Pursuit of the Truth Chapter 24
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Chapter 24
When he felt someone coming towards him, the old man opened his eyes and looked at Su Ming . There was a hint of shock in his eyes but after he looked at him carefully, he closed his eyes again .
Su Ming eyed a blue object placed on the hide . The object was shaped like a plate . The edges were sharp but there were a few cracks on it . There was even a deep cut on it, making it look like the object had been pierced through .
It laid quietly on the mat but would let out a faint glow occasionally . Anyone who saw it would have thought that it was alive .
The cracks seemed to form a drawing . It was the drawing of a terrifying face and it was frightening to look at .
"This is an incomplete Berserker Vessel . You won’t be able to afford it . " As Su Ming was looking at it, he heard an old and wizened voice . Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the old man, who spoke .
"Berserker Vessel?" Su Ming sucked in a breath . He had suspected it . He had read about it before in the beast skin scrolls . Berserker Vessels were extremely rare items . Only the powerful Berserkers in the Awakening Realm could obtain one or make one . As for the people in the Blood Solidification Realm, it was difficult for them to obtain it . Even if they had one, it was usually an inheritance within the tribe . There also had to be people in the tribe who were capable of guarding the Vessel from being taken away by Berserkers in the Awakening Realm .
"This vessel is already broken . You can’t use it . But since it was made by a Berserker in the Awakening realm, it’s still worth 1,000 stone coins . " The old man spoke slowly .
As Su Ming stared at the blue plate, his gaze was filled with longing and envy . He only had 5 coins with him, so he could not afford it .
He sighed . Su Ming looked at the blue plate again and left reluctantly .
‘I wonder when I’ll ever have my very own Berserker Vessel… ‘
Su Ming thought as he wandered through the square . There were a lot of people who opened up shop by selling items on hides . However, even after Su Ming went around the place, he did not see anyone else selling Berserker Vessels .
He did however find some Cloud Gauze Grass being sold . It was just that they were all sold by different people . The price for one was rather expensive . Just one alone was sold at the price of one stone coin, which was the same price as Dark Dragon’s Saliva .
It was beginning to grow dark . The sun was setting in the sky and the light cast a red glow on land . Yet, there were even more people gathered at the square and it continued to bustle with activity .
As he looked at the sky, Su Ming decided to continue walking around . He even went into one of the tents . The tent was also a shop . The price for each item was expensive but at least the quality of each could be guaranteed . There were quite a lot of people going in and out of the tents .
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As Su Ming watched, he saw some members of the Berserker Tribe who were the same as him . They were also carrying baskets on their backs as they went into the tents to sell the contents within to the tent owners .
When Su Ming saw this, he smiled . He had been observing since noon and he saw a lot of things . After he pieced up all the details he obtained, he understood most of the rules there .
As the sky darkened almost completely and torches were lit around the square, Su Ming went to a corner where the light did not shine .
He looked at his surroundings carefully before quickly putting down his basket . He wrapped the hides on the basket around his body and put on all the other hides he had prepared in the basket . Finally, he brought out a black beast skin that looked like a robe and wore it, covering up his whole body .
Su Ming’s face could no longer be seen . From the size of his body, he looked swollen . He looked completely different from his frail self .
He shook his limbs slightly, then he wrapped the beast skins even tighter around himself . Su Ming took a look at the basket . There was still one more thing in the basket . It was something he prepared specifically for this trip . It was heavy but it had its uses .
He swung the basket over his back and lowered his head . He stopped after taking a few steps forward . Then he hunched his back before quickly walking towards a tent he had chosen a while ago .
The light in the tent was dark . Since noon, the people who went into this tent were mostly like Su Ming . They hid their faces so that no one could recognize them .
It may have been Su Ming’s first time at the square but he had been observing the proceedings since noon . As such, he had already understood most of the rules of the square . He did not immediately enter the tent he chose . Instead, he paced about outside the tent for a while as he looked at the tent occasionally .
Before long, a person dressed in a similar fashion as Su Ming came out from the tent and left the square in a hurry .
Su Ming had seen a lot of people like this since noon . He was somewhat certain that once he left, no one would chase after him . He opened the flap and went into the then empty tent quickly without any hesitation .
Once he entered the tent, he felt a gaze fall upon him . The person looking at him was a middle aged man . He was half nude and sitting cross-legged . There was a bonfire before him . As it lit up the tent, it crackled as it burned .
One of the man’s eyes was empty but the other gave off a sharp glint . He was watching Su Ming closely without a word .
"The fire is quite dazzling . " Since Su Ming was covered up by hides, he was not worried about the man seeing his face . He also spoke slowly with a hoarse voice and it was completely different compared to his normal one .
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The one-eyed man looked at Su Ming for a while before looking away . He felt no Qi from Su Ming and he did not look any different from the rest who came .
He may not have felt Qi from Su Ming, but one who could enter the tent and seem so familiar with the rules could not have been just any normal person .
He raised his right hand and pressed it on the bonfire . The bonfire immediately grew dimmer . The light from the bonfire became darker as well .
"Take it out . If it’s good stuff, I’ll give you a fair price . " The man put out his right hand and spoke slowly .
Su Ming scrutinized the man behind the hides that hid his face . Then all of a sudden, he laughed . His laughter was also hoarse as it echoed in the tent . It made the man frown .
Just as he frowned, Su Ming raised his right hand . Immediately, a round object was thrown at the man as a medicinal scent spread in the air . The man caught it in his hands . When he saw it, his right eye shone brilliantly as he took in a sharp breath .
"How much does this thing cost?" Su Ming spoke hoarsely .
"What is this? Where did you get it? What are the effects of this thing?" The man stared at the object in his hand for a while before looking at Su Ming seriously . A flash of curiosity appeared in his eyes .
"When I was on the way to the square, I saw this beast . " Su Ming did not answer his question but chose to talk about something else . As he spoke, he put down the basket and grabbed something inside with his right hand . Immediately, the basket shook and Su Ming took out a mink raccoon that was tied up before placing it on the floor .
The mink raccoon looked listless but there was a fierce glare within its eyes . There were wounds on its body that had not healed . It also could not escape because it was tied up .
The man was stunned . It was clear that he did not know what Su Ming meant . His gaze fell on the mink raccoon for a while but he quickly looked away . It was just a normal beast . There was nothing about it that required his attention .
"I just caught it on a whim . Look, it’s still alive…" Su Ming’s voice was slow and hoarse . Nonetheless, it sounded odd in the dim tent .
"What are you saying?"
The man frowned .
"I’m saying that it’s still alive . Do you know why I caught it? Because it was too curious . It had been following me for too long…" Su Ming raised his left hand and caressed the beast’s fur . However, just as his hands swept through the wounds on the mink raccoon’s body, it shivered!
There were no cries, no screams . There was only a brief shudder before the mink raccoon’s body turned into red mist as if its blood was burned . As the man looked at the scene dumbfounded, the mink raccoon’s entire body disappeared . Only a pile of red and black bones were left behind .
"Now, it’s dead…" Su Ming touched the pile of bones with his left hand and the bones immediately turned into dust which scattered on the ground .
The man took a sharp breath and retreated a few steps instinctively . There was shock and fear in his eye which could not be concealed . After a moment, he once again turned towards Su Ming with fear and respect .
"Fallen Berserker…"
"Hmm?" Su Ming snorted .
The man shivered and was about to explain himself when Su Ming waved his hand as though he was growing impatient .
"Tell me how much that thing in your hands is worth! The effect of the item is simple . It will increase the effects of all the herbs you take while you train by one fold! As for the other question… you’re too curious for your own good . " Su Ming spoke slowly .
The man’s face grew pale . What he saw earlier shocked him . He did not even feel any Qi circulating from the person’s body . Nevertheless, the beast turned into red mist right before his eyes .
"This thing…" The man took a moment to think as he looked at the round medicinal object in his hand .
"Sir, I’ve never seen this thing before in my life… This is…" The man spoke hesitantly . He never spoke this way to his normal customers but due to the shock of what he just saw, he did not dare offend the person before him .
"You can try it out right now . If there are no effects, I’ll leave . But if you can feel the effects, we can negotiate the price . " Su Ming spoke calmly and slowly as he sat down .
The man breathed out a sigh of relief and agreed to Su Ming’s terms respectfully . He took out a bell from his bosom and shook it lightly . Immediately, the ringing of the bell filled the tent .
There was an indescribable look in Su Ming’s eyes . He stole a glance at the bell and he tightened his left hand, which he kept hidden within the robe . There was still a bit of Scattering Blood Powder left in his left hand .
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8 95Claimed By Darkness
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8 115X-Men Preferences
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8 109Heart (Depth Sequel)
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