Chapter 22: The High-Priced Trading District

After leaving the Alchemist Guild, Ye Chen didn’t rush outside the city to dig for Red Blood Grass. Instead, he headed for the largest free trade market in the Blazing Mountain City. He intended to sell the Beauty Pills he had acquired; otherwise, he wouldn’t have the funds to purchase the next batch of formulas.

The outer area of the free trade market was a complimentary trading zone. As soon as Ye Chen stepped inside, he was immediately swept up by the bustling atmosphere. The place was packed with people, buyers and sellers jostling shoulder to shoulder, the air filled with cries of hawkers and the sounds of haggling—utterly chaotic, like a vegetable market.

Ye Chen didn’t linger there. Instead, he made his way straight toward the deeper part of the market, aiming for the high-price trading area. Only there could the Beauty Pills fetch a decent price.

After squeezing through the crowd for over ten minutes, the throng finally began to thin out, and the high-price trading area came into view. He walked up to the entrance, his face contorted with pain as he handed five gold coins to the NPC guard for the entry fee, and finally stepped into the exclusive trading zone.

Compared to the free area outside, the high-price trading section was much quieter, with far fewer people. But it was immediately apparent that both buyers and sellers here were of a higher caliber. Many of the shoppers wore equipment that glowed green or blue; a few, swaggering arm-in-arm with women, had gear emitting a cyan light—bronze-grade equipment, still exceedingly rare at this stage.

All fat sheep, Ye Chen thought to himself with a wry smile, though he wasn’t surprised by the situation. Five gold coins just to get in wasn’t something every player could afford. Anyone willing to spend that much to shop here was bound to be quite wealthy.

All the stalls near the entrance were already taken, so Ye Chen had to walk further inside, casually inspecting the various booths as he passed. What he saw truly broadened his horizons. Green-glowing, fine-grade equipment, a rarity in the free trading area, was everywhere here. Blue-glowing rare equipment was also common, and a few stalls even displayed bronze-grade items. Besides equipment, there were skill books, pets, miscellaneous goods—everything imaginable. He even spotted Red Blood Grass at several stalls, though the price was outrageous: one gold coin for a single stalk. Only a fool would buy at that price.

After wandering for quite some time, Ye Chen finally found an empty stall. He quickly claimed it, set out his Beauty Pills, and began to shout at the top of his lungs: “Just in! Miracle Experience Pills! One pill gives you a whopping 50,000 experience points! The perfect tool for leveling up, and a great gift for wooing girls! Limited stock—come quick, or you’ll miss out!”

His cry instantly startled the surrounding players. A crowd surged forward, all clamoring to make an offer.

“Sell me one! Ten gold coins, I’ll take one for ten!” shouted a pimply level-13 young warrior, his arm around a female mage who looked like a wilted flower.

“Out of the way! Fifteen gold coins each, I’ll take two!” barked a burly, bearded orc berserker, shoving the young warrior and his unfortunate girlfriend aside.

The atmosphere was electric, with offers coming in from all sides. Yet, disappointingly, the price never rose above twenty gold coins a pill. This was far below Ye Chen’s expectations. In his mind, the ten Beauty Pills should fetch at least four hundred gold coins in total—otherwise, he wouldn’t even have enough to buy the White Tiger Pill formula. Besides, the pills were easily worth forty gold coins each; anything less would be a loss.

He kept hawking for over ten minutes, but the highest offer he received was only twenty-five gold coins a pill. Ye Chen felt a bit dejected; for that price, he might as well keep the pills for himself. It wasn’t even enough to buy the White Tiger Pill formula.

Just then, a commotion broke out on the edge of the crowd. Someone shouted, “Make way! Make way! A bunch of paupers—if you can’t afford it, go squat somewhere else. Move aside for our boss!”

With that, a group of berserkers muscled their way through, escorting a swordsman who wore decent gear but wielded only a plain, white-board greatsword. They pushed their way up to Ye Chen’s stall.

“Well, isn’t this perfect timing,” the swordsman said arrogantly. “I just lost a level this morning, now I can make up two in one go. Money’s no issue—I’ve got plenty!” He looked up at Ye Chen and suddenly froze.

“It’s you!”

Both Ye Chen and the swordsman cried out in surprise, though Ye Chen’s voice was tinged with delight, while the swordsman’s was thick with hatred and bitterness.

This swordsman was none other than Fierce Tiger Roar, the very player Ye Chen had stripped of his equipment before. Fate, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor.

“You want to buy these Beauty Pills?” Ye Chen looked him up and down with a faint, mocking smile.

Fierce Tiger Roar’s face darkened as he nodded, his tone impatient. “Cut the crap. Thirty gold coins each—I’ll take all ten.”

Ye Chen curled his lip in disdain. “You want them? I won’t sell!” With that, he began to pack up his stall.

Fierce Tiger Roar’s face went beet red with rage. He jabbed a finger at Ye Chen and roared, “You’re messing with me, aren’t you? Let me tell you, today you’re selling them whether you want to or not! Brothers, surround him!”

At his command, a swarm of Fierce Tiger Guild players quickly encircled Ye Chen’s stall, leaving no escape. Fierce Tiger Roar sneered, “If you don’t sell, you’re not leaving today!”

Ye Chen’s expression darkened as well. This was a nasty trick. It was true that fighting wasn’t allowed in the city, but physical bodies couldn’t simply pass through one another. If they were determined to box him in, he really couldn’t get away for a while.

“Well, well, who’s making such a scene?” A new voice rang out. “Turns out it’s Roar of the Fierce Tiger Guild. What’s this, are you planning to run rampant in Blazing Mountain City? Brother Nightfall here is a distinguished guest of our Dragon Soar Guild. You’re not showing us much respect.”

As the words fell, a pack of Dragon Soar Guild players, fierce as wolves, charged over. In an instant, they scattered the Fierce Tiger Guild members left and right. At the same time, Dragon Soar’s Smiling Star stepped up to Ye Chen’s stall, grinning.

“Brother Nightfall, you’re truly a master. It’s only been a short while, and you’ve already come up with these Experience Pills. Remember, you promised to give us first dibs on good stuff. Thirty-five gold coins a pill—how’s that? It’s more than that idiot Roar was offering.” Smiling Star winked slyly at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen shot him an exasperated glare. This guy was clearly trying to clinch the price, but Ye Chen wasn’t too upset. After all, Dragon Soar had just rescued him from a tight spot. A little less profit was fair enough. He was about to nod in agreement when someone else pushed through the crowd.

“Forty gold coins a pill. I’ll take them all.”