Bombs weren't publicly traded and were rare to find, however, that didn't mean some merchants who came from the West hadn't sold gunpowder to the Four Empires for a heavy sum of money.
Lin Xiaofei heard in the past that a foreigner coming from Europe had his crew and ship docked in the Eastern soil to trade and sell their goods. Gold, mirrors, jewelry, furs, iron, and many more, they carried a lot of materials in their ships and try to sell it for a good price or sell it for antiques or rare gemstones that could only be found in the East.
Not only that, for decades the West has been visiting to build a good relationship with the Eastern royal family and had the Zhou Empire become their friend.
They wanted to reach out to the other 3 empires, but unfortunately, the three empires refused and only dealt with the West in trades and market.
As time goes by, the trade was at its highest and the Four Eastern Empire's demands were getting higher too.
Unlike the essential and everyday material that the West has brought, there was still something else that was highly and badly sought after.
And that was the manpower and force they will need to conquer other kingdoms.
Guns, iron, dynamite, and bombs, these were what was extremely rare and sought after by many rulers for them to gain power over the other rulers
Unfortunately, when the foreigners who were about to deliver these highly demanded products, they were caught by pirates lurking in the sea and sunk their ships along with the people and material in it.
Fearing the might of the pirates who were experts in the routes and characteristics of the sea, the West no longer proceeded with their initial intention for trade and good relationship with the East.
Currently, only a handful of small merchants from the West would seldom come to trade and sell their goods. And these small merchants brought only tiny ships that were limited to carry a limited load and could hide from the eyes of the West government.
So, why was Lin Xiaofei suddenly asking Hong Pei Lou if she could buy a bomb, one of the rarest and badly sought after by many?
When Lin Xiaofei came to the third upper floor, she quickly took notice of the things around her and was surprised to see that all the furnishings in the room and the corridors might have appeared like it was nothing special and would be normally found in every high noble family residence, however, that's where things became more complicated.
The furnishings each have its commonality with the furnishings made from the East, however, since Lin Xiaofei had the chance to get her hands on one of the vanities that came from the West, she knew the peculiarities and differences of the two furnishings that came from two different places.
In addition, the cup she had just taken a sip of tea was completely different from the cup commonly found in the Four Empire.
The cup was porcelain white and had a handle on the side that looked like an ear. The taste of the tea was also different and new to Lin Xiaofei's taste bud, however, she didn't include it to her list of speculations since the tea maker in Zheng Empire must have created a new batch of tea that wasn't released to the public market yet.
''A bomb… you want a bomb?" Qu Xing Xu had to repeat her words since he thought he was hearing things and when he saw her nodding her head, he leaned back like he didn't know what to say.
"Is it impossible to procure at least one bomb?" Lin Xiaofei asked. Slightly nervous and anxiously wait for him to answer.
"Why would you think my Hong Pei Lou have bombs on hand?" Qu Xing Xu instead asked rather than answer her.
"I didn't." She lied. Technically, she didn't have enough reasons to prove her speculations of Hong Pei Lou, however, she still wanted to believe that they would have the ability to get a bomb.
"I just wanted to know since the restaurant is a guild made up of assassins and others." Lin Xiaofei said.
Qu Xing Xu sighed and shook his head, "My Hong Pei Lou doesn't sell something so dangerous."
That's right, if Hong Pei Lou included gunpowder and bombs even if it was extremely desired by many and would give them a lot of profit, Qu Xing Xu wouldn't allow trouble to knock on his door and destroy his plans just because he wanted money.
Money wasn't something he lacked. On the contrary, Qu Xing Xu had more money than the entire Zheng Empire thus, he refused Lin Xiaofei's money. The real business of Hong Pei Lou, a Guild that consists of different experts in the field of killing, never asks for money for their services.
Lin Xiaofei closed her eyes when his words landed, disappointed that she couldn't easily get what she wanted as she had expected.
She assumed that Hong Pei Lou might have some bombs that she could buy for her future plans, but unfortunately, it seems that she had to use another plan and forget about today's matter.
It was just that bombs were not that easy to get her hands to. She understood this and didn't make a fuss.
The two of them stayed quiet as they had a lot of thoughts inside their heads.
And when Lin Xiaofei was done thinking, she said, "Then, let's just think that this conversation never happened." She stood up ready to leave, "I hope that our paths won't cross with each other."
She meant that she didn't want to have anything to do with Hong Pei Lou anymore and that she hoped the manager of Hong Pei Lou would not try to look into her identity or make his men follow her.
Qu Xing Qu understood her meaning and nodded his head.
Lin Xiaofei took the banknotes on top of the table when suddenly a warm and hard calloused hand gripped her wrists tightly.
Looking up to meet his eyes, Lin Xiaofei tried to pull her hand out of his grip. She frowned and was about to reprimand him but stopped when she heard him speak again.
Qu Xing Xu didn't let go and said: "But I know someone who can help you."
Delighted to hear that, Lin Xiaofei stopped pulling her hand away from him and asked, "Who?"
She waited for his response with anticipation and didn't take her eyes off him. She was glad that even though Hong Pei Lou didn't have what she wanted, they were willing to help her find a way to get her hands on it.
Lin Xiaofei stared at the demon mask in front of her and forgot the hand that was holding her wrist when he finally said: "The Duke of Xin."