Not That High

Section 5: Not That High

A streak of light flashed past.

When Wang Wen's other foot stepped through the portal and touched the ground, he was already standing before the World Tower.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up at the towering structure before him, the familiar feeling seeming as fresh as yesterday.

Behind him lay the Grand Plaza, bustling with people. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Tower Climbers from all over the world gathered here. Some wanted to form pickup teams outside the tower, some hawked or exchanged information, and some emerging small organizations came to recruit members.

Yet the short stretch ahead of him was exceptionally quiet.

Even though people of different skin colors and attire stepped out of portals from different areas every second.

Some entered the tower, while others turned and headed for the Grand Plaza.

People seemed to hold a special reverence for the tower's entrance and were unwilling to crowd around it.

The only time congestion might occur was at the beginning of each week.

Most people preferred entering the tower early in the week, lest they run out of time and have their climbing progress forcibly reset despite still having strength left.

None of that had anything to do with Wang Wen.

He scanned the surroundings but didn't see Cheng Queyi.

Shaking his head inwardly, he left the World Tower's entrance and turned into the Grand Plaza. His target was the people lingering there.

Those people who "exchanged" information.

He approached a burly man in a leather cap and fur coat who looked rather wealthy. Wang Wen adjusted his mask and said quietly, "Friend, interested in some information?"

"Get lost, get lost, get lost!"

To his complete surprise, the fur-clad man merely glanced at Wang Wen. Without even the slightest interest in listening, he impatiently waved him away. "What's a little brat like you joining the fun for? Go play somewhere else."

Wang Wen lowered his head and looked at his own build.

He was admittedly rather thin and frail at this point in time, but not enough to be mistaken for a child, right?

He smiled without explaining and walked away.

Giving information to someone who couldn't even judge people properly would be a waste. Who knew? He might die before he ever got to use it.

He continued wandering around the plaza.

He didn't head farther out, toward the clusters of people with different skin colors in other areas.

He was an all-round Tower Climber and naturally understood a bit of every language, but that was mainly for Scientific Deciphering. It wouldn't do for business negotiations.

In business, money mattered more than life. One wrong decimal point could lead to eternal ruin.

He also had no money at the moment to buy an expensive real-time translation device, so he could only search for a suitable target among people of the same skin color.

But the businessmen among them...

Aside from the fur-clad brute from earlier, everyone else looked ragged at a glance, as though they wanted to paste the words "broke pauper" right onto their foreheads.

They really knew how to put on an act, didn't they?

Wang Wen, who had returned from twenty years in the future, knew full well that the First Consortium was in the east. There had to be personnel they had sent to gather intelligence in this area.

Would people from the First Consortium be paupers? Anyone who believed that ought to donate their brain.

Wang Wen walked up to a sharp-faced fellow and said softly, "Friend, interested in some information? Cheap."

The "sharp-faced" man turned around with an exaggerated expression. "Brother, don't joke around. Do I look like someone who can afford to buy information? I sell information!"

He paused, then added mysteriously, "But I've been selling it for years, so I've got a few connections. If you really have information, let me hear it. If the goods are good, I can help you reach some channels and find a rich patron."

"Stop pretending." Wang Wen looked around, then leaned closer and gestured downward with his eyes. "Were you in a rush when you left today? The uniform of the Lower Group leader from the First Consortium's Intelligence Department is showing. Didn't expect you to be an official."

"What?" The sharp-faced man followed Wang Wen's gaze and looked down. "Huh? Hey, hey, hey?!"

As he stuffed his clothes back into place, he stared at Wang Wen as though he'd seen a ghost. "Not bad, kid. You've got some skills. You know us this well? Who are you?"

"I sell information. What else would I live on if not insight?" Wang Wen replied blandly. This time, he only intended to trade some low-floor information for pocket money. At most, it would be a little obscure. He didn't dare sell anything too high-level, and no one would believe it anyway. Good information wasn't traded in a place like this.

Tower climbing progressed step by step. A normal person would become famous across the world after reaching two or three hundred floors. If an unknown person suddenly produced information from the five-hundredth floor, who would dare believe it?

The sharp-faced man quickly tucked his clothes away, pulled Wang Wen to a secluded spot, and nodded. "I'm a little interested in what you've got now. Let me introduce myself again. I'm Luo Shan. Since you recognize the First Consortium, you should know our prices are fair. We won't cheat you. Show me what you've got."

"Hello, Team Leader Luo." Wang Wen asked curiously, "What price does information usually go for now?"

Luo Shan gave him a strange look. "Aren't you selling information? Why ask me what it costs?"

"I'm asking what your group pays for it," Wang Wen said.

"Same as market price." Luo Shan chatted at an unhurried pace, refusing to reveal any numbers.

Wang Wen smiled.

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "To tell you the truth, this is my first time selling information. I don't know the market."

"Good!" Luo Shan slapped his thigh and laughed along with him. "Then I'll tell you the truth too. You can find out market prices just by asking around. Information below the hundredth floor goes for one to five thousand. Around the two-hundredth floor, it's about fifty thousand. Above the two-hundredth floor, we don't discuss it here. We'll have to change locations. You choose the place, and I'll set the time. So, which floor are you from?"

"Oh, not that high." Wang Wen modestly waved a hand. "It's only information about the 69th Floor. I'll tell you the first half, and you can take it back and see what it's worth."

"You're worrying too much, brother. I can make the call on information below the hundredth floor myself. No need to go back and discuss it." Luo Shan raised his head somewhat proudly.

"I suggest you ask anyway." Wang Wen smiled mysteriously. "Listen carefully. My information is this: the fastest solution sequence for the Disordered Mechanism on the 69th Floor isn't to start with Three Arrows, but with the Five-Finger Map."

Luo Shan initially still wore a confident smile.

He repeated, "69th Floor" and "Disordered Mechanism" twice under his breath.

His expression immediately turned grave, and he couldn't help asking, "Start with the Five-Finger Map? What comes after that? The margin for error is even lower with five directions!"

Wang Wen simply watched him silently.

Luo Shan froze slightly.

Then he realized his lapse.

What came after that? That was precisely the item the other party was waiting to sell at the right price.

A thin sheen of sweat suddenly formed on his forehead.

He gave Wang Wen an inconspicuous look and smiled. "Fine, fine. I didn't expect it to be the 69th Floor of the Life Reaper. It's one of the few valuable ones below the hundredth floor. Little brother, you're lucky! Wait here while I make a call and ask my superiors."

Wang Wen extended a hand, signaling him to go ahead.

Luo Shan chuckled twice, turned around, and took off running.

He ran to a group of people some distance away, muttered something to them, and pointed at Wang Wen.

The crowd stirred for a while. Then two people split off and walked this way expressionlessly.

As they slowly approached, Luo Shan shrank back into the crowd and didn't show his face again.

Wang Wen narrowed his eyes.