Entering the City

After hurtling down from the mountain peak, Xiao Ming approached the pitch-black city gate in just over ten minutes.

As he drew near the city gate, Xiao Ming gradually slowed down, eventually proceeding on foot. He joined the flow of people and quietly waited for the line to enter.

Perhaps because Black Mark City was about to hold an auction, the flow of people here was especially heavy.

Besides scattered independent travelers, Xiao Ming also saw many convoys flying the banners of merchant groups.

The one directly in front of Xiao Ming was such a merchant convoy. It was fairly large, with roughly a hundred people.

Among them, the strongest was only at the Dou Shi level.

To dare do business in the chaotic Black Corner Region with such strength, the owner of the merchant group seemed to have a few screws loose.

But that was not the case. The Black Corner Region's lower classes were actually much like those of the Jia Ma Empire; they were all ordinary people.

Though the people here were more bloodthirsty and less principled,

their talents were more or less the same. A Dou Shi might well have been the highest point they could reach in their entire lives.

In the Black Corner Region, a Da Dou Shi truly counted as a minor expert.

For merchant convoys traveling in groups like this, as long as they did not encounter a large band of mounted bandits in the wilderness, they were actually quite safe.

And in most major cities monopolized by powerful factions, as long as they paid those factions enough money, they would not suffer the miserable fate of having their goods robbed and their entire convoy slaughtered.

The people of the Black Corner Region did not engage in production. These merchant convoys had contributed greatly to the region's continued prosperity.

Since they could bring in steady profits and increase vitality, the factions in these cities were not foolish enough to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

Of course, nothing was absolute.

All of this was contingent on you not possessing anything too valuable. Otherwise, the Black Corner Region would not live up to its reputation as the most chaotic region.

Standing behind the convoy's carriages, Xiao Ming raised his head to look at the enormous, jet-black city wall. His gaze swept over the three words, "Black Mark City," inscribed above the center of the city gate.

His line of sight slowly lowered, finally stopping on the dozen or so men in fitted black clothing stationed at the gate.

They seemed much like the city guards of the outside world. Anyone entering had to pay them a hefty entrance fee.

If such an entrance fee were imposed in an ordinary empire, it would probably directly trigger a riot.

Yet in the Black Corner Region, it was simply commonplace, practically a local specialty.

"Get the hell out of my way! Stop hopping around in front of me, you little shit!"

Just as Xiao Ming was observing this city with its highly typical Black Corner Region style, a furious curse suddenly rang out not far ahead of him.

Xiao Ming shifted his gaze and saw that a Bald Big Man, perhaps tired of waiting, had grabbed a Thin Man in front of him by the collar and lifted him up with one hand.

"Ah..." The moment the Bald Big Man finished speaking, the Thin Man he had lifted suddenly twisted around, and a dagger swiftly slipped from his sleeve.

The dagger flashed with Cold Light as it viciously stabbed toward the Bald Big Man's throat. Fortunately, the latter reacted quickly and hurriedly pulled his neck back. The dagger missed its mark, piercing half an inch below his throat instead. Blood immediately spurted out, and a shrill scream burst from the Bald Big Man's mouth.

After severely injuring the Bald Big Man in a single strike, the Thin Man gave his body a twist and, like a loach, slipped out of his clothes. He then rolled headfirst into the bushes to the side and Disappeared.

"Bastard! I'll tear you apart!"

His eyes bloodshot, the Bald Big Man yanked out the dagger and, having Lost Reason, charged headlong into the bushes as well. A long while later, a scream identical to the earlier shriek came from within the bushes. Only then did it gradually fade away.

Standing atop the carriage frame, Xiao Ming watched the patch of woods with an indifferent expression.

From that final scream, he knew the Bald Big Man was Afraid It Will not survive.

He had witnessed dozens of similar incidents over the past ten days.

At first, he had found them novel. After all, the Bald Big Man was far stronger than the Thin Man, and the gap between them was enormous. For the Thin Man to Defeat the Strong with the Weak was indeed worthy of praise.

But after seeing too many of them, Xiao Ming had come to take such things in stride.

The rules of the Black Corner Region were that there were no rules. Thus, one must never judge people here by appearance or apparent strength. Every year, people like the Bald Big Man died in such numbers that their corpses could nearly fill an entire city.

After all, those who could survive in the Black Corner Region were no ordinary lot. Every one of them was an Old Scoundrel.

Elsewhere, if you were not ruthless, you could not stand firm. Here, if you were not ruthless, you could not live.

The fight between the two earlier had been nothing more than a minor interlude. It merely gave those waiting in line something to watch, and few people offered any remarks about it.

The line moved forward slowly. After waiting nearly half an hour, it was finally the convoy In Front Of Her turn.

When the convoy reached the city gate, its leader quickly handed over a large bag of Gold Coin.

Xiao Ming had sharp eyes and clearly saw that while handing over the large bag of Gold Coin, the man had concealed a smaller pouch in his hand.

The indifferent Black-clothed Man Took Over the Gold Coin and casually weighed them. His expression softened slightly. Without wasting any words, he waved his hand and allowed the merchant group to enter the city.

Once the convoy left, it was Xiao Ming's turn.

Standing before the crowd and unwilling to cause trouble, he followed their example and stuffed Gold Coin to the Black-clothed Man Before Their Eyes.

The Black-clothed Man weighed the small pouch in his hand. Seeing that Xiao Ming was alone, he said nothing and casually waved a hand, signaling that he had passed and should get inside quickly.

Walking slowly along the street, Xiao Ming's eyes continually swept over the shops lining both sides.

To be honest, the Black Corner Region was truly far too chaotic, especially these large cities.

He had only walked less than a hundred meters after entering the city, yet he had already witnessed no fewer than ten brawls, even incidents of people drawing blades and fighting to the death.

Could shops operating in such a chaotic environment really make money?

Without some strength, they would probably be robbed every day.

Shaking his head, Xiao Ming sidestepped a severed hand flying toward him and stopped thinking about such trivial matters.

Instead, he began planning what to do next.

He had successfully entered Black Mark City. The secret realm would open tomorrow, so he should Find A inn for the night and Set Off early tomorrow.

However, before looking for an inn, he still needed to prepare for entering the Black Region Great Plains, such as obtaining a map.

Without a map, Xiao Ming feared he would not be able to find his way out of the Black Region Great Plains.

Avoiding several bloody fights on the streets, Xiao Ming turned past two street corners. After walking for nearly twenty minutes, his wandering gaze finally stopped on the signboard of a small shop. On the pale red plaque were three ancient characters: "Cartography Pavilion."

There should be a map of the Black Region Great Plains here, right? Xiao Ming murmured inwardly. He quickened his pace and entered the small shop, which looked as though it received few visitors.

Only after entering did Xiao Ming discover that the shop was not as cramped as it appeared from outside; there was more to it within.

The fairly spacious interior was lined with neatly arranged wooden shelves, and maps of various colors were displayed on each one. At the moment, several people stood before these shelves, their noisy conversations continuously echoing through the room.

Clearly, this shop was not exactly bustling with customers, but it did have a few.

Tomorrow's update will probably be a little later, because I have no saved chapters left.