"I will arrange it for you. However..."
Zein Sanki was still hesitating at the thought of those attendees' notorious backgrounds.
The Underground Gathering welcomed all, be they murderers, kidnappers, bandits, or thieves, without discrimination. Supposing Le Xaan went into a conflict with someone in the auction and incurred any misfortunes, how could Zein Sanki have the nerve to face Le Xaan's father, Le Finn?
"Better I be low key, right?" Le Xaan smiled, knowing of Zein Sanki's concerns.
Since he was the young master of the Les, the family would definitely settle accounts with Zein Sanki if he incurred any hurt.
"It is fine you realize it. Brother Xaan, your are no ordinary person, that's why I was a little bit worried..." Zein Sanki sighed.
"I know. Go arrange it for me. The item is something that I would obtain at all costs." Le Xaan said in a determined tone.
"Alas..." Zein Sanki nodded in acknowledgement.
Le Xaan then gained knowledge of the exact timing of the Underground Gathering from Zein Sanki. Shortly thereafter, Zein Sanki dispatched a servant to deliver the invitation to Le Xaan.
Then, Le Xaan went out of the Goldfish restaurant.
"Ladies, come and have a look, high-quality rouge and face powder."
"Top-grade products, the Central-Land ones freshly imported from Zewa City."
"Exclusively available here, Zewa floral-smelling rouge!"
Outside of the restaurant, a hawker was pushing a wooden handcart loaded with all sorts of cosmetics, moving slowly down the street.
Le Xaan glanced over, knowing that the street was packed with cosmetics shops.
Girls and women loved to swarm there.
The setting sun was now easing toward the west. And a while before, a fine rain had fallen. Therefore, the ground was awash with rainwater, now shimmering a faint red hue.
Le Xaan heaved a breath of air, turning into a puff of white fog that dissipated sluggishly.
He looked back at the restaurant, which cast a long shadow on the floor facing away from the sunlight.
The Goldfish restaurant was the largest restaurant in Gourian CIty. It was dinner time, and the place bustled with plenty of patrons coming and going, creating a notably lively and noisy atmosphere.
Le Xaan stood in the midst of shadow, looking around.
Apart from the restaurant's entrance, the street appeared a little deserted.
Some vendors were pushing their pushcarts, slowly moving under the shadow.
Le Xaan pondered for a moment before deciding to buy some gifts for Louir Cayv and Le Yeeli. These cosmetics were not expensive but of high quality and were proper gifts.
Le Xaan walked along the street in search of a shop that he liked.
It was now past noon, and pedestrians were rarely seen on the street. Many shops were closed.
Strangely, those hawkers were still beckoning the passersby with all they had.
Vendor calls were resounding across the street, rising and falling.
Le Xaan narrowed his eyes, finding this scene curious.
Finally, he stopped at a pink-colored handcart with a flag that read: "Central Land Likey Cosmetics."
The owner of this stall was a beaming man dressed in grayish-white clothes with a skullcap on his head.
"Likey Cosmetics is a famed brand, as I recall."
As Le Xaan thought to himself, he walked towards the handcart and planned to select some high-quality makeup products for Louir Cayv and Le Yeeli.
As the pushcart moved forth, some children happened to be frolicking nearby.
Then, the handcart turned around a corner and went into a shadowy alley.
Le Xaan realized that the hawker was about to close up shop and rushed over in a hurried manner.
"Oops! Brother Xaan!"
Suddenly, someone called out from behind him.
Le Xaan was familiar with the voice.
He looked over his shoulder and saw a tanned, hulk yet scholarly-looking man walk up.
"Nu Kuney?"
Le Xaan recognized the man straight away.
Nu Kuney was a wealthy scion as well. But he had a flaw: he was addicted to gambling, which caused him to borrow money from others from time to time.
"Oh, Brother Xaan, I'm in dire need of your help, it's something urgent! " Nu Kuney walked towards him with a reddened face.
Le Xaan figured Nu Kuney's purpose out almost in a flash. Apparently, the gambler must have lost all his money.
Le Xaan smiled at Nu Kuney and took out ten silver coins from his waistband before handing them to him.
"How is your luck today?"
"Not too bad, not too bad, hahahha... Brother Xaan, you're a nice guy as always."
Nu Kuney took away the money before walking away in a rush.
Le Xaan shook his head helplessly. Ten silver coins were nothing, and the wealthy Nu family would pay back the loan to him soon without fail.
He turned around and was in search of the hawker.
The handcart had already moved halfway into the alley.
He walked up in a quickened pace.
The handcart had completely gone into the alley.
Le Xaan followed it into the alley as well.
"Eh?"
Le Xaan paused in his steps.
He was greeted with a dead end!
The alley was empty with no trace of the hawker, let alone that of a pushcart.
He narrowed his eyes and was alarmed slightly.
He studied every detail of the alley meticulously.
The alley, stretching a dozen meters long, was flanked by grayish walls on either side, leading to a dead end shrouded in darkness. On the bleak surface of the barrier were plastered two crossing pieces of sticker seals.
The white papers written in red appeared horrifyingly eerie under the waning sunlight, with their corners curled upward. Le Xaan came to realize that the two stickers had lost their adhesive quality over time.
"There were no walls, so where does the handcart go?"
Le Xaan remembered clearly that the pushcart went into the alley.
After exiting the alley, he saw the children were still frolicking there.
The children wore plain clothes, apparently from average families.
Le Xaan put on a smile and took out several copper coins from the pocket before walking up to a girl among them.