Han Shuo appeared directly inside the secluded tomb he had dug in the mountains behind the Academy using the transport matrix.
He put down the six magic staffs and removed the stone slab blocking the entrance to the tomb before stepping out of the tomb. The sky was only just starting to brighten, and Han Shuo was not walking towards the Academy. Rather, he took his bearings and circled the area, heading straight for the northern road according to the directions on Fabian's address .
The northern part of the city of Ossen contained many tall, ornate buildings. Many of the Empire's nobles and aristocrats lived here. The city's defence force was also the largest here, and there were many armoured guards with various weapons patrolling early in the morning. Han Shuo cleaned his clothes and wiped off the dust he had just acquired, and then walked towards the northern road, following Fabian's instructions.
After a while, Han Shuo stopped in front of a house. There were no guards at the door and it didn't seem as conspicuous as the ones around it. Han Shuo walked up to the front door, gathered his concentration, looked around, and finally knocked when he concluded that no one was paying attention to him.
Last time in the Boozt Merchant's Guild, Phoebe had killed the assassins from "Shadow Ghost" and put the blame on him. When Grover left the chamber, it was clear from his expression that he was carrying a grudge in his heart. According to Phoebe's explanation, whether it was Shadow Ghost or Grover, they both had associates who could kill them at any time. Therefore, Han Shuo had to be extremely careful when he returned to the Empire this time. He was scared to death of attracting the attention of Shadow Ghost or Grover.
After a while, a butler with warm features opened the door and looked at Han Shuo, bowing with a smile. "Good morning sir, who are you looking for?"
"My name is Bryan and I'm here to discuss some business with Fabian!" Han Shuo also replied politely.
"Mr Bryan! I've heard Fabian speak of you, please follow me!" The butler immediately turned to the side when he heard Han Shuo's name and invited him in.
Once Han Shuo had entered, the butler stuck his head out, looked at the door carefully for a while, and then closed the door tightly. He was very careful and cautious as he led Han Shuo inside.
The buildings inside were still quite ordinary. It all seemed rather dull compared to the luxury of the Boozt Merchant Guild. The surface area of the buildings was far less expansive and spacious than those of the Boozt Merchant Guild.
The butler led Han Shuo into the main lobby after only a minute's walk. An ordinary looking maid served tea and snacks, after which she said, "Please wait a moment, Mr Bryan, I'll get Fabian for you."
As the butler left, the maid also left the lobby after pouring a full cup of tea for Han Shuo. After a while, the chubby Fabian came in from outside the lobby, laughing heartily. His laugh was bright and clear, but his face looked a little pale and his mood didn't seem to be very good. He seemed to be going through a difficult time lately.
"It's Bryan! It's so good to see you safe and sound." Fabian pulled out a stool for himself after entering and laughed out loud.
"I'm also very glad to see you unharmed. I hid after leaving the Boozt Merchant's Guild last time, so whether it's 'Shadow Ghost' or Grover's men, they won't be able to find me. So you don't need to worry about me at all, but you, on the other hand, don't seem to be living so well!" Han Shuo sized Fabian up as he spoke slowly
"Don't mention it, Grover has been getting more and more domineering lately. Our lives have become a bit difficult. Right, what business would you like to discuss this time?" Fabian sighed and said with some resignation.
Han Shuo didn't want to pay attention to the old scores between them and Grover, and Fabian wasn't willing to really discuss his feelings in detail. He thought for a while and said, "I have come to you this time, not to sell resources, but to buy some rare materials from you."
"Oh, what rare materials?"
"Look at this list, I need all the materials on it. How many gold coins would that cost?" Han Shuo handed Fabian the list that Chief Calvin of the dwarven village had written out and asked.
Fabian took the list from Han Shuo's hands and looked at it carefully, thinking for a while before he said to Han Shuo. "Bryan, even I don't know some of the materials on this list. I'm afraid I can't make the decision. If you don't mind, I would like to ask our Miss Phoebe to discuss it with you?"
Han Shuo was startled, thinking that Calvin was asking for some very valuable items? He thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, it's the same if I talk to Miss Phoebe. I need these items urgently, when can I see her?"
"Our Miss is right here. I'll go get her instructions, please wait a moment." Fabian rose and left Han Shuo with these words before leaving the lobby.
Phoebe glanced nonchalantly at Han Shuo as she entered, leaving him a little confused. She found a seat and studied the list Han Shuo had brought with him. Her brow furrowed slightly as she lifted her head to look at Han Shuo, "These materials should be for the use of forging weapons. Some of the items inside are very rare indeed. You've come to the right person to purchase them.
With joy flooding his heart, Han Shuo kept a calm expression on his face and randomly tapped his right finger on the table. He said lightly, "What's your price?"
Nodding, Phoebe's wise eyes sparkled cunningly as a slight trace of a beautiful curve marked her slightly tightened lips. She said, ""Except for the black gold ore, we can sell you all the other ingredients. Especially since you helped us last time, I'll even give you a discount. It will only cost you 3,500 gold. This price is absolutely fair."
3,500 gold! Han Shuo's heart jumped in shock. He hadn't thought that the ten or so missing ingredients Calvin had listed would be so expensive. And judging from the connotations of Phoebe's words, this price was already quite low, and the black gold ore seemed to be of some difficulty.
His brow furrowed slightly, Han Shuo thought deeply and said, "3,500 gold is no problem, but is your guild unable to obtain Black Gold Ore?
"Black gold ore is the same as black iron ore, they're materials of the highest quality that are used to forge weapons. The price of this type of ore is beyond your imagination. A piece of black gold ore the size of a fingernail can fetch as much as 5,000 gold in the marketplace. Under normal circumstances, there is no supply of either Black Gold or Black Iron Ore at any price.
I have a piece of black gold ore the size of my thumb in my possession, but I had to go to great lengths to acquire it. I wanted to forge the best sword for my esteemed teacher when I had enough material, so I've kept it all this time. Therefore, even though this piece of black gold ore can satisfy your needs, I will not sell it to you, no matter how high a price you offer. Phoebe's face was solemn and serious as she spoke to Han Shuo.
Phoebe was a swordswoman, and Han Shuo could tell with his toes what kind of character her teacher had. The kind of swords used by such a character would naturally be unusually sharp. Since Phoebe had reached the level of a swordmaster at such a tender age, she must not have been taught at an ordinary academy of magic and power. Phoebe was indeed a mysterious character.
But Han Shuo really needed the black gold ore. He wanted to create the best possible Demonslayer Edge in one go, and of course he needed the exact amount of the rarest materials. If he ran out of the precious black gold ore, the quality of the Demonslayer Edge would be greatly reduced. This was the last thing Han Shuo wanted to see.
His eyebrows furrowed, Han Shuo thought hard and finally asked Phoebe, "Besides you, who else would have black gold ore in their possession?"
"Don't wish for the stars. I think even if someone had some, they would treasure it and wouldn't sell it to you." Phoebe looked at Han Shuo's anxious expression with interest, a hint of a faint smile curving her lips as she said with some pride.
Han Shuo felt an involuntary wave of depression when he heard those words, but suddenly he caught the unintentional hint of a smile on Phoebe's lips as he shook his head and sighed. His mind spun furiously as Han Shuo thought in silence. Finally, he stared straight at Phoebe and and asked modestly, "Miss Phoebe, if you are willing to give me the black gold ore in your possession, you can name any condition you wish!"
Phoebe started and looked at Han Shuo in surprise. She then frowned and pretended to turn the matter over in her mind. Finally, with some reluctance, she said, "I can bear the pain of giving up something I value very much because you helped us last time, but you must help me with another task..."
"Help you with what?" Han Shuo privately thought that Phoebe had indeed been scheming early on. Although he was angry, he didn't let it show on his face and replied with a serious expression.
"Fight by my side and help me kill the two lackeys most loyal to Grover - Darnell and Yuna, those two b*tches who should be hacked to death by a thousand cuts!" Frost grew on Phoebe's charming face as she spoke through gritted teeth.
"What are their respective strengths?" Han Shuo's face was calm as he asked.
"Darnell is a senior swordsman and his strength is almost at the level of a swordsman, while Yuna is a fire mage and her strength is extremely frightening. They are a couple that is beyond depraved and extremely shameless. They never spend much time apart. They both currently reside in the Boozt Merchant Guild. If you're willing to help me, I have a sixty percent chance of killing them silently!" Phoebe's body straightened abruptly, highlighting the towering twin peaks in front of her chest as she spoke excitedly.
"I promise to help you!" Han Shuo didn't hesitate as he spoke in a low voice.