CHAPTER 95: CHAPTER 90 ER LANG_2

This was a gray area, but many knew about it. Yet even so, for it to operate within the Inner City was a testament to the Twin Rivers Guild’s connections and power within the government.

Chen Ku secretly speculated, For the Twin Rivers Guild to have established itself in the city over these years, Huang Muxia, as the eighth-ranked expert, wouldn’t have been enough. From my past life experience, he was, at most, a white glove for someone in the government. But I wonder, who among the county’s top three officials is the patron behind the Twin Rivers Guild?

The County Magistrate? The County Magistrate? Or the County Magistrate?

Chen Ku felt it was very likely the County Magistrate.

After all, the matter of Blade-Handlers involved the government utilizing the power of Martial Practitioners among the populace to assist in solving cases.

And whether to sweep clean a black market in this gray area was actually decided with a single word from the County Magistrate, who oversaw the county’s punishments and the apprehension of thieves.

If there was a black market operating openly that wasn’t shut down, then there was definitely more to it than met the eye; some hidden reason was certainly at play.

But whether any of this was true, he could only guess, unable to grasp the truth.

This level of affairs was a bit too removed from his current status; it was like trying to see flowers in a fog—unclear.

Regardless, the black market was convenient for Chen Ku.

Chen Ku, donning a Conical Hat and using the Transformation of Du Xiaodao, whom he had killed earlier, only needed to sacrifice nine ordinary beasts to completely replicate the appearance and build of the former leader who had incited the refugees.

He entered the Outer City district under the Twin Rivers Guild’s sphere of influence. Inside, he observed that the people in each market area lived openly, not bothering to hide their faces or movements. However, every person’s face bore the fierce aura of someone who was clearly up to no good.

It was like stepping into some disreputable, fortified town.

Chen Ku had been here several times before, purely to sell medicine, without getting involved in other trades. This time, to learn about the Blade-Handler industry’s stronghold, he spent a little Silver in a small shop in a local market district and easily found out the name of a certain building.

"Grey Clothes Tower."

Chen Ku walked towards the unremarkable, two-story tavern that looked much like a small inn.

Upon reaching the entrance, he found the main door tightly shut, even in broad daylight. Chen Ku knocked sharply—BANG! BANG! The door then automatically opened, leaving a gap just wide enough for one person to enter.

Inside was a large hall, open from the ground floor to the roof. The hall was almost empty, except for a masked, grey-clothed person at the counter. Chen Ku wondered if this was the man who had just opened the door for him.

Seeing the person of average height wearing a Conical Hat enter, the masked, grey-clothed figure at the counter spoke, "Blade-Handler? Assassin? Customer?"

One sentence, three questions, all about identity. Blade-Handlers were those who generally took on overt jobs; assassins would take any kind of work; and customers, naturally, were those posting bounties.

After speaking, he noticed the two parcels on Chen Ku’s back and was more or less certain the visitor was not a customer.

Chen Ku said slowly, "In this bag, I have the heads of the two death-row inmates who escaped from the Caishikou execution ground two days ago. I heard that if one doesn’t wish to personally go to the government to claim the bounty, your establishment can deliver them on one’s behalf and also disburse the bounty."

"That is correct, but a handling fee is required," the masked person in grey clothes said emotionlessly. "You say those two heads belong to the death-row inmates who escaped the execution ground two days ago? Are they Ni Kun and Lin Jiu? Two days have passed, and only these two inmates’ cases remain open. According to the government’s bounty, Ni Kun’s is one thousand taels, and Lin Jiu’s is five hundred taels. If you require us to deliver them to the government, we will take fifty taels of Silver from the total of one thousand five hundred taels as a fee for maintaining your anonymity."

"Acceptable."

Chen Ku could accept this handling fee. After all, he sought safety and security. If he didn’t have to go to the government personally, it would also prevent any unexpected dangers.

Steadiness. Everything prioritized steadiness.

With that, he placed the parcels from his back on the counter for the masked person in grey clothes to verify.

The masked person opened the parcels. Seeing the human heads preserved with lime powder, he briefly probed Ni Kun’s skull with a finger, seemingly using Inner Qi to sense the bone structure for any signs of Disguise or similar alterations.

A moment later, he examined the other head in the same manner.

Finally, he nodded to Chen Ku. "The heads are genuine. I can give you one thousand four hundred and fifty taels of Silver now. However, there is one thing: if it’s convenient, you might leave a codename. No need for your real name."

A codename?

Chen Ku pondered for a moment, then said, "Codename ’Er Lang.’"

"Er Lang?"

The grey-clothed person showed no emotion upon hearing this unremarkable codename; it was as common as "Number One" or "Number Two." However, Chen Ku noted his next action.

He then took out several silver notes from under the counter, totaling one thousand four hundred and fifty taels, and handed them to Chen Ku.

As Chen Ku accepted the silver notes, he inquired, "Does the tower have the latest government wanted list, or something similar?"

"Of course, provided free of charge," said the masked person in grey clothes. He then took out a fold-out booklet from under the counter and handed it to Chen Ku.

"This is a Bounty List displayed in our tower. It includes not only government bounties but also private ones. If you wish, you can take on private bounties as well. Our establishment recognizes only heads and business; we will not inquire about anything concerning you beyond your codename."

Chen Ku casually flipped through a few pages. He discovered that the booklet listed at least several hundred individuals who had secret bounties on their heads. Some entries were already crossed out, indicating the bounty had expired or the targeted person had already been killed.