CHAPTER 186: CHAPTER 113: PROFITEER (PART 2)

0号 quickened her pace. There were some herbs around the small path, but none that could be used as "poison" by 0号.

Despite Ziyu’s refusal to teach 0号 how to identify poisons, she gave 0号 a medicine from the temple in case of emergencies in the wild, which would immediately change color if it encountered poison.

0号 had checked it and found it was a test powder mixed with silver, but she recognized most of the plants along the way and had not used it.

Before deciding to leave the small path and return to the main road, 0号 noticed something else. Her Reconnaissance Skill had reached a Skill Level of 1000/1000 a few days ago, but there had been no changes since then.

The current effect of the Loli Reconnaissance Skill is that it allows one to see the general attributes and strengths and weaknesses of characters of the same Level or lower, as well as most known plants’ attributes. In other words, if 0号 encounters a Corporal Level player or NPC, she can discern their strengths, weaknesses, and current state; beyond that, she is powerless.

Perhaps this was the limit of the Loli Reconnaissance Skill. The one who had taught Reconnaissance Skill to 0号 was NPC Maggie. She was a non-combatant herself and her knowledge of species was from an academic standpoint.

The path ahead was already covered by dense branches and leaves. If 0号 wanted to continue, she would have needed a sharp tool to cut through the thorny obstacles. She had discarded her boning knife earlier due to a lack of space in her backpack.

Just as 0号 was about to turn back, she heard a voice. 0号 did not make a habit of eavesdropping, but intuition told her that every time she did so, it would significantly impact her "Military Road" journey.

"Apoli, why abandon the high status of Goddess to come to such a desolate wilderness?"

"Batou, if it wasn’t for your unreliable work and failure to properly deal with Ziyu, I wouldn’t have ended up like this,"

Two familiar names made 0号 stop in her tracks.

As long as 0号 was careful, the thicket of thorns could prevent her from being discovered.

She wasn’t sure whether to count it as good or bad luck, but 0号 silently held her breath.

The Dark Night Market and the temple were colluding. No wonder Ziyu had appeared in the Dark Night Market last time.

"You said you had a treasure to sell to me; why haven’t you taken it out?" Apoli had no desire to stay in such a poor, remote place. Even using wormwood leaves was insufficient to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

"Let me see the money first. You’re not the same as before, without the backing of the temple, and now as a fugitive, you can’t even show your face. How can I know if you’ll pay in full after receiving the goods?" Batou and Apoli had a few past transactions, though they were not exactly on friendly terms. In the Dark Night Market, they only recognized money, not people.

"Hmph, I’ve only left the Babylon Temple. What future could there be in such a place? As long as you truly capture the right person, the wealth I could obtain will not compare to a mere Babylon Temple," Apoli said arrogantly, showing no affection for her birthplace.

After speaking, she took out a treasure chest containing ten white sea pearls. In this inland country, those ten sea pearls could buy a common city.

The goods Batou sold were indeed priceless in the market, as seen by 0号. Although she had spent all she had to buy Ziyu, her identity and her Spiritual Healing Technique were treasures beyond price.

"Ten sea pearls? Miss Apoli, this deal isn’t like the one with your sister; she was more expensive than both of you sisters combined," Batou was still not satisfied and showed disdain for the sea pearls.

"Batou, don’t get too carried away. When I asked you to kidnap someone, the agreed price was ten sea pearls," Apoli was not one to be trifled with and wouldn’t let Batou inflate the price at will.

0号 carefully spread apart a gap in the branches, and next to Batou was a large chest. This Batou was no legitimate businessman, but a full-fledged slave trader.

"Miss Apoli, I promised you ten pearls, but I did not know that Thief Katz would also be interested in this ’merchandise.’ To wrench it back from Katz, I lost three top-tier Gladiators and ten loyal Black slaves. Of course, I must account for this loss," Batou stroked his smooth, beardless chin, squinting his eyes, which gleamed calculatingly.

Who was this Thief Katz? 0号 pondered silently.

"A person who can’t even beat a lowly thief dies cleaner," Apoli’s beautiful petal-like lips uttered venomous words as poisonous as a viper’s fang. "I’ll add three more pearls, don’t even think about raising the price, or I’ll turn on you."

Apoli took out three more sea pearls of similar quality and size from her chest, threw them into the chest, and handed it over to Batou.

Batou looked satisfied, his fingers, which had touched countless riches, greedily counted the number of pearls.

"The chest is yours, until the next meeting," Batou finished speaking, and a few Black slaves emerged from another path, carrying Batou away until they vanished.

The Dark Night Market had a reputation for reliability in business; Apoli didn’t wait to inspect the merchandise. She first examined the chest closely for a moment, then unlocked it.

"Damn you, Batou, how dare you deceive me? What is this nonsense, where is the person I wanted?" Upon opening the chest, Apoli’s face flushed with fury, "When I get back to the city, I’ll deal with you properly." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)