Chapter 786: Beast Village Deceitful Object 5

He knew everything else, but this one question had always puzzled him.

‘Since people can accidentally wander into the Refuge, have the people here really never tried to explore the outside world?’

When Shen Bai asked the question, Guo Qi was quick to reply.

“Brother Shen, to be perfectly honest, Flower Village once sent people out of the Refuge. But it wasn’t long before they came back, grievously wounded.”

“Why were they so badly hurt?” Shen Bai frowned, puzzled.

Guo Qi gave a bitter smile and slapped his forehead. “The reason is simple. They all carry the lingering aura of the Era of Ten Thousand Cities. On top of that, they’re relics of a bygone age. After they went out, they were somehow discovered by the ones pulling the strings and nearly died out there.”

“When you say ‘the ones pulling the strings,’ you mean the Chaotic Organization, right?” Shen Bai asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Guo Qi looked surprised. He hadn’t expected Shen Bai to know about the Chaotic Organization.

However, having witnessed Shen Bai’s current strength, Guo Qi thought it was only natural that he would know. The surprise on his face quickly faded.

“That’s right. Because of that, even though all the members of the Refuges yearn for the outside world, very few actually set foot out there.”

“Back during the Era of Ten Thousand Cities, the Chaotic Organization instilled an overwhelming terror in us.”

Even in such a golden age, the Era of Ten Thousand Cities still vanished without a trace. To say it cast a long shadow was not an exaggeration in the slightest.

Shen Bai gently tapped his fingers on the tabletop, lost in thought.

He had come here not only to find information about the Refuge but also to acquire Deceitful Objects.

He had obtained three Deceitful Objects right after arriving, but he wasn’t in a hurry to have them appraised. There were more important things for him to investigate right now.

From his brief conversation with Guo Qi, Shen Bai now had a general understanding of the situation in the Refuges.

To put it bluntly, they were terrified of the Chaotic Organization and had been cowering here ever since.

It was a form of escapism, but it was also the most effective way to preserve their lives.

However, Shen Bai believed that the current schism in Beast Village, which had split it into two factions, spelled major trouble for the future.

‘When a Refuge can no longer maintain unity and harmony, conflicts will subtly build up over time. They’ll keep piling up until they reach a point of no return, and then they will erupt completely.’

Shen Bai shook the thoughts from his head and asked, “What’s the plan now?”

Guo Qi said, “I’m going to visit a few more merchant guilds, and then find a place to stay for the night.”

He didn’t ask Shen Bai if he wanted to come along, knowing he would follow anyway.

After all, putting himself in the other man’s shoes, if he were trying to hide his identity in Beast Village, he’d do the same.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Shen Bai fully trusted him.

After a moment of thought, Shen Bai nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

By following Guo Qi, he planned to visit a few more merchant guilds and see if he could find more Deceitful Objects.

After they both finished their soup, Guo Qi paid, and they set off for another merchant guild.

The surrounding streets were bustling with activity. Some people saw Guo Qi’s pink clothes and knew he was a traveling merchant from Flower Village. They approached him, holding out items and gesturing that they wanted to trade.

But Guo Qi waved them away, completely uninterested in their goods.

Frankly, their “trading” was focused on the merchant guilds.

Of course, during the last few days of a trip, Guo Qi would also wander the various streets to see if he could find anything precious, or even get lucky and discover a hidden treasure.

But now was not the time for browsing.

Not far in the distance, the doors to another merchant guild stood open.

As they walked, Guo Qi said, “Brother Shen, this is probably the largest merchant guild in Beast Village. They trade a lot of things, so you might have to wait inside for me for a little while.”

Shen Bai nodded. “No problem. Do what you need to do.”

Without another word, the two of them stepped into the merchant guild.

It was just as Guo Qi had said. After a quick look around, Shen Bai saw that the merchant guild, from its exterior to its interior decor, was far more luxurious than the previous one.

But to Shen Bai’s disappointment, there were no Deceitful Objects on display here.

He guessed that the Deceitful Objects were likely kept somewhere hidden, not put on display like at the previous guild. After all, every guild had its own rules.

The guild’s owner was in the middle of tallying his accounts. Seeing Guo Qi and Shen Bai enter, he recognized Guo Qi, pointed to a nearby wooden token, and recited the rules as usual.

Guo Qi went over to choose a wooden token, while Shen Bai considered going up to ask the owner if he had any Deceitful Objects for sale.

But at that very moment, something strange happened.

Shen Bai heard footsteps approaching from behind him.