Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 100: The small circle of high-level professionals

Su'en followed Mr. Black all the way down.

The two walked through the streets of the black market, then climbed over the fence and continued walking into the darkness, stepping on a steel pipe over a meter thick.

Underneath their feet was an endless abyss. Ordinary people would be terrified to walk here. Su'en felt fortunate that his sense of balance was good, otherwise he would have slipped and fallen into the endless darkness.

After walking through dozens of meters of pipes, Mr. Black seemed to remember something and took out a cloak, handing it to Su'en, saying, "This is the token of entry into this small circle. Wear it, it will save you a lot of trouble."

"Okay."

Su'en nodded and took the cloak, looking at it and feeling strangely familiar. Wasn't this the same cloak Mr. Black was wearing?

Cloak of Concealment

Explanation: An alchemical cloak with advanced concealment formations. It has the ability to distort vision, change voice, and weaken mental detection.

Good stuff!

Su'en put on the cloak, feeling as if his body was isolated from the outside world. Suddenly, he had the feeling of peeping at people from a hole. This cloak could bring him more security than his high-collared windbreaker.

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 a membership system. Only when three or more members recommend you can you qualify to join. It's best not to say that you joined through me, otherwise there might be trouble. Of course, with this cloak, no one will question you. Also, don't casually inquire about the identities of other members, and be careful not to be discovered by others..."

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

"The people here are very diverse, not as friendly as you imagine. They could be wanted criminals, evil alchemists, or spies from the 'Umbrella Organization' with ulterior motives..."

"If you need any material knowledge, you can see how others exchange it later."

"..."

Su'en listened carefully, nodding frequently.

Before long, the two arrived in front of a rusty iron gate and walked in, and the space suddenly opened up.

It was a space about the size of a basketball court. There were pipes of all sizes everywhere, resembling observation rooms of ancient sewer systems.

Even though he had been to the black market many times, this was the first time Su'en knew that there was such a secret gathering place at the bottom of the black market.

.......

There was only one gas lamp in the space, illuminating the stone round table in the center, which was carved with a complex hexagram alchemy formation.

Dark, mysterious, and silent.

The vast space was completely silent, filled with a thick sense of mystery.

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

"Mr. Black..."

Everyone greeted him.

Mr. Black nodded in response.

Su'en casually glanced over and saw fifteen figures by the round table. Although their heights and body shapes were different, they all wore the same cloak, making it impossible to see their faces and with voice modulation. Thinking that these cloaked figures were all second-tier professionals from the outer city, perhaps some of them were cadres of the Cross Society, he didn't pay much attention.

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

Everyone seemed familiar with the process and no one wasted time, going straight to the point.

Su'en originally thought it would be a serious and cold meeting of a mysterious organization, but it sounded more like a tea party.

As soon as it started, it became lively.

"I need some information. The steward of the inner city's Cast family was assassinated, and the killer escaped to the outer city. I want to know how that person left the city. Besides the reward, the Cast family will also provide a cooperation opportunity..."

"..."

"The Sunbird Military Machinery Factory's branch in the East City had a batch of military supplies stolen. Is there anyone here who can contact the group that did it? I'm not looking for trouble, I just want those goods, and the price is negotiable..."

"..."

"Any news on the S-class wanted criminal who came out of the inner city?"

"There is news that she was last seen in the West City district. The Umbrella Organization is closely monitoring her, and they have found some clues, but they haven't caught her..."

"Does anyone know her background?"

"Hehe, I heard she is a very powerful mechanical warrior, and it seems she escaped with some kind of 'research secret'..."

"A character as troublesome as her, even if she has earth-shattering secrets, I doubt anyone dares to take her on. 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.

For less important matters, they would chat along the topic, each person sharing what they knew, often piecing together the truth of the whole matter.

After all, these were all high-level professionals from the outer city. The events they mentioned were of high importance, and their sources of information were very broad. Moreover, almost all the questions asked had someone who could answer them.

It was like watching the news, and Su'en silently listened on the side, only then did he realize that Old Lingdun was actually so lively.

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

Here, they could understand the real-time information of the entire outer city, and even the inner city.

Su'en also noticed that, except for him and Mr. Black, almost everyone at the round table spoke to some extent.

It seemed to be an unspoken rule or an established custom.

No one could just take information without contributing their own. To participate in the exchange, one had to provide some of their own information.

That was why Su'en felt like someone had just glanced at him, probably realizing that he was a newcomer.

.......The intelligence exchange segment passed, and it was time for the item exchange segment.

A cloaked figure spoke up, "I need advanced materials for the rare profession of a 'Withering Warlock'. The advancement direction is roughly 'Water Elemental Control'. Ideally, it should be a high-quality silver product from a relic. The price is negotiable..."

As soon as he spoke, someone immediately responded.

"I happen to have a silver cursed item, the '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 Battle Armor' from the inner city..."

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

"I'll add a set of second-order rare water magic scrolls, 'Acid Dissolution'..."

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

"No problem."

The two quickly reached an agreement, without any unnecessary words.

Both parties handed their items to Mr. Black for inspection. Even though the armor wasn't present, some promises were made, and the deal was concluded.

Only then did Su'en understand that Mr. Black was not only the host of the gathering but also the "appraiser" and "guarantor".

Everyone seemed to trust him implicitly.

Materials and scrolls he deemed acceptable could immediately conclude a deal.

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

What surprised him more was the immense power these cloaked figures possessed!

The "Frost Giant Battle Armor" was said to be the latest generation of battle armor recently equipped by the inner city guard. The army hadn't even fully equipped it yet, and someone could already get it?

......

As soon as the trading segment began, a lot of high-level items that Su'en had never heard of started to appear.

"I need a curse-breaking item for high-level ghosts, preferably someone can bring out the 'Cross Holy Emblem' from the inner city Carter family. The price is negotiable..."

"I have a few pages of manuscript from 'Alchemical Metaphor' written by the great alchemist 'Master Arnold' from the same period as 'Sir Isaac'. But the content hasn't been deciphered, and I can't guarantee it's alchemical knowledge. I want to exchange it for a piece of information..."

"Can anyone provide clues for third-order profession advancement curse materials? Any melee ones will do..."

"..."

The cloaked figures each stated their needs, and they seemed well-prepared, bringing items that could be exchanged for their needs.

The materials needed were all high-level, almost all of them were of silver quality or above.

Moreover, no one mentioned any prices, all were bartering.

Su'en then understood why there were few second-order materials for sale in the black market shops. Even if there were, they were just a few low-quality samples.

Because high-level curse materials have a small output and an even smaller audience.

Unlike first-order materials that cater to everyone, advanced materials can only be used by second-order or higher professionals, and they are hard to sell.

Professionals who can get advanced materials probably don't lack money, what they lack are materials suitable for themselves.

So, bartering is the best way.

......

Su'en listened quietly for a while and fully understood the rules of this exchange meeting.

At this point, he remembered what Mr. Black had suggested earlier, that he could ask here, so he spoke up directly.

"I need a complete mental method of ancient alchemist cultivation. Also, I need a thread with curse properties, thin enough, resilient, preferably suitable for a puppeteer's control... The price is negotiable."

Although Su'en didn't know the value of the two materials, he felt that he probably couldn't offer materials of the same level in exchange.

But whether there are fish or not, it's better to cast the net first.

As soon as he spoke, all the cloaked figures around the round table fell silent for a moment.

"Mental methods" belong to a very advanced field, and these people may not know what it is.

And the market demand for puppeteer materials is small, few people keep them for exchange. Even if they do, they probably sell them to the inner city.

Su'en saw that his words had cooled the atmosphere, and he was being scrutinized by a group of people.

Fortunately, the cloaks blocked the gaze, otherwise, being stared at by a group of at least second-order professionals, he might not be able to stand here calmly.

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

"I don't have the 'mental method' you mentioned, but I do have a thread with a very magical curse property that meets your conditions. If you're interested, you can take a look."