Chapter 177: Capture Them Before You Leave
A ticket?
An artifact ticket.
Wu Heng immediately understood.
No wonder he could transport so much cargo here and demanded all payments in silver coins.
Silver coins, being a form of metal, become a heavy burden once they accumulate.
Silver coins account for over 90% of the market transactions.
The introduction of gold coins was mainly to solve the transportation issues caused by the weight of silver.
With this ticket, they wouldn't need traditional means of transportation.
They could simply board the Ghost Train and leave the area.
At the same time, Wu Heng noted the last part of the description: "a key artifact for unlocking the secrets of the Ghost Train."
Secrets? Key artifact?
This ticket was a prerequisite for a special mission.
Wu Heng pondered briefly.
Then, he cast[Speak with Dead] on the scarred man's corpse.
The scarred man's body suddenly sat up, its pale eyes looking in Wu Heng's direction.
Wu Heng asked, "How do you use this ticket to get to where you want to go?"
The corpse replied, "You just tell the train the city you want to go to, or specify a direction and distance, and the train will start."
"What's the cost of using the artifact?" Wu Heng continued.
Every artifact has a cost.
But the ticket didn't list any.
The corpse replied, "The ticket has no cost, but when you board the Ghost Train, you lose all your senses."
Wu Heng was taken aback.
In other words, the ticket is an artifact, and the train is too.
The ticket itself has no cost, but using the train comes with a price.
After thinking carefully.
He asked the third question, "What is the secret of the Ghost Train?"
The corpse thought for a moment and answered, "I don't know."
It seemed his question was phrased incorrectly.
He rephrased, "Besides using it to board yourself, is there another way to use the ticket?"
The corpse paused again and then replied, "I've heard that if you don't specify a destination after boarding, the train will take you to the Ghost Station."
Hmm.
If you don't state your destination after boarding, the train just takes you back.
He had one final question left.
Wu Heng asked, "Is this all of your cargo, or is there more?"
"That's all. It's all here."
After answering, the corpse collapsed back onto the ground with a thud.
......
Just then, Marta walked over.
She said, "Captain, you'd better come take a look. There's quite a lot of goods here."
Wu Heng followed her voice.
Entering one of the rooms.
He saw piles of leather, fabrics, and various seeds of unknown crops. The quantity was significant.
Wu Heng's eyes widened in surprise.
These people had brought such a large batch of goods, intending to sell it in the city.
No wonder the local gangs couldn't handle it.
Marta said, "Captain, moving all this cargo won't be easy."
Transporting it would indeed be troublesome.
If they tried to haul it out by the cartload, they'd likely attract more attention from the local gangs.
That would only lead to more trouble.
Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Marta, go to the Snake Emblem Consortium and ask Laecia for a storage pouch."
"Got it, Captain."
Marta excitedly left.
......
Before long, a mercenary convoy arrived with a cart.
It stopped outside the alley.
The Snake Emblem Consortium's local manager, Laecia, stepped off the cart, clad in leather armor.
Following Marta, she entered the courtyard.
Wu Heng was slightly surprised to see her.
After all, it wasn't such a big deal, and having her come personally seemed unnecessary.
"Miss Laecia, you came personally?" Wu Heng greeted her.
Laecia walked up to him, gave him a sideways glance, and whispered, "Do you think Consortium items can just be lent out at will? You think you can just send a subordinate to borrow something from me?"
Wu Heng blinked. "Ah? I might have misjudged this."
"What do you plan to do with it? I brought it to you myself." Laecia said.
Wu Heng realized Laecia really did value him.
Apart from his two subordinates, no one in the Guild seemed to care for him this much.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I didn't want to bother you, but now that you're here, why don't you take a look? If the Consortium is interested, you can have priority."
"Oh?" Laecia followed him into one of the rooms.
The door opened to reveal the stacked goods inside.
"Are these yours?" Laecia asked.
Wu Heng explained, "We were capturing a wanted criminal, and these were his goods. Now, they're our spoils of war."
Laecia raised an eyebrow and said, "The Consortium doesn't deal in this type of business, but I personally have some sales channels. It depends on what price Captain Wu Heng gives me."
She tossed him a knowing wink, as if to say, "Given our relationship, you'd better not charge me too much."
Wu Heng responded directly, "If I sell to you, it'll be 30% below market price."
Laecia strolled deeper into the warehouse, and as Wu Heng caught up, she affectionately linked arms with him and whispered, "Captain, if you sell to me personally at that price, it'll be hard for me to make a profit. Lower it a bit more, and I'll make sure the Consortium pays you back in kind later. Neither of us will lose out."
Well, that's a clever tactic.
Whether in the Guild or the Consortium, once you reach a certain level, there are many ways to make money.
Otherwise, how could someone like Yazde, in a backwater place like Blackstone Town, amass a fortune and even buy property in the inner city of Rentam?
As your status rises, so do the ways to earn money.
"So, how much are you thinking?"
"Lower it by another 20%!"
Wu Heng cleared his throat and said, "You're crazy. This isn't just my loot; my subordinates saw it too. If I sell it to you at such a low price, they'll think I pocketed a huge cut."
"Your two subordinates are new, right? Without you, they couldn't have handled a wanted criminal of this level. It's all up to you." Laecia tightened her grip on his arm and said, "Let's compromise. Lower it by 40%, and I'll make sure future Consortium commissions are in your favor. You won't lose out."
"Hold on, let me discuss it with my team."
"You call yourself a captain and can't even make a simple decision?"
"Come on, I'm a captain, not a bandit."
Wu Heng walked out of the warehouse and called over his subordinates, who had been chatting outside, and explained the situation.
"If we sell the goods to her, we won't have to deal with them anymore. The price will be lower than if we sell to the gangs, but it'll be fast and efficient. If we don't, we might make more profit, but it'll be a hassle to transport and find buyers."
"Captain, we'll follow your lead. What do you want to do?" Duke said.
Marta added, "Captain, we've been busy lately. Why not just let the Consortium handle it? Losing a bit of profit isn't a big deal."
Wu Heng nodded, "Marta, did you count the goods?"
"I got a rough estimate, but I didn't tally everything."
"That's fine. I'll tell her the goods are hers. She'll send the money in the next two days."
"Alright."
The two were excited.
This haul would net them a significant amount of money.
Wu Heng returned to the warehouse, where Laecia was still inspecting the goods.
She looked back and asked, "Well?"
"The goods are yours."
Laecia smiled brightly, "Thank you, Captain Wu Heng. I'll have someone tally the goods tonight and send the money to you by morning."
"Sounds good. This place is yours now. We've got other matters to attend to, so we'll head out."
"Alright, pleasure doing business with you."
Wu Heng nodded, ordered the bodies loaded onto a cart, and headed back to the Guild.
They returned to the Guild, delivered the bodies to the morgue, and logged the details.
......
The sky began to darken.
In an estate located in the central district.
The estate was exceptionally spacious, with front and back gardens, pavilions, and towers. It was one of the finest properties in the central district.
Every ten steps stood a burly guard in silver armor.
Their eyes were cold, stationed at their posts.
Gianluan, gripping a mahogany cane, sat in the parlor, reviewing a file handed to him.
After a while, a disheveled figure stumbled in.
Upon seeing the white-haired old man seated before him, the figure gave a slight bow and said, "Mr. Gianluan, my portrait is already circulating in the Guild, and several local gangs are looking for me. I need to leave. Please prepare a carriage. I must leave tonight."
The figure removed a black cloak, revealing the bedraggled features of a middle-aged man—none other than Anel, who had failed to assassinate Wu Heng.
Gianluan motioned for him to sit and ordered the maids to prepare refreshments.
Anel grabbed the food with his dirty hands and began stuffing it into his mouth, devouring it ravenously.
His former elegance and composure were nowhere to be seen.
Gianluan sipped his red wine and said, "You were a captain for so many years, and you failed to assassinate a mage?"
"He's different…" Anel forced the food down and continued, "There's something off about him. When Yazde failed, I planned to kill him and pin the blame on him, but his close combat ability is on par with mine. I'm not talking about technique, but his strength and reflexes."
"Oh? The intelligence said he's only been a professional for a short time." Gianluan swirled his wine glass.
"Why do you think Yazde chose him? There's something special about him."
Gianluan nodded. "Makes sense."
"Prepare a carriage. I need to leave. That kid is too strange." Anel said, still eating.
Gianluan looked at him and said, "Do one more thing for me. Afterward, I'll have a carriage ready for you tomorrow, and you can leave."
Anel's tone grew anxious, "The entire city is after me. I can't wait that long. I need to leave tonight."
"You don't need to confront him. Just bring me his two maids, and I'll have a carriage ready for you."
"I can't wait…"
Gianluan raised the stakes, "Five thousand silver coins. You can live comfortably in a remote place for the rest of your life."
"You're crazy! You want me to kidnap someone from the inner city?" Anel was tempted but still skeptical of the plan's feasibility.
"I'll arrange everything. You won't be alone. I'll send a few men with you. It'll be quick. Remember, don't kill them. I need them alive."
Anel fell silent.
After finishing his meal.
He reclined on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
After a long pause, he finally spoke softly.
"Prepare the carriage and the silver. Once it's done, I'm leaving immediately."
"Agreed!"
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