The black market was crowded with people; the dim light of the oil lamps, combined with the chilly night air, gave it a ghostly atmosphere.
This was also He Caitou's first time here, and in an instant, he was attracted by the various rare metal ores on the side.
These rare metals were useless to Huo Yuhao, but for He Caitou, who loved dealing with Soul Tool every day, they were a fatal temptation.
Abundant rare metals mean he has ample resources to conduct his Soul Tool research. Especially for Soul Engineer like He Caitou who wants to break through to a higher level, he must constantly create Soul Tool and hone his skills.
As is well known, Soul Engineer is a very expensive profession, and the price of rare metals is also exceptionally high.
So even though He Caitou was envious, he didn't dare to be extravagant and book the entire venue.
He Caitou stopped in front of a small stall, casually fiddling with the rare metals and other trinkets on display.
Huo Yuhao followed them to the stall and subconsciously looked at the stall owner first.
The man was wearing a black robe that covered him completely. Even though his face was hidden behind a mask, he still used the robe to conceal his face. However, because there wasn't enough fabric, a long white beard was visible under his chin.
"Cough cough cough..."
The stall owner looked like an elderly man, leaning weakly against the corner of the wall behind him, coughing occasionally, and pounding his chest with his wrinkled hand. He looked very old, even giving the impression of being terminally ill.
The old man made no attempt to stop He Caitou from idly turning over the He Caitou.
After He Caitou had picked out several pieces of rare metal, the old man seemed to realize what was happening and looked at He Caitou.
As Huo Yuhao looked up, his eyes met those of the old man.
Unlike his apparent weakness, his eyes were exceptionally clear, even giving the impression that he could see through everything in the world.
Huo Yuhao didn't pay much attention to that, just glanced at him again, and then started searching for rare metals with He Caitou.
Huo Yuhao had just picked up a piece of rare, icy blue metal and was about to hold it up to examine it.
Just then, the old man's hoarse voice rang out, sharp yet indistinct, loud yet barely audible, "Young man... is there anyone you fancy?... If so, give me the money..."
As he spoke, the old man stretched out his wrinkled hand and tremblingly extended two fingers.
"Two hundred Gold Soul Coin? Old man, you might as well go rob someone; that's faster."
Huo Yuhao fiddled with a piece of rare metal, no bigger than a fingernail, in his hand, and frowned.
The old man coughed and said nonchalantly, "It's always been this price. If you think it's too expensive, young man, you can go somewhere else."
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes and threw the metal in his hand back.
Pay up? There's no way I, Huo Yuhao, would ever pay up. Two hundred Gold Soul Coin could buy my life.
He Caitou didn't complain about the price. After all, rare metals circulating in the market are strictly controlled. Even though he could use rare metals at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the quantity was extremely limited, so it was normal for the black market price to be high.
He picked out some rare metals and asked, "How much of these do you have?"
The old man chuckled, a slightly eerie sound, and a golden glint flashed in his eyes as if he had discovered a lucrative business opportunity. He said, "I have plenty of these, but I'm afraid you... can't finish them all."
He Caitou immediately followed up, "If I buy more, how much cheaper can you get?"
The old man's eyes darted around, and after a moment's thought, he said, "I'll give you a discount of twenty yuan per pound of rare metals; this price is already very reasonable."
He Caitou pretended to think, then looked around, not rushing to agree to the old man's words.
Seeing He Caitou's hesitation, the old man added, "Young man, you should know that my prices are the lowest in the black market. If it doesn't work, you can ask around..."
He Caitou shrugged and said, "Who knows? Besides, the rare metals you have here are all relatively common. How about this, ten catties of each of these ten rare metals, for a total of 150,000 yuan, how about that?"
As he spoke He Caitou pushed the pile of rare metals he had already selected in front of the old man.
Although the old man didn't buy much from the He Caitou and even bargained down the price, he didn't refuse immediately. Instead, he stared at the pile of rare metals, deep in thought, as if he hadn't made a sale in a long time.
Huo Yuhao didn't give him a chance to think, pressing, "Are you selling or not? If not, we're leaving."
After saying that, Huo Yuhao pulled He Caitou and prepared to leave.
Seeing that they were really about to leave, the old man quickly called out to them, "Young men, wait, let's discuss it some more..."
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow and said, "So you can't sell it, bro. Let's go."
He Caitou immediately cooperated and walked forward.
The old man sighed helplessly, waved to the two of them, and said, "Wait, I can sell it, I can sell it."
Huo Yuhao had returned to the stall at some point, chuckling, "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"
The old man's lips twitched. He took out the rare metal that He Caitou needed from his Storage Soul Tool, weighed it, and placed it in front of the two of them.
He Caitou happily took out the agreed price and handed it to the old man.
Just as they were about to leave, the old man's eyes lit up, and he spoke again, "Young man, come, come, are you looking for some rare, uncommon metal?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao knew that the old man definitely wanted to make another quick buck and was clearly not content with just this little bit of business.
He Caitou interested and asked, "Do you know where I can find it?"
The old man smiled and said, "Of course I know."
The old man held up three fingers, as if he were holding He Caitou, and said, "Thirty thousand Gold Soul Coin. I'll tell you where you can find them; it's a great deal."
"I'll look around and find the same thing." He Caitou nodded at him, clearly not intending to buy it.
"Hahaha, Old Tang, you call this information? You're selling it for 30,000? You could find out by asking around. Mingling Pavilion is going to hold a small competition later, and the winner will get 100 catties of special rare metal." The young stall owner next to him couldn't stand it anymore and directly mocked.
The old man, somewhat embarrassed, glared at him and said awkwardly, "No, no, no, don't listen to his nonsense. What I mean is, I can tell you what the theme of the competition is. You know, this is only revealed at the start of the competition."
Upon hearing this, He Caitou was momentarily tempted, looking at the old man with a mixture of belief and doubt.
The young stall owner said, "Oh, Old Tang, you know about this?"
He teased the Old Tang, then reminded Huo Yuhao and the other man, "You can try it, I don't know, heh."
After saying that, the stall owner started hawking his goods again.
"Well, how about it? Think about it?" Old Tang asked again.
He Caitou hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure? What if it doesn't match?"
Old Tang patted his chest and assured him, "My stall is right here, how could I run away? How am I supposed to make a living after that?"
He Caitou finally agreed to the deal. After all, if it was true, as long as the opponent wasn't too strong, he could basically get a considerable amount of rare metal for just 30,000, which was a worthwhile deal.
After paying, the old man whispered a few words in He Caitou's ear.
He Caitou and Huo Yuhao then hurried towards the Mingling Pavilion.