Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 403

Tales of Nangsane – Chapter 112

“Why are you trying to go to the Black Market?”

There are many reasons.

I want to acquire elixirs or pills that can nourish my body in preparation for ascension.

There might be herbs or secret arts that Beom doesn’t know about.

In the first place, information about ascension is unlikely to be found in old books sold at local bookstores.

The Black Market isn’t just a place to buy and sell things.

“There’s no particular reason. I’m just going because I have some time.”

But there’s no need to tell him all that.

“What? You’re going for such a trivial reason? You must have money to burn.”

He grumbles, saying I should give some to him if I have so much.

Looking at his behavior, he’s far from being a divine immortal.

Maegyeol of the Akgokjong [likely a minor sect or individual known for unconventional behavior] looks like a beggar to anyone.

The lowest of the low beggars.

Is Akgokjong a sect affiliated with the Beggars’ Union, or is it just Maegyeol? Maybe that’s why he speaks so casually from the start.

“You have no manners. Do you know who this person is to be speaking so rudely?”

“Then you guys should speak comfortably too. I’ve never used honorifics with anyone.”

“I’ll tear that nasty mouth of yours today.”

Yeon-a reached for her sword hilt, but Cheon Beom stopped her.

“It’s okay. It’s nice to be treated comfortably. Don’t worry about me.”

“But Master.”

“It’s alright. I appreciate you thinking of me.”

He pats her, and she endures with a dissatisfied look.

Maegyeol looked puzzled at the sight of the young man calling him Master, even though he looked younger and had the same level of cultivation.

“Alright, Maegyeol. Where is the Black Market? I’ve been walking for a while, but I can’t see it.”

“…We’re here.”

But there’s nothing visible.

It’s just an empty field, so how can this be the Black Market?

“There’s nothing here.”

“Black Markets are usually like this.”

Cheon Beom stopped Yeon-a from arguing.

Although he was taken aback, it wasn’t his first time coming to a Black Market.

Black Markets are usually hidden secretly.

In such an empty field, it’s usually underground.

“It must be under here.”

There must be a Black Market secretly built underground.

“That’s right. You are indeed my master!”

“Well, it’s obvious.”

Where else would it be?

It wouldn’t be in the sky.

As he said it as if it were natural, Maegyeol replied as if he were talking nonsense.

“What nonsense are you spouting? The Hyeonmu Fortress Black Market is above the sky.”

Beom and Yeon-a’s movements stopped for a moment.

They exchanged glances, and Beom pretended to be nonchalant and replied.

“…There’s nothing but clouds in the sky?”

“It’s above the clouds. Why do you keep asking the obvious? …Is this really your first time?”

It really is.

There were slightly unusual clouds gathered in the sky, and a considerable number of divine energies were felt above them.

“Ahem, well, I thought it would be either land or sky.”

“How ridiculous.”

“I will not forgive anyone who disrespects my master further!”

Maegyeol nodded, thinking they were ridiculous fools.

“Let’s get what we need and give what we have to give, and let’s not see each other again.”

“How much is it?”

“One geun three pun [currency units].”

Yeon-a and Cheon Beom paid the price and infused their energy into the pass.

They were instantly teleported above the clouds.

“Master, look over there.”

“Hmm.”

The space above the clouds was wider than expected, and many cultivators were present.

Each of them wore items like bamboo hats or veils, or treasures imbued with divine powers to conceal their appearance.

“Master, shouldn’t you cover yourself as well?”

“I should cover myself.”

He raised a hand to his face and swiped down, and Beom, who had been a youthful young man, became an old man with rough skin and wrinkles.

Only then did Beom look around the Black Market spread out above the clouds and exclaimed.

“What an interesting place.”

Unlike what it looked like from the outside, the Black Market above the clouds was incredibly vast.

The floor was quite solid, supported by what seemed to be clouds, and the surroundings were blocked by roofs and walls made entirely of clouds.

It seemed like an illusion was created by deploying a phantom array on the ceiling to make it look like sunlight was shining down, but powerful restrictions were felt everywhere.

“Do you know what that dish is?”

“Yes, I’ve seen it a few times.”

The cultivators moved around, and some were seen putting their hands into certain dishes.

“It’s a treasure called the Myo Ungi (Mystic Cloud Device) [a magical device used to display items for sale]. It’s faster to touch it once than to explain it.”

Yeon-a led Beom to an empty Myo Ungi among the many that were placed around.

She grabbed Beom’s hand and put it into the water in the bowl. Instantly, a pure white cloud of mist rose and spread in all directions.

It wasn’t like this when other cultivators touched it, but he soon realized it was an illusion.

“I see.”

He knew how to use the Myo Ungi.

The cloud of mist poured out, and soon the figures of the surrounding cultivators and Yeon-a disappeared, and illusions of various treasures and elixirs appeared one after another next to Beom.

When he focused his divine sense, explanations of the magical artifacts and elixirs flowed into his mind.

‘The Myo Ungi is a magical artifact that helps sell items.’

It shows many items as illusions, and if you are interested, you buy the item from the clerk waiting in front.

“Most of the items in this Black Market can be checked with just one Myo Ungi, so you can take your time to look around.”

Yeon-a’s voice added an explanation, though her figure was not visible.

Certainly, there were all sorts of things in the Myo Ungi.

Magical artifacts, elixirs, rare items, pills, mystical beasts, and even lesser immortals and cultivators who appeared to be slaves were visible.

There were so many items that they could pile up like mountains, so it would have been difficult to sell them all individually without the Myo Ungi.

“How do you buy things?”

“If you pull an item and hold it in your hand, an account book will appear.”

It was as Yeon-a said.

When he pulled a fan that seemed like a decent magical artifact and held it in his hand, it turned into a rolled-up paper ledger.

The ledger repeatedly inscribed and erased letters every moment, and it seemed that the amount for this fan artifact was gradually increasing.

‘This ledger is used for auctioning.’

Since the amount is not fixed, it seems that auctions are held in this way.

“Interesting. It’s my first time coming to a Black Market in the Upper Realm, so it’s unique.”

“I’m glad you seem to be enjoying yourself. You can choose whatever item you want without hesitation. This disciple has enough geun, as befits someone called Cheonnyeo [a complimentary title, possibly implying wealth or capability].”

“Then I’ll have to rely on my disciple’s generosity today. Be prepared.”

“Yes, I look forward to it.”

I don’t know how many geun she has to be so confident.

But I don’t feel too bad that my disciple, who is like a daughter to me, is saying that.

‘Shall we take a look?’

There are truly many different items.

There are hundreds and thousands of items, and similar items appear in front of me as if they have legs just by thinking about them, so I’m even afraid of making impulse purchases.

“Hmm….”

Beom purchased a few elixirs that would help with ascension and an old medical book.

The elixirs were to nourish the body before ascension, and they were said to be made from the tears of a ten-thousand-year-old Nonggyeol beast [a mythical creature] just before its death.

He lightly spent one hundred geun just to obtain this.

‘It’s all business tactics.’

By trying to raise the price through the ledger and buy it, you naturally end up competing.

There are few items and many people who want them, so the price naturally rises.

‘I don’t think my ten-year salary was even twenty geun.’

One hundred geun is Cheon Beom’s fifty-year salary.

Moreover, the medical book, which appeared to be an ancient text, could only be seen briefly at the beginning, but it easily exceeded fifty geun and rose to eighty geun.

He hesitated for a moment, but he bought it after countless bids because it was a medical book that he needed.

The start and end times of the sale were written at the end of the ledger, so he was able to buy it quickly.

‘Convenient.’

It was definitely convenient.

After completing the satisfactory auction, the clerk in front of the Myo Ungi prepared a transaction certificate.

“It’s a total of one hundred and eighty geun. If you take this certificate, you can receive the items all at once at the end over there.”

“Thank you.”

He glanced at Yeon-a and saw a hint of hesitation.

“Did I get too carried away?”

“Ah, no. This much is not a burdensome expense. Th, that’s right.”

Cheon Beom felt awkward for no reason, took the certificate, and stepped back.

He could hear her muttering about three hundred years, so it seemed like it was a fortune she had saved up diligently.

‘I’ve got a good disciple.’

Pretending not to know, he took the certificate and went to the end of the Black Market, where a cultivator stood with a fierce expression and a man sat at a table.

“Do I just show it here?”

“Ah, yes. Please show me the certificate.”

He handed over the certificate, and the man nodded, wrote in a ledger, and had the escorting cultivator bring the items.

“Here it is.”

“Thank you.”

It was the Nonggyeol elixir and the medical book he had purchased in the illusion of the Myo Ungi.

As soon as he put them in his arms, someone pushed Beom and appeared.

“Wait! The Myo Ungi auction isn’t over yet, is it?”

He was panting heavily, as if he had run in a hurry.

“If you’re going to put up low-quality items like last time, you might as well just leave.”

“That won’t happen this time. The item I’ve been eyeing hasn’t been sold yet, right?”

“That’s for you to find out.”

The mysterious man nodded and placed a crystal ore in front of the man who appeared to be a clerk, and began to write something in the ledger.

“What is it?”

“What else could it be but freshly caught Inseons [Immortals of the lower realms]? It took quite a bit of effort to catch these guys. I’ve already put leashes on them, so they can’t resist. Put them all up for auction.”

“Can I check?”

“Of course.”

When he threw the crystal, a large number of figures appeared with a clanging sound.

A total of eight.

They ranged from children to the elderly.

Some seemed to be lesser immortals, but most were cultivators with the realm of Upper Immortals.

They were Inseons who had been captured due to the aftermath of the war.

Come to think of it, I remember that there were quite a few cultivators who were sold as slaves in the illusion of the Myo Ungi.

It is impossible for them to escape as they are slaves with strong restrictions and shackles.

It is true that their situation is unfortunate, but Beom decided not to get involved.

They are people he has never met, and Beom is a cultivator of the Water Realm, not someone related to the Immortal Realm, especially the Inseons.

Yeon-a might care, but there was no reason for Beom to care.

“Everything is fine, but this one won’t do. He is emaciated and his energy is greatly weakened, which will greatly degrade the prestige of the Myo Ungi auction. How about disposing of him here?”

“Well, he seems to be despised even by the Inseons. I don’t know the details, but he seems to have a very low status among the Inseons. Dispose of him as you see fit! It’s more trouble to save him since he’s already badly injured, so it would be better for him to end his life.”

The slave, who was looking at the distant mountains with cloudy eyes, was an old man.

He was emaciated and had a large wound on his side, with a scab so thick that it smelled foul. He seemed unable to speak due to some kind of restriction, and his mind didn’t seem to be intact.

“Take him away. I can’t stand the smell anymore.”

The escorting cultivator next to him grabbed the arm of the disheveled slave to take him away.

The powerless slave staggered at the rough man’s touch, and a gloomy look flowed through the disheveled hair.

And then, Cheon Beom’s face hardened.

“…Hwanmang?”