Although Kyle said that by mentioning his name at the bar, he could enter the underground trading market.
But Lex had his own ideas; he didn't want people to associate him with Kyle, even if it meant he wouldn't have a referrer.
However, many times, money can solve many problems.
Especially in places like underground trading markets, there's no reason to turn away a patron.
Following the young man who was leading the way, Lex bypassed the boxing ring and entered a pool room in the back. There were people holding cues, chatting and laughing. Looking at the colorful, numbered pool balls, Lex actually wanted to play a few games.
This was one of the few sports he loved in his previous life.
Passing through a secret door behind the pool room and then several more rooms, Lex's eyes lit up as he arrived in a spacious area.
Here, people had set up stalls, piled high with various jars, bottles, flowers, herbs, and many strange and wonderful things.
And there were quite a few customers, walking back and forth between the stalls, lingering, comparing items, and asking for prices.
The young man beside him said in a slightly hoarse voice, "This is the 'market,' feel free to look around. Also..."
He pointed to two rooms at the end of the trading market: "Those two rooms over there, the one on the left is for borrowing and returning money. If you don't have enough money, you can borrow some there. Of course, there will be interest."
"As for the one on the right, it's a place for selling and buying valuable items. If you have something to sell, or if you can't find what you want in the market, you can try your luck there."
Saying that, the young man lowered his voice and said, "A piece of advice for you: in that room, don't directly state what you need; that will attract unnecessary attention."
"You can ask the old man inside what good things he has recently."
Hmm, I also know that even then, it's best to buy some other things when making a purchase to throw people off.
Lex saw that the young man beside him had no intention of leaving and was staring intently at his pocket, instantly understanding.
Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
He took out his wallet, pulled out a 5 soli note, and handed it to the other party.
The young man showed a satisfied smile. He glanced at Lex's wallet, his eyes burning slightly, but he still nodded with restraint and left.
Lex glanced at his wallet, thinking that next time he should just put the money directly in his pocket. Different denominations in different pockets, easy to distinguish. And it wouldn't be too conspicuous.
Next, Lex strolled leisurely, not in a hurry to inquire about formula Materials. He asked here and looked there, generally realizing that the stalls in this underground market mostly sold talismans, herbs, and various amulet Materials.
While wandering, Lex realized another problem. Although Kyle had given him a potion formula, he didn't recognize the Materials in the formula.
As for the authenticity of the Materials, Lex felt that since Evil Dragon Bar dared to do this business, it should not allow the sale of fake goods.
Therefore, there was no need to worry.
Am I going to have to self-study mystic Material science in the future? Is there even such a subject?
Just as Lex's thoughts were wandering, he heard someone ask, "How much are these Peacock Orchids?"
Peacock Orchids? Auxiliary Materials for a Provoker?
He didn't turn around immediately but stayed nearby, pretending to be selecting goods from the stall in front of him.
He then heard the stall owner at the next stall say, "3 soli a flower, that's the lowest price in the whole market."
"Is that so? Then never mind."
Lex made an unintentional glance and saw the stall owner at the next stall slightly tidying up a few flowers with pure white stamens and petals that gradually changed from white to indigo blue.
Those were Peacock Orchids!
Lex first circled a few nearby stalls before returning to the stall with the Peacock Orchids. He first picked several kinds of flowers, herbs, and powders, and finally took three Peacock Orchids, then said, "How much are these in total?"
The stall owner saw that he had bought quite a bit, thought for a few seconds, and smiled: "Originally it would be 15 soli, but how about this, I'll count it as 14 soli for you. That's a very good price."
"How about 13 soli? You see, I bought quite a lot, and I might come back again in the future." Lex, who was never short of money, also started to bargain, his goal being to maintain a low profile.
Finally, the stall owner outwardly reluctantly, but inwardly secretly pleased, accepted the deal.
Lex circled around again, and after finding nothing else he wanted, he came to the room on the right side at the end of the market.
After entering, he found that it was divided into two rooms, an outer and an inner, with two customers waiting in the outer room.
Lex sat down behind the other customers in order, his head bowed, pulling his hat lower.
Not long after, it was his turn.
Opening the partition door, the kerosene lamp in the room illuminated his eyes. He saw that there was only an old man wearing a black soft hat in the room.
Lex sat down in the customer's chair, his hands naturally resting on his knees: "Excuse me, what good things do you have today? I mean mystic Materials, and what are their prices?"
The old man, whose cheek muscles had already sagged, didn't even look at Lex. He picked up a notebook and, while flipping through it, said: "Spirit Eater's stomach, 210 pounds each; Elf Dark Leaf, 15 pounds per leaf, only 4 leaves; Adult Manhal fish eyes, 160 pounds, only one pair..."
The old man quoted prices at a pace that was neither fast nor slow, occasionally taking a sip of the mead beside him.
"...Male Red-backed Honey Badger's gallbladder, 200 pounds each. If you add 2 pounds, we will give you 50 milliliters of Honey Badger blood; Merman's swim bladder, 120 pounds each, three left..."
Lex could no longer hear what the old man said next. He only heard the previous sentence.
Male Red-backed Honey Badger's gallbladder! Pay more and get 50 milliliters of Honey Badger blood!
The former was the main Material for a Provoker, and the latter was an auxiliary Material, both of which Lex needed!
Lex restrained the urge to buy immediately, patiently listened to the old man finish, and then said, "I need two Elf Dark Leaves, one Merman's swim bladder, 10 grams of Lake Spirit Dust, and one Honey Badger gallbladder."
"Hmm, you see. I've bought so many things, can't you just give me the Honey Badger blood?"
The rather burly old man looked up, the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming even more pronounced with the upward curve of his mouth: "No problem, we also hope to have more dealings with wealthy customers like you."
"Consider the Honey Badger blood a welcome gift from a friend."
After settling the bill on the spot, the old man also gave Lex a snakeskin bag so he could put all the bottles and jars inside for easy carrying.
Leaving Evil Dragon Bar, Lex let out a breath, quite satisfied with the night's harvest.
He had already obtained one main Material and two auxiliary Materials for the Provoker's potion. Now, only the roots of the Dragon Blood Man-Eating Flower and Midsummer Grass powder remained.
As for pure water, having studied mysticism with his mother, Lex knew that making it was not complicated; it only required some distillation tools.
As he was about to head home, a gust of wind blew from behind him, carrying a complex scent of fish, alcohol, and sweat into Lex's nose.
He squinted slightly, his movements unchanged, and turned into an alley between nearby warehouses.