Tattoos were not a popular culture in the Wizard Nation. Ren Xiaosu had only seen tattoos on the porters near the courier stations on his way here from the south. Back then, Mego had even explained to him that these people used to be criminals, which was why they used tattoos as a mark.
Therefore, in the Wizard Nation, tattoos were actually a symbol of humiliation for normal people.
But it was different in the underground world. They used tattoos as a symbol of resistance, and the most loyal guards would have tattoos on their faces to show their determination to fight against the wizard organizations.
Bounty hunters like Chen Jingshu, for example, could disguise themselves as normal people and return to the surface at any time to blend in with the crowd.
But these guards could not. Once they returned to the surface, they would not fit in with the others.
In the quiet underground world, the tattoos on the guards' faces looked extremely hideous.
Their clothes were tattered leather jackets, and they wore boots with holes at the corners. Although the surface was already 36 degrees Celsius in the summer, it was still cool underground.
When Chen Jingshu answered the secret signal, the guard opened a mottled iron door beside him.
Everyone entered in a single file. Ren Xiaosu, who was walking in front, felt that the underground had suddenly become lively. In front of him was an open space that was as wide as an underground factory.
The walls of this "underground factory" were also painted with a lot of graffiti, and there were "guards" patrolling around with knives in hand.
Hundreds of people were gathered here. Some were setting up stalls, and some were asking for prices. Most of them covered themselves up tightly, as if they were afraid of being remembered.
Ren Xiaosu glanced at the goods on the ground and said in confusion, "There are clothes, daily necessities, and contraband like swords and crossbows. Where did all this come from?"
"The entire black market in Ghent City is underground. There are dozens of small black markets like this one, and there are two or three black markets that are ten times bigger than this one," Chen Jingshu said. "If the forces on the surface want to trade in secret underground, they have to pay some transaction taxes, and they can also use goods as a substitute. Moreover, 90% of the casinos in Ghent City are gathered here. There are also some other special trading places, including information trading, black market bounties, and so on. It's enough to feed the underground people. "
"Don't the Norman and Tudors care?" Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.
"Of course they do, but half of the business in the casino belongs to the Tudor and Norman families," Chen Jingshu explained with a smile. "If nothing major happens, they'll turn a blind eye to it. Of course, we also need to be on guard against them sending people to infiltrate other places underground. "
Chen Anan said, "There is a big difference between people on the surface and underground. People who live underground all year round are usually pale and haven't been exposed to the sun. People on the surface can be discovered as soon as they come in. All people with normal skin color, other than the Holy Church, are not allowed to go to the more secret underground space, unless a member of the Holy Church is leading them. "
Ren Xiaosu nodded. Therefore, a delicate balance had been reached between the underground and the surface. They knew very well that the underground people hated them, but they also knew that this group of people would not be able to cause any trouble at all.
When Ren Xiaosu and the others entered the underground factory-like black market, almost everyone in the black market suddenly turned to look at them.
They were obviously from the surface, but it was rare to see hundreds of people from the surface suddenly come down in the underground world. Many of the stall owners looked at Ren Xiaosu and the others warily, as if they were worried.
"Keep going. Don't stay here. We'll scare them," Chen Jingshu said as she continued to lead the way. When the black market stall owners saw them leaving, they resumed trading as if nothing had happened.
"Don't they know you?" Ren Xiaosu was curious. "You're also a member of the Holy Church."
"The members of the Holy Church never write their identity on their faces," Chen Jingshu said. "Only the guardians of the various deep areas know who we are."
"To avoid being surrounded?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"Yes, it's a mixed bag here. Selling the identity of a member of the Holy Church is more cost-effective than selling a hundred iron swords," Chen Jingshu explained.
As the group continued walking deeper into the cave, Ren Xiaosu even saw some of the underground people living here. However, he only saw the elderly and children.
"The young and strong work underground. Men and women are the same." Chen Jingshu said, "There are no useless people living underground. Those who are lazy and eat can't survive. That's why you can only see the elderly and children on the first floor. "
"What do the young and strong work do down there?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"All kinds of shady things," Chen Jingshu said, "such as the smelting of silver fragments into silver coins, the casting of iron cores for arrows, the transportation of smuggled goods, and the production workshops for all kinds of contraband."
"This is a large black den." Ren Xiaosu sighed.
Chen Jingshu glanced at him and said, "Don't stand here and talk. It's good enough that the underground people can survive. Who cares about the contraband?"
The next moment, a man in a brown linen robe suddenly appeared in front of them. He was waiting in the tunnel with a hood and seemed to be waiting for the arrival of Ren Xiaosu and the others.
Chen Jingshu glanced at Ren Xiaosu. "Come with me. Someone wants to see you."
The man who hid his identity turned and led the way without saying a word from beginning to end.
As they zigzagged underground, they used stairs to descend into the depths of the earth. As they passed through secret passages, the guards near the passages bowed to the man.
It was obvious that the other party's status in the underground world was far higher than Chen Jingshu's.
After turning a long dark passage, they suddenly heard the voices of several people talking around the corner.
Ren Xiaosu, who was walking, suddenly felt that something was wrong. He turned around and looked at Xiao Mei, who was frozen in place. "What's wrong?"
However, Xiao Mei acted as if he did not hear what Ren Xiaosu said. He dashed forward in a daze.
Ren Xiaosu was surprised. "Did you meet someone familiar?"
"Xia!" Mego shouted anxiously. "Is that you?"
The voices around the corner suddenly quietened down. Ren Xiaosu looked at Chen Jingshu. "Xia? Who? "
"Xia Russell, Russell's descendant." Chen Jingshu smiled meaningfully. "At the same time, he is also Wizard Mego's sweetheart."
"So the reason why y 'all went to Yorkshire was to help this lady look for Meg, right?" Ren Xiaosu frowned and said, "Why didn't y' all say so earlier? You even made up such a strange lie."
"I was going to sneak some money into his wizard tower. Who knew you'd suddenly appear." Chen Anan also rolled his eyes. "And we don't even know who you are, okay? How could we tell you the truth?"
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. "Stuff money?!"
He immediately did not know whether to laugh or cry. "This Xiao Mei is really an expert at living off women!"
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