Chapter 398: Retribution
During the next stage of the trading session, there were both successful and failed deals. The successful ones included a flute-like unknown artifact and a magic scroll that sealed a Level 7 summoned creature.
The flute's function was to hypnotize all animals within the range of a small town—cats, dogs, rats, and so on—making them dance happily together for six hours. It sold for 2,750 Vecktas. Clearly, this was a specialized artifact, extremely effective against Beastmasters.
The magic scroll, on the other hand, was sold for a premium price of 7,700 Vecktas after several rounds of bidding, and it was ultimately bought by Pluto.
It seemed Pluto still hadn't given up. But anyone with half a brain knew that relying on a single summoning scroll to kill a demigod was pure delusion.
Ian also made a move midway through, purchasing two transcendent materials of the Light attribute. Judging by that, his profession must be closely tied to light.
The failed deals involved a batch of ceramic ware that looked suspiciously like stolen goods and a set of alchemical products of rather ordinary quality.
Before long, something on the left side of Zhou Ning caught his attention—a man wearing a silver-white mask and a pirate's coat was offering an item for sale.
"I want to sell a revolver."
"A revolver?" Zhou Ning's interest was instantly piqued.
His current main weapons, Ebony and Ivory, were powerful, but he still hadn't figured out how to unlock their hidden skills. And, given the game mechanics, dual-wielded weapons had a naturally lower DPH (Damage Per Hit) than single weapons, which reduced the power of certain attack-based skills.
If he could find a better replacement, his combat ability would undoubtedly rise to another level.
Besides, he planned to continue using his "Batman" persona. Because of that identity's constraints, he sometimes needed "Benzema" to take the fall—and Batman just so happened to be lacking a suitable firearm.
The masked man pulled from his box a revolver with a long barrel, its surface entirely black, and placed it on the table.
"This gun is called Retribution. It comes from the official demigod of the maritime kingdom of Revendis. Its original owner has fallen in battle, so there's no need to worry about anyone trying to reclaim it. It greatly enhances the power of the first three bullets and requires no activation conditions. When you infuse it with spirituality, it continuously grants you occult-level precision."
"I tested it. When the target stands directly in front of you, with an obstacle between you, if you fire toward the left front, the bullet curves around the obstacle and still hits the target accurately."
"Additionally, it weakens the target's defense. I've tested it—without any additional effects, it can easily pierce heavy armor."
"Its drawback is that carrying it slightly reduces your own defenses, including but not limited to resistance and evasion. The official demigod who owned it died in a naval battle because of this very flaw."
"I want to exchange it for unknown artifacts or materials related to the necromantic domain. If your item is more valuable than the gun, I can add money to make up the difference."
Zhou Ning's heart thumped. This revolver seemed tailor-made for him—it provided stable firepower and a near-supernatural level of accuracy comparable to gun-fighting arts, while its drawback hardly affected him.
His defense came mainly from his superior agility and powerful Observation Haki; a slight reduction meant little to him.
Using this alongside Ebony and Ivory in rotation would be perfect—and after some modification, no one would even recognize it. It would become Batman's primary weapon.
As for unknown necromantic artifacts...
He immediately thought of the red leather gloves he'd obtained from Aaron Ingersoll—[Will Ragley's Rest]. They had terrible compatibility with him; he'd only used them once, to communicate with the ghosts of Fisher Manor.
If he could trade them away, it would be a win-win deal.
"I have an urn tainted with the aura of Death itself. When used, it causes moderate-scale contamination—but I'll need you to add 2,000 Vecktas," said a gloomy voice to Zhou Ning's right.
"I'll only accept an even trade," the silver-masked man replied, shaking his head. The gloomy man sneered and sat back down.
Seeing no one else speak, Zhou Ning stood, stretched out his hand, and placed Will Ragley's Rest on the table.
"These gloves grant you two random necromantic spells each day, from Level 1 to 5. Their power doubles under the full moon."
"The drawback is that they also amplify your flaws, which could put you in serious danger."
"If you're willing, I'll exchange them for your revolver Retribution."
The man fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Zhou Ning. "That's not quite fair—you'll need to add 800 Vecktas in cash or an equivalent item."
"Deal."
A thrifty pirate, huh... Zhou Ning smiled faintly, not dwelling on it. He turned toward the host's seat.
"Mr. Ian, could you help verify the authenticity of these two items?"
"They're both genuine, no problem," Ian said with a soft smile.
Zhou Ning neatly folded the 800 Veckta bills, slid them across the table with the gloves, and carefully took up the revolver named Retribution. A flicker of satisfaction rose in his chest.
It was the natural joy of a player acquiring new equipment. With this revolver, his trip had definitely been worth it.
At that moment, he felt several gazes in the room fall upon him.
Through their eyes, Zhou Ning caught faint glimmers of greed.
As for the man in the rabbit mask—the one codenamed Gray Rabbit, the arrogant middle-aged pirate from earlier—he didn't even dare lift his head now, afraid Zhou Ning might misunderstand.
With that transaction concluded, the entire trading session was nearly over.
In the end, after negotiations, the batch of suspicious ceramics and the alchemical goods were sold for a combined 2,500 Vecktas. The middle-aged pirate bought a golden brooch and a transcendent material.
When everything wrapped up, Ian looked around and said softly, "Next will be the second round of trading, open only to veteran members who have attended five or more gatherings. The rest may leave now."
"After leaving, all participants are forbidden from engaging in any form of plunder against other members for the next six hours. Violators will be permanently banned from all future gatherings. Do not doubt our ability to enforce this."
"The time and location of the next gathering will continue to appear on the Dragon Eye badges you carry. You're all welcome to attend again."
A second round of trading?
The safety measures here were indeed solid, but that so-called second round must be quite secretive—and surely full of rare treasures. Otherwise, such items as before would never attract demigod-level professionals.
Zhou Ning scanned the room discreetly. Most participants chose to stay.
And as Ian's words faded, the size-shifting abilities of the participants seemed to vanish at once, returning them to their normal forms—quite a fascinating effect.
Though curiosity burned in his chest, Zhou Ning knew staying wasn't an option now.
Following the crowd, he stepped through the portal of light once again. Before him stretched the vast, surging sea, shrouded in a faint, ethereal mist.
Given the six-hour no-plundering rule, the participants tacitly dispersed in all directions. Zhou Ning, under the deepening night, sailed the Black Pearl back toward Temple Port.
Tonight, he would attempt to create his third-tier profession. The name would depend on what new specialization he gained—but most likely, it would be called Gun God… or perhaps Wing of the Sky Raider.
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