Chapter 469 Money Speaks
Chapter 469 Money Speaks
The black market was filled with a sense of mystery and disorder, and it seemed like it wasn't constrained by the legal authorities.
The moment Jonathan and the others entered the place, mysterious and evil-looking salesmen quickly approached them. A skinny man grinned at Jonathan and whipped out a magic gem. “My friend, this is an incredible magic gem. Are you interested? It'll only cost you one hundred.”
Jonathan was amused. “Just one hundred for your magic gem? Wouldn't you be making a loss?”
The skinny man let out a dry laugh and replied, “I don't know the origin of this magic gem, so I'm simply eager to sell it off. Do you want it, my friend? This is a golden opportunity. You won't find a better deal than this. The rest of the sellers here are going to want at least a thousand per magic gem, and theirs are far more inferior.”
“Oh, I'm not interested!” Jonathan declined decisively. “After all, I don't know magic. Why would I need it?”
“You...” Disappointed, the skinny man shook his head and left.
“One hundred for a magic gem, yet you're not tempted at all? What if it's a real magic gem? That could be a splendid deal!” Torrence uttered.
“It's obviously a fake. Think about it. Would he give it up to us if it were real? There's no free lunch in this world. Quit trying to take advantage of others. Greed will get you scammed one day!” Jonathan advised.
“Oh, please. Spare me the moral lesson.” Torrence rolled his eyes.
Jonathan chuckled. “I'm merely sharing the lessons I've learned in life lest you get conned.”
While Torrence ignored Jonathan, Yeverie couldn't help chuckling.
Shortly after, another young seller approached them and asked, “Hey! I have a beautiful elf for sale here. I'll give it to you at a discount—just one hundred! Are you keen?”
The second seller looked as evil as the first one.
“How beautiful is the elf?” Jonathan immediately smiled.
That young man became excited at once. “Elves are all well-loved by the Heavens! Naturally, they're enchanting.”
“Alas, I wish I could get one! Your price is reasonable, but it's a pity that my wife is with me, and I can't do such a thing in front of her!” Jonathan responded in a helpless tone while wrapping his arm around Yeverie's shoulders.
That young man's face fell in disappointment.
Seeing that, Jonathan pointed at Torrence and added, “Having said that, this guy here is single. You can sell your elf to him.”
The latter was instantly rendered speechless.
Without further ado, that young man approached Torrence enthusiastically, but the latter firmly rejected the offer. In the end, that young man could only leave helplessly.
Somewhat annoyed at Jonathan, Torrence urged, “We should be keeping a low profile, no? Why are you bringing so much attention to us? If you keep this up, Theos will locate us in no time.”
“Don't you know that even if we were to stay quiet, Theos would still find us?”
“What's your plan, then?”
“Follow me, and you'll soon find out.” Suddenly, Jonathan pointed at a tent on the left. “Hey, look! Isn't that a pop shop?”
“What's a pop shop?” Confused, Torrence followed the man's line of sight. “That's called a pawnshop!” Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
“Jeez, aren't those two words synonymous? You're so dumb!” With that, Jonathan walked toward the pawnshop.
The place was filled with all kinds of lanterns, so it was rather bright inside.
Its owner was a scrawny man in his forties, dressed in a long black robe, and had a calculator in his hand.
Upon entering the pawnshop, Jonathan placed a magic gem on the counter and queried, “Sir, how much do you think this is worth?”
The shop owner took an indifferent glimpse at Jonathan before picking up the magic gem. Immediately after, his expression changed faintly. “Three thousand!”
Jonathan was a little taken aback. This magic gem is unquestionably top-notch! Indeed, how could Mr. Moose's stuff be inferior?
Knowing that the magic gem was valuable, he smiled faintly. “Looks like you're not being sincere in this deal, huh? It's all right. I'm not pawning it anymore.”
A sheepish look appeared on the shop owner's face, and he quickly responded, “Ah, seems like you know your magic gems! All right. I'll be straight with you, then. Your magic gem is excellent. The highest I can go is eight thousand.”
“Ten thousand at the minimum! Otherwise, no deal!” Jonathan countered.
“Sure!” the shop owner accepted the offer unhesitatingly.
D*mn it! Jonathan grimaced. This is the worst feeling one can get during a haggle. It seems like I underpriced the magic gem. What a shame! Despite his thoughts, he didn't bother to dwell on it and looked back at Torrence instead. “Is ten thousand enough for us to spend?”
The latter rolled his eyes. “Ten thousand can last a family three centuries.”
As such, Jonathan said to the shop owner, “Okay, you got yourself a deal. However, I also need you to find three sets of clothes for the three of us. It must fit us. Will that be okay?”
“Certainly!” the shop owner answered without the slightest hesitation.
“No new clothes, though.”
“Got it!”
The trio spent around half an hour in the pawnshop to get everything sorted out.
Subsequently, Jonathan left the pawnshop contentedly with ten thousand and three sets of clothes.
“Now that we have the clothes, let's get out of this black market as soon as possible. I'm worried someone is already onto us,” Torrence voiced.
“I doubt it. This lawless place is filled with people from all walks of life. With all these weirdos around, we won't be spotted as long as we don't stick out like a sore thumb,” Jonathan said.
“Even so, we should leave this place. The earlier, the better.”
“Calm down. I still have something to do here.”
That intrigued Yeverie and Torrence. The latter asked, “What is it?”
“You need to buy yourself a fine sword!” Jonathan replied.
Torrence froze momentarily. “That's true.”
“All right, then. You go ahead. I have something else to do.” Jonathan then gave Torrence the storage ring with money in it.
“Why aren't we sticking together?” The latter was perplexed.
“Aren't you worried about being spotted? If we split up, it'll be harder for Theos to track us down.” Jonathan chuckled.
Understanding dawned on Torrence. “Okay, then.”
Before Jonathan left with Yeverie, he withdrew around fifty from the storage ring, then bade Torrence a temporary farewell.
Both parties agreed to meet outside the black market afterward.
Right after the three split up, Jonathan and Yeverie continued forward and arrived in front of a clothes shop. He looked at the chubby female shop owner and inquired, “Ma'am, may I get some information from you?”
“If you aren't buying clothes, buzz off! I don't have the time to entertain you!” That chubby woman was irked.
In response, Jonathan laughed and placed a handful of money on the counter. “Would you like to reconsider?”
The woman's eyes lit up at the sight of the money, and she grabbed them right away. “What information do you want? I'll tell you whatever I know.”
“Well, I'd like to know if there's an informant around this area. I have things I want to look into.”
The woman heaved a sigh of relief and answered, “Oh, I see. If that's the case, you've come to the
right place! Let's go. Since you've given me so much money, I'll personally lead you there. Otherwise, you definitely won't find the place!”
“Thank you so much!” Jonathan flashed a smile.
Soon, the female shop owner, Jonathan, and Yeverie arrived in an alley-like area. There were tents in there as well, but the place gave off an eerie and sinister vibe.
The shop owner led the couple to one of the huge black tents. “This is it. As long as you have money, you can get whatever information you need.”
After Jonathan thanked her for the second time, she turned to leave.
Meanwhile, the door to that black tent was left open, revealing two listless-looking employees sitting before the counter. Behind them were countless stacks of files and folders.
The moment Jonathan and Yeverie entered the tent, the employees perked up. One of them, who was known as Thirteen, spoke up. “Welcome! Have a seat. What would you guys like to know?”
“Sorry, I can't tell you what I want to know. But I have something special.” Jonathan whipped out his last magic gem smilingly. “This is my humble gift for your boss. I hope you two can lead me to meet your boss in person.”
Thirteen took the magic gem and inspected it carefully, his countenance immediately changing. He ordered his colleague, “Serve our esteemed guests some coffee!” After a pause, he said to the couple, “I'll inform my master right away. Please wait here.”
“Sure!” Jonathan beamed, and Thirteen left briskly.
While the duo waited, the other employee served them a pot of hot coffee.
Yeverie couldn't help feeling curious. What is Mr. Lawson trying to do? This magic gem is precious, no? Why is he giving it away so casually?
Still, although her curiosity was piqued, there were outsiders around now, so she didn't question Jonathan on the spot.
A while later, Thirteen returned and said, “Hello. This way, please.”
The couple rose to their feet and followed Thirteen into another tent.
As they moved forward, they noticed that multiple tents had been connected, forming what seemed like a massive residence.
Along the way, they also saw all sorts of luxurious items being displayed.
At the same time, the floor was laid with fluffy gold thread carpet.
Promptly, Jonathan and Yeverie arrived in a bedroom with dim lighting.
As soon as they entered, a black divider in the middle came into their view.
“Dear guests, my master is behind this divider. Please pardon us, but this is how my master sees his clients,” Thirteen stated.