novelraw Chapter 1243 627: Watching the Fire from Across the River, Receiving Orders in Times of Crisis
Chapter 1243 627: Watching the Fire from Across the River, Receiving Orders in Times of Crisis
The sound of wailing drifted in the wind from afar, mingling cries and roars with crazed laughter and cheers.
Under the scorching sun, dust danced and swirled; within the frontline base, on the widened main street, people came and went, reminiscent of a bustling market.
It was even more exaggerated than a marketplace.
However, the faces on the street were clearly polarized—either looking somber as if they'd lost a horse, or ecstatic as if they'd just killed someone else's horse...
Going home empty-handed, escaping with one's life, or returning triumphantly with rich spoils.
Sometimes, the differences were just this drastic.
Some lay on stretchers, gasping and still able to laugh.
Because those unfortunate souls who couldn't make it back alive had long since perished in the wilderness...
In just a few days, after being attacked, the frontline base rapidly saw a revival, even more bustling than before. The previously outer boundaries expanded several times outward, and with the influx of a large number of outsiders, it now resembled a small town.
As a large gathering place geographically adjacent to the Forest Country, under the protection of the Heavenly Essence Law, it provided a peaceful rest point. With various business associations able to provide supplies, it naturally held the advantage of attracting people. As the Federation and the Empire gradually lifted the blockade from outside to inside, it was quickly becoming the gateway to the Forest Country.
The vast majority of Chosen Ones traveling long distances would rest here before entering the Forest Country, replenishing supplies and consumables, and making thorough preparations.
Similarly, the majority of Chosen Ones withdrawing from the Forest Country choose this frontline base as their first stop. Here, they can quickly replenish, claim bounties, and sell spoils, to maximize the conversion of all their gains into cash.
The hustle and bustle were only natural.
Making a fortune was naturally to be expected!
As the largest and earliest workshop to settle in the entire frontline base, now in this season, he found that all he needed to do was sit behind the counter with a stern face, and people would line up with smiles, eager to hand over their money.
In just a few days, the faces on the street changed like crops of leeks, one batch replacing another, dying and regrowing in turn.
Every leek grew with a look of wealth, a willingness to be ripped off, which was truly delightful.
"Well, quite a haul, huh."
When Ji Jue was called down by Yan Fei, he saw a waiting customer behind the table and a large bag full of stuff on the table, many items still stained with blood, not even washed.
Nobody was bothered to make a façade out of it; could one still accumulate virtue and perform good deeds in the Forest Country?
Where there's killing, there's death; when someone dies, there's an inheritance. As time passes, valuable items, like heavy metals in an ecosystem, gather among specific groups of people.
Not only that, there were also dedicated scavenger teams on the outskirts looking for these things to sell second-hand.
More than twenty pieces of alchemy creations, some new, some old, of various styles and ages. There were two Blessed Creations; ordinarily, it would be a big deal, but now it's just average.
Ji Jue sat down, didn't even look, holding a teacup, and asked, "Appraisal or recycling?"
"Could you please have a look first?"
The emaciated Legion member, with a hoarse voice and a bald head covered in tattoos, bushy reddish-brown beard, looking as though he had a murderous aura, managed a smile uglier than crying, lowering his posture.
Ji Jue couldn't be bothered with politeness, his fingers swept over the spread-out creations: "Trash, trash, trash, average stuff, hmm? This one's not bad... Well, all seen, not bad. If packaged together, it could fetch a good price."
The Legion member's eyes shone: "How much?"
Ji Jue raised his hand, showing five fingers, and told him, "Fifty thousand."
"... So low?"
The Legion member was suddenly taken aback, incredulous, frowning: "Mr. Ji, we've done quite a bit of trading before, you can't rip me off like this, can you?"
"What I mean is, given you're familiar, these things are free for me, and then, you give me fifty thousand Federation coins."
After taking a sip of tea, Ji Jue screwed on the lid, placed it by his hand, and slowly said, "Then, I'll tell you why I dare to charge you fifty thousand.
If you think I've got time to fool you, just pretend I said nothing, or you could try another place."
"..."
The expression on the Legion member's face subtly shifted, forehead veins bulging, clearly trying not to lose his temper but ultimately didn't dare.
After all, compared to other workshops where people, with ingratiating smiles, heartlessly slashed the price, taking treasures at garbage rates, Ji Jue's simply being upfront about low-price recycling still paying slightly below the Association's guideline price, you clearly know if you gain or lose, it was the best choice.
Moreover, in this trade, it's essential to have some discernment; even if choosing death, why cause a scene with the craftsman at the workshop...
Having pondered over it, he gritted his teeth, took out a credit card, and swiped it through the POS machine.
"Since you put it that way... please, give me some guidance."
So, Ji Jue reached into the pile of sundries and pulled out an antique-style bracelet, clenched his five fingers, and with a slight shake, a piercing scream erupted from between his fingers, a large amount of deeply ingrained malicious black spiritual essence turned into a wisp of black smoke, slowly ascending from the gap between his fingers.