The stars dimmed, only the night remained eternal.
Dark moonlight illuminated a majestic Royal City. This was the Divine Kingdom of the Night Goddess, said to be the origin of Dark-type Pet Beasts.
Night Goddess... Chu Yi remained calm, his gaze passing over the center of the Royal City where a towering statue stood, reaching a height of one hundred meters.
It wore a black classical long gown that layered gently, adorned with star-like crosses. As the inky night cascaded down, the night’s veil blanketed the earth, causing the world to fall into eternal sleep.
More surprising to Chu Yi was that this goddess statue possessed six small hands: two crossed prayerfully, two holding the Book of Wisdom and a harp of slumber, and the remaining two holding ancient, exquisite ornaments.
As for her appearance, it was obscured by a veil, hazy yet stunning.
"Rest assured, sir, this is merely a corner of the Eternal Night Realm, entrusted to our Night Commerce by the Lady Goddess for us to manage." Lu Qi, noticing the atmosphere turn cold, immediately explained, feeling anxious.
He didn’t want to anger this Forbidden Power simply due to a misunderstanding.
After a while, as cold sweat poured down Lu Qi’s back, Chu Yi spoke.
Chu Yi nodded. Was the previous dream a test from this goddess?
When it came to deities, Chu Yi was not well-versed, but he estimated her power was definitely above the Radiant Sun level!
Danger and opportunity coexisted. If the Night Goddess dares to make a move, I’ll immediately deploy the Divine Eye and swiftly scavenge from the shadows, steady as an old dog.
Heh-heh, carrying a Forbidden Nuclear Bomb is just that thrilling.
"Sir, this way, please." Lu Qi wiped his sweat and promptly invited the lord to disembark from the vehicle, respectfully saying, "The Royal City is divided into inner and outer circles. The outer circle is the trading fair, while the inner circle is our Night Commerce’s auction house, accessible only to VIP guests."
They entered the city of classical architecture. Countless Ghost Lanterns hopped around, serving as mobile streetlights and providing pockets of brightness.
Moreover, Dark Night Skeletons, Dream-eating Little Ghosts, Evil Soul Bells, Ghostly Antelopes, and other Pet Beasts played on the roads, not inflicting any harm.
In this Eternal Night Realm, there was no shortage of wild Dark, Ghost, and Shadow-type Pet Beasts.
It could be said that the ecological environment here suited the growth of these Pet Beasts.
If any visiting Beast Tamers wished to form contracts, the Night Commerce would also sell these Pet Beast resources.
As the two entered the trading market, countless eyes instantly focused on them, their intense gazes seeming to search for prey.
The trading fair offered both genuine and fake items, and vendors particularly favored big spenders, sharpening their knives for the unsuspecting—like leading lambs to the slaughter.
Who is this...? People paused at Chu Yi’s silhouette, and then they saw Lu Qi.
This was one of the Night Commerce’s Consecrated Experts, possessing absolute strength at the Dawn Star level. He was well-known, having slain numerous enemies on the front lines and called down meteor fire rains to obliterate the Evil God Church’s lair, following the path of a Mage.
Wait, it seems like Consecrated Expert Lu Qi... is following behind this young person?
Looks like Lu Qi is very respectful. Which Beast Taming Family’s young master is this?
This young master doesn’t hide his identity at all, yet I’ve never seen him...
Confusion lingered in the hearts of the crowd, but since it did not concern them, they merely paid a little attention.
Lu Qi ignored these vendors, instead turning to Chu Yi with enthusiasm. "Sir, if there’s anything you desire at these stalls, our Night Commerce will pay special attention and secure it on your behalf. This is a privilege of our supreme VIPs."
Chu Yi glanced at Lu Qi appreciatively. Such consideration for customers; this Night Commerce is quite interesting.
Lu Qi’s prior silence was because he hadn’t yet discerned my temperament. After some gestures of goodwill, he’s gradually probing my real intentions.
To maintain the prestige of the King of Black Robes, I’ve stayed silent, waiting for them to approach me proactively.
Since that’s the case, I won’t be polite. Chu Yi first asked for a Time-attribute material.
"Time-attribute?!" Lu Qi was slightly stunned.
The Time attribute was one of the rarest types. Pet Beasts of this lineage were extremely scarce, feeding on the sands of time and growing in the ancient River of Time. Beast Tamers who explored this field were undoubtedly top-tier powerhouses.
This person wants Time-attribute material. Could it be that the King of Black Robes has already touched this field, preparing to make arrangements concerning the River of Time?!
However, truth be told, such precious and rare attributes... even materials for them surely wouldn’t be available for trade, right?
"Sir, Time-attribute material is extremely scarce. Our Night Commerce will endeavor to find it for you."
Lu Qi began to lose confidence again. Fearing he might provoke the displeasure of this Forbidden existence, he added, "The auction will be held at midnight. Perhaps it will have what you desire, sir."
Chu Yi then mentioned several other attributes: Light, Wood, Fire, Beast, and Water, all at least Gold level or above. He also included special materials such as those derived from resentment, compassion, malice, and other Mental Power-type Pet Beast materials.
Though these were hard to find, they were much easier to acquire compared to Time-attribute materials.
Soon, Chu Yi dismissed Lu Qi to wait for news.
He aimed to treasure hunt personally. Don’t those so-called Chosen of Fate, those protagonists blessed with luck, all discover treasures at rundown stalls?
Scavenging is an essential skill for a protagonist.
Chu Yi believed he could certainly give it a try.
Anyway, the Night Commerce was already searching for the materials he urgently needed on his behalf.
This is the benefit of being a Forbidden Power; without even lifting a finger, plenty of people will strive to please you.
He multitasked, checking trade items while simultaneously, in his mind, transforming into an omniscient, omnipotent deity, piercing through illusions to perceive the truth.
Suckers! I have an identification cheat!
As he passed various stalls, the vendors noticed Chu Yi’s extraordinary demeanor and began to boast about how amazing their goods were.
For instance, one claimed to have the bones of a powerful figure from the Dark Ages, untouched by the passage of ancient years, with a production date so recent it seemed like last week’s output—truly fresh.
Another displayed a Cyan Silk Worm painted with pigments, claiming it possessed the bloodline of a Celestial Cyan Stinging Dragon. Due to his family’s decline, he said he couldn’t afford to keep it and was selling it at a shocking discount, vowing that his entire family would die if he were being deceitful. Chu Yi suspected the vendor was an orphan.
Yet another pointed at a Shadow Mouse’s head, insisting it was material for making duck necks.
All sorts of absurdities existed.
The boasts and the actual items for trade were often completely unrelated.
It was like the "tea" some people encountered: online, they saw a young, beautiful girl, but offline, they met a heavily made-up, middle-aged woman.
In contrast, the auction house had expert authenticators, guaranteeing one hundred percent authenticity—like platform-certified "good tea."
"Hm?" Chu Yi suddenly saw something.
It was a fragmented Hourglass with a faint trace of the Time attribute, which would have been hard to discern without his evolution atlas’s identification ability.
The sand representing time within the Hourglass seemed to have stopped, completely motionless.
"Kid, this thing costs just ten Malice Coins." The vendor, a man with a scarred face and a fierce expression, glanced at Chu Yi and said casually, "If you don’t have the money, move aside. Don’t block my business."
"Mister, I see this is just a piece of junk. It isn’t worth much, right?" Chu Yi asked curiously, silently chanting to extract.
The next moment, the Hourglass flickered with a faint Twilight Light, which then merged into Chu Yi’s body.
Material extracted. No one will notice.