roccoschili Chapter 701 701: All Crows Under The Sky Are Black_1
Chapter 701 701: All Crows Under The Sky Are Black_1
"All this drama, the Photo God Sect hasn't even been annihilated; there's really no need for such a fuss," Wang Linchi said dismissively.He was now living in another marketplace named Qingzhu Market. The cost of living here was similar to that of Return Profound Market City before its owners took the money and ran.
Essentially, you struggled for a month and, in the end, earned only a few pieces of broken silver, barely enough even for medical treatment. Everything else went into cave dwelling rents, booth fees, and other costs. No matter how much you earned, they would squeeze it out of you.
Wang Linchi didn't really mind. He was always just about scraping by anyway.
However, even marketplaces weren't doing well now. After the incident at Return Profound Market City affected the Photo God Sect, various Sects had started consciously regulating and cleaning up marketplaces. Qingzhu Market was significantly affected by this, too.
According to Wang Linchi, if they were lucky, they might survive by squeezing the Loose Cultivators harder. If they were unlucky and didn't pay enough tribute, they might be wiped out tomorrow.
Fortunately, they were also a Righteous Sect, so they wouldn't blatantly massacre everyone. As long as people dismantled and left the market within a specified time, there wouldn't be too much hassle.
As for how to arrange for the dispersed Loose Cultivators, this was no longer something the major Sects needed to consider. They were only responsible for their own Sect's tasks and not accountable for anything else. Besides, they were just a bunch of Loose Cultivators. How much trouble could they really cause?
Whatever the consequences, their priority was to quickly eliminate the Demon Path culprit lurking in the area and ensure their own lives and assets. That was the key.
Wang Linchi naturally knew what these Sects were up to. Far from being worried, he was actually looking forward to the show. They even invited the Supreme Sword Sect, and an Immortal Sovereign Realm expert at that! Aren't they afraid of going bankrupt? Do they really think inviting the Supreme Sword Sect means they can rest easy? No. The first thing the major Sects will face is the exorbitant cost. Otherwise, how could a group of Immortal Emperor Realm cultivators possibly afford to invite an Immortal Sovereign Realm expert whose strength and status far exceed their own? This Immortal Honored Realm Cultivator from the Supreme Sword Sect will require a vast amount of resources as Tribute for every single day he stays. Over time, even if I don't scheme them to death, they'll go bankrupt from this expense alone.
Therefore, Wang Linchi stopped his actions. In a month at most, the major Sects wouldn't be able to bear this huge expenditure.
But they don't understand one thing: it's easy to invite a god but hard to send one away. When the time comes, even if they want to ask this Immortal Sovereign Realm expert to leave, he won't. Why would he? Just by staying put, he gets a steady stream of... well, minor resources to him, but it's still great! No life-threatening risks, no political maneuvering. The amount might be small, but it's free and safe. In the eyes of an Immortal Sovereign Realm expert, the resources these Sects provide are certainly not on par with what he'd normally use, but small amounts add up. He can see gains in just a few days. If it took hundreds of years, it definitely wouldn't be worth it. But a few days? That's like a few seconds to him. Absolutely worthwhile.
However, the expert wasn't merely idling. He was constantly investigating whether there truly were traces of someone from the Demon Path, but he found nothing, which made him grow increasingly grim.
If there were clues, it would mean it wasn't a major issue. But no clues at all? That indicates a very big problem. After all, if even an Immortal Honored Realm Cultivator like me can't find any trace, then the grand conspiracy the major Sects spoke of might actually be true. Otherwise, how could the cleanup have been so immaculate?
To this, Wang Linchi could only internally agree: You're damn right. I *do* have a grand conspiracy.
"Time to set up the stall again..." Wang Linchi glanced at the time and sighed. This experience of playing as a bottom-tier Loose Cultivator is truly awful. Every day, it's sleeping later than a dog and waking earlier than a rooster. Good thing we're not ordinary people; with this kind of cutthroat competition, sudden death would become a leading cause of mortality for Cultivators."
"And it looks like I'm about to break through to the Golden Core Stage, right?" Wang Linchi checked his game character's progression.
It wasn't particularly attention-grabbing. As long as one had enough resources, rapid advancement wasn't a major issue. One could even create a powerhouse just by piling on resources.
"Alright, time to work. No more being a lazy dog," Wang Linchi thought. After tidying up, he took a stack of Charms to his stall, arranged them, and then began to zone out, utterly bored.
Most people who bought his Charms didn't haggle. After all, the price of Charms was generally the same everywhere. Unless your quality was better than others, there wouldn't be much price fluctuation; otherwise, prices remained fairly stable.
"Your Charms have a high success rate; thirty percent of them are medium-grade. Have you considered joining the Charm Hall of Qingzhu Market?" a middle-aged man asked, squatting down and fiddling with a Charm from Wang Linchi's stall.
Charms, like Spirit Stones and Immortal Spirit Stones, were graded by quality: low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, and top-grade. The higher the quality, the better the effect. Naturally, Charms of the same type but different qualities commanded different prices.
Most Charms produced by Loose Cultivators peaked at medium-grade. Wang Linchi's ratio—thirty percent medium-grade and seventy percent low-grade—was already considered quite good.
"Oh? What are the benefits?" Wang Linchi asked.
"All your fees will be waived. Plus, once you meet the standards, you'll receive prioritized resource allocation annually, enabling you to break through to the Immortal Realm much faster," the middle-aged man stated, laying out his conditions.
It sounded wonderful, but a quick mental calculation told Wang Linchi it was a huge trap. The fee waiver was somewhat useful, but only somewhat. In this world where the strong prey on the weak and might makes right, pretty words rarely matched reality... Besides, these are just the supposed benefits; the responsibilities haven't even been mentioned yet.
"What would I have to give in return?" Wang Linchi asked, though he had no intention of joining, he inquired casually.
"Not much. You'd just need to sign a contract with the market—it's for your own good, really. All you have to do is draw Charms; you won't have to worry about anything else. We'll compensate you generously," the man said vaguely.
"Well, I'll think about it then," Wang Linchi replied with a smile, declining.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man didn't press the issue. After all, Wang Linchi was only at the Demi Immortal Foundation Establishment Stage and not considered particularly important. It was only because of the high proportion of quality Charms Wang Linchi produced, suggesting a decent Talent in the Dao of Charms, that he'd bothered. Recruiting him would be ideal, but if not, so be it.
After the man left, Wang Linchi accessed the details of the so-called contract and remuneration. Upon reviewing them, he couldn't help but exclaim internally that his self-proclaimed title of a righteous Knight-errant was thoroughly deserved by comparison.
A non-terminable Tribute contract, a lethal monthly production quota, and a pitiful profit share... This isn't recruitment; it's enslavement! And you're even using dual contracts! That's just outrageously cunning! They sweet-talk you, but once that contract is signed, you lose all autonomy. Everything they said is true, but they conveniently omit certain clauses. For example, fees are waived, but if you don't meet the monthly quota, you're slapped with a hefty fine. And that 'profit share'? The market takes 99.99%, leaving you with a measly 0.01%. And because of the contract, you can't leave. The monthly production quota is so high you have no time for Cultivation, forced to dedicate everything to production. What about 'prioritized resource allocation'? Oh, that exists, provided you meet the standard—an impossibly high standard that serves only as a false hope, like quenching thirst by looking at plums. And if by some miracle you do meet it once, they'll just raise the standard next time. As for those 'prioritized' resources? First, they'd be delayed by endless buck-passing, then skimmed by numerous intermediaries before ever reaching you. It would be painfully obvious how little actually made it into your hands.
So, only three types of people join these market halls. First, the direct relatives of the market leaders—they're the senior managers, the exploiters, not the exploited. The other two types are the desperate and the duped. That man probably targeted me because I looked new and gullible.
Wang Linchi declined. The man, likely guessing Wang Linchi knew the inside story, departed decisively.
"Indeed, all crows under heaven are black," Wang Linchi thought, shaking his head. Compared to them, it was ridiculously easy to paint himself as a righteous Knight-errant.
Comparisons really are necessary between people. After this one, even my own checkered past seems much more palatable, Wang Linchi mused.
"But why would he suddenly target me? Could there be something else going on?" Wang Linchi's eyes narrowed as he pondered whether to teach the man a harsh lesson.