Suren followed Mr. Black as he descended.

The two walked through the streets of the black market, then climbed over a fence, stepping onto a steel pipe more than a meter thick and continuing into the depths of darkness.

Below was an endless abyss, and ordinary people would probably be terrified. Suren felt fortunate that his balance was good, otherwise he might slip and fall into the infinite darkness.

After walking along the pipe for dozens of meters, Mr. Black seemed to remember something. He took out a cloak and handed it to Suren, saying, "This is the entrance token for this small circle. Wearing it will save you a lot of trouble."

"Okay."

Suren nodded, took the cloak, and found it strangely familiar. Wasn't it the same kind of cloak Mr. Black was wearing?

[Cloak of Concealment]

Details: An alchemical cloak with advanced concealment arrays. It has a certain degree of visual distortion, voice alteration, and weakening of mental probes.

Good stuff!

Suren put on the cloak, and it felt as if his body was isolated from the outside world. He suddenly had the feeling of hiding in a cave and peeking at people.

This gave him even more security than his high-necked trench coat.

The two continued forward, passing through an abandoned sewer.

As they walked, Mr. Black said, "Before we go in, there are a few simple rules I need to tell you. This small circle is membership-based. Only when three or more members recommend a new member are they qualified to join. When the time comes, it's best not to say that you joined through me, or there might be trouble. Of course, with this cloak, no one will ask you. Also, don't casually inquire about the identities of other members, and be careful not to be discovered..."

"There will be one or two exchange meetings each month. The information will be printed in the third row of the advertisement column of the *Old Lingdun Daily*. The decoding method is the 'Hill Cipher'..."

"The people here are a mixed bag. They are not as friendly as you think. They may be wanted criminals, evil alchemists, or even 'Umbrella Organization' spies with ulterior motives..."

"If you need any material knowledge, you can watch how others exchange them later."

"..."

Suren listened carefully, nodding frequently.

Before long, the two arrived at a rusty iron gate, went inside, and the space suddenly opened up.

This was a space about the size of a basketball court. All around were large and small pipes, looking a bit like an observation room for an ancient sewer system.

He had been to the black market so many times, but this was the first time he knew there was such a secret gathering place at the bottom.

.......

The space was lit only by a solitary gas lamp, illuminating a stone round table in the center carved with a complex alchemical array of six-pointed stars.

Dim, eerie, and silent.

The huge space was devoid of any sound, and the air was filled with a strong sense of mystery.

Mr. Black seemed to be the host of the gathering. As soon as he arrived, the cloaked figures resting in the dark corners gathered around.

"Mr. Black..."

Everyone greeted him.

Mr. Black nodded in acknowledgment.

Suren only glanced casually. There were fifteen figures around the round table. Although their height and build were different, they were all wearing the same cloaks, making it impossible to see their faces, and their voices were altered. Thinking that these cloaks concealed second-tier professionals from the outer city, perhaps even some cadres from their Cross Society, he didn't look too closely.

Mr. Black said, "Alright, today's exchange can begin."

Everyone seemed to be familiar with the process. Without any unnecessary words, they went straight to the topic.

Suren had originally thought it would be a very serious and cold exchange meeting of a mysterious organization, but it sounded more like a tea party.

Right from the start, it became lively.

"I need information. The butler of the Custer family in the inner city was assassinated, and the murderer escaped to the outer city. I want to know what channel that guy used to get out of the city. In addition to the bounty, the Custer family will also offer a chance for cooperation..."

"..."

"A batch of arms was robbed from the Sunbird Military Factory's branch factory in the East City. Is there anyone here who can contact the group that did it? I'm not looking for trouble, but I want that batch of goods. The price is negotiable..."

"..."

"Any news about that S-class wanted criminal from the inner city?"

"There's news that she was last seen in the West District. The Umbrella Organization is watching very closely. They've caught some leads, but haven't caught the person..."

"Does anyone know the woman's background?"

"Heh, I heard she's a very powerful mechanical warrior who seems to have escaped with some 'research secrets'..."

"Even if that kind of troublesome person is carrying earth-shattering secrets, I guess no one would dare to take her in. Oh, except for that organization..."

"..."

The cloaked figures exchanged information with each other.

Occasionally, secret information that needed to be traded would be written in envelopes.

Less important information would be discussed casually as the topic progressed. Everyone would share what they knew, and often the whole truth of the matter would be pieced together.

After all, these were high-level professionals from the outer city. The events they mentioned were of a very high level, and their sources of information were also very wide. Moreover, almost every question asked could be answered.

Like watching the news, Suren listened quietly on the sidelines and realized just how lively Old Lingdun actually was.

After listening for a while, he roughly understood the purpose of this small circle.

Here, they could learn about real-time intelligence from the entire outer city, and even the inner city.

Suren also noticed that everyone at the round table, except for him and Mr. Black, had spoken more or less.

This seemed to be a tacit understanding, or perhaps a convention.

No one could freeload information. To participate in the exchange, they had to offer some of their own information.

This was also why Suren felt like someone had been peeking at him earlier, probably because they could tell he was a newcomer.

.......

After the information exchange session, it was time for the item exchange.

A cloaked figure said, "I need advanced materials for the rare class [Withering Warlock]. The advanced direction is roughly 'Water Element Control'. Preferably high-quality silver finished products from the ruins. The price is negotiable..."

As soon as he said this, someone immediately responded.

"I happen to have a silver cursed object in my hand, [Tears of the Poisonous Swamp Crocodile], which should meet your requirements. But I need to exchange it for a complete set of the latest 'Frost Giant Combat Armor' from the inner city..."

"That thing is a 'controlled item' of the inner city army... It's not just a matter of price."

"I'll add a skill scroll for a second-tier rare water-based spell, [Acid Dissolve]..."

"Deal! But it will take about a week to get the armor."

"No problem."

The two quickly reached an agreement, without a single word of nonsense.

Both sides handed their items to Mr. Black for inspection. Even though the person didn't produce the armor, he seemed to say a few words of promise, and the deal was done.

Suren then realized that Mr. Black was not only the host of the gathering, but also a "connoisseur" and a "guarantor."

Everyone seemed to trust him very much.

If he said a material or scroll was fine, a deal could be reached immediately.

Suren knew some of Mr. Black's identities, so he wasn't too surprised.

What surprised him more was the energy these cloaked figures possessed!

The "Frost Giant Combat Armor" was said to be the latest generation of combat armor recently equipped by the inner city guard. The army hadn't even finished equipping it, and someone was already able to get their hands on it?

.......

Once the trading session began, many high-level items that Suren had never even heard of appeared one after another.

"I need a cursed item that dispels evil for high-level ghost types. It would be best if someone could get the [Cross Holy Emblem] from the Carter family in the inner city. The price is negotiable..."

"I have a few pages of manuscripts from *Alchemy Metaphors*, written by the great alchemist 'Master Anarld' from the same period as 'Sir Isaac'. But the content hasn't been deciphered yet, and I don't guarantee it's alchemical knowledge. I want to exchange it for information..."

"Can anyone provide clues about third-tier class advancement cursed materials? As long as it's melee-based..."

"..."

The cloaked figures each stated their needs and seemed to have come prepared, bringing trade items sufficient to exchange for what they needed.

The materials needed were very high-level, almost all of silver quality or higher.

Moreover, no one mentioned prices. Everything was done through bartering.

Suren also understood why there were so few second-tier materials for sale in the black market shops. Even if there were any, they were just a few low-quality samples.

This was because the production of high-level cursed materials was small, and the audience was even smaller.

Unlike first-tier materials that were for everyone, high-level materials could only be used by professionals of the second tier or higher. It would be difficult to sell them if they were put on display.

Professionals who could get their hands on high-level materials probably didn't lack money; they were more lacking in materials that suited them.

Therefore, bartering was the best way.

.......

Suren listened quietly for a while and fully understood the rules of this exchange meeting.

At this time, he remembered what Mr. Black had suggested earlier about asking about it here, so he spoke directly.

"I need a complete ancient alchemist's mental power cultivation secret method. Also, cursed silk threads that are thin enough, have good toughness, and are best suited for puppet masters to control... The price is negotiable."

Although Suren didn't know the value of the two materials, he felt that he probably couldn't produce materials of the same level to trade with.

But whether there were fish or not, he would cast a net first.

As soon as these words came out, all the cloaked figures around the round table fell silent for a moment.

"Mental secrets" belonged to a very high-level field, and these people might not even know what they were.

And the market demand for puppet master materials was very small, and few people kept them for exchange. Even if they did, they would probably sell them to the inner city.

Suren saw that his words had caused the scene to turn cold, and he was being eyed by a group of people.

Fortunately, the cloak could block prying eyes; otherwise, being stared at by a group of at least second-tier professionals, he might not be able to stand here calmly.

Just as the topic was about to be skipped, someone suddenly spoke up.

"I don't have the 'mental secret method' you mentioned, but I have a kind of thread that meets your conditions and has very magical curse characteristics. If you're interested, you can take a look."