92: Chapter 91 Intelligence

Chapter 91 Intelligence

Pig Head Tavern is an inescapable location in the black market.

Thanks to Scarecrow Town and Outpost Camp, which, despite having peacefully separated, remained mutually supportive allies.

While handing over the situation of the Shelters around Scarecrow Town to Ren Chuan, Fan Da also informed Ren Chuan of some precautions regarding the black market, the core of which was Pig Head Tavern.

Wang Ting pondered the information he got from Fan Da; on this turf, Pig Head Tavern was an unmitigated local tyrant and also the universal informant of the entire black market.

Old Man Lu, who controlled the tavern, was well-informed and could probe into almost any news; besides being well-informed, the most crucial point was that Pig Head Tavern was a platform for issuing tasks.

Not every Shelter and camp resided permanently in the black market like the local tyrants of the black market such as Blade Head Gang, Withered Leaf Chamber of Commerce, and Wild Wolf Gang.

They all had their own towns or Shelters, and the times they came to the black market varied; often, when they wanted to meet or exchange certain information, their times missed each other.

Coupled with those coming and going in the black market, there was also a very special group of people—explorers without any base, acting like lone wolves.

Whether individuals or small teams, they relied on the wandering anomaly monsters in Tieling Wasteland, or a certain Infinite Building situated in the wasteland, to explore and collect their own spoils of war.

These explorers would fence their stolen goods through the channels of the black market, but similarly, like rootless duckweed, they had no management channels.

If they wanted to obtain the greatest benefits, they needed a platform to convey their harvests and demands.

Back and forth, it gradually evolved into such a special place as Pig Head Tavern.

Wang Ting wanted to inquire about news of the black market, and even whether there was an Extraordinary Pathway similar to beast control; without a doubt, exploring inside Pig Head Tavern was the best method.

Fan Da had long since informed the two of the location of Pig Head Tavern.

Following the alley all the way to Pig Head Tavern, the huge pig skull was still so obvious, revealing a somewhat ferocious appearance.

Wang Ting and Ren Chuan walked into Pig Head Tavern. Under the dim light of the tavern, it was faintly visible that inside the tavern, the tables and chairs were empty, with only a few people sitting there, almost all drinking alone, occasionally glancing at the people who came in. The entire tavern was extremely quiet, with almost no sound of conversation.

As soon as the two walked into the tavern, Old Man Lu behind the bar raised his head, glanced up and down, and revealed a trace of exploratory look.

"Another new face."

He muttered in a low voice while wiping a wine glass.

Wang Ting came before Old Man Lu.

Old Man Lu asked with a smile, "What would you like to drink? If this is your first time here, I can introduce you. Vodka, baijiu, or do you want to drink beer?"

"Two glasses of beer, I want to be in a private room."

Old Man Lu was slightly stunned and revealed a smile.

"Then guest, follow me."

Ren Chuan did not follow, stayed in place, drank the glass of beer in his hand, and looked at the things inside the tavern.

Behind the bar, there was also a blackboard with the names of quite a few types of alcohol written on it, Gin Tonic, Black Mamba, Bloody Mary—each followed by a small asterisk, more or less, and the marked price was extraordinary materials.

Every piece of information represented a task, and as for the content of the task, it had to be coordinated with Old Man Lu.

Ren Chuan muttered, "There are quite a few missions going out—"

Wang Ting followed Old Man Lu into the room behind the bar to the side.

The two walked into it, and what met their eyes were jars and bottles placed everywhere. The room was neither big nor small, with a table placed inside, and the two sat facing each other on both sides of the table.

Old Man Lu poured the beer for Wang Ting and said with a smile, "This guest looks unfamiliar. Is it convenient to tell me which camp you came from?"

"When guests visit, do not ask where they come from. You really are just like the rumors, never forgetting to probe for information at all times."

Old Man Lu looked like a businessman bartender, always smiling and somewhat amiable, but his words were secretly probing into all intelligence that could possibly be probed.

This was only on the surface; perhaps in the den, the square, and every corner of the black market, there were his little birds.

"Used to it, used to it."

Old Man Lu didn't care, just smiled, and then asked, "What are the guest's instructions?"

"What is the situation with the extraordinary potion currently on sale in the marketplace?"

Wang Ting directly asked about the extraordinary potion. Old Man Lu opposite him revealed a smiling face; it seemed this person had indeed just arrived at the black market not long ago.

"Consider this piece of information as my gift to the guest."

Wang Ting showed surprise, and only heard Old Man Lu opposite say, "Deputy Commander Liu Song of Huangyan Town has already released exact news that an auction will be held the day after tomorrow to auction extraordinary potions. However, it is not two painless potions, but a total of four potions: two gardener potions and two painless potions."

Since the marketplace had already released the news, this news was no longer valuable, so Old Man Lu simply told Wang Ting the detailed information.

Wang Ting showed a look of astonishment, "A total of four potions? With so many extraordinary potions flowing out together, I'm afraid many Shelter leaders will fight tooth and nail for them."

"If the guest wants to compete for this extraordinary potion, I'm afraid you must prepare extraordinary materials. The valuation of past extraordinary potion auctions is generally between 100 and 150 extraordinary materials. If the competition is fierce, the premium will be very high."

Old Man Lu chuckled, "Although it is said that extraordinary potions can be bought in Jumu City, that is for their own people. Outsiders have no relationship at all, and wanting to get them is not that simple."

"It seems you know a lot about extraordinary potion."

"I wouldn't dare claim that, but after all, since I'm in this business, there is naturally some intelligence gathering. Does the guest want to know more details?"

"I need a document on the Extraordinary Pathways that have appeared in all Shelters around this area."

Hearing Wang Ting's request, Old Man Lu's smile instead receded, revealing an extremely serious expression, "The guest's request is not simple."

"If intelligence gathering were simple, I wouldn't have come to find you."

Wang Ting showed a calm and composed look, and said indifferently, "Gardener Pathway, Painless Pathway, everyone knows them. I want to understand more whether there are other better pathways."

Old Man Lu was somewhat unsure for a moment, unable to figure out whether Wang Ting really understood or had a smattering of knowledge, or was just an outsider who had just arrived here and wanted to use this to understand the intelligence of the Floor World.

He kept pondering in his heart, but said aloud, "Better pathways? They absolutely cannot compare to Gardener Pathway. Within the jurisdiction of Jumu City in the southern Tieling Wasteland, only Gardener Pathway has a complete three-tier system: first-tier Gardener, second-tier Plant Controller, third-tier Mutant Planter, the system is mature, and the abilities are comprehensive. The extraordinary potion development of other pathways is not yet mature. Unless you dare to gamble your life to directly fuse the Extraordinary Core?"

"What about the Painless?"

Old Man Lu smiled, "The Painless is one of the most widely circulated and longest-inherited Extraordinary Pathways on the wasteland. Legend has it that it was researched and perfected during the Old Civilization period, and its extraordinary structure originated from flesh and blood monsters like zombies. Its pathway is theoretically more complete than Gardener Pathway, and tier 4, tier 5, or even tier 6 might not be absent, but after the Great Cataclysm, the loss is too severe. On the wasteland, as far as I know, it reaches a maximum of third tier, and the fusion process is even more dangerous, and the formula is unknown in whose hands."

Both Gardener Pathway and Painless Pathway had subsequent paths, which were relatively stable and safe. This was also why among the extraordinary potions pursued by all limit-breakers, these two had the highest prices and appeared with the highest frequency.

"What about the Extraordinary Pathways derived from other Shelters and the Floor World?"

Old Man Lu was silent and didn't speak, just smiled, "Guest, this price?"

His meaning was very clear; what he said just now was what everyone knew, considered a little sweetener, but the subsequent information was indeed different.

"Speak."

"20 extraordinary materials, including the basic situation of each pathway, whether there are mature extraordinary potions, etc."

"10."

Wang Ting was unceremonious. Intelligence was certainly important, but wanting 20 extraordinary materials based solely on this, he would definitely not agree. He wasn't a sucker.

If what Old Man Lu could produce was the proportion and preparation method of the extraordinary potion, that would be another matter; obviously, he did not have such a thing in his hands.

"Deal."

Old Man Lu didn't hesitate at all and agreed.

He turned around and searched the walls filled with jars. In a red jar, he groped and pulled out a handwritten notebook, and then handed that notebook to Wang Ting.

"Sorting out this thing cost me quite a bit of effort."

Information like intelligence could usually be sold many times.

He didn't just do business with the Shelters surrounding the black market; I'm afraid the information about the Extraordinary Pathways recorded and sorted out here would also be sent to Jumu City, or even more distant cities.

Wang Ting briefly flipped through it, his pupils shrinking slightly. The information sorted out by this old man was really detailed. However, after glancing through it roughly, he frowned slightly.

Such subtle actions instantly made Old Man Lu opposite perceive something, and he kept thinking in his heart: He seems to be looking for a certain pathway.

Old Man Lu tentatively asked, "It seems the guest didn't see what you wanted?"

Wang Ting's gaze was like a knife, staring at Old Man Lu and asking, "Have you ever heard of a pathway that can control anomaly monsters?"

"A pathway that controls anomaly monsters?"

Old Man Lu thought carefully, and then replied, "There are quite a few, mostly incidental abilities. For example, the Plant Controller can control plants to a certain extent to fight, and the Fisherman Pathway can also control one or two anomaly fish to assist in combat to a certain extent. Most of the time, the amount of control depends on the intensity of the Extraordinary Pathway's development. But to speak of specialized control, I am truly ill-informed."

He raised his head and looked at Wang Ting: "Does the guest need me to keep an eye out for you?"

"No need."

Wang Ting said, "Help me post a task; I want to acquire live anomaly monsters, one of each species."