Chapter 372: Confirming Rank

With a huge sum of money in hand, Zhang Mu left the Drunken Immortal Building and returned to the original inn, quietly waiting for the Caravan Alliance’s people to arrive. However, Zhang Mu waited for a long time and no one came knocking.

“Uncle, do you think those Era Merchants like us won’t cause trouble for me once they find out what you’ve done? We are so obvious near the Drunken Immortal Building, won’t we get discovered?”

“Of course we will get discovered.”

Yuan Rui was surprised by Zhang Mu’s response, she stood there in shock, realizing that he knew the consequences but still chose to proceed.

“Perhaps the Eight War Riders have overestimated their remaining control over the entire Hohhot City,” Zhang Mu shook his head slightly, “This city may have slipped out of their control.”

In a place like the Drunken Immortal Building where even the innkeeper knows about the gathering of Eight War Riders’ leaders, why would the Caravan Alliance be so confident as to not send anyone to monitor?

Do you remember the guy named Dark Dove from before? Even though I can’t sense him this time, my gut feeling tells me he’s nearby. And there are a lot of people watching us. Our conversation with the leader of the Four Riders this morning must have spread to the Caravan Alliance by now. I wonder if it was Xiao Nan Bara and the others or someone else.”

“But if they find out Uncle’s intentions and disrupt the financial order they’ve built in the past few months, they will definitely come after us. At the very least, they will warn us or try to use the Caravan Alliance’s power to pressure us.”

Yuan Rui bluntly revealed Zhang Mu’s plan, and Zhang Mu now seemed puzzled, “Yes, I do need the elemental crystal, but that wasn’t the main purpose of our earlier conversation. I wanted to lure them out, but the bait is set and there are no bites yet, which is strange.”

Normally, they would have arrived in the afternoon and taken action against themselves. There’s been no sign of them so far. It’s unlikely they would be late on the day of the Era Store update, almost as if the news never got out.”

Zhang Mu’s face darkened, things weren’t going as he had anticipated. He felt like the other side was playing a big game, and he was just a pawn entering randomly.

Even with an extra piece, if you can’t see through the game, it’s not useful at all.

“It’s okay, Uncle, we’ll know everything in a few more hours.”

Yuan Rui’s words slightly eased Zhang Mu’s tension. He must stay the same but adapt to changes. It’s not the time for him to attack. There are only two outcomes: someone will come to us, or we’ll wait until midnight, and those people will naturally show up.

A plate of peanuts and a pot of rice wine that Zhang Mu kept refilling made him wait until half-past eleven.

In the middle of a few hours, everything was still calm. Even on a day like this, the whole city seemed to be going about its daily activities as if nothing had happened.

“Guest, tonight the City Guard will have a curfew, you better not go out.”

Although noticing Zhang Mu’s special identity, the waiter who received a hundred elemental crystals from him still spoke up to remind him. Zhang Mu just smiled and nodded before leaving the inn.

After Zhang Mu left, the waiter smiled as he watched the two figures walk away, slowly rubbing his temple before suddenly tearing off his skin to reveal a strange male face.

He was wearing a human skin mask on his face!

Moreover, the skin seemed fresh with traces of blood around the edges, as if it had just been peeled off.

He picked up a leaf, put it to his lips, and coldly chuckled, saying, “The target has already left.”

Little did Zhang Mu know, his every move had long been under someone else’s surveillance.

At this moment, Zhang Mu was leisurely strolling with Yuan Rui to the Great God Temple, yet the streets were empty because the citizens knew about the curfew and did not dare to go out. Surprisingly, there was not a single City Guard in sight.

Zhang Mu was on high alert, even though he didn’t have to worry about his safety in Era City, Yuan Rui was still not a junior Era Sub-merchant. In case someone targeted her, he might not be able to protect her fully.

It’s easier to avoid a clear threat than a hidden one.

Zhang Mu had no idea what would happen next, or what kind of evolver would come after him. He felt out of control, but his mental shield was quietly protecting both him and Yuan Rui as they walked hand in hand. Yuan Rui sensed this and gave him mental support.

The Blood Lotus coiled in Zhang Mu’s left arm was ready to strike at his command. As for the Obsidian Beetle, it was now resting in Yuan Rui’s arms, sensing the changes in the air.

When they reached the Great God Temple, Zhang Mu noticed eighteen figures gathered in the center of the square, lit by torches. The flames revealed the figures clearly.

They wore matching black cloaks. If Zhang Mu didn’t know they hadn’t advanced to junior level yet, he would have thought they all had invisible cloaks. Their faces were covered, their heights varied, but they stood silently waiting for Zhang Mu.

The eighteen men in black all turned to look at him at the same time, creating a strange atmosphere in the surroundings.

“Good evening, everyone.”

As expected, nobody responded. Zhang Mu smiled, led Yuan Rui past the many Era Sub-merchants, and continued on.

However, nothing happened. It was still some time before Era Store was updated. If they went in early, they would only see the old items. They had to wait for the update to see new goods.

Twenty people stood there, not making a sound. Zhang Mu felt their presence silently and realized they were all second-rank evolvers. Even without the title of Era Sub-merchant, it was quite impressive.

As midnight approached, everyone from the Caravan Alliance remained still.

“Respected No. 001, the Era goods have been updated. Would you like to enter Era Store with the Era Sub-merchant beside you? Your friend will be waiting in the waiting area.”

Zhang Mu and Yuan Rui felt the pull from Era Store once again. Seeing the indifferent crowd, Zhang Mu entered the layered space of Era Store with curiosity.

Outside Era Store, a leading Era Sub-merchant slowly picked up his communication leaf and calmly said, “The target Era Sub-merchant ranks before No. 005.”

The person glanced in the direction where Zhang Mu had left, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

His identity was No. 006, the first-rank Era Sub-merchant of Hohhot City!

However, even what he heard was exactly the same as the Era Store system prompts received by everyone else.

“Dear No. 005, there is a higher-ranked Era Sub-merchant near Era Store than you, so please wait. Your current ranking for era transactions is second. Please be patient.”

They actually used eighteen different rankings to confirm Zhang Mu’s position!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep