Chapter 285 : Chapter 285
Chapter 285. Trouble Again
Malcolm carefully looked Fulan over, then revealed a smile and said, “You want this thing? Do you even know who we are?”
He pointed at the fiery red pointer hanging at his waist. He had snatched it from some unlucky fellow two hours earlier.
At the time, he had been on his way to a domain to hunt Spirit Realm travelers when their boss had suddenly called them over on an urgent basis, saying that a major matter needed to be discussed.
Only after arriving there did he learn that this time, they were going to raid Heart Lake Market.
There was a reason such an important piece of news had only been told to those carrying out the operation right before it began.
Although Malcolm had joined the organization relatively early, the boss was still closer to a few people with whom he had better personal ties.
So even though Malcolm’s position was fairly high, there were many matters in which he learned the details noticeably later than others.
As for why they had kept such news secret, it was because there was not just one Yellow-Robed organization.
Back when the Yellow-Robed model had only just become famous, quite a few imitators had already appeared. It had truly been utter chaos at the time.
There were Black-Robed People, Blue-Robed People, Red-Robed People—everything under the sun.
But nearly all of those organizations that used differently colored robes as their symbol collapsed within a few weeks of beginning their activities, because they found it too difficult to expand their numbers.
For organizations like theirs, the greatest problem was manpower, and that stemmed from the special nature of the Spirit Realm.
After robbing people a few times, many Yellow-Robed members would simply withdraw.
Then, after some time had passed, they would check whether anyone had put a bounty on them. If not, they would wash their hands of the matter and return to a respectable life.
If there was a bounty, and there was no way to remove it, then they could only walk down the dark road to the end.
Members like that would do a few jobs, earn a great deal of Spirit Crystals, and then begin to think about leaving.
As for leaders like Malcolm, they were careful never to kill those Spirit Realm travelers personally.
Instead, they let others do the killing, so that those Spirit Realm travelers would not be able to trace matters back to them.
Later on, those imitators discovered that as long as one put on a yellow robe, no one could really tell the difference. And a single set of clothing could be worn while working for several organizations.
For example, among Malcolm’s current subordinates, nearly half had worked for other organizations before. Malcolm knew that perfectly well, but after weighing various factors, he had not stopped them.
The reason they kept the news sealed was that they feared that those who had dealings with other organizations would hear that they were attacking Heart Lake Market and bring along members of several other groups to come here and claim a share of the profits.
That had already happened several times before. Those Spirit Realm travelers were a limited resource.
If you killed them and took the loot, then there would be almost nothing left for me. That was why they had to keep the news secret—to maximize profits.
Returning to the present, Malcolm lifted his gaze toward Fulan, his eyes full of amusement.
And Fulan answered him with a single sentence.
“This is a Spirit Realm market. We can conduct transactions with Spirit Crystals. Is that not perfectly normal?”
Malcolm seemed to think of something, then said, “That is right. This is a market...”
He reached out and stroked the Spirit Realm Guide Item at his waist. To be honest, while waiting earlier for the other side’s main force to get into position, Malcolm had already examined the item he had just acquired.
He felt that it was not particularly meaningful. Although it led to a domain he had never seen before—the Sun Domain—
In truth, however, this Spirit Realm Guide Item did not point directly toward any kind of trial or special building. So guide items that merely pointed toward some domain generally had little actual value.
As for the total number of domains in the Spirit Realm that Spirit Realm travelers had discovered and confirmed to be distinct, one recorded book put the number at roughly 1,341.
But on the very next day after that book was published, someone verified that around ten newly discovered domains were not recorded in it at all.
By now, people had completely lost interest in counting how many domains there really were in the Spirit Realm.
Although most Spirit Realm travelers would arrive at domains others had already visited, there were simply too many Spirit Realm travelers. There would always be a few who found new domains.
Malcolm had roughly memorized over a hundred domains, so encountering one he did not recognize was entirely normal.
If a guide item pointed only toward an unknown domain, and not toward a trial that offered rewards, then the value of that guide item would be drastically reduced.
In Malcolm’s view, such a Spirit Realm Guide Item simply had no value at all. Even if he listed it for a few milligrams of Spirit Crystals, he doubted anyone would buy it.
After all, everyone’s time was limited. People bought Spirit Realm Guide Items either because they pointed to a trial, or because the domain contained materials they needed.
And when Malcolm looked at Fulan, he guessed that she was the latter type. Most likely, that domain contained something she needed.
Faced with that situation, Malcolm came up with what he thought was a very interesting idea, and said,
“I took this from a Spirit Realm traveler. My luck was truly awful. When the loot was divided, this was the only thing I got.”
“But this guide item itself is not worth much. How about this—give me 100 grams of Spirit Crystals, and I will hand this Spirit Realm Guide Item over to you.”
Fulan was taken aback. She had assumed he would name an outrageous price, or simply refuse to trade with her at all. She had not expected him to seriously discuss the actual value of the guide item.
Objectively speaking, when others knew that you badly needed a guide item for a certain domain, they would usually seize the opportunity to drive up the price.
Not to mention 100 grams of Spirit Crystals—even raising the price starting from 1 kilogram would be normal. At that point, everything depended on your bargaining ability and the other party’s greed.
Fulan had not expected him to quote such a price. Given how badly she needed this guide item, it almost seemed too low.
She did not hesitate and said directly, “All right. Deal.”
Fulan immediately activated the ritual formation for an exchange, entered the amount of Spirit Crystals she would trade, and said,
“That is it. Take a look.”
After glancing at it briefly, Malcolm said, “No problem. Bring out the Spirit Crystals.”
Malcolm’s actions left the Yellow-Robed People under him completely dumbfounded. One of them leaned in close to his ear and whispered,
“Boss, did we not come here to rob—”
Malcolm waved a hand and said, “Since we are already here, selling off some unneeded goods from our bodies—is that not also one of the market’s functions?”
That Yellow-Robed Person said nothing further and retreated behind Malcolm.
After seeing that Malcolm had confirmed the contents of the ritual, Fulan did not waste time. She directly took out a standard 1-kilogram Spirit Crystal.
The moment Malcolm saw that standard-sized Spirit Crystal, his expression became extremely colorful.
It was like someone pulling out an entire gold brick in front of you in the Material Realm. It was simply too shocking.
But Malcolm also knew that although he was staring greedily at that whole “gold brick,” he could do nothing about it.
That was because the upper limit of Spirit Crystals that an apprentice-level guide item with the Plundering Attribute could plunder was 100 grams. Beyond that amount, nothing would remain behind.
After confirming the ritual, Fulan caused it to erupt with brilliant radiance. That was the sign of a successful exchange.
Then Fulan handed Malcolm the small piece of Spirit Crystal designated by the ritual. But when she tried to take the Spirit Realm Guide Item from Malcolm’s hand—
She saw Malcolm pull his hand back instead, refusing to give her the guide item.
“What do you mean by this?” Fulan could not understand what he was trying to do.
They had already completed the ritual. Even if neither side physically handed over their respective items, it would not matter, because the items being traded had already been anchored to both parties.
As long as Fulan returned to the Material Realm now, that Spirit Realm Guide Item would vanish from Malcolm’s hand and appear in her hand in the Material Realm. The Spirit Crystals in Fulan’s hand would do the same.
“Heh heh...”
A sinister smile stretched across Malcolm’s lips as he said smugly,
“Remember this in the future. Even if a Yellow-Robed Person is truly willing to trade with you, after the trade is over, why can he not just kill you and take another share of your belongings as well?”
The Yellow-Robed People beside Malcolm immediately understood what he meant. They gradually closed in on Fulan, and as they approached, delighted cries began to ring out.
That was Malcolm’s idea. Although he could have simply ordered his men to kill this fool who did not know his own limits, that would have gotten them at most 100 grams of Spirit Crystals.
But by setting up this trade first, Malcolm had directly doubled his gain—200 grams of Spirit Crystals.
Fulan looked at the Yellow-Robed People gradually surrounding her, all drawing weapons and pointing them at her. She merely raised an eyebrow and made no move at all.
She had already obtained what she needed, and in her eyes, this encirclement was not worth mentioning.
When these Yellow-Robed People had first arrived, she had already carefully examined their strength.
Every single one of them was a First-Tier Professional, but the aura around them was extremely weak.
That made sense. If a Spirit Realm traveler were truly powerful, then by simply taking part in trials, they could earn Spirit Crystals more safely and in greater quantities.
Among these Yellow-Robed People, there were perhaps a few whose personal strength was relatively impressive, but the vast majority were below average.
“Shorty, let us make a bet!!”
Malcolm’s voice carried a trace of delighted laughter.
“One of my subordinates has a special ability that can increase the drop rate of a certain thing on someone’s body.”
“And right now, he has locked onto this guide item.”
“Let us see what your luck is really like!”
“If it takes paying double the price—200 grams of Spirit Crystals—to walk away with the guide item you need, then that is not too terrible.”
“But if you get nothing at all and instead lose 100 grams of Spirit Crystals, then that is a serious loss.”
“Come on—let us test your luck!”