This isn't a souls-like game at all.

"Firebird Flower doesn't need one, but with Iron Kite and the Kingdom Alliance, you need a license to be a freelance mercenary."

"Then where can I get this certificate?"

"The Iron Kite Nation can. Any of their knight orders is eligible to issue mercenary certificates, and they can be used as personal identification in the Kingdom Alliance and some of the eastern bordering countries."

"But how can I go to Iron Kite Country without a permit?"

Ye Yiyi spread his hands.

"This……"

Halwell's voice paused, he thought quickly, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he raised a finger.

"Hey! I remember now!"

What's with that "Hey! I have an idea" expression on your face?

Ye Yiyi was a little skeptical. Could it be that this old man was planning to get on board first and then get the certificate?

"You said."

"We can get a fake mercenary certificate!"

“Is this fake?”

Ye Yiyi was seriously struck by lightning.

"Where should we go then?"

"Go to Salt Street! There's a black market here!"

"Let's go then?"

"go!"

……

Half an hour later, the three people, who had been dressed up again, arrived at a narrow and crowded street in the city.

"Is this Salt Street?"

Ye Yiyi smelled the fishy smell in the air, looked at the various people in the street, and the patrol team of the Kingdom soldiers who just passed by, with a strange expression on his face.

Then, through the cosmic aura, he spoke to Halville, who was wearing thick leather armor and carrying a large sword on his back, and asked:

"I've seen Kingdom soldiers, and you call this a black market?"

"Do you think the Kingdom's soldiers have no needs, Master?"

Halville smiled cunningly and walked ahead.

"Come with me, I'll show you something different!"

Chapter 543 How could such a coincidence happen?

In Ye Yiyi's impression, the black market should be hidden beneath the busy streets, in the dark, damp, sinful and dirty sewers.

There, everyone coming and going is covered in pitch-black robes, concealing their appearance and identities, and conducting shameful and evil transactions deep underground, where there is no light.

Only in this way can there be a so-called black market atmosphere, and only then can it be consistent with the various imaginations and meanings represented by the name "black market".

But now, this "Salt Street" was bustling with people, filthy and messy. The blue brick pavement was littered with puddles of sewage, feces, and all sorts of unnameable filth. The odor that reached my nose was like slop that had been left out in the sun for three days...

Doesn't this look like an ordinary street you can see anywhere?

Does it have anything to do with the black market?

In this regard, Halville, who has traveled extensively throughout his life and visited most of the border areas, has this opinion:

"Master, how come you have such similar ideas to those young masters and young ladies in the upper echelons of the empire who are ignorant of the ways of the world?"

The old magician was quite puzzled and wondered:

"The black market is called the black market not because of the environment, but because transactions on the black market are not subject to tax."

"Huh? Just... no taxes?"

Ye Yiyi looked dazed, and suddenly felt a sense of loss as if her fantasy had been shattered.

"So what's the difference between this and a duty-free shop?"

"Of course there is a difference. Where can you buy slaves in a duty-free shop?"

As the old magician spoke, he grabbed Eighty-Eight who was standing there in a daze, and led Ye Yiyi, who had not yet reacted, through the crowd to an inconspicuous little shop on the street.

This shop is a truly "small" shop. It is a narrow shop less than two meters wide. There are four or five strong men sitting inside with their upper bodies naked, revealing hideous scars and with unfriendly faces.

"These ones? They don't look like slaves. They are so strong after eating so much."

Ye Yiyi glanced around with a strange expression.

Halville, who heard Ye Yiyi's mumbling through the cosmic light, froze and couldn't help rubbing his face.

Fortunately, the master didn't really say this...

When the strong men in the store saw someone approaching, the bald, bearded man sitting at the door immediately stood up, a lukewarm smile on his face, and said:

"What do you need? Coolie labor? Or some other kind of work?"

Facing such a group of people, Halville, carrying a greatsword on his back and acting like an old mercenary, immediately displayed an air of authority without anger, and said calmly:

"Call your master out. I'm here to buy some meat and look at the breeding pigs."

Hearing this, the burly man was startled. He looked Halville up and down, but his expression was unreadable. He just said curiously:

"You've come to the wrong shop, haven't you? I'm not a butcher's shop, and where do we come from? We're decent people who can support ourselves!"

"Then it seems I'm not mistaken. I'm looking for you guys."

Halwell raised the corners of his mouth and showed a smile full of experience.

Just when Ye Yiyi was feeling embarrassed and thought that the old mercenary had found the wrong place and the plan was about to fail, he found that the strong man did not answer, but just glanced at him over the old mercenary.

"Who is that?"

"Together."

The burly man nodded, then turned to look at Eighty-Eight, whose wrist was held by Halville, looking timid and slightly bewildered. He frowned slightly and said with a strange expression:

"Hey, brother, why do you bring your own breeding pigs when you come to buy meat? Do you want us to help you slaughter the pigs?"

Without even saying a few words, you're already calling me "older brother"?

Is this place really a place that sells slaves?

Ye Yiyi raised her eyebrows slightly, and from what the other party said, did she recognize Eighty-Eight's original identity?

"Hey, brother, you really have a sharp eye."

Halville sighed slightly, loosened his grip on his wrist, and patted the shoulder of Eighty-Eight, who was also wearing leather armor and had a dagger scabbard slung around his waist.

The latter was stunned and looked at his teacher with some confusion.

Harwell said with a sigh:

"Brother, I'm a few years older than you, so I'm sorry to call you brother. My apprentice was indeed as you said before... but he's not anymore."

"Oh?"

The burly man showed a strange expression, and looked at Halwell with a bit of respect.

"Brother, you do have a kind heart... But let me be frank. Being a stud pig is like branding a human being with a branding iron. It's an experience you'll never forget..."

"Yes, I know. I will never forget this."

The old mercenary echoed with a sigh, glanced at Eighty-Eight who had fallen silent, then turned his head to look at Ye Yiyi who was pinching his chin and lost in thought.

"It's good that my brother knows."

The bearded man shook his head, took a sweatshirt from behind him and put it on, then started to go outside.

"But that has nothing to do with me. Come with me."

"please."

The strong man walked in front, leading a few people deep into Salt Street.

"So, why do we buy slaves?"

On the way, Ye Yiyi asked Halville through the cosmic light.

"We're not looking to buy slaves. We're using that as a pretext to find the boss of this black market."

The old mercenary answered in his mind.

"The one who's in charge?"

Ye Yiyi was a little confused.

"Could it be the gang leader?"

"That's true, but different places have their own characteristics, and we have to consider them in light of local social relations. And in Fire Sparrow Flower, this so-called underworld boss is nothing more than the local lord's black glove."

Combining the old magician's previous words and the detailed explanation of the firefly flower, Ye Yiyi suddenly understood.

The so-called black market is actually just a tool created by local lords to seek personal gain.

Although the lords are nobles, they are still Fire Sparrow people, and they also have to pay taxes to the king, that is, the Pope of the Fire Sparrow Monastery!

This naturally includes taxes generated by the sale of slaves.

Since it is a black market, it is naturally an illegal business and naturally no taxes need to be paid.

He thought of what Doss had explained to him before, about the complicated procedures and numerous steps required to legally buy and sell slaves, such as applying for a slave ownership order, then verifying assets, or going to the State Religious Council in the royal capital to apply for a business license.

Not to mention how complicated the process is, there are also taxes to be paid on the sale of slaves, and the money has to be paid to the church. If he were a lord, he would not be happy about this.

So the black market came into being.

From another perspective, isn't this also a confrontation between the local lords and the Fire Sparrow Monastery on another level?

After realizing this, Ye Yiyi became even more curious.

"The black market for Firefly Flower is like this, but what about other places? For example, what's the black market like in the Empire?"

"The Empire's black market..."

The old magician sighed inexplicably.

"The Empire's black market is far more complex. Whether in terms of quantity or quality, it cannot be compared with the black market of this backward country to the south."

"Let's put it this way: anything you want can be sold on the Empire's black market! And the sellers come from all over the border, and they might be the people you least expect."

"So awesome? What if I want to buy the Supreme God's Corpse?"

Ye Yiyi raised an eyebrow.

Harville paused when he heard this, and couldn't help but sigh, and replied helplessly:

"Master, please stop teasing me. If that stuff were to leak onto the black market, the Hunting God Church and the Imperial Inspection Bureau would turn the entire black market upside down!"

"And you said I can buy everything I want?"

Ye Yiyi rolled his eyes, lowered his requirements, and asked casually:

"So, are there any Blessed Crystals and Cursed Crystals? Or other ancient relics, weapons with power, or concentration training methods?"

"There is a method of concentration practice."

It's just that Halville's tone was a little awkward.

"What about the others?"

"others……"

Harwell hesitated, "Ancient relics are the most valuable items anywhere, especially weapons. Generally speaking, these things rarely appear on the black market..."

"That means basically nothing, right?"

Ye Yiyi's sharp words hit the nail on the head.

"Correct."

Halwell was a little depressed.

"The truth is, the Imperial Antiquities Bureau monitors the black market 24/7. If they discover any ancient relics are being released, they'll immediately bring in the army to raid the property. Therefore, if you want to buy or sell ancient relics, you have to go to the black markets in neighboring countries."