Chapter 1 Sullen's Choice

Sullen didn't intend to be some bleeding heart, nor did he expect anyone's gratitude.

He left the bakery, but hadn't walked more than a few steps when that tomboyish girl chased after him with the bread.

"Sir, please wait..."

Sullen heard someone calling him from behind and stopped.

Perhaps because people in the underworld had a domineering aura, the tomboy took a half step back instinctively when she saw Sullen's expressionless face.

She said, "Sir, thank you for your generosity. We... we really need this food."

"Mm."

Sullen glanced at her, nodded, and accepted the verbal thanks.

He could naturally see that this sallow-faced, skinny girl needed food; no, more accurately, everyone in the slums needed food.

Sullen hadn't planned to linger, but at that moment, the tomboy spoke, sounding somewhat incoherent due to her anxiety, "Um, sir... we weren't deliberately following you, we just saw you renting a house earlier..."

Sullen frowned as he listened.

The tomboy seemed startled and quickly explained, "You were tricked by that Grandet! He definitely didn't tell you that someone died in that building. It's a haunted house that no one can rent out. Two months ago, a blind man went in and never came out, and there was another one in the first half of the year..."

As she spoke, she ran off like a frightened rabbit before Sullen could ask anything more.

So, she chased after him to tell him this news?

A piece of bread in exchange for information.

Sullen revealed a thoughtful expression as he listened.

He wasn't too surprised that someone had died in the house. Ordinary people would definitely run into trouble living in such a high-distortion environment.

Otherwise, the rent wouldn't be so cheap.

But according to the little girl, more than one person had died in that house?

It seemed that the landlord was a ruthless, unscrupulous merchant.

The landlord had indeed deliberately concealed part of the truth, but for Sullen, if it was only due to the dense dark spiritual energy, it wouldn't be too much trouble.

But perhaps the deceased weren't ordinary people, but also professionals?

After all, it was rare to find such a suitable property, and Sullen wouldn't give it up just because someone had died there.

He also thought that before moving in next time, he should probably use the Eye of Omniscience to take a good look at what exactly was strange about that house.

.......

The agreed time for the transaction was twelve noon.

Sullen went to the hotel and changed into a trench coat suit for the black market.

The transaction location was an abandoned warehouse on Ginkgo Street. He had previously wandered around that area when he was free. It was sparsely populated, making it suitable for shady deals.

The mysterious stall owner was clearly very cautious, choosing a place with a complex of buildings, making it easy to escape in case of an emergency.

At 11:55, Sullen arrived outside the warehouse on time.

As a member of the underworld, he didn't feel much pressure coming to these remote places. On the contrary, he felt a hint of surprise when he saw the few half-grown kids disguised as underworld members.

These guys were wearing ill-fitting old trench coats, black hats, and their hands were tucked at their chests as if they were about to pull out a gun. They might as well have pasted the words "We are the Underworld" on their foreheads.

It seemed they wanted to overwhelm Sullen, the real underworld member, with their aura?

"My trading partner is actually a bunch of kids?"

Sullen's eyesight allowed him to easily spot a total of six people in the abandoned factory.

Besides the potion stall owner, who was still wearing a black cloak, there were five thugs who seemed to be there to keep order. The clothes they wore looked stolen from somewhere, clearly a size too big.

But their cold expressions, silent aura, and the motion of touching their guns, were just like the scene of an underworld transaction in a TV series.

Of course, if it weren't for the trembling feet, Sullen would think these guys were really something.

But he figured that these guys' gun-pulling gestures were probably just for show, and they probably couldn't pull out a firearm from their trench coats.

Although guns were everywhere in Old Lingdun, for the people in the slums, carrying such a lump of iron on their bodies was better off exchanged for a piece of bread.

Of course, even if they really had guns, they wouldn't pose any threat to a firearms expert.

Moreover, Sullen took a look and was surprised to find that the world was really small.

Looking closely, weren't two of the trench coat guys the two thieves from the bakery this morning?

"..."

Sullen suddenly felt that the mysterious atmosphere of the transaction had vanished.

If he didn't know that the stall owner really had top-notch potions, he would definitely think it was a prank.

.......

Sullen also clearly saw the relieved expressions on their faces when they realized he had come alone.

The black-robed man said in a deep voice, "Did you bring the money?"

After guessing the other party's identity, Sullen wanted to treat it seriously, but he couldn't bring himself to be serious.

Although his face was covered, a glance from the Eye of Truth confirmed that he was indeed the "Half-Distorted Human" from the black market.

"I brought it."

Sullen hadn't seen the goods, but he took out the money bag containing 200,000 cash and handed it over directly.

He was sure that the other party wouldn't play tricks, and of course, he was also confident that he could blast their heads off and get his money back before they could try to double-cross him.

The black-robed man took the money bag, a look of joy on his face.

He asked, "What kind of potion do you need?"

"I'm very interested in your potions. You've seen my sincerity, and we think we can cooperate long-term. I have channels to sell the goods..."

Sullen said straightforwardly. What he wanted wasn't a few potions, but a chance to make money through long-term cooperation.

But unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, the cloaked man interrupted him, his tone very firm, "No, if it weren't for a slight situation, I wouldn't sell my potions. Our transaction is limited to this one time only."

"..."

Sullen frowned slightly upon hearing this.

A one-time deal?

His mind raced instantly.

He was now even more certain that these potions came from the hands of this cloaked man. Which meant that this guy was at least a "High-Level Potions Master". And even in the inner city, such technical talents were elites who didn't lack money.

The reason for not wanting to compete by selling potions was probably because he was afraid of attracting attention?

Was he really a wanted criminal?

It was normal for a gangster to be wanted, but a potions master being wanted was intriguing.

What was the crime?

Illegally manufacturing controlled potions, causing a medical accident, or something else?

Sullen guessed that the other party probably had a shady background, just like himself.

He didn't say much.

After all, since he recognized that two of the children were thieves from this neighborhood, there was no need to rush.

There would be plenty of opportunities to get in touch slowly in the future.

Sullen said, "Alright! Then I need potions of equal value..."

Suddenly, he thought about his upcoming trip to the underground cave in three days and said, "I plan to hunt distorted monsters in the city's underground cave. Do you have any good potion combinations to recommend?"

Buying medicine directly from the potions master was better than preparing blindly himself.

"Underground cave?"

But upon hearing this, the cloaked man's tone suddenly became solemn, and he blurted out, "The distorted monsters in the sewers have undergone uncontrollable and violent mutations due to the environmental impact. The city's sewers have become very dangerous now, and I suggest you don't go. If you really have to go... you'll need at least a team of second-order professionals or higher to ensure basic safety."

"Oh..."

Sullen thought the other party would introduce potions to him, but he didn't expect to hear this.

He keenly caught many keywords.

The fact that the monsters in the sewers had mutated hadn't spread among the general public yet. Even the higher-ups in the Holy Cross Society only knew that there were more new monsters in the sewers, and they didn't know the cause of this abnormal situation at all.

This guy actually knew that the monsters in the sewers had mutated, and he even knew that the reason for the mutation was environmental factors?

"Of course, I'm just guessing."

Clearly, the cloaked man probably realized that he had said something he shouldn't have as soon as he spoke, and his tone was slightly flustered.

He quickly remedied, "If you really have to go, I suggest you bring at least intermediate-level 'Antidote Potions'. I have two types of advanced potions here, A and B, targeting nerve toxins and septic toxins. The sewers have no shortage of various poisons, and these two potions are enough to deal with most poisoning situations. Of course, there are also the essential healing potions, paralysis relief potions... Adrenaline and Bloodlust Potions are also essential for combat... If you have extra budget, I suggest you buy some 'Distorted Monster Repellent'. This powder is very expensive, 100,000 Leissos, but it might save your life when you encounter danger..."

"Oh?"

Listening to a series of professional terms, Sullen once again confirmed that this guy was very professional in potions science.

Moreover, he seemed to know a lot about the situation of underground monsters.

However, Sullen also heard from his words that this guy wasn't bad-hearted.

If he were a shrewd professional merchant, he would definitely keep recommending his potions when he heard that you were going out to hunt; but he first warned him that there were dangers in the underground cave.

Sullen asked directly, "How much do all these potions you mentioned cost?"

The cloaked man thought for a moment and said, "These potions would be very expensive on the market, but I'll only charge you 250,000 Leissos. However, you have to promise me one condition: guarantee that you won't tell anyone else about our transaction."

Sullen wasn't surprised at all that he would say this and agreed immediately, "Okay!"

One should know that ordinary wasteland hunters usually use low-quality potions that cost three to five hundred Leissos per bottle. This batch of potions would cost more than 200,000 Leissos, which was definitely a luxury that ordinary people wouldn't dare to even dream of.

As long as it was something that could save his life, Sullen didn't hesitate to spend money.

If he remembered correctly, the names of the potions that the cloaked man had just mentioned were all genuine high-end goods. Just a few of the ones he had heard of were worth more than 300,000 Leissos at market prices. Not to mention the several special potions he had never heard of.

250,000 was definitely a steal.

As he spoke, Sullen took out 50,000 cash without hesitation.

Although it seemed that this mission wasn't dangerous, he also felt that it was better to be prepared.

After receiving the money, the cloaked man said again, "I only brought a portion of the potions with me. If you trust me, I'll send someone to deliver the rest to the 'Three Muskets Tavern' later. If you don't trust me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sullen said, "No problem, I trust you."

After a pause, he continued, "If I need more potions in the future, how should I contact you?"

The cloaked man originally wanted to say that he wouldn't trade again in the future. But looking at this patron in front of him who had given him enough trust, he couldn't refuse.

After hesitating for a moment, he then said, "You can leave a note in the mailbox at the entrance of the Bellman Bakery at 14 Ginkgo Street. After I get the message, I'll contact you using the old method. But you have to know that I have very few potions on hand and can't provide them on a large scale..."

Sullen agreed without hesitation, "Okay!"

This cloaked man probably only had a simple little potions workshop, and he didn't expect to get a large batch of potions. But as long as this path wasn't cut off, he would consider other options later.

.......

The transaction was successfully completed, and Sullen left the abandoned warehouse.

The few half-grown kids who had received the money also carefully crossed the ruins of the building. After seven twists and eight turns, they slipped into a broken underground house.

In the dimly lit room, they lit candles, counting the bulging bag of cash, and were all very excited.

"Ah, Mother Susan is finally saved!"

"Yeah, with this money, Brother Danny will be able to buy that expensive material and formulate the distortion suppressant potion..."

"..."

.......

In the afternoon, Sullen received the potions at the tavern.

And two days later, the trial team from the "Black Tower Alchemy Academy" in the inner city finally arrived.

One day earlier than planned.