Chapter 4: Partners? Section 3

To describe the city of Belin as glorious might be an exaggeration. Though it was quite famous on the planet Xek, everyone knew why.
Much like the town of Kukare, this renowned commercial city was also located in the vast desert—only on a much larger scale. Ten-meter-thick walls of steel surrounded it, with a massive circular barrier above completely separating the city from the surrounding desert. There were only two entrances: the South Gate and the North Gate.
Even those who paid attention, even for the first time, could easily tell the difference. Most of those entering through the South Gate were orderly caravans of honest merchants. In contrast, those entering through the North Gate were often people with lewd expressions or covered in long coats, their identities unknown.
The black-haired puppet worm was heading straight for the North Gate.
Being on a journey didn’t mean being isolated from information. In fact, over the course of a month, the black-haired one had learned quite a bit about this city called Belin—and thus knew what the North City was like.
It was a place filled with darkness, violence, and lawlessness. Though under the jurisdiction of the Belin government, it was completely free from any laws. Here, one could easily find highly lethal weapons banned in other countries or poisons that caused unbearable suffering. Even slaves from rare races were for sale here. As long as you had money, you could almost get anything you wanted—even hiring assassins to kill a president was no problem.
“Pretty nice place. I like it,” murmured the black-haired one in the control room of the puppet worm. The high-footed glass in his hand swayed slightly, casting a faint red glow.
Contrary to his expectations, the North City before him was anything but desolate—it could even be described as prosperous. Towering buildings stood closely together, wide streets were filled with constant crowds, shops on both sides were bustling, and there were various high-end magic-powered vehicles. Everything delivered a strong visual impact on the black-haired one.
The North City of Belin, a breeding ground for darkness and the largest black market on planet Xek—was even more prosperous than its South City!?

Upon reflection, it’s quite normal. After all, black-market transactions bring in huge profits. With financial support, rapid development becomes inevitable. Coupled with strong government backing, it would be strange if North City didn’t thrive. But no matter how prosperous it becomes, its inherently dark nature remains unchanged. If it weren’t for paying exorbitant taxes to the Belin government every year, it likely wouldn’t be tolerated in this world.

A loud roar grew louder as the puppet worm, carrying gusts of sand, rushed straight to the entrance of North City. Its 30-section long body and massive size immediately imposed a great sense of pressure on the crowds around it. Almost everyone wondered which guild this huge vehicle belonged to.

But soon, they didn’t need to guess.

Because the city guards had already stopped the puppet worm.

“Name, identity. Purpose of coming to Belin.” An official who seemed in charge of registering visitors casually walked up to the side of the vehicle, not even lifting his eyes, throwing a series of questions at them while writing in a notebook with a pen in hand, looking very busy.

“Black Hair. Wanted criminal. Here for a deal.”

“Hm?” The official raised his head and glanced at Black Hair, showing no sign of surprise. He made a few marks in the notebook and then tossed over a small metal chip.

“Listen well. I don’t care if you’re a wanted criminal or anything else. Once you’re in Belin, you must follow the rules here. Keep this ID card and return it to me when leaving the city. Any transaction inside the city requires a 50% tax. If you kill someone, you must bring back their ID card. Otherwise, it’s illegal. Also, delivery vehicles are not allowed in the city center. Someone will take you to a storage area soon; the storage fee is 10,000 cards.” After giving these instructions, the official raised his head again and looked at Black Hair, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

“Finally, young man, welcome to North City. I hope you have a pleasant time here—just don’t get killed.”

“Thank you.” Black Hair accepted the official’s “blessing” with a mix of laughter and frustration, then followed the guide vehicle into the city.

North City of Belin truly lived up to its reputation as a dark district, as could be seen from the official’s instructions. Those money-driven rules also made Black Hair realize the extremely chaotic security situation here. But since that was the case, he didn’t have to worry about the warrant hanging over his head.

After easily storing the puppet worms, the black-haired man headed straight to a bar in the city district. Under the dazzling neon lights, he casually found a corner to sit in.
“Sir, what would you like?”
“A glass of red wine,” the black-haired man said, tossing over ten cards. Then he asked, “Are there any events going on here recently?”
“Events?” The waiter was puzzled. “Sir, I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I mean large trade fairs or something. I heard this place is the best trading market on the planet. There must be some interesting things here.” The black-haired man smiled cheerfully, revealing his snow-white teeth. “If possible, I’d like to buy some things.”
“Oh, you mean trade fairs.” The waiter suddenly understood. “Sir, this is your first time in Belin, right? No wonder you’re not aware of it. There aren’t any specific trade fairs here. As long as you need something, you can go to the market below at any time. Goods are available 24/7 here. Any of your needs will be met.”
“Below?” The black-haired man frowned.
“Yes, sir. All trading in the northern city takes place in the underground plaza. You can see it right outside—there are many elevators on the streets. Any of them can take you down. The surface city is just for show.”
So that’s how it is. The black-haired man finally understood why there weren’t any shops in the city. Waving the waiter away, he fell silent.
“Sir, do you need a guide?”
Suddenly, a timid voice sounded beside him.