Lord Shenxiu-Chapter 517: Cursed Object (Please Subscribe)

The flea market nestled between the Golden Bird District and East York District, acclaimed as the crevice between heaven and hell, was Claystone’s largest flea market.

Here, one could see the poverty-stricken lower class, Golden Fingers, and songbirds... as well as wealthy merchants, lawyers, doctors... from the upper echelons of society, and even noble girls seeking thrills.

Bordering the Wojin River, the market boasted convenient transportation and a complex topography, making it a haven for criminals.

Yet, surprisingly, the security wasn’t too bad—or, at least, it was better than in the East York District.

A carriage stopped outside the flea market, and after giving instructions for the coachman to wait, Zhong Shenxiu stepped into the market alongside Kerry.

What caught the eye most were not the various stalls and shops, but the unusually high number of security officers present that day.

Some patrolled vigilantly, others posted notices, and those inspecting simply glanced at Zhong Shenxiu and Kerry before moving on with ease.

"What’s happened?"

Kerry approached to examine the wanted posters, exclaiming, "So the culprit from the previous attack hasn’t been fully apprehended, one dangerous criminal is still at large... female, black hair and eyes, killed three security officers, highly dangerous... a reward of 10 to 50 pounds for any citizen who reports a sighting that leads to a confirmed capture. Why is there no bounty for capture?"

’Because those Bounty Hunters hardly ever manage to catch them, and might even end up dead...’ Zhong Shenxiu silently added to himself, nodding, ’Indeed, some smart folks are around... Have Cultivators already infiltrated Kaleston?’

As long as they weren’t brazen like that Primordial Pill squad that had charged straight down from the sky, dissolving into the local population one by one, there was still a chance they could infiltrate this place.

’Another factor is that the infiltrator wouldn’t be too powerful, so as not to draw excessive attention...’

’The espionage has started even before large-scale warfare between the two nations... I wonder how these extraordinary individuals from the Clement Kingdom will fare deep within the Second Yan Han Empire...’

Since the target was an easterner, the security officers were not particularly vigilant towards local people, even bordering on lax.

’They’ll soon suffer the consequences and realize that most Cultivators possess the art of Illusion Technique...’

Zhong Shenxiu shook his head and followed Kerry deeper into the flea market.

"Rosemary powder, fine quality rosemary powder!"

"Holy water, holy oil from the church... Quality guaranteed!"

"Candles made by mermaids, perpetually burning, can keep a lady eternally youthful in appearance..."

"Want to become extraordinary? A book detailing the first order of mysteries, just for 90 pounds, fixed price!"

...

Countless hawking voices merged into a noisy atmosphere.

"Don’t trust these peddlers and roadside stalls... they’re here today, gone tomorrow, and the most likely to sell frauds."

Kerry whispered, "For purchasing goods, I still recommend going to established shops. Though the prices are steep, it’s harder to get cheated..."

"I want to buy true secret knowledge, even a sequence of orders, the more complete, the better," Zhong Shenxiu revealed his plans.

"A classmate of mine once recommended a shop to me. Expensive, but the owner is a trustworthy individual."

Kerry’s eyes shone with envy as he led the way.

He too desired to become extraordinary, but first, he lacked the gold to acquire knowledge and second, he wasn’t prepared to take other, riskier and unknown paths.

His plan was to strive to present himself at the Royal College, to gain the favor of those professors or members of the Imperial Family and obtain the opportunity to become an extraordinary individual.

But it was not easy.

To say nothing of the fact that it often took years of evaluation, it was mainly because there were simply too many outstanding youths in the Royal College.

Originally, Kerry was considered a relatively well-known young scholar in his hometown, but after arriving at the university, he realized that his knowledge, experience, and even his manners and appearance, were all at the bottom of the scale.

This was quite a blow to someone who had once been the Heavenly Pride.

Zhong Shenxiu didn’t mind Kerry’s complex expression and followed him to the front of a large shop, where he saw the sign—Crying Roses!

"It looks like a shop run by a woman..."

He muttered purposefully and walked into the shop.

There were no windows inside the shop, which relied on the huge silver chandelier and its candles atop the dome for light.

Wax had already filled the entire chandelier, seemingly about to drip down at any moment.

There were no actual cabinets around, only several different curtains, forming corresponding doors, as if a lot of tents had been set up inside the building.

"Two honored guests, may I ask what you need?"

A maid wearing a complex purple robe respectfully greeted them.

"We would like to purchase arcane knowledge, um, Silver-haired Horn referred us." Kerry cleared his throat and said.

"Ah, a referral from a regular, please go through the red door." The maid bowed.

Zhong Shenxiu lifted the curtain first and walked into the red door.

He felt as though he had entered a library, surrounded by mahogany shelves lined with all sorts of books.

Parchment scrolls, printed books, messy manuscripts...they were all piled up haphazardly.

In the center of the bookshelves, there was a purple-gowned, masked witch, full of mystery; in front of her desk, lay a golden skull.

At that moment, the skull seemed to sense the presence of newcomers and suddenly erupted with two bright flames.

Being stared at by those flames, Kerry unconsciously shivered, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Guests, please do not browse the books here without permission, otherwise, you will be punished by the cursed artifacts of the dead..." freeweɓnovel-cøm

The purple-gowned witch spoke, her voice hoarse and low, carrying a mysterious allure.

"Is this the legendary Undead Decree artifact?"

Kerry’s interest was piqued, staring at the golden skull and exclaimed, "I heard that these cursed artifacts have unknown origins, but all possess their own eerie powers, full of misfortune. Most of their owners...end up in a sorry state, seemingly cursed by the dead..."

"Giggle..." The witch let out a hoarse laugh, "In reality, cursed artifacts are just a particular category of mysterious items; it’s just that their negative effects are quite powerful. If one does not know how to circumvent them, indeed, misfortune will follow... Like this skull, its ability is to issue an Undead Decree. For example, within a certain area, it prohibits unauthorized reading; as for the negative effect... forgive me, I cannot say unless the client buys it..."

Kerry seemed very tempted, but just the sight of the golden material made him sadly cover his pocket.

"To me, they seem more like poorly made fakes..."

Zhong Shenxiu approached the witch and presented his request: "I need to purchase arcane knowledge, the higher the grade and more comprehensive, the better; also information about the sequence chain..."

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