Black Area

When he was still a human, Bai had been to many places, but he had never been to Partington.

This beautiful city had a majesty he had never seen before. The towering white walls looked like snow-capped mountains, looking down at all humans with solidity and arrogance.

The black-robed merchant took him to the rooftop, with people flowing under his feet. Large and small lamps illuminated the city like daylight.

"See, Bai? Why can they live here while so many people can only wander outside?"

Bai said: "Because they are powerful and wealthy, they can get better treatment."

"No, no. They are weak and vulnerable. Strength is the most insignificant power. There is no one who is unbeatable. As long as you find their weakness, even the gods will bow down before you. Ten thousand people will kneel before you and let you play with them at your will."

The profiteer laughed softly. His voice was somewhere between male and female, full of seductive charm. The boy listened to his words almost intoxicatedly, and seemed to understand why humans in the past could not resist the devil.

If all the demons were as reckless and arrogant as the other party, and smashed the hypocrisy to pieces on the ground for everyone to see, he would be willing to kneel down and be the other party's slave. The black-robed merchant stretched out his hand to him, and the bright red paint flowed, outlining a happy smile.

"Come with me, I will show you the truth of this world."

The white-haired boy did as he was told without hesitation. The two of them jumped off the roof and disappeared into the crowd.

There is a special area in Partington known as the Black Area.

This is a den of crime, with all kinds of illegal buildings and complex land forming an excellent trading ground.

The most famous are the intelligence dealers in the black area. They are a group of real hyenas, living for profit. There are many people who want to deal with them, and even more people who need them. Even if they encounter danger, these hyenas are not strong, but they have excellent ability to survive, and they can always escape.

But today, the intelligence dealers had no time to hide and were chased everywhere for the first time in their lives. Safe houses were destroyed one after another, but the snakes chasing behind them always found their location.

He is obviously young, but incredibly strong. His transformed body easily navigates all kinds of terrains, and the crying mask always follows closely behind him, challenging the psychological limits of intelligence traders.

The trackers seem to have a special way of identifying people. They kill some people directly when they encounter them, and capture others.

Gradually, the intelligence traders distinguished themselves: those with blood on their hands ran faster, while those who followed the rules stood still. As expected, Crying Face let them go and chased after the rest.

Just as the people who stayed behind felt a little relieved, a black-robed businessman appeared before them. He was wearing a mask, and his eyes outlined in paint stared at them with a smile, causing the intelligence merchants who wanted to escape to freeze in their places.

"It's nice to see you, gentlemen. I'm a profiteer and he's a crying face."

"You probably already know that some people have disappeared in the Black Zone. If you don't want to follow in their footsteps, I think smart people know what to do."

The black area is not a clean place. A newcomer will naturally cause a lot of dissatisfaction. Those who can open a shop in the black area have some power behind them. So when the profiteer Dai Bai came to the black area, the first thing he did was to clear out all the obstacles. The black-robed merchant stood in front of this group of trembling little black sheep and made a declaration with great joy.

"Isn't it a good deal to trade my soul for a chance to live?"

Bai returned covered in blood. He asked the profiteer to reattach his snake tail to him in exchange for the powerful power left over from the experiment.

The slender snake tail wrapped around the profiteer, and the crying mask faced them, exuding a strong dangerous aura.

The little black sheep all swallowed their saliva. With tears in their eyes, they completed the transaction with the merchant tremblingly. The profiteer passed these souls to Bai. After all, they were his property. He couldn't charge for transferring them from his left hand to his right hand, right?

The price really didn't respond.

The unscrupulous businessman was in a good mood after solving this problem, and he spent a lot of money to solve the previous problem.

Just like arranging a show, he carefully and meticulously set up the stage for the next performance. He patted his white tail, his voice full of smiles.

"It's your home court from now on, Bai."

The snake's tail swayed slightly, and it slid silently into the darkness and disappeared.

…

A man wearing a tattered hat leaned against the wall, the pipe in his hand flickering sparks in the darkness. The wall behind him was very thin, with a small hole in the middle. After a while, a sound came from the other side of the wall.

"Sage has arrived."

"Tequila is listening."

The man puffed out smoke and said in a hoarse voice: "Let's start trading. What's new in the black area recently?"

"The Noble Association has sent a large number of Bloodline members to search Partington. Many new faces have appeared in the Black District recently. Some people say that something went wrong during the Round Table Trial, while others say that monsters attacked the Bloodline Academy, angering these nobles. Many old people have disappeared recently, and it is said that they were killed. Everyone is very careful now."

"Oh, the Noble Association. It seems that those old dogs have caused a lot of trouble. The repeated setbacks in the Round Table Trials are bound to cause something to happen."

"You are right. It is said that a great follower of the Black Mist has come out from the West. Partington will definitely be very busy for some time to come."

"Black Mist Followers... What are these lunatics going to do now?"

"Who knows? Just be careful these days." The voice on the other side of the wall sighed, as if suddenly remembering something. "By the way, if you need information on selling or buying, you can go to the Black Forest Tavern to find [Crying Face] later."

"Who is this again?"

"A new intelligence dealer has emerged recently. All those who tried to challenge him have been killed. He has a large number of intelligence dealers under his control, and his information is very accurate."

It's not easy to get these intelligence dealers to obey. Where did this person come from that could make them so loyal?

The man held the cigarette in his mouth and pondered for a while, and suddenly realized that something was wrong.

"What about you? Aren't you the best information dealer in this area?"

The other party laughed dryly and said, "Yes, so from today on, you have to go to the Black Forest Tavern to buy intelligence from me."

Such conversations took place in the streets of the Black District and were spread by intelligence dealers, attracting many eyes to the Black Forest Tavern.

From the outside, the Black Forest Tavern is an ordinary two-story building. Hidden in the narrowest alley in the Black District, there is nothing special about it.

But if you look around, you can find countless spies. They are squatting in the corners like mice, observing the movements of this tavern.

After a long time, someone finally took action. The first group of people who came to investigate entered the tavern, and it was indeed completely different from before.

Those who have been to the Black Forest Tavern before still remember that it was a dark, damp, and run-down place, where one had to be careful of rats stealing their snacks when drinking. They were even more courageous than humans, and each of them was eager to eat without caring about their lives.

Today, the Black Forest Tavern is renovated with a new look. The creaking floorboards have been replaced with wood and waxed, and the walls have been painted a new color. The entire second-floor floor was knocked out, and a square suspended private room was built around the walls, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the central ceiling. The light is dim and soft,

The spiral staircase leading to the second floor does a good job of shielding the view from the lobby.

For a moment, no one dared to step in. This place didn't fit in with the black area, but instead looked like some aristocratic territory. Until a row of waiters came out from the kitchen.

They all wore white masks on their faces and bowed to everyone silently. The leader handed a piece of paper to three of them.

[Please follow me, three gentlemen. You are the strongest among this group. Lord Crying Face is waiting for you.]

These three people were ordinary people who had always been standing at the end of the crowd. When they were invited, a flash of surprise flashed across their faces.

They were very confident in their disguises, which was the strength of the people in the Black District. The three hesitated for a moment, but finally followed the footsteps of the attendant. The rest of the people were led to their seats.

The menu included incredibly expensive fine wines and ordinary, cheap ales. You could find everything you wanted on it, and the wealthier people were tempted to bite the bullet and buy a glass of what looked like a good liquor.

Only when he was about to pay did he realize how upset he was. He took out the wallet from his pocket and handed it over with great distress.

The waiter quickly brought up an open cup filled with wine, which looked crystal clear under the light, making the people around stare at him in amazement. The man who ordered the wine took the wine, and countless envious glances fell on his back, making him raise his head involuntarily, thinking that the wine didn't seem so expensive.

He took a sip of the wine in the most elegant way possible. The purest liquor burned his throat and made his face turn red. The man smacked his lips and raised his glass triumphantly: "This is the best liquor I have ever tasted!"

The people around were stimulated. After hesitating for a while, one person made up his mind and shouted, "Give me a drink too!"

Orders were placed one after another, and the hall became lively, finally having the bustling atmosphere of a pub.

Hearing the lively sounds coming from the hall, the three people who went upstairs felt uneasy.

The waiter cannot speak at all, and all actions are communicated through notes.

They climbed the spiral staircase to the second floor. The completely enclosed corridor was quiet and narrow. The waiter led them to a door at the end, stopped and invited them in.

The three of them nervously entered the private room. This private room was twice as large as the other rooms, and was separated by layers of curtains. A snow-white snake tail slid down from it, slapping the ground according to the owner's mood.

Judging from the appearance, the tail alone was more than ten meters long. The three of them were so thirsty that they dared not raise their heads.

This level of mutation could kill them with just a slap of the tail, an elegant female voice came from behind the curtain, with a hint of nonchalance.

"I heard your bosses want to see me. Martin the troublemaker, Gudgeon the brains, and Kashanu the thief."

The three of them became even more humble: "Nothing can escape your eyes, Master Crying Face, we come with good intentions."

"Goodwill?" The other party laughed softly. "Only on the basis of strength can we talk about good and evil. You are not qualified to meet my master yet. The Black Forest Tavern will still provide intelligence support to everyone as a neutral party, as long as you put in enough chips."

"Of course, you are welcome to drink too."

The three were speechless. They had never expected that the new intelligence agent was actually a woman. There were two types of women in the black area: either they were the targets of bullying, or they were the black widows who could not be provoked.

Her words made people think: Crying Face had already taken over most of the intelligence dealers in the Black Zone, and there were others behind him. For everyone, this sudden force was a strong enemy.

The three of them had their own thoughts. After a brief conversation, they left in a hurry.

Only after the door closed did Bai, who was hiding behind the curtain, feel relieved. He immediately looked at the profiteer behind him, his red eyes full of nervousness. The black-robed merchant smiled and touched his head: "You did a good job."

The white-haired boy relaxed his body and clung to the other's palm. The profiteer said, "From today on, you are the intelligence dealer of the black area [Crying Face]. You must use your people well."

Bai nodded. There was a diamond tattoo on the back of his right hand. As long as he put his consciousness into it, he could control the servants downstairs.

"If there is something you can't solve, come to me."

Bai nodded, and reluctantly turned his head away, watching the figure of the black-robed merchant disappear into the black hole.

There was a knock on the door and the waiter walked into the room, lowering his head and not daring to look at him.

"The three men have left, my lord."

The boy regained his indifferent expression: "Don't call me sir. There is only one person who can be called sir. From today on, I am the owner of the Black Forest Tavern."

"Yes, boss."

"Tell the intelligence dealers to come see me. With the Black Zone as the center, we will build an intelligence kingdom for our master."