76: And here comes the encounter.
The two of them left the secluded street and returned to the main road, where the crowd was slightly larger.
The noisy hawking around them dispersed much of the oppressive atmosphere from before.
The closer they got to the center of the black market, the stranger the items on the surrounding stalls became.
Bai Ye even saw a stall displaying a Demonic Beast heart that was still faintly beating, next to which was a sign:
[Freshly procured Elite Rank 'heart of the flame demon,' the best Materials for enchanting items, fixed price three hundred million!]
"There really are a lot of good things here."
Bai Ye couldn't help but sigh, though the prices were ridiculously high.
Zhang Tianluo was energized now; he hadn't just been standing outside in the cold wind earlier.
He had chatted briefly with passersby.
"It's the black market, after all. Its biggest feature is the variety of goods; they have all sorts of weird stuff."
"Look at that potion seller over there. That bottle of 'Berserk Potion' on his stall is rumored to allow a beast pet to increase its Rank in a short period, but the side effects are extreme, and the Alliance strictly prohibits its circulation."
As he was explaining this, the crowd ahead suddenly became congested, surging in a single direction.
Waves of clamor and bidding sounds came from the center of the crowd.
"Why is it so lively up front?"
"It looks like something is happening at the Central Plaza."
Zhang Tianluo stood on his tiptoes to look.
Following the flow of people, the two squeezed their way into the black market's Central Trading Plaza.
A temporary platform had been erected in the center of the plaza.
A scantily clad, curvaceous Bunny Girl was using a megaphone to hype up the atmosphere.
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't miss out! The temporary mini-auction starts now!"
The area around the platform was packed with people, most of whom, like Bai Ye and Zhang Tianluo, wore various masks, obscuring their expressions.
"The first item up for auction! The Black Tortoise Shield, Elite Rank defensive equipment of excellent quality, crafted from the shell of an Elite Rank Demonic Beast, the 'Black Rock Tortoise'."
"Starting price, twenty million alliance coins, with minimum bids of one million."
As soon as the Bunny Girl finished speaking, waves of bidding immediately erupted from the audience.
The price climbed steadily, quickly surpassing eighty million.
Bai Ye watched from the side without much interest; that Black Tortoise Shield would likely be shattered by one of his full-power punches.
Equipment held little appeal for him; he'd rather acquire items that could increase his beast pet's Aptitude.
Suddenly, Bai Ye frowned, feeling several intense gazes sweeping over him.
The other party was hiding well, but unfortunately, Bai Ye was quite sensitive to being watched.
He turned his head casually, looking in the direction of the feeling.
On the edge of the crowd, several masked men were glancing toward him, intentionally or otherwise.
The masks were uniform black Ghost Faces, suggesting they were members of the same gang.
When Bai Ye’s gaze swept over them, they immediately diverted their eyes, pretending to watch the auction on the stage.
Had his true identity been discovered?
Aside from the Man in the Crow Mask, he hadn't interacted with anyone else in the black market.
The ones most likely capable of knowing his identity were probably the people who ran the black market.
To ruin their reputation for the sake of 180 million?
Had the head of the black market been kicked in the head by a donkey?
"Brother Zhang."
Bai Ye nudged Zhang Tianluo beside him subtly.
"What is it?"
Zhang Tianluo didn't turn his head, engrossed in watching the auctioneer.
"You need to leave here by yourself first."
Bai Ye lowered his voice and leaned into Zhang Tianluo's ear.
"The auction has just started."
"There might be danger soon. Listen to me: take that small path over there and find someone to guide you out of the black market immediately."
Although Zhang Tianluo didn't know what was happening, seeing Bai Ye's serious expression made him realize something was wrong.
He tried to look around, but Bai Ye instantly pressed down on his head.
This kept his gaze focused on the Bunny Girl.
"Are they coming for us?"
Zhang Tianluo's voice sounded strange as his face was squeezed by Bai Ye.
"They are coming for me," Bai Ye corrected him.
"If you stay with me, you'll only get in the way and be implicated."
Bai Ye gave him a push: "Once you're out, don't say anything, and don't report it to the Public Security Bureau. Just wait for me to return."
If Zhang Tianluo, an ordinary person, got involved in this trouble, he would surely be crushed.
In a world with supernatural powers, merchants were merely piggy banks for the strong.
Moreover, Zhang Tianluo had little capability himself, relying entirely on his father's support.
"Alright! Then you must be extremely careful!"
Knowing he couldn't help, he nodded heavily at Bai Ye, turned, squeezed into the crowd, and hurried toward the exit of the black market.
Watching Zhang Tianluo's back disappear around the corner, he turned back and refocused his attention on the men in Ghost Face Masks.
Those men didn't care about Zhang Tianluo at all; their target had always been Bai Ye.
They slowly began to close in on Bai Ye.
Meanwhile, the auction on the stage had reached its climax.
"The final auction item! The Energy Core of the Lord-level Materials, the Thunder Roar Lion, perfectly preserved! Starting price, one billion three hundred million alliance coins!"
The appearance of the Lord-level Materials instantly ignited the entire venue.
Hundreds of fervent gazes focused on the high platform, and frantic bidding sounds rose and fell, almost threatening to blow the roof off the underground cavern.
"One billion five hundred million!"
"I offer one billion six hundred million."
"One billion six hundred sixty-three million! Who dares to compete with me!"
In this frantic atmosphere, no one noticed the situation in the corner.
Several men wearing Ghost Face Masks formed a semi-circle, quietly blocking Bai Ye's retreat paths.
Bai Ye leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed, watching them calmly.
After the Lord-level Core was purchased by a mysterious private box for the astronomical price of one billion nine hundred thirty million, the auction concluded.
The fervent crowd began to slowly disperse.
The flow of people in the Central Plaza became sparse.
The men in Ghost Face Masks exchanged glances, stopped concealing themselves, and walked straight toward Bai Ye.
The leader walked up to Bai Ye, looking down on him, clearly not taking Bai Ye seriously.
Without a beast pet, a Beast Tamer's combat power was severely diminished.
They had previously watched the match recordings of the Sacred Dragon Cup Rookie King.
At least seventy percent of the Rookie King's explosive strength came from the assistance of his beast pet.
Without a Grass-type beast pet helping him condense Grass-type attribute energy, he couldn't possibly borrow his beast pet's skills.
"Friend, come with us."
"Where are we going? Do I know you?"
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow, asking knowingly.
"Stop wasting time. You'll know once we get there."
The man couldn't be bothered to explain, reaching out to grab Bai Ye's shoulder.
Bai Ye slightly shifted his body, easily dodging the man's hand.
"What if I say no?"
Under the pure black cat-face mask, Bai Ye's expression grew increasingly unfriendly.
He used Telepathy to sense their psychological surface.
Telepathy wasn't mind-reading; or rather, blue-Rank Telepathy couldn't achieve the ability to read thoughts.
But sensing their emotions was fine.
Their current emotions were anger, mixed with terror directed at someone else.
This meant these people were just small fry, and there were other masterminds behind them.
The man's movement froze; he hadn't expected Bai Ye, who didn't have his beast pet, to dare resist.
Seeing this, his companions immediately surrounded them, cracking their knuckles and wrists.
Bai Ye: "..."
Are you guys some sort of third-rate thugs?