THE BLACK MARKET (1)
Standing in a huge yard, Alan was mesmerized by the number of avian beasts.
So many flying beast types all in one place, such a scene can only be seen in the huge traveler agency yards, the main agency for the federation's civilian transportation.
Not long after he received the message on his terminal telling him to head to gate 24.
Transporter: "Mr. Alan Ortex, My name is Jamal. Your aviator for the day; we will fly immediately to Doppler City.
Alan: "Hello Jamal, I'll be in your care."
Jamal and Alan boarded a huge falcon-like beast and immediately flew towards Doppler City.
Alan: "How long does it take to get to Doppler City from Howler Town?"
Jamal: "If you had picked a normal flight, then I would say 10 hours, but you picked me and my partner, so we can make it there in just under 3 hours."
As Alan wanted to waste no time, he picked the urgent flight option, which is also a little pricier, but you can never put a price on time.
…..
Enjoying so many different views and terrains, the 3 hours went by as if it were 3 minutes.
After they landed in the yard inside Doppler City, Alan thanked Jamal and tipped him for the awesome flight.
The black market in Doppler City only operates at night, so Alan decided to walk around the city. If possible, he wanted more information.
Walking through the streets of Doppler City was a mind-opening experience for Alan, as he noticed the huge difference in scale between Doppler City and Howler Town.
Everything is bigger and much more vibrant, with many more people going about their day.
Walking into a small cafe that looked inconspicuous, he went to the counter and ordered.
Alan: "I would like a croissant with a latte, preferably with a little information on the side."
Staff: "Then please write down the filling that you want for your croissant, and we will deliver it to your table."
Alan took the paper and wrote down that he needed information about the black market: the forces inside, location, time of operation, and the key to get in.
He then walked to his table and sat there waiting for the order to come.
10 minutes later the staff brought his order, alongside a small chip.
Taking a sip from the latte, Alan could not help but admit that it was very delicious. He then placed his attention on the chip, inserting it into his terminal.
More than 20 pages of information displayed on his terminal screen. He slowly went through them to understand the situation inside the black market.
After 30 minutes of reading, he came to fully understand how this black market operates and how to get in.
The black market was actually a huge space located underground on the south side of Doppler City. It opens at 8:00 p.m. and it closes at 6:00 a.m. every day.
To get in you have to register with the main AI that controls the daily operation inside the black market. The registration cost around 5 million federation dollars.
It's just like you are buying a ticket to ascertain your financial capabilities.
It was 6:00 p.m. now, so Alan did not want to waste any time as he took the bus to the south side of Doppler City.
According to the information, there are 37 entrances to this huge black market, so he decided to go to the nearest one.
Getting off the bus, he was slightly surprised as the building in question looked like a haunted house. If he hadn't read the information, he would have thought that this building was abandoned.
Before he went in, he looked at his bank account. Inside they were 37 million federation dollars.
He had paid 1 million federation dollars for the information.
Here he needs to pay five million for the registration, which in turn will leave him with 32 million Federation dollars.
Although he wanted to prepare more, he had to use whatever was on his hand, so using these 32 million to create huge wealth is a challenge for his ability. But with the eye of Ra, turning one federation dollar into a billion is a simple task.
Once inside the building, he only saw a huge screen in the middle of the main room.
AI: "Please state your business."
Alan: "I would like to enter the black market to buy and sell resources.".
AI: "Welcome, customer. Entering the black market, there are a few rules that the customer needs to follow. First, connect your terminal, and please transfer 5 million federation dollars to gain access to the entrance to the black market. I will send the rules to your terminal; please follow them to the letter. Once inside, you are responsible for your own life. I wish you a pleasant visit."
Following the AI instruction, he received the code and the rules that were included in the information he had bought from the cafe earlier.
After he finished transferring the 5 million, he went to the other room inside the building where an elevator was waiting for him.
Spending almost 3 to 5 minutes inside the elevator gave Alan a clear idea of how deep underground this market is.
Exiting the elevator and seeing the market for the first time, he could not help but remember a huge mall from his past life.
With so many levels stacked above each other, each level holding hundreds of shops lined up perfectly next to each other.
With a face mask and a raincoat hoodie, he started walking until someone called him.
Holder: "Hey brother, do you need a guide? For only 20,000, I can help you find what you want much more efficiently, wasting no time at all."
Alan took a deep look at the short and rough middle-aged man.
Alan: "Why did you call for me? There are a few who came with me at the same time."
Holder: "Well, with that raincoat and face mask, everything about you is saying that this is your first time in the black market, and you would probably need a guide."
Alan was embarrassed as he immediately took off his mask.
Alan: "So hiding my appearance is a worthless act."
Holder: "There are many who hide their appearance inside this market, but they do it in a much more sophisticated way. If you hire me, I can help you avoid a great deal of trouble."
Alan smiled back at the short man and said
Alan: "OK, you are hired. How can I call you?"
Holder: "Just call me Holder, young master."
Alan: "Okay, Holder, I sneaked out today to play. I hear that in this black market, many unknown and unidentified treasuries are sold in bulk, so I want to buy some."
Holder couldn't help but have a stiff smile on his face, telling himself on the inside that his earlier suspicion was right: this young man must be the young master of some great clan that went out to play.
Holder: "Then please follow me, Young Master; we will go down to section D7. That section has a lot of stalls and shops that sell all kinds of weird stuff."
Both of them entered the elevator heading down to section D7.
Holder: "Young Master, I hope that you have read the rules for the black market; these are cardinal rules, and if someone breaks them, it will be the end of his life, so I hope you understand."
Alan: "I have already read all the rules. Don't worry; I won't make any trouble; I'm just here to have some fun."
The moment Alan saw section D7, he was mesmerized by so many stores that deal in treasures; there are even stalls all around. He knew that he was in the right place.
Silently looking at these stores, following him was Holder, who was a little nervous; although these young masters pay well, they are usually arrogant and a magnet for disaster.
Entering the first store He immediately activated the Eye of Ra and took a look at every piece inside.
One of them caught his eyes.
Name: [corios bracelets]
Class: [6th class treasure]
Description: [a sixth-class treasure that only works underwater; as long as the holder keeps providing steady Ena to the bracelet, they can gain immediate control over a small body of water that is surrounding them, using it for defense or offense, a natural treasure that is shaped as a bracelet found only beneath a specific coral]
Alan immediately asks the staff of the shop about the treasure.
Alan: "Excuse me, how much is this thing that looks like a weird bracelet?"
Staff: "Sir, this bracelet-locking treasure was found in a lava area inside a secret realm. Although its usage is unknown, because of its origin, it has been priced at 250,000."
Alan pretending to think but actually on the inside he was celebrating as a sixth-class treasure that is worth a billion; it's being sold for 250,000.
Alan: "It will be a great gift for my girlfriend; I'll buy it."
Staff: "Thank you for your patronage."
Holder, who was watching, could not help but warn Alan.
Holder: "Young Master, in the rules of the black market, there is no returning something you bought. Are you sure you want to buy this piece for 250,000? You don't even know what its function is."
The staff who listened to what Holder said immediately gave him a stern look.
Alan: "I told you I came here to play today; there is no need to be so serious."
Holder could only smile and keep his silence after.
After visiting three shops, Alan did not find anything that caught his eye.
Holder, who thought that Alan was getting bored, immediately said
Holder: "Young master, why don't you try the stalls? You might find something that interests you."
Alan nodded and followed Holder's suggestion.
As they were moving between the stalls, one of them with less than 10 treasures on it caught his eyes.
Looking at the displayed treasures, he was shocked, he tried his best not to show it on his face.
Name: [Amodius Pearl]
Class: [8th class treasure]
Description: [The Pearl formed by the deep sea 9th stage calm beast. It is one of the most valuable treasures for high-class beast tamers who cultivate water-based cultivation techniques and has many uses, such as refinement into a treasure or inclusion as an evolutionary resource.]
Name: [Salas Nectar]
Class: [8th class treasure]
Description: [It is a nectar that is secreted by the salas planet, a 9th stage planet type beast, and has a wondrous effect on the physical cultivation of cultivators and beasts, extremely valuable as it holds a great amount of life essence energy; one sip can bring back a beast or cultivator from the claws of death.]
Name: [Hasanga Flower]
Class: [9th class resource]
Description: [a special type of flower that was nurtured by Ena for more than 100 years, extremely valuable as it can help in the cultivation of both Ena cultivators and beasts, can be used to make a special potion that can allow an 8th stage being to immediately break through to the 9th stage]
Looking at the three treasures, Alan was so excited that he wanted to dance.
Calming himself down, he approached the stall owner and said in a flamboyant way,.
Alan: "Boss, tell me about these five pieces that you have here. How much for them all?"
The boss looked at Alan, who was acting like a fool, rich young master, so he thought his chance might have come.
Boss: "Young Master, all of them together at a special price for you and only you at 10 million."
When Alan heard the price His expression changed. He now knew for sure that the owner of this stall did not know the value of his own merchandise at all.
So he frowned.
Alan: "Boss, are you trying to rob me, or do I look stupid to you? Just because I have some money, do I need to spend it lavishly?"
By pretending to be displeased, Alan already takes the initiative in the negotiation.
Boss: "Young Master, we too have to eat. Don't take it personally."
Alan: "Forget it, let's go Holder."
Boss: "Wait, Young Master, how about this: I will give you a final price, no negotiation after. If you buy them, they're yours."
Alan: "So what is the price?"
Boss: "5 million for the five pieces. This is my final price."
Alan pretended to think deeply about this price he said.
Alan: "Ok then, 5 million it is."
Settling the payment, Alan took his treasures while Holder couldn't help but feel regretful; if he had known that this young master was so wealthy, he would have asked for more than 20,000.
Alan: "This is 50,000 for you, Holder, and those two treasures too. Meet me at the same place, same time tomorrow.
Getting out of the market, Alan was very happy with his gains.
His plan was to spend 3 days inside the market to get as much as he can before moving on.