Corpse Preservation

They recognized the receipt, not the person.

That fit the Black Market's ways.

Some people came here to sell stolen goods, while others came to buy contraband. Everyone wore masks, so no one knew who anyone was.

Recognizing the receipt but not the person made sense.

But that also posed a problem. There was no way to determine whether the person coming to retrieve the item next time was the same one who had deposited it.

A conglomerate capable of growing this large should have a way to handle that.

"The Serpent Emblem Conglomerate spans the major kingdoms and wields considerable influence." Slyther glanced toward the second floor and continued, "You can think of it as the Adventurer's Guild of the underground world."

If the Adventurer's Guild was a platform under the sun, then the Serpent Emblem Conglomerate was an organization lurking in the shadows.

Its services were highly regarded by certain Specialized Professions and nobles, but its methods of operation also led many places to reject its presence.

"Let's go. We'll look around nearby. We need to head back before Closing the City Gate." Slyther had no intention of taking the two upstairs and continued browsing the stalls.

Wu Heng followed behind her, casually examining the goods on display as well.

After passing several stalls,

he stopped before one of them.

Weakening Ray

(Description: Launches a ranged attack at targets within range. On hit, inflicts the 'Weakened' effect.)

Corpse Preservation

(Description: Casts Necromantic Magic to delay the decay of a corpse or remains. After casting, the target can no longer be converted into an undead creature.)

They were actually two Necromantic Magic Skill Books.

"How much is this one?" Wu Heng asked, pointing at Weakening Ray.

"Thirty-five Silver Coins."

"And this one?"

"Fifty-five Silver Coins."

Neither Skill Book was cheap, and Corpse Preservation was even more expensive than Weakening Ray.

Wu Heng did not immediately decide to buy them. Instead, he casually looked over the rest of the stall.

Organ Jar

(Description: A container capable of preserving organs very effectively.)

Damn, something for preserving organs.

Who would buy this thing?

Infected Shroud (Wonder)

Effect: Covers the body and conceals one's form. Living creatures who use it will be infected with Corpse Poison sores.

(Description: The shroud removed by an Immortal Sage after awakening.)

Another Wonder. Wearing it could make the user invisible.

The downside was that living creatures could not use it.

It was rather useless.

He looked over the other items: a rust-covered shortsword, broken roof tiles.

In short, none of the things for sale looked like something a living person would use.

They looked more like things freshly unearthed from the ground.

"How much is this scrap cloth?" Wu Heng asked, pointing at the shroud.

"This is a Wonder. It lets its user conceal their form. Don't just make up names if you don't know what it is. One thousand five hundred Silver Coins," the owner said.

Wu Heng glanced at him but said nothing.

The price was sky-high, and the man had only mentioned invisibility, not the side effects on living creatures.

Wu Heng did not point it out. He had no intention of buying it anyway.

"I'll take these two Skill Books."

Wu Heng took out his Money Pouch and counted out the required Silver Coins.

The currency of this world was all Metal Coins, which could be inconvenient to carry in large quantities.

Too many of them got quite heavy.

The owner stretched out his gaunt hand, took the coins, checked the amount, and nodded. "Take them yourself."

Wu Heng picked up the two Skill Books and put them away.

As they continued toward the exit, Slyther said, "Wonders are different from Magic Items. If you see one again, make sure to ask about the price of using it."

"Mm, got it."

They continued wandering around.

Slyther bought Yuri a necklace Magic Item as a gift for coming to Blackstone Town.

It could heal injuries, with an effect similar to the bracelet among the items Ortluk had brought yesterday.

The little girl was clearly in a much better mood after receiving the gift. She even showed it off to Wu Heng a couple of times, no longer looking as if he owed her money.

They climbed into the carriage and returned to Blackstone Town.

Slyther's carriage had remained parked at the entrance. When the driver saw them return, he respectfully opened the Car Door and welcomed them inside.

That was just how things were.

Money earned respect in any world.

After returning to his residence,

Wu Heng opened the Portal and headed to the Zombie World.

He looked out through the window. A large number of Zombies had already gathered downstairs.

He did not see the Giant Mutated Zombie, so he could not determine whether it was still in the residential complex.

He reached out through his spiritual sea, and the ghost Xiaoxiao separated from him and appeared before his eyes.

She looked around.

"Xiaoxiao, check the area. See whether that huge monster and the gray giant cat are still nearby."

"Oh, okay!" Xiaoxiao nodded, passed through the wall, and disappeared.

Wu Heng reopened the study drawer and began searching through it.

At last, between the pages of a notebook he often used, he found the receipt he had taken from the Wanted Criminal.

On one side of the receipt was the image of a vicious snake head.

"Just as I thought. They're exactly the same."

The snake head on the receipt was identical to the one he had seen in the Black Market.

In other words, those Wanted Criminals had not come to him to avenge their companion. They had come more for this receipt.

They had stored something with the Serpent Emblem Conglomerate.

Only by carrying this receipt could they retrieve what had been deposited there.

The gains really did keep coming one after another.

As he pondered this, the ghost Xiaoxiao passed through the wall and flew back inside.

Her expression was somewhat grim as she said, "That monster is in that building. The gray kitty is already dead. It was terrifying."

Wu Heng followed her gaze.

Xiaoxiao was pointing at the building diagonally across from them.

Nothing could be seen from the outside, but since Xiaoxiao had said so, the Giant Zombie was inside.

This Mutated Zombie was no weak fighter. Combined with the dense Zombie Horde outside, it was hard to say who would win if they truly fought.

Even if he could win, he would likely have to pay a heavy price.

"Isn't this going to hold up my leveling?"

But there was nothing he could do right now. He could only hope that, with the gray cat dead, the Zombie would take the Zombie Horde and leave.

He drew Xiaoxiao back into his body and returned to Blackstone Town.

Early the next morning,

Wu Heng had just finished breakfast nearby when he saw a Guild staff member standing at the entrance.

Seeing him return, the staff member smiled and said, "Mr. Wu Heng, Captain Ortluk would like you to come over."

"Oh, alright."

He arrived at the Adventurer Team Lounge.

Only Ortluk was in the room.

When he saw Wu Heng enter, he continued, "There's a result regarding the Divine Punishment Cult's Level 12 corpse."

Wu Heng's expression turned serious. "What is it?"

Ortluk looked up at his expression and said directly, "The Blackstone Town Hall rejected your request to convert the Level 12 corpse, citing the Necromancer incident in Mining Village. At the same time, the steward believes this is not the time for you to possess a second Undead Retainer."

Hmm?

Wu Heng's brow furrowed even deeper.

In other words, not only did the Town Hall disapprove of his converting the Level 12 corpse, but the Guild did as well.

"The steward disagreed too?"

Steward Yazde had always treated him well, and Wu Heng had personally been recruited by him.

Their relationship should have been closer.

But even the steward had rejected this application. Was a Level 12 skeleton really that frightening?

Or was there some other reason behind it?

"What will happen to that corpse?"

"Tonight, an Adventurer Team and the Blackstone Town guard will incinerate it together."