Chapter 81: Secret Realm · Thieves' House: Second Case
Midday, Thieves' House.
There was still so ti left before the eting, but all the thieves had already gathered. dicine Master Wen pulled out a chair and sat down, resting her elbows on the table, fingers interlaced, and her head slightly lowered. Even with a mask on, everyone could tell from her body language that she was saying, “I’m very displeased.”
Normally, no one would dare provoke her in such a mood, but hearing her constantly stomp her foot and watching her anger level rise, it was obvious she wouldn’t feel better unless she vented. Ying Ru Shi had no choice but to ask, “Black Wolf, did sothing happen? Let guess... did you fail to snatch the blade technique manual?”
“Those damn rchant dogs!” dicine Master Wen slamd the round table in fury, gritting her teeth. “Their entire households should be raided and every coin of theirs stolen… How dare they reach for sothing like a manual—a strategic resource! Are they seeking death?!”
“I wanted to buy one too, but even the cheapest was over five thousand Spirit Jade, and I was embarrassingly short on funds,” said Ying Ru Shi with a laugh.
Hearing this, dicine Master Wen's mood improved considerably. She muttered angrily, “It’s not that I’m short on money. I just refuse to play the fool and waste so much Spirit Jade on a Basic Blade Technique manual. There might be more auctions in the future—did any of you see that manual auction anywhere else?”
“Yes, of course. After all, there are seven or eight trading boards in the main city, one at each of the four gates and others along key routes. It’s hard not to see it.” Ying Ru Shi remained cautious, without disclosing any specifics. “There was always a crowd in front of each board. Who knew there were so many rich people?”
“Trading boards, huh... that's a fitting term,” dicine Master Wen mused. “No wonder the final price skyrocketed to such absurd heights. Most likely, everyone from all three main cities could participate in the auction.”
Out of nowhere, Shang Xinlei said, “I bought one.”
Ying Ru Shi was quite surprised. “I rember even the cheapest one was over ten thousand Spirit Jade... Red Snake, you’re really willing to splurge.”
dicine Master Wen had the distinct feeling that Shang Xinlei was deliberately showing off her wealth and felt rather annoyed.
Just then, Yan Qing couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Why would so many people willingly pay such high prices for a basic manual? It’s not even a token, just a manual.”
As expected, the mont Yan Qing asked this, everyone looked at him with bewildered expressions, as if he had just asked whether Coca-Cola or Pepsi tasted better—one of those self-evident, foolish questions. But Yan Qing’s curiosity was uncontrollable. Even at the risk of breaking his character, he had to ask.
“Explaining this is a bit tricky,” said Ying Ru Shi in return. “How about you tell us why you think a token is worth more than a manual?”
Even though he knew Ying Ru Shi was testing him again, Yan Qing still answered earnestly, “Because a ssenger needs a token to unleash extraordinary power, whereas a manual at best can turn an ordinary person into a ssenger, and not even necessarily.”
“So in your eyes, if the token is the weapon, then the manual rely transforms an ordinary person into a soldier.” Ying Ru Shi continued, “Do you think the weapon is more important than the soldier?”
Yan Qing raised an eyebrow. “That analogy doesn’t hold. Without a spear, a soldier can still fight with pitchforks, bamboo sticks, or stones. But a ssenger without a token is just an ordinary person.”
Unexpectedly, Yellow Dog seed well-educated, perhaps even trained in logical debate… A flurry of thoughts passed through Ying Ru Shi’s mind before she continued, “Then let put it this way: do you think there are more tokens in the world, or more manuals?”
“Of course, more tokens. Manuals are single-use,” Yan Qing replied. “And those who use a manual can’t use the sa one again, so people who need manuals…”
He trailed off mid-sentence. Ying Ru Shi smiled and said, “You’ve realized it, haven’t you? No matter how many manuals a Secret Realm produces, they’re always in short supply. Even within the factions that control the Secret Realms, internal supply can’t et demand. Many risk life and limb just to earn the right to purchase one.”
“Thirty percent fatality rate,” dicine Master Wen added coolly. “That’s the casualty rate of soldiers in a Second-Stage Military Camp Secret Realm that can stably produce manuals. Though they can pull in First-Stage ssengers from other camps, how can cultivation keep pace with rapid deploynt? Second-Stage Military Camps often allow soldiers to exchange rit for manuals, so once they undergo Job Change, they can imdiately contribute as combat force in Secret Realm offensives.”
Yan Qing clicked his tongue. Soldiers had to fight to earn rit, spend that rit to buy manuals and upgrade, then qualify for even fiercer battles… And yet, even under such brutal competitive chanisms, only the fiercest one out of a hundred could ascend. The rest of the ordinary masses, despite living in a land where extraordinary powers existed, could only crawl along the ground, gazing up at the miracles in a ssenger’s palm.
He was beginning to understand why manuals were so expensive.
“Manuals are forever in short supply,” dicine Master Wen sneered. “They can’t even et the needs of the Military Camp, the Court, or the noble families. The excluded mortals—even if they’re wealthy rchants, declining aristocrats, or high-ranking officials—without a Third-Stage ssenger backing them, they don’t even qualify to buy a manual. The main cities just coddle them too well, letting them hoard all that money…”
“Black Wolf has made the scarcity of manuals abundantly clear. Let add one more thing,” Ying Ru Shi said. “Not everyone who buys a manual intends to beco a ssenger. Or rather, even if they don’t undergo Job Change, they’re still content.”
“Oh?”
“After using a manual, the average adult male sees his Vital Energy and Blood increase two to threefold. Even if they don’t beco soldiers or fight, they can live a much more comfortable life. Not to ntion, they don’t need to exert themselves or hone any skills—they instantly gain proficiency in a Basic Martial Art.” Ying Ru Shi paused for a mont. “Or to put it more plainly—Basic Manuals provide ordinary people with benefits like longevity, vitality enhancent, reproductive fortification, and beauty enhancent. No side effects at all, and the effects last for decades.”
Yan Qing blinked, suddenly recalling how he’d been waking up each morning lately with a surge of Yang energy.
That’s right, Basic Manuals didn’t rely teach soone a Martial Technique—the more important part was that they upgraded the user!
Yan Qing had always viewed Basic Manuals through the eyes of a ga player. In a ga world, Basic Manuals naturally weren’t worth much—after all, even playing casually, a player could quickly reach Level 10. In the original ga The ssenger, there was no place for ordinary people.
But in the real world, the overwhelming majority were just Level 1 ordinary people!
If a Level 10 character equaled a war god, then a regular person at Level 5 after studying a manual was at least an elite. Moreover, it required no training, no ti investnt. Whether you were physically weak or a born slacker, so long as you learned a Basic Manual, you would instantly obtain an elite physique refined through thousands of battles... This wasn’t a Basic Manual—this was super soldier serum!
No wonder so many people chased after it.
“Even for a ssenger, buying a Basic Manual in a discipline they’re unfamiliar with is never a loss. At the very least, their Vital Energy and Blood will rise sowhat, and maybe they’ll even broaden their expertise further.” Ying Ru Shi crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I wonder if Basic Manuals will be sold again in the future, or perhaps... even more advanced goods?”
“By comparison, I’m more curious about who sold them.” dicine Master Wen rested her chin on her hand in thought. “This person... no, this organization, selling ten manuals—it’s definitely not just for a bit of Spirit Jade. A faction that can control the Trading Board could never be poor. Think about it, the Trading Board has existed in the Main City for who knows how many years, and no one ever discovered its true function. If not for this manual sale, no one would’ve known it was actually a trading platform that connected the entire world.”
My apologies for being poor.
“A one-seller trading platform,” Ying Ru Shi corrected.
“Yes, anyone can buy from the Trading Board, but only a mysterious organization can sell items... I understand now!” dicine Master Wen grew more and more convinced as she spoke. “Establishing credibility through action, every word worth its weight in gold—they are using these ten manuals to declare their existence to the world!”
You understand nothing.
“From now on, countless people will be watching for any changes on the Trading Board. Whatever this mysterious organization sells will draw attention and influence the prices of goods everywhere. And no one will be able to supervise or even block these transactions!” dicine Master Wen said word by word, “This mysterious organization likely intends to use this unparalleled trading channel to manipulate the situation in the Central Plains at will!”
“They could even use the Trading Board for long-distance transport,” Ying Ru Shi proposed another possibility. “For example, listing dangerous items like Fire Oil, and then having their contact in the Main City instantly buy it…”
These two, taking turns like this, speculated on every tactic the mysterious organization might employ. Yan Qing listened with eyes wide open. He was still smug about having earned one hundred thousand Spirit Jade, but compared to these two schers, he felt like getting the Treasure-Hunting Token was sheer waste. If it were in their hands, they might have stirred the entire world’s balance.
Suddenly, a hole opened up in the round stone table, and the sand table rumbled as it rose. The thieves imdiately fell silent, watching as the sand table constructed a massive city. As the city’s outline beca clearer, everyone turned to look at Shang Xinlei.
Because Shang Xinlei had never hidden that she was from Jiangnan.
「This Theft’s Target: Jiangnan, Yitian」
「Arrival Location: The Archway at the Junction of Upper Ninth Road and Lower Ninth Road」
「Arrival Ti: Three days later at the third quarter of the Hour of the Rat」
「Retreat Location: Imdiate retreat upon reaching the Archway at the Junction of Upper Ninth Road and Lower Ninth Road」
「Retreat Deadline: Third quarter of the Hour of the Ox」
「Successful Theft: Obtain Token · Yitian」
「Failed Theft: Lose 30,000 Spirit Jade and permanently forfeit access to Thieves' House」
Golden light rose from the sand table, and the entire city turned transparent, then shrank smaller and smaller. A silver-white longsword appeared at the center of the sand table, and as the sword moved, the sand table’s landscape changed accordingly.
Why was the silver-white sword moving?
Because it wasn’t stowed in a treasury, nor locked away in a vault—it was worn at soone’s waist.
“The famous sword Yitian!” dicine Master Wen’s eyes lit up. “The sword once wielded by the West-Conquering General fad in the Outer Realms three hundred years ago! It actually ended up in the Liang Kingdom?”
“No wonder there’s no fixed location—it’s in soone’s hands. That complicates things,” Ying Ru Shi said. “Red Snake, do you know who this person is? If you don’t, we’ll have to identify them first—”
“I know who he is,” said Shang Xinlei.
“Oh?”
Everyone was a bit surprised. They didn’t expect Shang Xinlei to really know. Could this person be that famous?
“In the third year of Yongding, the Grand General of Cavalry of Liang Kingdom suppressed the rebellion in the Gushu Military Camp. He was promoted to Attendant-in-waiting, Minister of Works, granted ceremonial authority, made Supervisor of the Palace Secretariat, and ennobled as Duke of Shixing Commandery. He was awarded the Yitian Sword, given privilege of no-na address during court salutes, and exempted from formalities in imperial audiences.”
“The bearer of the Yitian Sword is none other than the current Pri Minister of Liang Kingdom, Third-Stage ssenger Shang Xuanwen.”
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