The Witch Hunter System

Chapter 1093: Luminous Veil, Mermaid’s Grotto

Of course, even though people conducted businesses in the black market district without business licenses, it didn’t necessarily mean everyone was blatantly ignoring and breaking the rules.

After all, the rules of Whispering Pearl City only stipulated that the sales of goods required a business license to ensure quality and reputation. As such, in the event of disputes, the city had the power to preside over such matters and offer fair judgment and punishments.

In other words, possessing a business license not only guaranteed the customer’s trust but also protected the business against malicious customers who might seek to discredit products for the purpose of obtaining discounts, freebies, or other benefits.

However, such protection did not exist in the black market district, which was originally designated as a free trade area for disciples. No one could be punished for getting ripped off or scammed.

Anyone who found themselves in such a situation could only blame themselves for their lack of skills or knowledge.

That said, Vaan didn’t intend to sell any goods. Instead, he planned to charge people for a certain service. Since he was offering services and not goods, they wouldn’t conflict with the Commercial Administration Office and give it any excuse to find trouble with him.

Despite the notoriety and risks involved with the black market district, its streets weren’t any less populated than the streets in the main commercial district. The only difference was that there were fewer purchases and more scrutinizing and bargaining.

In large open squares, hawkers and peddlers could be found seated on silk mats with random goods laid out, most of which appeared to be their spoils and gains from exploring secret realms and ancient ruins.

Among their goods, the value of items varied from complete garbage to somewhat valuable. Goods of higher value weren’t displayed, and the reason was quite obvious—to avoid attracting greed and danger to oneself.

After all, no matter how stable the market square seemed, nowhere was actually safe in the black market district. The order was maintained by the various powers in the Undertide who managed it.

Of course, the greatest danger of the black market district came from the dark alleys, where visibility and traffic were poor. With little to no eyes prying into the area, crimes become more rampant.

In this place, the thugs and scums of the Holy Land didn’t need to care about keeping up appearances and could act unrestrained.

Only the brave, ignorant, or truly powerful would dare to venture inside.

As Vaan briefly passed by several dark alleys and noticed the state of things, he gained a deeper understanding of the Myriad Sea God Palace. Despite its impressive development and long heritage, it didn’t stray from the common flaws of society.

Even with governing laws and rules in place to keep the order, they didn’t stop an Underworld or Undertide from forming. As long as the crimes weren’t brought to light, no punishment would be meted out.

However, even if the crimes came to light, they could be pardoned with CP depending on their severity.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible for the Undertide to maintain its existence if it didn’t have any beings with great power and status backing it behind the scenes.

After Vaan visited multiple market squares and collected various information from the people’s gossip and discussions, he found out that the black market district was divided and governed by seven different factions.

Surprisingly, only three of the seven factions were run by merfolk despite Whispering Pearl City being one of the main commercial hubs of the Mermen Domain.

Besides the three merfolk factions were two fish-men factions and two caraphract factions.

Vaan was already familiar with merfolk and fish-men, but caraphracts, he had yet to encounter. However, he had already learned about them in one of the many books he had read.

Supposedly, the caraphracts were crab-like humanoid warriors with natural yet impressively tough exoskeletal armor. They were very disciplined but even more territorial. As such, of the three races in Whispering Pearl City’s Undertide, it was best not to enter the caraphract’s territory unless necessary. ɌÅ₦ŎВƐŠ

After Vaan understood the difference between the seven factions, he ultimately settled for an open spot in Mermaid’s Grotto, the main marketplace in the first-ranked mermaid faction’s territory.

He had a few considerations for making this choice.

Although Whispering Pearl City’s Undertide was occupied by several factions of other races, the first-ranked merfolk faction, the Luminous Veil, was still the most dominant force in the black market district.

While there were some disadvantages in dealing with it, they didn’t outweigh the advantages.

As long as Vaan could win over the merfolk, he wouldn’t be bothered by the cronies of the fish-men and caraphract factions. In fact, they might even protect his business from their harassment.

Vaan found some simple materials on hand and set up a silk tent with a single bed inside. Outside, he wrote a sign displaying the type of service he offered and the charge.

’I came to the Myriad Sea God Palace to bring the danger of my tribulation away from my people and also focus on my cultivation, and yet here I am, offering this kind of service. It seems one can never escape from one’s roots,’ Vaan smiled wryly as he looked at his sign.

"Heavenly Massage? 100 CP to experience paradise for an hour? What kind of bullshit, black-hearted service is this?" a scar-ridden mermaid with golden hair scoffed as she read the sign shortly after it was put up.

This scar-ridden mermaid already had her eyes on Vaan when he entered the Mermaid’s Grotto, and now, she was finally finding trouble with him. He didn’t doubt that she was part of the Luminous Veil faction.

Nevertheless, Vaan didn’t see her as a troublemaker but as his first big customer. A battle-hardened beauty at the peak of Rank 7 was bound to give him some surprises.

Although her body was filled with scars from past battles, there was a certain charm to it that gave her a unique type of beauty. Considering mermaids were inherently beautiful to begin with, the scar-ridden mermaid naturally stood out.

Vaan calmly put on a professional smile and explained, "Just as the sign says, it’s a type of special massage. Considering it provides small benefits to health and cultivation, I believe this price is very fair, Senior Sister."