Calamity Messenger

Chapter 181 - 142: Seven-Star Sword, Changle City (Part 3)

"Understood."

The Pharmacist’s Wish and her group entered Changle City, which was surprisingly lively, unlike the desolate outside. While it wasn’t exactly bustling, the streets were lined with shops, crowded with people, and there were frequent sounds of haggling between customers and shopkeepers. Roadside stalls selling pastries and food added to the vibrant atmosphere.

If Yan Qing hadn’t spotted several notorious names at a glance, she would have thought this was just an ordinary small town.

Upon closer inspection, the shops here were quite intriguing. For instance, a shop displaying ’Weapons’ had neatly arranged armors, heavy crossbows, and even jars of oil, all of which were strategic resources regulated by the military town. Another shop selling ’Tokens’ was filled with an entire wall of face covering armor and even rare tokens; additionally, evil ghost masks from Qi Kingdom and divine machine crossbows from Liang Kingdom were also available for sale. Military supplies, which usually required special connections to purchase in various nations, were readily available here, with the majority being tokens and armaments produced in Zhou Kingdom.

"These leeches..." The Pharmacist’s Wish’s voice was cold, her gaze unforgiving, "They even dare to sell rare tokens!"

Through the introduction by Pharmacist’s Wish, Yan Qing finally understood the special nature of Changle City.

Despite its infamous reputation, the Demon Path Evil Land was a place the Court couldn’t manage, which meant it was an unregulated zone. All manners of shady deals would take place in the Demon Path Evil Land, where the Demonic Messengers had significant demands for resources and sales of stolen goods, but no one dared to trade with them openly, thus giving rise to the black market.

Changle City was the black market under the protection of Shu Dao Mountain’s Demon Path. The bodies outside the city were proof that the Demon Path wasn’t joking; anyone daring to disrupt Changle City’s business environment would meet their demise. While they couldn’t manage outside Changle City, within the city even a Third-Turn Messenger had to mind their manners.

Without Changle City, Demonic Messengers might survive, but their quality of life would drastically decline. Merchants with backing also needed Changle City because here, they could acquire precious resources excavated by Demonic Messengers from the Secret Realm at a low cost. Additionally, the Shang Family could engage in fencing stolen goods, trafficking armaments, and trading intelligence.

The reason the Pharmacist’s Wish was so angry was because the tokens from Zhou Kingdom appearing here were undoubtedly embezzled by officials and sold to the black market, then reported to the Court under pretenses like ’damage’ or ’fire disasters.’

Meanwhile, Mansion Soldiers who truly needed the tokens might be losing their lives in the Secret Realm due to waiting endlessly for face covering armor.

Why did so many Mansion Soldiers pledge loyalty to Helan Que? Helan Que might not treat them extraordinarily well, but just ensuring that they received their rightful treatment was enough to earn the loyalty of many Mansion Soldiers to the Helan Family!

It’s precisely this group who enrich themselves by betraying their nation, thus leading to the downfall of Zhou Kingdom!

As the Pharmacist’s Wish and her group observed the surrounding shops, they also attracted many malicious glances. Despite their simple disguises, it was obvious from their figures that Wuqiu and Shidong were women, not to mention the young Rabbit Heroine. Their presence in Changle City was akin to four lambs entering a wolf pack.

Yet, whether it was due to the rules of Changle City or the fearsome aura of the Pharmacist’s Wish, no one dared approach them, though some trailed behind, watching like hunting dogs lurking in the shadows.

Wuqiu and Shidong shivered; the Pharmacist’s Wish said, "Don’t be afraid, we’re here."

"Yes, this Female Knight will protect you," Rabbit Heroine also said.

The two maids were instantly reassured, though for some unknown reason they gravitated more towards the Rabbit Heroine, leaving Pharmacist’s Wish a bit distressed—I’m a Third-Turn Messenger, aren’t you supposed to rely on me more?