Chapter 50: Chapter 38 The Mysterious Cloaked Figure

"Is this guy seriously ill?"

Chen Qi looked speechlessly at Perlu.

Everyone, whether players or people from the Witch Sea, called her Miss Miracle or Miracle Reporter.

Because everyone unanimously agreed that her being alive was a miracle.

Perlu lowered her head and took out her backpack card, trying to find something around three thousand Shell Coins to cover the bill.

Unfortunately, there was nothing; every single item in her backpack card was more than ten thousand Shell Coins!

Such are the troubles of being rich, Perlu lamented in her heart.

Chen Qi was uninterested in signatures.

Undoubtedly, with Perlu's fame, her signature could sell for more than three thousand Shell Coins without a problem.

But the key point was that selling signatures was a troublesome matter in itself.

Chen Qi thought for a moment and asked straightforwardly,

"Miss Perlu, if you're short of money, I would like some information on the cracks in Moonstone City."

"Information on the cracks in Moonstone City? You're going to the crack?"

Perlu was slightly startled.

"Yes."

A Chef is typically a support profession, and under normal circumstances, they rarely take the initiative to go to the cracks. Searᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

In her stereotype, Chefs earned money to buy Transcendent vocational equipment from merchants.

Perlu thought about it and wiped the oil from her mouth.

This little restaurant may not look like much, but it's quite delicious, she even thought about coming for a second and third time!

She couldn't leave the impression of a diner who skips the check, and besides, it would harm her reputation!

She took out a business card and handed it to Chen Qi:

"This is my business card, if you want information about the crack, you can take this card and ask the shop owner of the White Dove Newspaper kiosk.

"They should know plenty of information about the crack, and with my card, as long as the information isn't too secret, they'll tell you."

Key item obtained!

Chen Qi accepted the business card.

This card could be truly valuable, as having it would lower the difficulty of gathering information by at least fifty percent.

It was so simple to acquire, Perlu truly deserved her reputation as the best at freeload info from the Witch Sea.

Before leaving, Perlu said to Chen Qi,

"By the way, boss, though this is just my guess, I believe that the vanished Flower Witch might have already sneaked into our Moonstone City.

Unfortunately, my energy is limited, and I must first pursue the Sawshark.

If you have information about the Witch, the Black Whale Group, or any other big news, you can go to the place on the card, and based on the information you provide, our newspaper will reward you."

"If the news is big enough, our [newspaper], might even offer you a lifelong worry-free labor contract."

"Alright."

Chen Qi agreed.

Normally, this type of card is given by well-known reporters to their informants.

But Perlu was somewhat casual with it.

For now, the newspaper hasn't stopped her from handing out her business cards like this.

Perlu walked out of the boathouse, patting her large white dove, and left the small houseboat happily.

...

Before long,

Chen Qi also left the boathouse.

Rumble!

Loud rumbling sounds continuously erupted near his ears.

In the vicinity, he could already see a multitude of steel giants and travel ships, countless vessels like scattered stars advancing towards the harbor.

"A thousand ships passing by..."

Chen Qi mused as the scene before him couldn't be compared at all with the one in Maro Town.

As the small houseboat moved on, a gigantic city gradually came into view.

Chen Qi looked into the distance.

He could see a vast city wall and lots of black, smoke-belching chimneys.

"Moonstone City..."

Its scale was far larger than anything he had imagined.

In front of Moonstone City was a large port.

Unlike the deteriorating docks of Maro Town, with the arrival of the Crack Tide, the port of Moonstone City was even more prosperous.

Whether it was travel ships arriving at Moonstone City or adventure ships setting out to sea, the numbers were increasing.

At the surge of the tide, the whole Moonstone City was presenting a scene of unprecedented prosperity!

Chen Qi docked his small houseboat at the crowded harbor, stepped through the city gates, and walked towards the interior of Moonstone City.

Moonstone City, in the name of trade, had set up numerous shops in the square not far from the city gates.

Newsboys, Bounty Hunters, Merchants, Workers, Gang Members all passed him by continuously.

"So easy to get pickpocketed here..." Chen Qi tightly grasped the backpack card inside his clothes and walked towards the center of the square.

A grand clock tower stood at the center, adorned with intricate gears and clocks at its top, emitting sonorous chimes.

And around the square, myriad shops and booths were in sight, from delicate craft stores to various firearm stores, Potion stores, adult shops.

There were also plenty of hiring advertisements and many seemingly great opportunities.

These opportunities often trap those unfamiliar with Moonstone City.

A slight misstep, and you could lose your kidneys.

Chen Qi scanned the surrounding shops.

Most of the good stuff, he couldn't afford just yet.

Chen Qi went to a weapon store, sold the mechanical arm of Iron Hand, and some useless regulated knives from his backpack card.

If a mechanical arm is chopped off, the important parts that connect to the nerves will be seriously damaged, thus greatly reducing its price.

The rusty mechanical arm sold for forty thousand, the useless controlled items for twenty thousand, a total of sixty thousand.

As for the Devil's Pepper and other spices, selling these would require a trip to the shops in the city center, which is quite a distance away.

Chen Qi immediately spent all this money at the weapon store.

He bought an anti-strike bulletproof vest to enhance his defense, four flame grenades, and some bullets.

At the same time, since he had a feud with the Black Rabbit Gang of Moonstone City, he bought a Hunter's garment that could cover his face to conceal his identity.

In the spiritually and geographically advantaged Moonstone City, it was quite common to see people wrapped up tightly.

He had spent another thirty thousand Shell Coins in the blink of an eye.

After some simple shopping, Chen Qi started towards his destination, the crack where the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure was buried.

According to the treasure information, the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure was located in a crack in the civilian area of the inner part of Moonstone City.

Moonstone City is also a city where prosperity and decay coexist.

Beyond the commercial district and the wealthy area lies the civilian district.

Compared to the bustling commercial district, the civilian area is much quieter and also reeks of kerosene and garbage.

The police resources in the civilian area are extremely poor, replaced instead by a large number of gangs engaged in criminal activities.

On the ground, fresh bullet casings can still be seen.

Clearly, a shootout had taken place here not long ago.

Chen Qi planned to first ascertain the situation with the crack.

After the Crack Tide subsides, the crack revives.

As expected, the crack where the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure was buried should have reopened as well.

As long as the malformation degree is not zero, after being cleared, it requires at least three days to cool down.

And if someone else enters the crack before him, then he would have to wait for the next opportunity.

"Hopefully, the crack will leave a spot open for me..."

Chen Qi thought to himself.

Before he knew it, he had already reached the vicinity of the location indicated by the treasure map.

Looking into the distance, on a ruinous wall, a huge wormhole was slowly squirming, as if it was about to open its massive maw at any moment.

This was his destination for this trip!

"This size, it's a large crack..."

The moment Chen Qi saw the size of the wormhole, he couldn't help but frown.

A large crack would likely take a month to reopen.

If he missed this opportunity, he would have to wait a month.

And next to the wormhole, at least thirty Hunters armed with guns were guarding the wormhole crack.

Outside the wormhole, gang members were wielding firearms, like guards protecting a vault.

"Everyone, this is an area protected by us, you are not allowed to approach this place without our permission!"

"Only after our people have gone in, and you have paid your entry fee, will you be entitled to enter the crack!"

"Complete inspiration enlightenment information, obtained by professionals with over twenty-five inspirations, fifty thousand Shell Coins a copy!"

"Crack generation, specialized flame throwers for one hundred thousand each, with a free ticket included!"

"Fully armed retired soldier bodyguards, twenty thousand Shell Coins a day!"

It seemed that gang members had already claimed this public land as their own territory, preemptively seizing the crack.

They were trying to make a big profit through extortion.

The situation was more serious than he had imagined.

Chen Qi scanned the surroundings.

Apart from the gang members stationed at the wormhole entrance, there were also lone hunters like him, quietly waiting for an opportunity.

A large crack would attract many people.

Chen Qi looked back and saw an informant holding a newspaper near the newsstand on the street.

The informant was likely affiliated with the newsstand.

The White Dove Newspaper report kiosks are extremely common within Moonstone City.

Let's see how effective Pelu's business card is... Chen Qi walked along the street towards it, ready to fish for some information.

But before he could reach the newsstand, he suddenly heard the sounds of chewing and wriggling in his ears.

Such a fragrant scent—

Chen Qi turned his head.

In the grass next to him, it seemed there was someone!

He saw a person in a grey cloak wriggling in the bushes, seemingly eating something.

The writhing yet graceful figure, the twisting buttocks, the grey cloak covering the entire body.

Could it be a ghoul!

Chen Qi immediately thought of something and became alert, stepping back cautiously while curiously watching the person in the grey cloak.

The cloaked person noticed the gaze and stopped their actions, turning their head to look at him.

In the dim light, the face under the cloak was completely obscured...

But judging by the body shape and skin? It seemed to be a woman?

Chen Qi took the initiative:

"Excuse me, may I ask what you're eating?"

Unexpectedly, instead of smelling any blood, he caught a whiff of a faint medicinal scent.

"Hmm..."

The cloaked person seemed startled by Chen Qi, with their bandage-wrapped hands flusteredly moving on the ground.

Chen Qi assessed the other party while taking another step back.

She seemed to be struggling with what to say in this situation to maintain an air of elegance and mystery.

After a long silence, she slowly replied:

"You... there's no need to be surprised, I am absorbing the natural essence of the earth..."

"Eating grass?"

"Hmm..."