When Li Wen walked out of the slightly old wooden door of the Quill Bookstore, the afternoon sun was no longer so dazzling, giving this secluded street a lazy golden color. She pulled her hood down to cover most of her face, while she was thinking about how to spend the next three days. The cooperation with the two Arcane Academy apprentices saved her a lot of unnecessary trouble. Now, she just needs to wait.
Just as she took steps to return to White Deer Inn, a dull but penetrating loud noise came from the other end of the street.
Boom——
Immediately afterwards, an energy storm mixed with dazzling electric light and dark purple flames suddenly spurted out from the second floor window of a seemingly ordinary shop, blasting a huge hole in the solid stone wall. Broken stones, burning wood, and various fragmented metal parts scattered like hailstones, slamming down on the street along with several short and shrill screams.
The whole street seemed to be shocked by this sudden change. The exclamations and screams of the pedestrians took half a beat to resound through the sky. They instinctively retreated, and the originally quiet and peaceful street fell into chaos.
Li Wen's footsteps stopped. She did not retreat in panic like the others. She just calmly sidestepped a piece of flying charred wooden board and stared indifferently at the shop that was still emitting black smoke and residual light of energy.
The riots did not stop there. Several strong figures jumped out from the blasted hole. Their bodies were shining with the light of various protective spells. They did not stop after landing and immediately ran away in different directions. Behind them, several strong men wearing black leather armor and masks also jumped down. After swearing a few times, they chased after the fleeing people.
For a moment, the narrow streets were filled with swords, swords, shadows, and spells. The collision of energy stirred up waves of air. Several innocent shops were affected, and the doors and windows were shattered, causing more people to scream.
Such riots in the hinterland of Royal Capital are undoubtedly a blatant provocation to the order of the kingdom. Less than a minute after the chaos broke out, a piercing warning whistle sounded from the end of the street. A team of at least ten people, law enforcers wearing Kingdom Investigation Bureau dark black uniforms, appeared quietly at the street intersection. They acted quickly and cooperated tacitly, without any unnecessary words. They just quickly blocked the entire block in an efficient and cold manner, trapping the extraordinary beings who were still fighting in the center.
"It's this kind of thing again." A lazy but melodious voice came from behind Li Wen. She turned around and saw a White Elf leaning on the door frame of the bookstore, arms folded, watching the farce in front of her with interest. Her silver hair looked like flowing moonlight in the sunlight, and her pointed ears twitched slightly. If Li Wen guessed correctly, this White Elf should be the manager of the "Quill" bookstore.
"Ever since those so-called 'strangers' came to this city, farce like this has never stopped." The elf shop manager shook his head, but there was a faint smile on his lips.
Li Wen was noncommittal, her eyes still focused on the besieged players. Investigation Bureau's strength is far beyond what they can contend with, and it is only a matter of time before he is caught.
The elf shop manager seemed to notice Li Wen's silence, and she took the initiative to explain, "That store is 'Raphael's Curio Collection', and it is not a serious place. On the surface, it is a shop that buys and sells some rare antiques and jewelry. But in Privately, he is a Black Market who specializes in providing gray services to some people. Some shady extraordinary materials, magic items of unknown origin, and even some powerful potions that are banned by the kingdom can be found there as long as you can afford the price."
Her eyes turned to the dilapidated shop, and a trace of imperceptible disgust flashed in her eyes.
"It is said that the reason why it has been able to exist safely in the heart of Royal Capital for so long is because it has the support of certain kingdom nobles. And their largest and most profitable business is a contraband called 'Taint of the Holy Moon'."
"Taint of the Holy Moon?" Li Wen whispered the name, and she suddenly became a little interested.
"That is an extremely terrifying potion." The elf shop manager lowered his voice a bit, and his eyes became cold. "It can give the user a short and strong sensory stimulation, and can even temporarily enhance the etheric perception of the extraordinary. But the price is irreversible addiction. Once contaminated, the soul will be corroded by it, and the mind will be corrupted. They will be distorted by it until they become completely slaves to desire, with no possibility of liberation. It is for this reason that the price of Black Market has always been high. A small bottle of Taint of the Holy Moon, which is less than 20 ounces, is enough to bankrupt a relatively wealthy middle-class family."
She chuckled lightly, and there was a bit of mockery in the laughter. "Those strangers who have no registered identity and don't care about the laws of the kingdom have taken a fancy to this. They often go in groups to steal, plunder, and even openly rob the magic potion. Although most of the time they end in failure, once they succeed, it is an unimaginable wealth."
"Since Taint of the Holy Moon is a banned potion, it is difficult to report it to the Investigation Bureau and let those guys come forward. In addition, those foreigners have the characteristics of immortality, so this is basically a business without a basis."
Li Wen nodded, which was in line with her understanding and imagination of the behavioral logic of some players.
"Since it is an illegal transaction, you can only admit that you are unlucky if you are robbed." Li Wen said calmly, and then asked, "But Investigation Bureau's people have already arrived."
"So, the rumors that there is support from a big noble behind that store are probably true." The elf store manager smiled, and his clear eyes seemed to be able to see through many things. "They may not, nor dare to, take the initiative to report the robbery to General Bureau of Investigation. After all, that would expose their own lives. Yes. But if they use the name of the Investigation Bureau to use some extraordinary people raised by the family to deal with these blind rats, that is another matter. Even if someone pursues it afterwards, they can just evade it and no one will investigate the life and death of a group of 'thugs'."
Li Wen glanced at the people in black robes, and could not tell the difference between these fakes and the genuine Investigation Bureau members.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at the White Elf store manager beside her, her eyes calm under the hood.
"So, why are you telling me this?"