The Black Market

"Zane, unless something major comes up, I'm usually at the Public Security Bureau every afternoon."

"If you've figured out what you want to learn, just come find me."

"And don't just show up once and disappear."

Before leaving, Qingyi gave Zane a reminder. After all, as his teacher, she couldn't just be a name on paper and do nothing.

Besides, she had intended to pass on her skills from the very beginning.

Hearing that, Zane nodded. But just as Qingyi turned to leave, he called out to her.

"Senior, do you know where I can process Ether crystals?"

"I've never done it before, so I'm not sure how it all works."

Qingyi raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, then gave him an address.

"This is the largest Hollow black market in the Janus District. From rare jewels to Ether, pretty much everything harvested in the Hollows ends up there."

"But it's a chaotic place, filled with all kinds of people. Be careful—someone might target you."

"Still, don't worry too much. If you're just bringing in a couple average-grade Ether chunks, most people won't bother breaking the black market's rules for something like that."

In Qingyi's mind, a cat café wouldn't need that many Dennies, and Ether wasn't easy to mine. So Zane probably only had one or two pieces on him.

What she didn't know was that Zane planned to cash out everything at once—to cover all his future expenses.

Qingyi stood there, hesitating. Even though Zane had already escaped a full-blown dragnet from the Public Security Bureau, she still didn't feel entirely at ease.

"You want me to go with you?"

"No need, senior. I can handle it on my own."

Naturally, Zane couldn't let her come along for something like this, so he politely turned her down.

"By the way, I'm curious. Since you know about this black market, why hasn't it been shut down?"

He was genuinely puzzled. If Qingyi could give such a detailed address, then the Bureau clearly had solid intel on it.

So why were they letting it slide?

Could this be another case of government-business collusion?

Qingyi seemed to pick up on his thoughts and explained,

"On one hand, even though Hollow-related business is dangerous, the profits are massive. So there'll always be people willing to take the risk."

"You can't catch every single raider."

"That's why having one large, centralized black market is actually better than having dozens of small ones scattered across the city."

"The Bureau turns a blind eye—not just for control, but to plant informants and gather intel more efficiently."

"Plus, black markets have their own rules. With multiple factions keeping each other in check, things stay somewhat orderly."

"And since everyone knows the Bureau's stance, they usually try not to stir up trouble. They stick to Hollow goods and steer clear of criminal trades."

Compared to truly violent crime, what raiders did wasn't exactly high-risk.

The real reason the authorities banned it was to stop regular citizens from getting involved.

Qingyi sighed lightly. Her expression was calm as she looked at Zane. This kind of thing wasn't classified, so she had no problem telling him.

She continued,

"On the other hand, like I said—it's a mixed bag in there. You've got crime syndicates, raiders... even some official organizations involved."

"For example, one company under the Financial Alliance has a recycling shop right in the Janus black market. If you're looking to sell Ether, you could try there."

"And finally..."

Qingyi's gaze dropped as her voice softened.

"You have to leave a path open for people with nowhere else to go."

Given a choice, most people would prefer a quiet life over the high-risk, high-stress path of a raider—facing pressure from the government, rivals, and the Hollows alike.

"I see."

Zane nodded, adding another piece to his understanding of the world.

"Alright then, if you're all good, we should get going."

Qingyi placed her hands on her hips, said a final word, and turned to leave. Zhu Yuan followed close behind. But before she left, she remembered something and turned back.

"Zane, setting up a cat café has some complicated paperwork. When the time comes, don't forget to come find me—it'll save you a lot of hassle."

She was offering genuine help, but also wanted to make sure he was serious.

Zane gave her a nod and watched the two of them walk away.

After they were gone, he stood up and, just in case the Bureau had any lingering tricks up its sleeve, he put his mask back on.

Then he leapt toward the former cordon zone.

...

"Mmm-mmm! (Think you'll try that again!?)"

"Please, Lord Bangboo, stop hitting us! We know we messed up! We didn't know this stuff was yours..."

In a shabby old building, four people in raider gear lay flat on the ground, their faces swollen and bruised as they begged for mercy.

"Yeah, if we'd known, we wouldn't have touched it even if you gave us a hundred chances..."

"Mmm! Mmm-mmm-mmm! (Lies! I told you to stop, but you kept going!)"

A pitch-black Bangboo stood atop a crumbling wall, arms crossed and glaring at the four with righteous fury.

Even with his whole body painted black, his identity was still vaguely recognizable.

It was Panta.

In the corner beside him lay nearly ten pitch-black stones of various sizes. The outermost one had a crack revealing its glowing Ether core.

"Lord Bangboo, please! We really know we were wrong! Just let us go!"

The four kept pleading. They'd thought they stumbled onto a lucky break—only to find the stash guarded by a black-coated Bangboo.

They'd assumed it was just one ordinary Bangboo...

But that one Bangboo had mopped the floor with all four of them, leaving one of them nearly skewered by a laser cannon.

Begging might've worked, except this Bangboo had declared that his boss was on the way back!

If Bangboo alone was this scary, who knew what his boss was like?

The thought of facing some brutal gang leader had them sweating bullets, desperate to escape.

But with Bangboo standing guard, even getting out of there alive was uncertain.

"Mmm-hmm-mmm. (Just wait for the boss to get back.)"

Panta wasn't moved in the slightest. He just wanted to wait for Zane to return and deal with them properly.

The four trembled with fear. Two of them even braced to make a run for it—just then, a voice drifted in.

"Huh? What's all this? Why are you all lying on the floor?"

Zane rushed to the scene and froze, clearly surprised by what he saw.