60 Blue Lotus
After the trade was confirmed, the crowd dispersed and the member of the rock clan retrieved 900 coins from a sack at his waist.
"I hope you will give me a map of the place you got the lotus from." Giving the man the money and delicately taking the blue lotus into his wide hands, he said: "Had the lotus been plucked a week or two from now, you guys would've died a gruesome death. Luckily for you, the poison in it is not yet that potent."
The Scarred Man shrugged it off in his mind and politely took the money. He didn't dare to count or question one of the three clans or their honesty, especially in their own city. He also took a small self-made map from his pockets and gave it to the buyer.
"Sir, may I know your name? I would like to trade more Magical Resources if I get any."
"I am Shi Wei, if you get any more such things, just come here and yell like you did today," Shi Wei said, nodded, and then left the area.
The blue lotus had already lost much of its use. At its best, it could kill anyone who was not an Evolved with just its released scent, but at this point, it had yet to release any scent.
Maybe, he could try storing it in good condition immediately for some miracle. It was worth a try since that would amount to many contribution points in the clan registry as he would have gotten a bargain.
Han Li stood to the side and looked at him with a sharp but hidden gaze. Even if he had to fight Shi Wei, he could kill the man in at worse, 2 to 3 moves, but killing inside the city was a bad move.
The three clans each had people looking out and he didn't know if someone around was an Evolved. He blended into the crowd and wondered about his options.
Leaving this Magical Resource and waiting for something else was a great option, but that sounded far too luck-based. He had learned from experience that relying on luck was not wise and did not want to remain weak for an extended period of time.
'Should I try honestly doing a trade?' he thought as he saw Shi Wei's figure heading farther and farther.
The clan rules did state that it was not allowed to sell Magical Resources other than with permission but rules could be bent. He shook his head inside.
That was too much reliant on the other party's opinion. Silently, He walked behind Shi Wei and as the man was traveling past a small crowd, finally acted.
Moving into the crowd of around ten people, he moved fluidly and avoided the men. Reaching near the man, Han Li's Spark lit brightly inside his mouth and he became intensely focused.
His hands moved silently and took a small hold over the sack of coins in the man's waist. He didn't alert him at all and his hold was weak. But one pull and it would be in his hand, but he didn't pull and instead sensing the weak points of the sack's knitting using his senses, he pulled a specific thread.
Thievery was not new to him, It was one of his lifebloods. The thread came loose and with a silent pull, Han Li left; a small thread in his hand.
His figure moved to the side of the crowd and blended in.
Shi Wei was lost in his thoughts and quickly moved out of the crowd. But suddenly, he frowned and looked back hearing some clattering sounds and feeling a small sense of loss.
Some of their whole life savings were there, some of them were here in the city to pay their debt, and some were just out of the bank after taking a debt.
All sorts of people were there and all of them could only leave. Nobody would dare to question a major clan in their own city with a measly Awakened level of strength. Most of them were only mortal to boot.
"Thanks, Uncle!" Shi Wei bowed deeply to the man, his back matted with sweat. That was over 6000 coins and had he lost it, he would have had to work his ass off for months to come for nothing.
He would have struggled.
The big man, imposing and mighty, nodded with a calm face. "Us Shi should be careful, go back to the clan, and face the wall for ten days. And I will cut your contribution points by thirty. Give me that blue lotus you just bought."
Shi Wei nodded with relief. Ten days were mild for today's chaos. Luckily it was one of the kinder uncles he met. Had it been someone strict, he would have had to spend a month at least.
"Here Uncle, I wanted to ask if you can set this lotus up in a—" Suddenly, Shi Wei turned absurdly silent as he checked his hands, sleeves, sack and everywhere he could think of.
"What happened?" The imposing man asked with a frown.
Shi Wei's face paled slightly as he said, "I can't find the blue lotus."
***
Some distance away, calmly entering Starlight Zone, Han Li was soon back infront of his house.
He shook his sleeve to get rid of the remaining stones in his hands and licked his lips as he entered his home.
Yue Li and Liyue had towels covering their faces from dust; they looked at him entering in curiousity.
Did he get anything?
With a smile, Han Li got comfortable and sat on a chair beside him; it had yet to be packed. He then retrieved a blue flower from his chest. "A poisonous Magical Resource of the Water Type. Created with the blessing of the Water Great Dao. It is a low level resource but good enough for my purpose. Got it in a nice deal with a foreigner from Soman City."
His red eyes shined.
That was fun atleast.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
FamishedGod