan, seeming somewhat swayed.

The Wind Spirit Butterfly was indeed a popular item; there was no worry about selling it.

"Alright, four thousand five it is." The boss finally nodded. "I'll take all four."

"That's eighteen thousand star coins in total."

"Uh... I meant by transfer."

"Otherwise... am I supposed to give you cash?"

Lu Yuan's body stiffened, as if he had a premonition of something bad.

He took out the paper money given by the uncle and looked closely, it seemed... "Hehe... handsome, you went to that general store in the south, didn't you?" Nickname seemed unsurprised.

"You mean..."

"Normal. Luoshi Town's first rule—don't accept paper money!"

"Damn it, I..." Lu Yuan felt a surge of anger, fuming.

"Alright, handsome, you live and learn. If you go back now, they've already closed up and hidden away."

"Next time, you still have to come to my place."

Soon, the transaction was complete.

Lu Yuan's star coins balance instantly surged to eighteen thousand four hundred and fifty.

After buying their things, the hunters also left, grumbling.

Lu Yuan did not leave immediately.

Although being scammed out of money was frustrating, his life was more important.

He pretended to hit his head in annoyance, and casually asked:

"Boss, I just heard those big brothers say that Jiangcheng isn't peaceful lately?"

Nickname told the truth, "Yes, the Black Water Gang is looking for someone, and it's quite a big deal."

"Looking for someone?" Lu Yuan feigned curiosity. "Who are they looking for? Such a big commotion?"

Nickname smiled but said nothing.

Lu Yuan immediately understood, pulled out two hundred-yuan bills, and quietly pushed them over.

"Boss is well-informed, just chatting casually."

Nickname: ... "No one knows exactly who they're looking for. I only heard it's a young student, seems to have offended a high-ranking member of the Black Water Gang, and it might also... involve something important."

She lowered her voice, "In short, the area around Jiangcheng isn't peaceful lately, especially the road leading to the Outpost, where checks are strictest. If you want to go to Jiangcheng, it's best to take a long detour, or just wait for the situation to calm down."

Lu Yuan thanked her and left "Tao Ka Zhai," his heart heavy.

The Black Water Gang's reaction was faster than he expected.

A vast net must have been laid out along this path; he had to come up with a foolproof plan.

He was not in a hurry to leave Luoshi Town; this chaotic place, on the contrary, provided some cover.

After eating at a restaurant, Lu Yuan returned to "Tao Ka Zhai" again.

"Handsome, you're back again? Are you regretting not buying more?" Nickname teased with a smile.

He needed some practical items.

Several blank cards were essential, for unforeseen needs.

He also needed to stock up on several Source Power recovery potions; his previous consumption was too great.

Lu Yuan's gaze swept across the counter, quickly locking onto a skill card.

Mimicry Technique

Quality: White

Star Rating: Two Stars

Type: Skill card

Effect: Consumes a small amount of Source Power to simulate the sound of a specified creature or object. The realism is related to the precision of Source Power control.

Note: How good the imitation is depends entirely on skill.

This card might come in handy.

"How much is this Mimicry Technique?"

"Mimicry Technique? This is cheap, eight hundred star coins," Nickname quoted.

Lu Yuan nodded, then looked at the beast taming card area.

He wanted to try his luck, to see if there were any cards suitable for his escape plan.

Soon, he selected his targets.

Digger Rat

Quality: White

Star Rating: Two Stars

Type: beast taming card

Skills: Dig (Rapidly excavates soft ground), Bite (Weak attack power)

Status: Spiritually listless, slight scratches on the card face

Note: Cowardly, but a good hand at digging.

Feathered Sparrow

Quality: White

Star Rating: Two Stars

Type: beast taming card

Skills: Glide (Short-distance low-altitude flight), Peck (Not much strength)

Status: Messy feathers, appears malnourished

Note: Besides being able to fly a few meters, it's almost useless.

These two cards were the most common low-tier beasts, cheap and unremarkable.

The rat on the Digger Rat card was curled into a ball, its eyes timid.

The small bird on the Feathered Sparrow card tilted its head, looking foolish.

"I'll take the Digger Rat and the Feathered Sparrow too."

"Unique taste, handsome." Nickname gave him a meaningful look. "These two are clearance items, I'll give you five hundred star coins for both."

Lu Yuan also bought five blank cards (500 star coins) and three primary Source Power recovery potions (3000 star coins).

Total spent: 800 + 500 + 500 + 3000 = 4800 star coins.

star coins balance: 13650

"Thanks." Lu Yuan put away the cards and potions, then turned to leave.

He found the cheapest small inn in Luoshi Town and took a single room.

The room was practically comparable to a toilet.

But this was already the relatively safest place he could find in Luoshi Town.

Lu Yuan locked the door and carefully checked the room, confirming there were no surveillance devices or anything similar.

He sat on the hard bed, took out his map, and began studying it again.

Time, in waiting, ticked by minute by minute.

His heartbeat also slightly accelerated with the cooldown countdown of the icon on the system panel.

Unique Talent: Guaranteed Gold Drop (Cooling Down)

Time Remaining: 0 hours 1 minute

Time Remaining: 0 hours 0 seconds

Unique Talent: Guaranteed Gold Drop

It's here!

An indescribable thrill surged from the depths of his soul.

Now he had confidence...