Chapter 058: The Profligate Son

Princess Doris stared in shock at the overwhelming transformation, her mouth agape and speechless. The original form of Benwing, with wings spanning over thirty yards, rendered Doris’s ethereal sphere of magic utterly futile—barely more than a tickle, offering not the slightest threat.

Among the seasoned illusionists, one had already cried out in astonishment, “That’s the Holy Illusion Beast, the Iron-Winged Silver Wolf! Damn, so majestic!”

A dark line appeared on Benwing’s massive wolf head; he knew his own grandeur, but wished they’d use less vulgar language to describe him.

As the two sides faced off, a group of people rode unicorn horses from the other end of the black market, kicking up a cloud of dust. The leader was slightly portly, his large illusionist’s robe unable to conceal his protruding belly. The Lord of Shack City shouted anxiously, “Your Excellencies, please restrain yourselves!”

He had just returned to the lord’s residence when someone reported Dirk’s message. His legs nearly buckled from fright, and he didn’t even have time for a sip of tea before rushing here with his entourage. En route, he sensed the fear from his own illusion beast, and upon seeing Benwing’s intimidating presence in person, his anxiety intensified. If anything happened to the Princess, he’d be the first to pay for it—after all, His Majesty the King was not one to forgive easily.

Doris, seeing that the newcomer was the Lord of Shack City, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If the battle continued, she’d be seriously wounded if not dead. Yet, one glance at Shen Duo filled her eyes with resentment and jealousy. This fellow—just wait. One day, she’d make sure he paid.

Shen Duo flashed Benwing a signal, and with a glimmer of light, Benwing reverted to his humanoid form, strolling elegantly to Shen Duo’s side, clearly unsatisfied. The crowd realized the duel was over and dispersed, though their gazes at Shen Duo and Feng Jun had changed. The black market returned to its usual calm.

The Lord of Shack City halted his horse before Shen Duo and Feng Jun, bowed deeply, then raised his head apologetically. “It was my negligence—had I introduced Her Highness the Princess to Your Excellencies earlier, this misunderstanding might have been avoided.”

Doris, now brought over by Zoe and Kang Cheng, held her head high, glanced sidelong at Shen Duo and Feng Jun, and snorted.

Shen Duo marveled: with such sidelong glances, why weren’t her eyes on top of her head?

“So this is the Princess spoken of by the Lord. If I offended you, please forgive me,” Shen Duo smiled, as if the whole affair was merely a misunderstanding.

Feng Jun shot Shen Duo a glance—this guy was relentless! If he remembered correctly, their entire purpose for coming was because she was the Princess, and now he pretended not to know her, thicker-skinned than a fortress wall.

Dirk was already wiping sweat, thinking, “My lord, you truly know how to jest.”

Doris hadn’t expected Shen Duo’s words, and her face turned livid with anger. She refused to believe they didn’t know her identity! Ready to throw another punch, she was only stopped by Benwing’s bared teeth.

The Lord of Shack City was astute enough to sense the undercurrents. He forced a smile to smooth things over: “No battle, no acquaintance. You’ll be spending time together—getting to know each other is good, haha…”

Zoe, seeing Doris’s expression worsen, bent close and whispered a few words in her ear. Doris’s eyes widened in disbelief as she glanced at Shen Duo and Feng Jun, then turned to instruct her guards, “We return to the palace. I must ask Father for clarification!”

Once Doris departed, the Lord of Shack City exhaled in relief, only then noticing his clothes were soaked in cold sweat.

He smiled awkwardly at Shen Duo and Feng Jun. “There are many interesting things in this black market. Since you’re here, let me show you around and play the host.”

“We’re just browsing, not necessarily buying. With Dirk accompanying us, that’s enough. You don’t look well—better head back and rest,” Shen Duo replied.

The Lord of Shack City did not insist. Today’s troubles had left him exhausted; he longed to return to his bed and sleep. He instructed Dirk to tend to the guests, then departed with Zoe and Kang Cheng for the lord’s residence.

Freed from bothersome company, Shen Duo and Feng Jun enjoyed the leisurely atmosphere, ambling here and there. During their stroll, Feng Jun took fancy to an ancient bronze wine cup. The itinerant illusionist vendor boasted that the cup would preserve any beverage, making it even more mellow. Whether true or not, it sounded like a pointless gimmick—who would use such a tiny cup for storage, when storage rings and pouches were far more practical? With its small capacity, it was anything but convenient for adventurers; no one would bother with such a cup for daily meals and water. It had no real use.

Shen Duo could not agree with Feng Jun’s choice, but Feng Jun cared little for practicality—he liked what he liked, reason be damned. “How much gold?” he asked.

The itinerant illusionist, seeing Feng Jun’s interest, grinned. “Strictly speaking, this cup is a supplemental illusion artifact. Think about it—mellow drinks aren’t easy to come by, but with this cup, you can have them. I’m an honest man, so I won’t overcharge you—fifty thousand gold coins.”

Dirk’s jaw dropped. Was this robbery? For such a useless thing, fifty thousand? Might as well just steal!

“Fine, I’ll take it.” Feng Jun, oblivious to money, was about to tuck the flashy wine cup into his storage ring when Shen Duo stopped him, glaring at him—such wastefulness!

Dirk’s heart nearly failed him. If they’d really paid fifty thousand for that junk, the Lord would have his head.

“Five thousand gold coins, not a coin more,” Shen Duo said, examining the cup in Feng Jun’s hand.

“Are you joking? Five thousand gold coins wouldn’t even cover theft,” the vendor replied, sweat beading on his forehead. This girl’s eye was sharp; he’d bought the cup from an old man for five hundred gold, hoping to fleece someone in the black market. He hadn’t expected to run into a connoisseur.

“This thing’s worth five hundred gold at most. If my brother didn’t want it, I’d not offer so much. If you don’t want to sell, we won’t press you,” Shen Duo placed the cup back on the stall and rose to leave.

The vendor, his bluff called, realized Shen Duo was the one holding the purse strings. However much the young man wanted it, he’d get no money without her say-so. Five thousand gold was a hefty profit for this junk—who knew if it’d ever sell again?

“Hey… wait, five thousand it is. Since the young master genuinely likes it, I’ll take a loss and sell it to you,” he said.

Shen Duo returned, handed the cup to Feng Jun, and shot Dirk a look: pay up!

Dirk gleefully fetched the money from his storage pouch, while Benwing watched him, bemused—how could anyone be so happy to pay? What a fool!

Shen Duo glanced over the vendor’s stall and casually picked up a black lump of Songshan ore. “This piece, consider it a bonus gift,” she said.

The vendor looked at the ore—he’d put it out as filler, uncertain when he’d acquired it. Having earned several thousand gold coins, he gladly let it go.

“If you like it, take it. It’s worthless,” he replied.

Watching the group walk away, the vendor packed up and left the black market, delighted with his windfall and planning to drink heavily at the tavern.

Feng Jun tossed the wine cup into his storage ring and forgot about it. His shopping was purely impulsive—who knew how much junk he had in there?

Shen Duo, meanwhile, smiled as she examined the Songshan ore. It was black and unremarkable, no different from the ones sold by the basket for a gold coin, yet she felt a strange intuition that this particular piece was special.

Dirk, awed by Shen Duo’s “heroic bargaining,” followed after her eagerly. “Lord Shen Duo, how did you know the true value of that wine cup, and bring the price down to a tenth?”

Shen Duo glanced at her. “I just guessed.”

Dirk refused to believe it; judging by the vendor’s face, Shen Duo had nailed it. Dirk assumed she didn’t want to reveal her secrets.

In truth, Dirk had wrongly accused Shen Duo; she really had just guessed. That she happened to hit the mark was pure luck. After all, it wasn’t her money—if she bargained well, they profited; if not, it was the Lord of Shack City’s loss. What did it matter to her?