Chapter 432: Different (2)
Chapter 432: Chapter 386: Different (2)
‘Did the Seven Kills Association hold out? Or did they really hand over the goods in exchange for their safety? Or… have they found a new, more powerful backer?’
Li Sanli fell into deep thought.
Any of these possibilities meant the situation had changed in a way he hadn’t anticipated. And the unknown often meant risk.
‘I should test the waters.’
A sharp glint flashed in Li Sanli’s eyes.
…
The Netherworld Ship.
It was a converted Five-toothed Warship of immense size.
The hull was massive, over 400 feet long and nearly 90 feet wide, with an extremely deep draft. The ship’s structure was split into upper and lower sections.
The lower section held the sturdy, sealed cargo and propulsion holds. The upper section rose like a pagoda, tapering with each of its five stories. This grand pavilion, built with flying eaves and intricate brackets, was brilliantly lit. Viewed against the pitch-black marsh at night, it looked like a magnificent, mobile palace floating on the water.
A vessel this colossal couldn’t navigate many parts of the upper Lishui River, despite its ample waters. It could only sail freely downstream from Jiangkou, where the three rivers converged into a wide expanse, or in the depths of Thunder Shock Marsh.
Its immense size granted it unparalleled stability. Even when sailing on the marsh’s slightly choppy waters, the hull barely swayed. Walking upon its deck felt like treading on solid ground.
At this moment, the Black Market was just opening for business.
Dense lamplight shone from the windows of every floor, and the faint sounds of voices, clattering dishes, and haggling drifted out.
Chen Li, Bai San, Gossip, and Peng Anming crossed the gangplank and boarded the aquatic fortress.
The deck was extremely wide, like a small plaza, bustling with a lively crowd flowing back and forth.
Chen Li’s gaze swept across his surroundings.
The ship was sailing through the center of a vast body of water. In every direction, there was only the dark surface of the water and the faint silhouettes of reeds, with no shore in sight.
Chen Li was certain they were now in the heart of Thunder Shock Marsh.
Ever since boarding at Thunder Shock Pier, his Second Primordial Spirit had been hovering above the ship, observing its course and movements.
Now, his vast Power of the Primordial Spirit silently swept over the vessel.
The auras inside the ship were a chaotic mix, varying in strength and number. At least several hundred people were gathered here, including quite a few experts with Spirit Realm Cultivation.
With such a motley crew, trying to distinguish a specific target would be quite difficult.
However, on the fifth and highest floor of the pagoda-like structure, one aura was distinctly stronger than the rest, bearing the mark of a Divine Hall Grandmaster.
‘That must be where the Netherworld Ship’s resident expert is located.’
“Sir…”
Gossip sidled up to Chen Li and spoke quickly in a voice only their group could hear. “The two lower decks of this ship are for cargo and the crew’s quarters. We can only access the upper three floors. The first floor, the one right below this deck, is the largest. It’s for independent stalls, open to all sorts. The goods there are the most varied and the cheapest, mostly stolen items that can’t be sold in the open.
The second floor has shops rented by Black Market merchants with established connections. They mostly sell things explicitly banned by the Court. The quality is better, but the prices are higher.
The third floor is for distinguished guests only. They sell rare treasures there, and you can also post or accept special commissions.
The fourth floor is for major buyers and sellers to negotiate in private; it isn’t open to the public. As for the fifth floor… that’s where the owners stay.”
Chen Li nodded slightly.
He was in no hurry to act. He led the other three with the flow of the crowd into the Netherworld Ship’s first-floor trading area.
The space on this level was far more open than it appeared from the deck. It had clearly been renovated, with many unnecessary partitions removed to create one large, continuous hall.
The hall was brightly lit. All kinds of stalls were packed tightly along the walls and down the channels left open for walkways. Some were just simple cloths spread on the ground, while others had crude wooden racks.
Hundreds of people milled about, shoulder to shoulder. The air was a cacophony of haggling in various accents, and a wave of heat and noise washed over them.
To Chen Li’s surprise, the variety of goods on the first floor of the Netherworld Ship was dazzling, in some ways even surpassing Hidden Emperor Castle in its heyday.
As far as he could see, there were old weapons, jade artifacts, so-called Martial Arts Secret Manuals and Pill Formulas, cleverly designed Hidden Weapons, and elixirs or powders in various jars and bottles. There were even unknown Exotic Beasts snarling softly in cages. In a few remote corners, there were even cages covered with black cloths, inside which one could faintly see human figures huddled over. Next to them stood wooden signs that read: ‘Live Stock’ and ‘Human Chattel’.
Martial Arts Heart Methods, Divine Weapons, elixirs and poisons, antiques and rarities, even living humans and Exotic Beasts…
Chen Li turned to Gossip and asked, “The goods here seem more varied than at Hidden Emperor Castle, don’t they?”
Gossip replied in a low voice, “Back in the day, the Pig Emperor set a rule: you needed connections and a bit of power to become a merchant in Hidden Emperor Castle. After his screening, most who got in were Black Market merchants with stable supply lines. Their channels were more reliable, but the variety of goods was inevitably limited. After all, only the major factions have the ability to consistently acquire valuable stolen goods.”
He paused, glanced around, and continued, “The Netherworld Ship is different. To quickly build up traffic, they have almost no barrier to entry. As long as you pay a small stall fee, anyone can set up shop here.
That’s why you see all sorts of things for sale. A lot of it is obviously loot from unaffiliated Jianghu wanderers who’ve committed murder and robbery, or stuff acquired from tomb raiding. They get their hands on it and are just eager to offload it for quick cash. So naturally, the goods are a mishmash. You can find all kinds of strange things, but as for the quality…
It all comes down to your own judgment. Fakes, shoddy products, and items too hot to handle are everywhere. Plus, these vendors are fly-by-night. The ones here today might be gone tomorrow.”
Chen Li nodded, understanding the crux of the matter.
The Pig Emperor had pursued a more curated, standardized model, aiming for long-term stability and relative safety. But this inadvertently raised the bar, restricting entry for low-level individuals and skewing the goods toward large-volume, consistently available stolen items.
The Netherworld Ship, on the other hand, took a grassroots approach, welcoming all comers. In the short term, this could vastly enrich the variety of goods, attract a huge flow of customers, and create an illusion of prosperity. However, it also brought problems like difficult quality control, frequent disputes, and major security risks.
Both methods had their pros and cons.
Gossip added, “With the Pig Emperor’s system, though there might have been fewer goods, there was also less trouble. Everyone who got in had some background, and they could handle most of their own problems. They didn’t need the Black Market to constantly clean up their messes. The way the Netherworld Ship is now… it looks lively, but I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before something big goes wrong.”
Chen Li strolled slowly between the rows of stalls.
The so-called Divine Skill Secret Manuals on the stalls were mostly crude Outer Sect Skills or incomplete fragments pieced together. The rare few that contained a spark of True Intent were still fragmented and of limited value.
As for the elixirs, they were full of impurities and utterly useless to him. The Weapons and Armor were made of ordinary metal, even worse than the Iron Staff he had forged years ago.
His gaze lingered for a moment on a Sword Manual titled Autumn Water Sword Technique.
The Chen Family was indeed currently lacking a Superior Swordsmanship legacy.
But the origin of this item was undoubtedly illicit.
If he bought it for Cultivation and was later recognized by a disciple from its original Sword Sect, it would just be another needless complication.
He wasn’t afraid, but there was no need to get himself tangled in trouble for a Swordsmanship technique of unknown quality.
“Let’s go. We’ll check the second floor.”
Chen Li withdrew his gaze, no longer lingering.
To him, this floor was worthless. It was lively, yes, but held nothing he truly needed.
The four of them ascended the stairs to the second floor.
As they climbed the wide, carpeted staircase to the second floor, the atmosphere changed completely.
Unlike the boisterous, stall-packed first floor, the second floor was quiet and orderly.
The space was divided into individual areas separated by heavy curtains or carved wooden screens, each section serving as a storefront.
There were far fewer shops than on the floor below, but their decor was much more refined. The lighting was bright but soft, and the faint, high-quality scent of incense filled the air, masking other odors.
Chen Li’s gaze swept over the storefronts, but his brow furrowed slightly.
The scale of these shops was considerably smaller than the stalls of the major merchants in Hidden Emperor Castle back in the day.
This was especially true when he looked at a few shops with signs indicating they sold medicinal ingredients. He found their displays were even simpler.
They often had just a single counter at the entrance, with a few display shelves or medicine cabinets against the back wall holding some samples. The entire shop looked like it couldn’t possibly store much inventory.
For Chen Li, who needed to purchase medicinal ingredients in large quantities, this was clearly not good news.