Chapter 282: Chapter 235: The Mysterious Jade Token That Affects Celestial Phenomena

"I heard the Lord City Lord is planning to lower the tax rates for merchants to further boost trade in the city. That’s great news for business!

Too bad I don’t have any capital, otherwise I’d start a small business myself..."

"There was a particularly vicious murder over in the west side of the city. The culprit was a high-stage Tier One Cultivator.

He fled Dongwu City overnight after committing the crime but ran into trouble not long after leaving the city.

The constables pursuing him found his body by a small stream not far from Dongwu City.

Judging from the bite marks on his body, they suspect he was attacked by a roaming Mutant Beast from nearby. It’s divine retribution!"

"Lately, the number of Mutant Beasts in the northern wilderness has plummeted. No one knows the exact reason, but it’s caused a huge drop in income for many Cultivators who make a living hunting them..."

’No wonder I didn’t run into any Mutant Beasts on my way to that little hill and back. The number of them in that area had already started to plummet...’

Hearing the cab driver mention the situation in the wilderness north of Dongwu City, Lin Li’s earlier confusion was instantly cleared up.

This middle-aged driver was much more talkative than the one in his twenties Lin Li had met before, and he knew all sorts of strange and varied information.

"I remember a new brothel opened up near Willow Lane. The girls there are not only beautiful but also multi-talented. Too bad I don’t earn enough; I can’t afford a place like that at all."

"Uh, a brothel? ’Is it that kind of place?’" Lin Li was taken aback when the driver mentioned the brothel. Then, with some curiosity, he asked the driver, "Sir, what exactly is a brothel for?"

"Sir, you don’t know what a brothel is?" The driver sounded surprised by Lin Li’s question.

Although he had never been to a brothel himself, he’d heard enough about them to know a thing or two.

"My hometown is very far away, and I only just arrived in Dongwu City. There’s a lot I haven’t seen," Lin Li explained with a smile.

Hearing this, the driver misunderstood "very far away" to mean a remote little village. He enthusiastically began to explain things to this out-of-towner from the countryside.

"A brothel! It’s a place to listen to songs, hear music, and watch dance performances."

The driver’s description of the brothel didn’t quite match what Lin Li had in mind.

So, Lin Li tactfully pressed, "Is it really just for listening to songs and music and watching dance performances?"

"Yeah! What else would it be for?" the driver retorted, wondering privately why his passenger would ask such a thing.

"Oh," Lin Li replied, a little disappointed. He had thought a brothel here would be similar to the pleasure houses of ancient Blue Star. He had even been thinking of going to check one out, with a critical eye, of course.

Well, now that he knew a brothel was just a place for music and dance, there was no need to waste his time going.

The driver could hear a hint of disappointment in his passenger’s voice, but he couldn’t understand why.

For the rest of the ride, the driver chattered on endlessly, sharing all sorts of news about Dongwu City, while Lin Li played the part of a very cooperative listener.

Soon, they arrived at their destination.

After getting out and paying the fare, Lin Li walked toward a nearby pawnshop.

Since this was not far from Zhou Tianci’s home, Lin Li wanted to avoid any unnecessary trouble. After getting out of the cab, he retrieved a bamboo hat from the Mysterious Small Island and put it on.

Inside the pawnshop, the middle-aged Shopkeeper, who was in his forties, was just as Lin Li remembered from his first visit.

He sat behind the counter, engrossed in a book, occasionally lifting the teacup in front of him to take a small sip.

Hearing footsteps at the entrance, the Shopkeeper knew a customer had arrived. He immediately put down his book and looked up toward the door.

"Welcome, eh?" The Shopkeeper saw the customer enter wearing a black bamboo hat that obscured his face and immediately recognized him as someone who had been to his shop before.

"Hello, Shopkeeper. It’s been a while," Lin Li said with a smile, greeting the Shopkeeper. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Sir, are you here to pawn something again?" The Shopkeeper had a vivid memory of this customer who had awakened a Storage Space Superpower, and he asked enthusiastically.

"Mhm." Lin Li nodded. Then, with a thought, he retrieved the pile of weapons he had recently picked up outside the city from the Mysterious Small Island and placed them on the counter in front of the Shopkeeper.

"Same as last time? Pawning for good?" the Shopkeeper asked as he glanced over the pile of weapons on the counter.

"Yes, same as last time. Pawning for good," Lin Li said.

"These weapons aren’t in good condition!" The Shopkeeper noticed that the weapons Lin Li brought to pawn this time were in poor shape. Their blades had numerous nicks, and they had clearly seen years of use.

"You’re right, their condition isn’t great. Except for these two Longswords, which are Spiritual Weapons, the rest are just ordinary weapons... I’m not expecting much money for them. Shopkeeper, just give me whatever you think is a fair price."

Lin Li said, pointing to the two Spiritual Longswords whose blades were covered in nicks.

Being a cautious businessman, the Shopkeeper appraised the pile of weapons Lin Li had placed on the counter one by one.

Then, instead of just giving a random price as Lin Li had suggested, he quoted a price based on the current market value.

"Sir, the damage on these weapons is quite severe. It wouldn’t be worth the cost to repair them, so they can only be melted down and reforged.