Chapter 4 / Peace and freedom under the ash branches are not real
Wherever there are people, there will be transactions. Wherever goods gather, there will also be hyenas and vultures chasing the smell of money. Gray Branch Exchange is the only trading place and neutral zone in the entire Wenning District. Here, in addition to transportation,
Apart from the barefoot coolies carrying goods, the most common ones are traders chatting and laughing, as well as villains hiding in the shadows of the crowd, searching for their targets with sinister eyes, always ready to strangle their targets in the shadows of the trading area.
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A middle-aged man sat in the corner of the trading hall and yawned loudly. There was a conspicuous scar on his cheek, and he scanned the crowd in the hall with sharp eyes. Another young man came over and held his hand.
He held two large glasses of beer, placed them on the table in front of him, and sat next to him: "Uncle, why are you so lethargic?"
"There is no worthwhile goal..." Scarface picked up the wine glass and took a big sip. "It's either an 'acquaintance' or a 'strong bone'."
Putting the cup down, Scarface pointed at a young man of medium height who was running around in the crowd in the distance, and told the young people around him: "Did you see that guy with three white eyes, wearing a brown leather vest?
Just an 'acquaintance'."
The man with three white eyes pointed by Scarface looked young, but he seemed to be an "old-timer". He was very inconspicuous among the crowd. Even though Scarface specifically pointed it out to him, the young man took a long time to look at it.
He turned his three white eyes out of the crowd.
"Remember, our industry is a very small one. There is only one exchange in Wenning District. If you don't want to do useless work, just write down the faces of every colleague. Otherwise, everyone will carry the guy on the street.
When you glare at them, you are derelict in your duty."
"There are fewer and fewer bones to chew on..." After Scarface explained the things to pay attention to, he said casually, "If you had entered the industry two years earlier, I wouldn't have said anything, but you come in now
, but he is indeed in the wrong profession.”
"...Is it because of the market in the new district?" The young man was silent for a moment, "I heard that there was a market in the trading area a few years ago, but now it has been moved to the front of the church...Is the exchange really going to die?
?”
"This is not necessarily true, but we are definitely almost finished." Scarface scanned the exchange, looking for a suitable target, but his words were more pessimistic than the young man, "The exchange can also be used as goods for big merchants.
The transit point, and we have lost the target of robbery, we can only rely on luck to hunt wild food like other ordinary robbers, which is inefficient and dangerous. So you still have to join the gang at this time, I really don’t know what you think.
.”
The young man was quiet for a while, and then suddenly said: "Uncle... how about we go to the lower city to work together. Although it will be a bit difficult, we don't have to worry about being caught by the Sheriff or being killed by the people of the Golden Lock of Crow."
.”
"Go to Lower City? Just me?" Hearing the young man's words, Scarface laughed heartily, "Come on, I've killed several people, it's weird that I can pass the church's magical examination."
At this moment, the door stop at the door of the exchange hall was pushed open with a creak, interrupting Scarface's words.
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"Huh..." Su Zuo breathed softly. The spacious trading hall was smoky, filled with the smell of alcohol and tobacco. The unshaven adults were noisy, blushing for one or two cents of profit.
It looks quite scary.
"I really want to hire two bodyguards... But I heard that mercenaries are no better than bandits... Let's forget it." Su Zuo looked at the people in the hall with cold sweat on his face, looking at who looked like a bad guy.
"It's better to decide quickly... It's better to decide quickly..." Su Zuo murmured and changed his original plan. Originally, based on the information he collected over the past few days, he planned to integrate into the trading hall first and take a look.
Can those so-called "stalkers" be uncovered? But it turns out that this idea is a bit unrealistic. Even though he was wrapped in a black robe, his appearance and figure were obscured. But he could feel it from the curious eyes of others.
, the effect of this is not great. As a child appearing here, he is too eye-catching.
The longer the delay, the greater the risk of being noticed. If a steady attack doesn't work, use a quick attack tactic. Take advantage of the crowds and clutter, and leave as quickly as possible. The stalker may not be able to react yet.
Thinking of this, Su Zuo tightened the paper bag in his arms slightly and stepped into the hall.
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Scarface blinked, thinking it was his imagination, but the person who pushed the door open was indeed a child.
That was a child, not a dwarf or dwarf. The robe might be able to cover the waist, but it couldn't support the shoulder line. The little guy's elaborate disguise was full of flaws in the eyes of veteran stalkers like Scarface.
The scarred man looked at the dazzling but inconspicuous little guy, and a subtle feeling arose in his heart. Why would a child come to the exchange?
"It's really strange... If you want to buy delicious and fun things, the market in front of the church is obviously a better choice."
Looking at the paper bag in his arms, Scarface frowned. The thing wrapped in the paper bag was not big, about the size of two apples, like a smaller piece of bread.
"Maybe it's not something valuable..." Scarface thought, but even he didn't quite believe it. He vaguely felt that something was not normal.
Maybe it's the too crisp, unhesitating posture and walking posture? It doesn't look like a timid child who has strayed into the tiger's den, but more like a brave man who slays the dragon and goes to the dragon's den.
Baobao launched an indomitable charge.
The scarred man's interest was aroused, and he planned to continue to stare at the little guy to see what he was going to change.
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Su Zuo did not hesitate and walked straight into the depths of the trading hall. He only had to tilt his head slightly to see the huge black bulletin board on the right wall of the hall, which was densely filled with information about selling and seeking transactions.
But that's not his goal.
At the end of the hall, Su Zuo found what he was looking for.
It was just a row of inconspicuous counters, about the same size as the bar in the corner. It was just that the long counter was separated by wooden boards and curtains. From under the curtain, you could see the high wooden stools fixed to the ground. As long as
Sit on it and your whole person will be hidden behind the curtain.
"That's it, the agency desk." Su Zuo breathed a sigh of relief, opened the curtain without hesitation, stepped on the bench beam, and sat down on it.
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Scarface was a little surprised. He saw that the little guy who just came in did not hesitate and went straight to the agency desk.
Until he sat down on the high stool, Scarface had no chance to see what the goods in his arms were. The agile posture made Scarface tremble slightly: "Don't you even look at the bulletin board?
...It's too tender...It's really too tender..."
Scarface felt that he was completely sure. Yes, even in the eyes of a veteran like him, the little guy's series of choices were undoubtedly the most correct - choosing to wrap the goods in paper bags, use an intermediary desk,
Instead of exchanging directly with other people, this is the best way to minimize the risk of exposure to your goods.
But the problem is that this choice is so correct and so neat. It doesn’t look like a child and a novice trader. Without the guidance of a veteran behind the scenes, he alone would never have been able to do this.
kind of degree.
The little guy himself also has great courage and high mobility. There were almost no mistakes in the whole process, but the flaw was revealed precisely in this extraordinary mobility.
"Yes, the intermediary desk can indeed sell the goods in hand quickly and covertly through consignment and currency transactions... But you have forgotten that the consignment fee of up to 1 piece of black silver is enough to constitute a loophole...
"
Scarface licked his lips. He had a feeling that this was a big deal.
In this way, all doubts can be explained.
Question 1: Why didn’t the little guy go to the market in front of the church? Answer: Because the vendors in the market in front of the church did not have the ability to swallow up the deal.
Question 2: Why not look at the bulletin board and barter with other traders? Answer: Possibility 1: Direct trading risks exposing the value of the goods on his body, and there is no force or force behind him to protect him from threats.
Power; Possibility two: The goods he sells or wants to obtain are absolutely rare in Wenning District, and no buyer or seller can be found in a short period of time, so he can only sell or buy them through consignment or direct transactions.
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Question 3: Why can he act so resolutely and without hesitation when faced with a transaction fee of up to 1 black silver? Answer: Because the value of the goods in his hand far exceeds that 1 black silver, which is different from what he has to face.
The right risk.
To sum up, the prey in front of us is a weak "fat sheep" with weak resistance and completely asymmetrical to the value of the goods he carries.
There was a sneer on Scarface's face and he stood up. Even though the other person was just a child, he had no mercy in his heart.
The next step is to make the final confirmation.
The little guy's methods are indeed perfect.
Yes, if he does this, it will indeed be difficult for them to follow them, but this does not mean that they cannot handle it.
As real old villains who have been entrenched in the exchange all year round, no matter what defensive methods traders come up with, they can crack it.
Looking down from the sky like vultures, besieging like hyenas, showing no mercy because the opponents are old, young, women and children, nor stopping because the opponents are defenseless, chasing the stench of copper coins, scavengers swarmed in and were stared at.
The prey on them had no ability to resist, and no bones of the prey they targeted remained.
In Scarface's mind, he had already planned the place to dump the body, so there was no need to bother. Just like he had done hundreds of times before, he would sneak up from behind, cover his mouth, slit his throat, and wait for the breath of life to come out.
All the time passed in that little body, and then the paper bag was quietly taken away, leaving the body to the hungry dogs and crows, leaving no trace, no mercy or kindness.
Because only in this way can one be called a qualified "professional stalker".
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Information now available to the public:
[Grey Branch]: A branch that represents freedom and peace in Nanling. It is similar to the symbol of the olive branch of the earth, but it is a gray iron tree branch. Because of its toughness, it is often used to make shields, so people place good wishes on it.