GDK 838: Make it big!
“My Lord, that guy must be mentally ill! How laughable, that puny little fella wants Your Lordship to submit to him! We should finish him off!” Haruli’s gang members started angrily cursing after they were away from Han Shuo and his party. From their point of view, what Han Shuo did was a great insult to their leader and he should be killed for it.
“Lunatic! No wonder Buzz wants to finish them. What a bunch of death seekers!” remarked another of Haruli’s followers in a scowl. He added, “We don’t even have to do anything to them – they will automatically be dead after they leave the Omphalos!”
Haruli was wearing a dark face. He did not expect to hear that proposal from someone as weak as Han Shuo and was rather offended by it.
He was one of the top characters in the Fringe. He had never really lost any battle during his many years in the Fringe and his reputation was on par with Buzz’s. That was the reason he dared to offer Han Shuo and his party protection.
He originally thought that Han Shuo and his party will definitely accept his proposal and spend the million black crystal coins in exchange for his protection. Although it was a hefty price, it was nothing compared to eight lives. However, not only that Han Shuo had immediately declined his offer, Han Shuo wanted Haruli to work for him. To Haruli, that was beyond what a sane mind would do.
“Lohia, go keep an eye on them. Immediately notify me when they are about to leave the city. I want to watch them die!” Haruli coldly groaned before he instructed one of his followers.
A highgod of earth nodded and immediately turned to one of the tangled and complicated streets. He tracked and observed Han Shuo and his party from a distance.
***
“I have not heard of Haruli before. But if he has the courage to go against Buzz, then he must have extraordinary strength. Master, that was a little too blunt!” Rose was between laughter and tears. She could not understand how Han Shuo could say that to Haruli just like that. Haruli was a character ranking near the top in the Fringe. Before Han Shuo proved that he possessed greater strength, those words will only seem laughable to others.
As Han Shuo looked smilingly at Rose, he said, “Only a certain unconventional approach would work on someone as haughty as Haruli. He will definitely keep an eye on us out of curiosity. Hehe, once his curiosity is provoked, he will be drawn to us bit by bit.”
“We are not familiar with the Fringe at all. If we can subdue a local mafia boss like Haruli, it will be tremendously beneficial to our future operations. Father, Haruli will definitely be watching us. As long as we can demonstrate that we possess power greater than any average powerhouse in the Fringe, and if Father then makes him a sincere invitation, then it will have a high chance of working!” remarked Han Hao after thinking for a moment.
To subdue someone like Haruli whose chin was above his head, one must first make a lasting impression on the person. Then, one must demonstrate to possess far greater strength and power and be superior in every aspect. And if that was followed with a sincere invitation, the chances of successfully recruiting the person will be high. It appeared that Little Skeleton understood Han Shuo’s plan.
“Rose, you said that you have some friends in the Fringe. Do you know any who could join us?” asked Han Shuo after he thought in silence for a moment.
Rose thought for a moment before she nodded and replied, “I do have some friends, but they don’t live in the Omphalos. They do not have that kind of money to squander. We need to leave the Omphalos to find them. However, with Buzz blocking our way, it’s not going to be easy,”
“Then we will leave the Omphalos. It’s too peaceful here for us anyway.” Han Shuo casually looked around before he said to the party while winking, “Hehe, so there are people carefully observing our every moment. It seems that we are getting popular in the Fringe!”
“Really? You want to leave the city?” Perhaps Rose was too intimidated by Buzz and Bertha, she was acting less straightforward than she usually does.
“Yes, Let’s go!” replied Han Shuo. He then started slowly traveling in the direction of a city gate. He could sense that there were several people secretly watching them. They ought to be Buzz and Haruli’s subordinates.
The streets of the Omphalos were covered with stalls selling all sorts of items. While traveling towards the exit, Han Shuo would leisurely examine some of the goods being sold. And when he saw an item that he liked, he would buy them straightforwardly.
A lot of the merchants in the Fringe did not have a clean background. Some of them did not make money by selling goods but through a devious scheme that only exists in the Fringe. The scheme began with the ‘seller’ determining if their purchaser was rich. Then, as soon as the purchaser leaves the Omphalos, they will be robbed and murdered. Not only that the goods would be repossessed, but the purchaser would also lose all his black crystal coins along with his life.
There was a strange phenomenon in the Omphalos. A ‘merchant’ who sold a valuable item at a very low price would have the same item back on sale at the same place and same price after one or two days – again and again.
Rose was aware of such a scheme. When Han Shuo was purchasing several high-grade Souljade Crystals and Frigidbone Agates, Rose softly reminded Han Shuo, warning him about the scheme of the seller.
But not only was Han Shuo not worried about it, he excitedly asked Rose, “Help me look around and let me know if you see anyone doing this trade. Hehe, it’d be stupid not to take advantage of this!”
“But as soon as we leave the city, they will swarm at us like locusts! We already have Buzz and Bertha waiting for us. That Haruli might attack us as well. If we offend other forces now, wouldn’t we be completely surrounded by powerful enemies?” Rose was used to being a lone wolf and while she lived in the Fringe, all she had sought was her own safety. She would normally avoid making enemies with powerful forces. Therefore, she could not understand Han Shuo’s actions.
“That is exactly what I want!” said Han Shuo in a mischievous smile. He instructed, “You don’t have to worry. Just point it to me when you see that kind of shop. If we are to make a scene, we ought to make it big. Otherwise, we won’t become famous in the Fringe within a short time!”
Rose sighed in her mind after hearing those words. She thought, <i>Have I made a mistake bringing him to the Fringe? If Master does so, he will surely offend most of the forces in the Chaotic Land. If hundreds or thousands of experts of the Fringe ganged up against us, how do we even escape from that?</i>
Han Shuo made out what was on Rose’s mind with just one look on her face. He laughed and said, “You have been with me for quite a long time. Tell me, have you ever seen me start a fight that I cannot win? Besides, with these little fellas around, even if the Five Sovereigns came, we will have no trouble leaving the Fringe. You have nothing to worry about!”
Although the Five Elite Zombies were not all that great in strength, their talents and special abilities were beyond miraculous. With Earth Elite Zombie, they could bore underground in no time and escape from a legion of pursuing armies. With Metal Elite Zombie, they could traverse across mountains with little effort. With Wood Elite Zombie, they could conceal their auras when traveling through forests. Who will be able to catch them?
“Well, alright then. Let me show you,” Rose did not take much effort or time in finding stalls that conducted that scheme. She covertly indicated to Han Shuo when she found that type of stalls.
After taking a moment to observe, Han Shuo noticed that the shop owners indeed had extraordinarily sinister gazes. Their eyes were very attentive to everything that their potential buyer wears. They would observe one’s strength, clothing, the capacity of space rings, and expression when withdrawing and paying black crystal coins.
Through detailed observation, they could estimate a person’s strength and net-worth. After making the assessment, they will contact their accomplices outside the city, assemble a team of greater strength to intercept and rob the person.
After buying from a few more stalls, Han Shuo no longer needed Rose’s guidance. He too could tell which of the sellers were actually raiders. While walking towards the gate of the Omphalos, Han Shuo happily purchased many valuable items that were selling at a greatly discounted price while wearing an amiable smile. He was scheming against the schemers.
Gradually, more and more people were following behind Han Shuo. Other than Buzz and Haruli’s subordinates, those who had sold their goods to Han Shuo would also secretly follow behind him.
Outside the Omphalos, various forces were busy assembling outside the gate that Han Shuo will use. They were hiding in various locations.
“There is a fat sheep to be slaughtered! Brothers, pay extra attention to this one! That fella has at least a few million black crystal coins. When he was buying things from Fengi, he was seen tossing out a few large sacks of black crystal coins. If we get him, we can take a very long break!”
“Eh? Isn’t that Buzz’s man? Dafuq, how did he receive news as well? It seems that this is going to be troublesome.”
“Hey, Haruli’s man is also following him. How did that fella offend so many people?! We better keep some distance and not be rash. Let’s see how things go first.”
….
Gradually, more and more forces were assembled outside the checkpoint. They were quite familiar with each other. They were wearing dark faces as they were secretly waiting for Han Shuo and the parties to exit the Omphalos.
“Lord Haruli, twenty or thirty forces are gathering from every direction. They seem to be targeting the same group of people!” informed a person who was hiding outside the city gate.
Haruli cursed, “Lunatic, that fella is indeed a lunatic! He has drawn most of the fierce characters around here. What the fuck is that guy thinking? Is he trying to get himself killed spectacularly?”
