Luo Sheng listened quietly from the side.
After all, Zhao Haifeng knew more about Pingcheng than he did.
He had an uncle who worked at the Card Alliance, so he knew more than others.
Indeed, the end of the universe is still about taking civil service exams.
âIf I have the ability, Iâll also take the civil service exam to work at the Card Alliance,â Luo Sheng thought to himself.
He had already planned his retirement path: finish Card Master Academy, then go to Card Master University, spend a few years there, then come out to work at the Card Alliance, sipping wolfberry tea from a thermos every day, chatting with colleagues, earning a fixed salary, and then going home to spend time with his paper waifus.
That would be the life~
Zhao Haifeng continued to educate Luo Sheng:
âThe black market is now the main place for Card Masters to trade. It covers almost all areas, such as enhancement, forging, shopping malls, mainly because itâs cheap and requires almost no transaction fees.
So everyone likes to trade there. After all, transactions in the open market, whether through the Card Alliance or financial groups, all charge high commissions.
Card Masters are all so poor they could squeeze oil from cracks. Theyâre desperate to save every penny.â
Luo Sheng asked puzzled, âIf thatâs the case, wouldnât the Card Alliance lose too much income?â
Zhao Haifeng replied, âYou donât need to worry about the Card Alliance. They actually have some shops in the black market too.
For example, auctions, and occasionally Creators and Fate Masters operate special businesses in the black market. They are all special employees of the Alliance, and their income goes to the Alliance.
In fact, the Card Alliance hasnât lost anything because of this, but rather gains more. Similarly, other financial groups have also poured in.
They conduct large-scale transactions through direct operations. The black market is almost a win-win-win market, with no tax or commission restrictions. Moreover, everyone has masks for protection, so you donât have to worry about being remembered for life for buying things.
Therefore, the Card Alliance at most superficially cracks down a bit, curbing the evil trends of the black market, but after that, trading continues as usual.â
Luo Sheng rested his chin on his hand, thinking.
This black market seemed like the free trade zones he had heard of in his previous life.
The slight difference was that black trades could still be conducted inside.
The two turned into a street that grew increasingly dark, with a black hole at the far end, emitting an ominous aura.
âPut on your mask,â Zhao Haifeng said. âYou donât need a name for transactions, just money is enough.â
Luo Sheng nodded, summoning a black mask to cover his face.
Then he asked, âHow will I know which one is you once Iâm inside?â
âFollow me.âRead this novel at novelpâing.com for the best experience.
Zhao Haifeng led Luo Sheng towards the entrance, paid a 2,000 yuan entrance fee to the man wearing a black mask, and then stepped inside.
Their bodies became ethereal for a moment as they entered the darkness.
When their vision cleared, they found themselves in another space.
The sky above was a brilliant starry river, and around them were streets lined with strange adventurerâs cottages or buildings resembling adventurerâs guilds. Even the passersby were dwarves, elves, half-beast people, or steampunk mechanical humans.
Colorful lanterns hung on the streets, and there were huge bonfires in the distance.
This black market looked exactly like a dungeon for adventurers.
âHuh???â
Luo Sheng was stunned for a while, then heard Zhao Haifengâs voice, âLook at yourself again.â
He took out his phone and found that his reflection on the black screen had completely changed appearance, with pointed ears, golden hair, and a Caucasian Western face.
It felt like humans controlling alien bodies in Avatar.
Zhao Haifeng then explained, âWearing a black mask when entering will react with the black market, automatically changing your appearance.
You turn into a race that matches the black market background, even your voice changes. No one will recognize you at all. When you leave the black market, youâll return to your original appearance.
So you donât need to worry, just remember what I look like now, and my name in the black market is âFengâ.â
Luo Sheng looked up and saw.
At this time, Zhao Haifeng was in the form of a cat girl, with fluffy ears and a long tail. Especially that pink clothing looked very kawaii.
Even the hairstyle was pink, giving off a strong âold man with a young girlâs heartâ vibe.
Except for the muscular chest and very thick leg hair, other parts were basically feminine, like the fair skin.
Luo Sheng couldnât help but gape, his face showing extreme surprise: âCrossdresser?â
Then his scalp tingled.
âDonât tell me you got close to me becauseâŚâ Luo Sheng suddenly took a step back, protecting his body, looking at him somewhat warily, âSorry, but I already have someone I like.â
Zhao Haifeng was quite embarrassed.
Then he explained helplessly, âItâs not what you imagine. Originally this mask belonged to my cousin of the same age, but later she didnât want it and gave it to me.
I didnât expect that when I came in, it would still retain some traces, so it turned into this appearance today.â
âAlright.â Luo Sheng reluctantly accepted this explanation.This story is hosted at noveâ lping.com.
The two then began to wander around.
Mainly because Luo Sheng had never seen what a black market looked like, his curious gaze observed everything around.
Besides card trading, there were also a lot of services here.
For example, forging weapon cards, which is the fusion and enhancement of mineral and material weapon-type cards to obtain more powerful material and weapon-type cards.
This type of Enhancer was classified separately, and people called them Forgers.
âEnhancers are responsible for character cards or special cards. While Forgers are only responsible for weapon cards and material cards, this is the Allianceâs occupational standard,â Zhao Haifeng explained on the side.
Luo Sheng nodded and observed for a while.
He thought silently to himself that through the card enhancement option in his mental space, he could enhance all types of cards.
Strictly speaking, he was both an Enhancer and a Forger.
If he were to help people enhance cards in the black market in the future, weapon-type and material-type cards would have to be excluded.
Of course, besides these services, the black market also had other offerings.
There were coffee shops and tea rooms where Card Masters could relax and exchange information.
There were also some red-light districts.
Several Japanese-style buildings resembling inns had pink or red lanterns under their eaves. Through the glass windows, one could see girls standing, their eyes empty, expressionless, like wooden dolls.
The innâs main entrance had a constant stream of guests.
âI canât believe there are such places here,â Luo Sheng frowned slightly upon seeing this scene.
Zhao Haifeng introduced from the side, âThese are the black marketâs clubhouses. Because the Card Alliance prohibits using people as pink workers, they specifically provide card girl pink services. The prices arenât low either, 50,000 yuan for one night, and for rare card girls, the price can even exceed 500,000 yuan.â
Hearing his explanation, Luo Sheng was even more confused, âArenât they afraid of the cards shattering or rebelling?â
âIâve heard that certain group organizations provide secret methods that can lock card girls in the real world and cut off all their cognition and ability to resist, turning them into obedient puppets.â
Zhao Haifeng explained tirelessly.
Luo Sheng pondered for a moment.
He recalled the Card Collector Master Paul, who bought Alice for the high price of 5 million yuan, probably to sell her to these places.
To become a rare special card girl and create high returns.
Luo Sheng deeply despised these establishments, covering the card girls in his card box protectively.