The Rift Between Cities: The Uprisers

"Two thousand, non-negotiable," the stall owner said flatly.

The golden-haired man frowned. "Come on, brother, this Courage Crystal is so rotten it's barely half as effective. I might even get the runs if I eat it! And you're still asking two thousand for this quality?"

"Take it or leave it. If you're not buying, get lost," the owner replied impatiently.

Ning Fan turned his head to look at the golden-haired man.

The man was strikingly handsome, with fair skin and long golden hair tied back with a string.

However, his body...

It was in a rather gruesome state!

His entire body was covered in knife wounds!

Especially the wound on his shoulder blade, where even the stark white bone was visible.

"What's with the attitude? It's just a business transaction, and you're acting all high and mighty! Not even allowing bargaining?" the golden-haired man sneered. "If I wasn't aching all over, I'd definitely shoot you dead!"

The owner abruptly stood up. "Are you fucking leaving or not?!"

As the owner lost his temper, several nearby stall owners also stood up.

"Brother Zhou, what's wrong? Someone causing trouble?"

"You little punk, what's your game? Looking for a fight?"

"If you can afford it, buy it. If not, get lost!"

Seeing so many people standing up to back the owner, the golden-haired man didn't seem nervous, but he stopped arguing with the owner.

"Alright, alright, you win," the golden-haired man said, surprisingly pulling out two thousand Solas and tossing them onto the stall. "Two thousand it is! What can I do when my whole body's in pain!"

The owner snatched up the Courage Crystal and threw it to him.

The golden-haired man first sniffed it, the pungent smell making him tilt his head back.

But he still pinched his nose and swallowed the Courage Crystal in a few quick bites.

The bleeding on his body barely stopped, but as he had said, the quality of this Courage Crystal was significantly compromised. Its effect was certainly not as good as the fresh ones Ning Fan and his companions had eaten earlier.

"You guys, I'll remember this!" the golden-haired man arrogantly threw out a threat to those who had just cursed at him.

Those people stood up again, but the golden-haired man had already walked away from the crowd.

This little incident didn't particularly catch Ning Fan's attention; it was merely a bit of spectacle to him.

"Young man, is this merchandise yours?" a husky female voice came from nearby.

Ning Fan looked over.

A woman with a cigarette dangling from her lips stood in front of the stall, arms crossed.

She looked to be about two or three years older than Qiao Fei, wearing a black leather skirt and just a white tank top.

Large patches of fair skin were exposed, drawing the attention of many men around.

Ning Fan was no exception.

He suddenly recalled seeing Qiao Fei in the cave...

Ning Fan shook his head.

Heh. Damn puberty.

"It's mine," Ning Fan said, regaining his composure. "Name your price!"

The woman squatted down and casually flipped through the weapons inside.

"All single-digit, huh?" she remarked.

Indeed, the people from the "Hunting Group" were all "Single Soul Level".

Ning Fan was a bit surprised.

Could this woman determine the Soul Servant levels just by glancing at a few weapons?

"Sister Cai, how much do you think is appropriate?" the crew-cut man smiled. "I'll leave this deal to you."

Sister Cai raised an eyebrow at the crew-cut man and chuckled, "What? Trying to earn a commission from me?"

"Can't introduce business without getting a little something, right?" the crew-cut man said, scratching his head.

Sister Cai snorted, "Five hundred."

"Deal."

After the two settled on a price, Sister Cai turned to Ning Fan, "You've got six pieces here. Normally, they could sell for two thousand each at most. How about this - I'll take them all for ten thousand."

This price was quite fair.

Before coming, Qiao Fei and Hui Zi had also estimated the price of these weapons.

Two thousand each.

"Twelve thousand," Ning Fan said calmly. "Calculated per piece."

"Then you might as well keep looking around," Sister Cai said without wasting words. "On this street, besides me, there's no one else who can buy weapons in bulk."

Marauders' weapons had one particular use.

Soul gambling.

These weapons all contained Soul Servants. If taken outside the district and melted down using special methods, there was a chance of extracting the Soul Servant inside.

However, the extracted Soul Servants couldn't be attached to weapons again and could only serve as nourishment for other Soul Servants.

This was the so-called Soul Servant upgrade.

The reason Ning Fan and his companions didn't melt down these weapons themselves was that they didn't know the technique.

Professional matters should be left to professionals.

Ning Fan didn't intend to haggle further and started packing up his bundle, preparing to ask around at another place.

In fact, for Ning Fan, selling these items was merely a pretext.

He needed to first understand some basic information about the F27 district to better investigate the "War Bear" intel.

"Kid," Sister Cai suddenly called out to Ning Fan. "You've got a tail."

Ning Fan paused, then smiled.

"I know."

All along the way, Ning Fan had known someone was following him.

Among the nine assessment items, there was one for counter-surveillance.

Without using a Soul Servant, it was nearly impossible to track Ning Fan without being detected.

Sister Cai's beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. "Quite the keen sense, huh?"

"Born in the Year of the Dog," Ning Fan shrugged, having already packed up his bundle.

Sister Cai hesitated for a moment. "Kid, how about this! On top of the price we just agreed on, I'll throw in an extra service - I'll help you get rid of that tail behind you, save you some trouble. How's that sound?"

Ning Fan looked Sister Cai up and down.

This woman seemed to have quite a bit of pull in the F27 district.

This was evident from both the attitude of the surrounding stall owners towards her and the confidence in her speech.

"I recognize this tail. He came to my place yesterday to sell a staff and a knuckle duster!" Sister Cai added. "The stuff you've got is quite tempting to him! You know how it is in this world - people would die for money. I don't know what skills you've got, but you've got to rest sometime, right? Keeping a tail around is too inconvenient."

Initially, Ning Fan was going to refuse.

But just as he was about to speak, he paused.

"You said he came to sell what?"

"A staff and a knuckle duster."

Ning Fan felt his heart skip a beat.

His hand, hidden behind his back, gradually clenched into a fist.

A staff and a knuckle duster.

Old Duan and Wang Ye.

Although Ning Fan couldn't be certain, the timing matched up perfectly.

Ning Fan wanted to turn around and find that tail.

After Old Duan and Wang Ye died in the Misty Forest, those who could have picked up their weapons...

Were most likely the people from "War Bear"!

Ning Fan's blood surged, but after a moment, he forcibly controlled his impulse.

No need to rush!

What he wanted was to wipe out "War Bear" completely!

Killing just one person wouldn't be enough.

"Whose man is this tail?" Ning Fan asked calmly, having adjusted his emotions. "Doing this kind of business within the district - your F27 seems pretty chaotic, huh?"

"Heh, isn't it the same everywhere? As long as there's money, there are plenty of desperados," Sister Cai smirked. "Ever heard of 'War Bear'? They used to be quite famous in F27 district!"

"Never heard of them," Ning Fan shook his head.

Sister Cai looked in the direction behind Ning Fan.

"This tail is from 'War Bear', but I heard their team was scattered yesterday! The three left are now hanging around Old Pig from the 'Skull Gang', scraping by."