The underground city was in the water, and the water was in the city. The lights and the starsand fluorescence of the accompanying minerals added a bit of a fantasy color to the place. This was a scene that couldn't be seen on the lifeless surface.
The streets were opened without any rules, and there was no logic to it. They would turn when they encountered houses dug out from the stone walls. The width of the streets varied, and if they weren't careful, they would end up in a dead end. Every shop in the underground city was connected from the underground to the surface. This had the advantage of being more secretive. If something happened, there wouldn't be a crowd of people watching. It wasn't like Sky Street, where there would be a crowd of people watching as soon as something happened.
The underground river was also either wide or narrow. Small boats could be used in the narrow areas, and large ships could be used in the wide areas. Most of the larger ships were places of pleasure, and there were even inns decorated with lanterns and colored banners that flowed along the underground river.
There were all kinds of shops on the streets, and the miscellaneous items wouldn't be any less than in Sky Street.
However, the expenses here couldn't be compared to Sky Street. There was a price to pay for doing things that couldn't see the light of day. It was ten times more expensive than in Sky Street, and it was even possible for it to be more than a hundred times more expensive. That was why the ghost market could only be hidden in the shadows. People who did business in the open would never come here.
The underground area was really big, and it was as messy as a maze. After walking around for more than two hours, it was an eye-opener. It wasn't a good idea to wander around aimlessly like this. They had to find a place to stay, and take a good look at the ghost market map that Gu Duogui gave them. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to find their way if something happened. Besides, there were many people waiting for them outside. The first thing they needed to do was to find an inn.
They walked to a bridge that spanned both sides of the river. Miao Yi stopped and transmitted his voice to Zhan Ruyi, "Let's split up and find an inn to stay in."
"Split up?" Zhan Ruyi was taken aback, "You and I should stay in the same inn. It'll be easier to communicate if anything happens."
Miao Yi frowned, "It's not good to stay in the same inn. It'll be easy to attract suspicion if people from the two tiger banners come and go."
Zhan Ruyi said, "You worry too much. If there's something to discuss, just gather a few core members. Once everything is settled, we'll have to rely on the star bell to communicate. The people below can't always contact us. That would easily arouse suspicion. "
Miao Yi was a little suspicious of her intentions, but he didn't say anything. He wanted to see what kind of tricks this woman had up her sleeves.
The group continued to move forward in search of an inn. Not long after they went around a street, a wide river suddenly appeared. Two carps with their heads raised and tails raised attracted the attention of the group. Two carps were in front of the doors of a shop on the left and right. The carps raised their heads and spat out two pillars of water, which formed an arc across the street like an arch bridge. It fell into the river with a splash. Obviously, it was formed by the water pressure of the river on the surface. The water column was high enough that the people on the street below were not affected at all.
This was an inn, and the signboard read 'Moonless Inn'. The group was just about to look for an inn when Zhan Ruyi asked for Miao Yi's opinion. Miao Yi had no objections, so the group settled in.
Zhan Ruyi's underlings went up to inquire about the accommodation. The price was ridiculously high. The occupancy rate was based on the number of people. A roof could accommodate up to two people at most, and each room cost one million Red Crystals per day. Other food and expenses would be charged separately if necessary. The inn only maintained basic safety. It was just maintenance, but no guarantees. If there were any accidents, the inn would be responsible for it.
The so-called maintenance of basic safety was just that no one was allowed to enter. Without permission, outsiders were not allowed to enter the inn. If someone used some trick to enter and cheat the guests, then the inn couldn't do anything about it. Irresponsible.
The conditions were like this. Stay or not.
There wasn't much of a choice. The situation in the phantom city was like this. The group was already mentally prepared. As for the price, there was no need to say much. Since they were helping the Right Supervisory Department, as long as they didn't mess around, the right supervisory department would reimburse them for reasonable expenses.
Zhan Ruyi was a woman, so it wasn't convenient for her to live with five other men. The six of them asked for four rooms, one for Miao Yi and Zhan Ruyi. Two of the four underlings shared a room.
Money was paid first. No credit allowed. After paying, they were led to the third floor. Four rooms were arranged side by side. Miao Yi and Zhan Ruyi occupied two rooms in the middle, while the two rooms on the left and right were for the four underlings. Opening the windows, they could see the people on the streets and the boats on the river outside. The furnishings in the room were so-so. It was slightly better than the basic living facilities, but not by much.
Looking around the room, Yang Zhaoqing inspected the two rooms on this side. Miao Yi led Yan Xiu out, preparing to take a look around the inn. If anything happened, they would know where to go. In the end, they realized that every floor was the same. There wasn't much to see. Unexpectedly, when they reached the ninth floor, they were stopped by two employees blocking the stairway.
"Excuse me, the two of you. The upper floor is not open to guests at the moment. Please return." One of the employees stopped them and gestured for them to return.
This wasn't something that could be forced. Miao Yi and Yan Xiu could only turn around and leave. However, the sound of light footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. At the same time, a woman's soft voice could be heard, "What is it?"
Hearing the voice, the two of them turned around again. They saw a woman walking down the stairs.
It was a woman dressed in a flowery robe. She wore a flowery dress, and her watery, alluring eyes looked as though they could speak. Her facial features were vivid, and she was extremely beautiful. She swayed her hips as she leisurely walked down the stairs.
Yan Xiu was a little better, but Miao Yi was instantly stunned when he saw the woman. He actually knew this woman. He had seen her before in the black market of the Lifeless Lands when he first took the examination. She was the Lady Boss of the Butterfly Pawnshop, Hua Die. He didn't expect to see her here again.
'Why is this woman here?' Miao Yi looked at the respectful attitude the two employees had towards Hua Die and was a little speechless. 'Could this Moonless Tavern be one of the Kou Clan's businesses in the black market? If that's the case, then it's quite a coincidence.'
The two employees whispered a few words to Hua Die through voice transmission. She stared at Miao Yi and Yan Xiu and nodded with a smile.
Miao Yi turned around and left with Yan Xiu. He was here on a secret mission this time, so he had disguised himself. He believed that Hua Die wouldn't be able to recognize him so easily. After all, they weren't too familiar with each other. It wasn't to the point where she could recognize him just by looking at his eyes and physique. Besides, he didn't want the Kou Clan to know that he had once again seen through their shady business.
Hua Die narrowed her eyes as she watched Miao Yi walk down the stairs. She had noticed that Miao Yi was looking at her with a strange gaze, as though he knew her. This was exactly what she thought was strange. She was the manager of the black market, so she didn't usually show her face in public. If there was anything, it would be her subordinates who would handle it. Even if she had to go out, she would still have to disguise herself. Anyone who had direct contact with her in the black market should be someone she was very familiar with. She could roughly recognize those who knew her. However, she didn't seem to have any impression of this person's appearance.
For someone like her who had lived in this kind of godforsaken place for so many years, any abnormalities would alert her.
"Keep a close watch. Someone from 'Home' will be staying upstairs during this period of time. Don't let anyone disturb them," Hua Die reminded.
"Yes!" The two attendants acknowledged the order.
Hua Die turned around and went upstairs again. After taking a few steps, she stopped and said, "Go and find out which room those two people are staying in."
"Yes!" One of the attendants immediately left with quick steps.
A few hours later, Miao Yi and Zhan Ruyi each sent a person to the entrance of the tavern to receive the core members of the Black Tiger Banner and Blue Tiger Banner into the tavern. If they didn't receive them, the tavern wouldn't allow them to enter. The group gathered together. Miao Yi and Zhan Ruyi distributed the map of the phantom city and began to make arrangements. They ordered five thousand men to station themselves in the phantom city. They were to split into groups of five and spread out to different areas of the phantom city. They were to wait for missions at any time, and familiarize themselves with the routes and situations of the phantom city as soon as possible.
Not long after the group dispersed, Hua Die leisurely walked over from the other end of the corridor. However, her face was also disguised. She carried a tray in her hand, and on the tray were some dishes. She walked up to Miao Yi's door and knocked.
As soon as she heard the commotion, Yan Xiu immediately appeared from next door. Even though the other party had disguised herself, her clothes and appearance were mostly the same. Yan Xiu immediately recognized that it was the woman he met upstairs earlier. He asked solemnly, "Who is it? What is it?"
On the other side of the door, Zhan Ruyi also opened his door and poked his head out. He stared at Hua Die warily.
Hua Die smiled and said, "I am the Lady Boss of the Moonless Tavern. I am here to deliver some free wine for our esteemed guest to try."
Miao Yi also opened his door and showed himself. When he saw that it was this woman, he was a little speechless. He smiled and replied, "I appreciate Lady Boss's kindness." It was a tactful rejection.
Hua Die looked at him seductively and said, "Esteemed guest, aren't you a little too heartless to reject me so cruelly?"
Looking at her seductive look, Zhan Ruyi already had a look of disgust in his eyes. "If he doesn't want it, then I want it. Send it to my room."
Hua Die rolled her eyes at him. "We are both women. How boring." As she said this, she didn't care if Miao Yi was willing or not. Her delicate body squeezed through Miao Yi's body and squeezed through the door.
Miao Yi turned around, feeling a little annoyed. Judging by her expression, she couldn't have already recognized him, could she?
Zhan Ruyi and Yan Xiu followed him in as well. The other attendants soon showed themselves as well, all looking at Hua Die warily.
Hua Die ignored the crowd. She minded her own business as she laid out the dishes and poured wine. She then sat at the side and crossed her legs. She gestured for Miao Yi to take a seat.
Miao Yi hesitated for a moment, then walked to the other side of the table and sat down. He asked, "Lady Boss, what can I do for you?" He didn't believe that she would give him free wine. Did the phantom market's merchants have such a conscience?
Hua Die smiled and didn't say anything. She simply gestured at the group of people blocking the door with her lips.
Miao Yi hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand at Zhan Ruyi and the others. "You guys can leave first."
Yan Xiu and Yang Zhaoqing were very obedient. Seeing Miao Yi's calm demeanor, they knew that Miao Yi was confident. They turned and left. However, Zhan Ruyi's eyes were filled with vigilance. He said, "Miao Yi, be careful. Someone is up to no good." He didn't want to leave.
They all used aliases when they came here, but Miao Yi used his real name as an alias.
Hua Die looked at Miao Yi and teased, "She's very concerned about you. Is she your woman? She doesn't look like it. She should be staying with you. There's no need to waste money like this. "
Zhan Ruyi was embarrassed. Fortunately, he was wearing a disguise. Miao Yi coughed and waved his hand again. "Leave first. I will see what Lady Boss has to say."
'She won't listen!' Zhan Ruyi felt a little angry for some reason. He turned around and left with his men.
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