7: Is this Thunder Black Kettle guaranteed to be cooked?

Anyone capable can join the ranks of the Bounty Hunters and earn rewards by completing missions issued by others.

"My goodness, there's actually someone like this in Dragon County?!"

The Consultant silently retreated into the crowd, but he wasn't in a hurry to leave; he wanted to see what this expert intended to do here.

"Sister Du, I just got a new batch of goods here, come take a look!"

The stall owner waved at Du Ruo, beaming with joy, looking as if the two were already well acquainted.

Du Ruo ignored the onlookers and stepped forward. The armor on her body clanged with a crisp metallic sound. She immediately asked, "Tang San, how are the Thunder Black flame pots I requested last time coming along?"

Thunder Black flame pot... the moment those words left her mouth, the bystanders immediately gasped in surprise.

"Isn't that something only high-level Alchemists can manufacture?!"

"Oh my god, that item is too rare!"

"Nonsense. An ordinary person can use that thing to directly kill a God-Level Magical Beast!"

"If that thing were detonated in Dragon County, half the city would probably be bombed into ash."

"Heh, it wouldn't even leave ashes behind. That thing draws down Heavenly Thunder!"

The people nearby chattered away, but Du Ruo didn't even turn her head, quietly staring at the stall owner.

"It's ready," the stall owner immediately replied, turning around to rummage through his bag. Before long, he pulled out a small wooden box and opened the lid. "It's right here! I spent a lot of effort getting this shipment from the Outer City!"

The Consultant was also curious about this item capable of killing a God-Level Magical Beast. He squeezed past the surrounding people, leaned forward, and glanced inside.

Inside the small box lay a black ceramic jar with a knob on top. It looked like turning it would detonate the explosives within.

"This is the Thunder Black flame pot? It looks pretty ordinary, doesn't it?"

"Uh, it might look ordinary, since most people haven't seen one."

"Is it really as formidable as they say?"

"Can anything Brother Tang sells be fake?"

"That's right, Brother Tang is the most honest businessman!"

"Hehe," the stall owner chuckled, hearing the voices of the bystanders. He looked at Du Ruo with a flattering expression. "Sister Du, this thing is contraband. I specifically sought out documents from several cities just to apply for it. You wouldn't believe it, I..."

"Enough, enough," Du Ruo saw through the stall owner's intentions, frowned, and interrupted him. She casually asked, "Just tell me, how much?"

Seeing Du Ruo's generous opening, the stall owner closed his mouth, feigned contemplation, and raised two fingers. "Sister Du, we are old acquaintances. I'll sell this to you for... 200,000!"

Whoa!

The Consultant's brow twitched in shock upon hearing that number!

200,000?

This broken jar is worth that much money?!

The Consultant wasn't the only one thinking this; the people nearby were also stunned.

Seeing their reactions, the stall owner immediately explained, "This Thunder Black flame pot was refined by a Master from the City of Alchemy. It uses Thunder Horn Dust from a God-Level Magical Beast, and even Thunder Light Bugs from a Hellwolf Dragon! This is all..."

"Stop the nonsense, I'll buy it!" Du Ruo said this without even frowning, clearly someone who wasn't short on cash.

However, the Consultant frowned, truly unable to stand this blatant scam. He pushed through the surrounding people and intervened, "Wait a minute!"

Hearing the voice, the stall owner's face instantly froze over, and Du Ruo also stopped reaching for her money. A pair of pale blue eyes looked at the person who interrupted her with a hint of displeasure.

"How interesting!"

"What is this kid trying to do?"

"Looking at him, he seems to be a Beast Tamer, right? But his summoned beast is... a Slime?"

"Even if Beast Tamers are rare, a Beast Tamer with a Slime dares to interrupt? Isn't he asking for a beating?"

Many people held the mindset of watching a show, looking at the Consultant with playful mockery.

The stall owner glared angrily at the Consultant, his tone laced with menace: "Kid, don't interfere with my business!"

Du Ruo also looked at the Consultant, her voice icy: "Is there a problem?"

The Consultant didn't answer. Instead, he turned to look at the small box, confirming it again... Through the system, the information panel of the item in the box appeared before his eyes.

[flame pot: Contains a small amount of gunpowder. Breaking the jar will trigger an explosion, causing a small-scale flame blast effect.]

After confirming that the item's information panel was correct, the Consultant curled his lip into a cold smile.

Good heavens, it's not even a Black flame pot; it's just a flame pot, or to put it bluntly, a Pop-Pop Firecracker!

This truly is cheating strangers out of half their money and cheating acquaintances out of the whole lot!

He dares to sell an ordinary flame pot as a Thunder Black flame pot, and the starting price is 200,000!

The Consultant didn't know what a real Thunder flame pot looked like, but clearly, no one present knew either, and this Azure Dragon Knight hadn't spotted the issue.

But while these tricks might fool others, they couldn't fool the Consultant, who had the system!

This was a chance to boost his favorability. If he could get acquainted with this Azure Dragon Knight, he might reap great rewards in the future!

The Consultant no longer cared about the 'path to courting death' and spoke directly: "Boss, is this Thunder Black flame pot guaranteed ripe?"

“...”

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled.

A few seconds later, the stall owner was the first to recover, staring blankly at the Consultant. "What... guaranteed ripe?"

"Ah, well," the Consultant realized he had misspoken and corrected himself, "No, I mean, is this Thunder Black flame pot guaranteed genuine?"

When the stall owner heard this, his look of bewilderment instantly turned grim, but constrained by the crowd around them, he could only offer an awkward smile: "Heh heh, look at you talking like that. I'm an Item Merchant, how could I sell you a fake?"

The Consultant ignored him. He simply squatted down in front of the stall and shouted, "Stop the nonsense! I'm asking if this melon... if this Thunder Black flame pot is guaranteed genuine?!"

This sentence clearly made the stall owner lose face!

"Are you trying to pick a fight, you bastard?"

He's playing along quite well!

The Consultant chuckled internally, pointing at the flame pot in the box. "Stop beating around the bush. What if this Thunder flame pot is fake?"

"If it's fake, I'll eat it, and I'll never set up a stall here again!"

When the stall owner said this, everyone fell silent. Even Du Ruo let out a cold laugh, looking at the Consultant with disdain flashing in her eyes.

"Kid, stop hindering his business!"

"Exactly! You're a Beast Tamer with a Slime, why are you arguing about authenticity in front of him? It's none of your business anyway!"

"Brother Tang has been doing business here for months. We're all regulars. How could he possibly sell fakes?"

"That's right. Besides, this is Du Ruo. Does he dare sell a fake to an Azure Dragon Knight?"

"Is this kid hired by other vendors to cause trouble?"

Amidst the crowd's sneering mockery, Du Ruo also grew impatient. She looked at the Consultant, her tone unfriendly: "Kid, I don't know what you're doing, but stop interfering with my purchase. I have important things to do!"

Seeing that everyone was on his side, the stall owner put on a wronged expression.

"Everyone, look closely and bear witness for me! This kid is trying to ruin my business. Should a person like this be allowed to stay here?"

"I've been selling here for months, and everyone can attest to my credibility! Heaven and earth know my heart; I am a kind Item Merchant!"

"Besides, I wouldn't cheat anyone, especially Sister Du! She has bought so many things from me—could she not tell the difference between real and fake?!"

The vendor grew more and more agitated. Finally, he stood up and lunged toward the Consultant, raising his hand as if to hit him.

Wow, he's actually trying to turn the tables! How shameless!

The Consultant frowned, dodged the man, and the next second, he took advantage of everyone's distraction to grab the flame pot in his hand, weighing it slightly.

It was cold to the touch and not too heavy, with some granular material rattling inside!

"Kid, what are you doing?!"

"Put it down quickly! That thing is deadly!"

"Holy crap, brothers, I'm running first! See you if fate allows!"

The Consultant's actions instantly startled everyone, who were terrified that this 'Thunder flame pot' would blow half the city sky-high!