Douluo Continent: My plan to slay the gods has been exposed!

Chapter 84 The Incident at Gengxin City

Gengxin City.

The color scheme of the entire metal city has always leaned towards gray and black, with more than a dozen swirling black wisps of smoke painting the sky in a color similar to that of the city.

From a distance, it looks like a giant steel jungle.

Solid, cold and hard.

Merchants visiting here for the first time are often filled with anticipation and trepidation. Only when they get close do they hear bursts of hearty laughter, accompanied by the heavy thud of forging hammers, gradually becoming clear in their ears. The city, which is like a sculpture, seems to have gained a soul and flesh and blood, and is no longer just a cold skeleton.

That's strange.

After parking the camels at the rest stop arranged by the introducer, the younger members of the caravan took off their hoods and looked at the people coming and going on the street with a hint of doubt in their eyes.

"Is this really the metal capital Uncle Contan mentioned, the legendary Gengxin City?"

"Why is it not quite what I expected?"

According to his uncle, the blacksmith here is cunning yet hospitable. When business comes in, he will treat you to expensive new brewed ale, but he will haggle over every little bit of material or product.

There are always some gullible fools who will spend a lot of money here to buy some flashy but impractical armor and weapons, but there are also some savvy old hands who can find masterpieces made by famous craftsmen.

The profits earned from auctioning at random auction houses could be equivalent to one or two years' worth of regular income.

The boy arrived in this magical city with anticipation and trepidation, but the scene he saw was vastly different from what he had imagined.

The wide street was littered with foul-smelling garbage that had not yet been cleaned up, and there was even feces and blood that had not been washed away. Most of the people coming and going were silent. Even the blacksmiths who were soliciting business in the shops on the street mostly looked like they had unkempt beards and dark circles under their eyes, as if they hadn't slept for three days and three nights and were just about to die suddenly.

"Good heavens, what has happened?"

"Did these blacksmiths all go off on a spree and just get back?"

"They treat customers who come to them with a dismissive attitude!"

The middle-aged man who came with the chamber of commerce group pulled off his leather hat and spoke with great anger.

The boy opened his mouth, then quickly closed it again, his eyes darting around. Looking at the man's exasperated expression, he probably already guessed that he had run into a wall.

"What's wrong, Fourth Uncle? Have they raised their prices?"

After hesitating for a moment, the boy couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked the middle-aged man.

"Don't even mention it, it brings bad luck!"

Pulling a bottle of cheap liquor from the dusty package, the middle-aged man downed it in one gulp, his face turning red, before cursing, "I used to order from Old Chen's blacksmith shop. We agreed on two silver soul coins for each fine iron spear, but now he's doubled the price!"

"And he said there's no stock right now. This old bastard wants us to stay here for fifteen days before he can start making a hundred fine iron spears!"

"unlucky!"

"I should have known better than to come!"

Is this... really that exaggerated?

The boy's eyes widened in shock: "This price is the same as what we offered! How dare they do this? Aren't they worried about not being able to sell their stuff?"

The group traveled a long way to Gengxin City precisely because the blacksmiths' association here forged things that were cheap and of good quality. If these prices were available elsewhere, everyone would have them, and even the scattered blacksmith shops in the surrounding towns would be overjoyed.

Even at the tea stalls next to the post station, many people lamented that they would probably have to go home empty-handed this time.

"By the way, boss, could you tell me what exactly happened in Gengxin City?"

Seeing the hunchbacked shop owner come out to clear away the teacups, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up. He took out two copper coins from his chest and threw them on the table, signaling the owner to continue serving the dishes.

If you're talking about the most well-informed places in the Soul Master world, it's nothing more than taverns, teahouses, and some small stalls. Although they might not be reliable, they're definitely two places where you can eat your fill.

"Please enjoy your meal, sir."

The gleaming copper coin spun twice on the table, but the hunchbacked shopkeeper seemed not to notice. He picked up a gray cloth from his shoulder, wiped the table, and turned to leave.

"Oh, you old man."

Seeing that the other party was determined to leave, the boy was a little angry. He grabbed the hunchbacked boss's clothes and shouted, "My uncle is talking to you!"

Young in years, but with a big temper.

To his surprise, the boss merely glanced at him, then reached out and shoved the boy away, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Holy crap, this boss is a Soul Master!"

"You're only just realizing this now? I've told you not to be reckless when doing business outside, but you never listened. You're going to suffer a big loss sooner or later."

The middle-aged man shook his head speechlessly, then painfully pulled out a silver coin from his pocket and discreetly handed it over: "Hey, Old Qian, every time we come here we eat at your place. If something happens, you have to tell your brother, right?"

"Come in."

After hesitating for a moment, the shopkeeper sighed and accepted the silver soul coin. He glanced around and, finding no one paying attention, told the waiter next to him to clear the table before leading the two of them into the shop.

"I won't say anything else, but if the customer insists on having this item, then we'll just have to take a loss and buy it this time."

"Don't even try to bargain. It's best if you never come here to get your goods again."

The hunchbacked boss sat on the bed in the inner room, his eyes somewhat listless: "To be honest, business here isn't doing well anymore, and I'm even planning to leave."

Is the situation that serious?

The boy and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance, their expressions growing increasingly serious.

"Brother, what exactly happened?"

"It's nothing much. A few months ago, some force suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They probably have some connection with the Blacksmiths' Association, and they started to take root here," the hunchbacked boss said wearily. He looked at the two of them, took a sip of tea, and then continued.

"Then, for some reason, that faction must have had some unpleasantness with the Blacksmiths' Association. Anyway, some of the blacksmiths were expelled for some reason, and the rest of them all joined them. The Blacksmiths' Association was essentially dead."

So arrogant?

The two were so shocked they couldn't speak: "What kind of outside force is so powerful? They're even more arrogant than the Spirit Hall!"

"I don't know," the hunchbacked shopkeeper shook his head, "I just heard from a few of the old guys who come here for drinks that it's called something like... Tang Clan?"

Tang Clan?

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes; they had indeed never heard of it.

"Even if all the blacksmiths have joined this faction, they can't raise prices this outrageously!"

The boy was somewhat speechless: "Is the Tang Sect really that strong?"

"Is it because they have the protection of a stronger power that the blacksmiths in Gengxin City are openly raising their prices? Aren't they afraid of getting beaten up?"

"fart!"

The hunchbacked shop owner scoffed, "Can we really make a living without raising prices?"

"The Tang Clan now controls all the materials in Gengxin City, and they're taking a 50% cut from your profits. How can they not raise prices?"

(End of this chapter)