16: Black market transaction!

“Please come in.”

The password was correct, and the boss made a welcoming gesture.

Xia Qi walked in without a change in his expression.

The tavern was just a front; going through it led underground to the real black market.

Xia Qi had spent a lot of money to buy this information. Without an acquaintance to lead the way, one had to use the correct password, or they couldn't enter the black market.

Upon reaching the lower level, the space was wide, about the size of a football field, and the overall decor had a Western saloon feel. Even though it was daytime, many masked professionals were already sitting at tables drinking.

Most people would find it hard to imagine that the so-called black market was built directly beneath the officially managed trading market.

“Young man, you look a bit unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?”

The woman at the counter had golden hair and red lips, looking like a ripe peach.

“Would you like a drink?”

“Then I’ll have a cocktail, with ice.”

Stuffing five hundred yuan into the seemingly bottomless cleavage, Xia Qi leaned against the counter and even gave a little pinch.

“Nice feel. The extra is for a tip.”

The woman’s face flushed, and she gave Xia Qi a charming side-eye. “Little brother, even though you act very mature, remember next time that the aura of a newcomer emanating from you must be well hidden.”

His acting from movies hadn't fooled the woman, who had seen countless people; Xia Qi had still been seen through.

Nodding, Xia Qi didn't explain. It seemed this black market wasn't as simple as it appeared.

The woman at the counter looked ordinary, but she had eyes that could see into people's hearts.

After the cocktail was mixed, Xia Qi slightly lifted his mask and took a sip. It couldn't compare to his previous life, but the taste wasn't too bad.

“Young man, tell me, what do you want to buy? I have everything here.”

Lying on the counter, fully displaying her proud figure, she had only seen Xia Qi's lips but was certain he was a handsome man. Being taken advantage of didn't seem like too much of a loss.

“Do you have Awakening Potions?”

Xia Qi lowered his voice, asking in a tone only they could hear.

“This isn't cheap, but you've come to the right place.”

Hearing the words “Awakening Potion,” the woman was slightly surprised but not shocked.

Awakening Potions were under official control, and only official units had allocations, but it wasn't difficult for the black market to obtain them.

“However, the price might be a bit high.”

Although the woman was somewhat interested in Xia Qi, judging by his attire, he didn't seem like a wealthy person.

He casually tossed his bank card to her. This was given to Xia Qi by Wang Changyuan, and it still had over 4.9 million inside.

“Oh, young man, you’re quite wealthy, but this money can only buy one.”

“Awakening Potions are four million per potion, no bargaining!”

After confirming the amount on the card, the woman was somewhat surprised. This person was richer than she had imagined.

The price of four million per potion was indeed a bit expensive, a full three million higher than the normal official price.

Including the ten million he bet with Su Yuanchen, he still needed over one million to buy four Awakening Potions.

“It seems that although Awakened are superior, they burn through money at an incredible rate.”

Xia Qi thought to himself, if Wang Changyuan hadn't given him six Awakening Potions, buying ten on his own would have required forty million in funds.

Forty million, something many low-level Awakened wouldn't even dare to dream of.

A B-Rank professional team usually earns only a few hundred thousand for a mission, and that's split among the entire team.

Someone who can earn ten million in a year is already very impressive.

Forty million would take several years to save, even without eating or drinking.

And this was for B-Rank professionals. Those with lower Talent Ranks would need even more time to earn it.

It seems I still need to find a way to make some money!

“I need four, and I’m still a bit short. Are there any suitable missions I can do while I’m here?”

Besides trading items, the black market also offered many professional missions.

“I see you’re not yet a professional, just an Awakened. If your Talent is below A-Rank, we can’t assign you missions.”

Saying this, the woman took out a magic gem, which was used to detect Talent information, the same Material used in the Awakening ritual.

“You can rest assured, we will keep client information completely confidential. After all, we also follow rules.”

Xia Qi nodded. He wasn't worried about them leaking information. If client information could be easily revealed, then this black market clearly wouldn't last long.

As far as he knew, this black market had existed for over two hundred years, even longer than the current official trading market in West River City.

He placed his hand on the magic gem, and after a faint glow, the woman saw Xia Qi's information.

【Name: Xia Qi】

【Identity: Dragon Kingdom Citizen】

【Hukou: West River Province, West River City, Dragon Kingdom】

【Talent: S-Rank Talent】

【Rank: 7.】

His Rank was only seven, but his Talent was S-Rank Talent. No wonder Xia Qi immediately asked to buy four Awakening Potions; he was indeed no ordinary person.

The woman showed a surprised expression for the first time, then quickly regained her composure and handed the mission sheet to Xia Qi.

“Young man, my name is Lina. If you ever need anything in the future, you can contact me anytime. I can provide home service for you.”

Saying this, Lina also handed him a business card. She knew how terrifying an S-Rank Talent would be in the future, and who wouldn't want to befriend such a powerful person.

Xia Qi, who was looking at the mission sheet, casually put the business card in his pocket. He couldn't take missions that were too high-Rank, so he could only choose ones within a suitable range.

【Acquisition of Tree King Seeds, ten thousand per seed.】

【Acquisition of Inferno Wild Boar King's fur and teeth, forty thousand per piece.】

【Acquisition of rare metal Ore from the Wilderness Cave, acquisition price ranges from ten thousand to fifty thousand depending on quality.】

【Acquisition of Inferno Grass, Ice Grass, and other elemental attribute herbs, acquisition price ranges from five thousand to ten thousand depending on quality.】

Forgers, alchemists, alchemists, and other life professionals all needed a large amount of Materials for life skill training.

Therefore, most missions on the market were material collection missions, and the black market was no exception.

However, the black market's demands were different from the regular market. Most of the missions Xia Qi saw were for acquiring rare Materials, with very few for common Materials.

For example, the Tree King Seed mission was to be collected in the Twisted Jungle dungeon he was going to, but ordinary treants wouldn't drop Tree King Seeds. Only with a small chance of encountering the boss Tree King would there be a chance of dropping them.

So, this mission seemed to have a high unit price, but in reality, it was very cost-ineffective.

Furthermore, the Inferno Wild Boar King was a Rank fifteen dungeon, with a minimum entry Rank of ten. Xia Qi couldn't even accept it right now.

“I’ll take the Tree King Seed mission and the herb mission. Please register them for me.”

Xia Qi planned to accept these two missions he could currently do and see if he could gather over one million. If not, he would think of other ways.

“By the way, you just mentioned home service. What did you mean?”

After confirming the missions, Xia Qi stared intently at the trader named Lina.