"Shopkeeper, this boiled egg of yours doesn't taste very fresh. Has it been sitting around so long it's gone sour?"
He Ran complained as he ate, but his hands did not hesitate to take out the money and pay. Li Chen handed over a thousand as well.
The money was not really payment for an egg to eat, but for admission, something akin to a good-faith deposit.
If they subsequently participated in the auction normally, the corresponding amount would be refunded or deducted from their purchases.
Once their transactions reached a certain amount, they would even be recognized as honored guests, introduced to more merchants and trading channels, and allowed to arrange certain private, direct transactions.
Whatever happened, though, the shopkeeper took a cut as they passed through. That was how his people made their money.
The black market also had plenty of jargon specifically used to communicate with one another. Boiled eggs were a code name for Foundation Establishment Pills. He Ran had not actually tasted anything sour; he was asking the shopkeeper about the quality of his goods.
Buyers who picked faults were the serious ones. Seeing that He Ran and Li Chen had both eaten their boiled eggs and paid without hesitation, the shopkeeper smiled. "How could that be? They're all eggs laid by our own old hen, freshly boiled. You can eat them without a worry."
"Oh? You even keep your own laying hen?" He Ran paused, then looked surprised.
"Of course! A local free-range chicken is nothing like those birds penned up in cages! Still, this venerable lady may lay well, but she's a handful to look after. We're counting on you gentlemen to give us plenty of business. Otherwise, if the eggs don't sell, they'll really have to go sour."
Pill masters were divided