Chapter 41: Observations in Black Rock City!

The commotion caused by the Corpse Ghoul Centurions just moments ago was far from small. At this point, figures flickered behind numerous windows in Black Rock City, seemingly observing the activity below.

A group of Black Rock City cultivators loaded the corpses of the three Corpse Ghoul Centurions onto a carriage, preparing to haul them into the city. The rogue cultivators who had given chase all the way were driven off, as wanderers were strictly forbidden to approach within a radius of one kilometer of Black Rock City—trespassers would be executed on the spot!

An exception had been made this time in light of their assistance in hunting down the Corpse Ghoul Centurions; otherwise, the guards defending Black Rock City would have long since attacked.

The rogue cultivators departed with disgruntled expressions. Meanwhile, Tang Zhen gritted his teeth against the pain in his legs, silently trailing right behind the cultivators and slipping through the gates of Black Rock City step by step.

Protected by the quantum stealth energy screen, not a single Black Rock City cultivator noticed Tang Zhen, an outsider who had sneaked in.

The massive metal gates of Black Rock City were operated via levers and gears. Normally, only a small side door just wide enough for two people to walk abreast was opened. This time, because a carriage needed to be brought through, the colossal metal gate had been raised by a third.

After Tang Zhen passed through the metal gates, accompanied by the loud, mechanical grinding sound of massive gears locking into place, the heavy metal door slowly descended, cutting off the wilderness outside.

Inside the interior space of the Loucheng, Tang Zhen stood within a spacious corridor several meters high.

On both sides of this corridor, spaced every few dozen meters apart, sat gigantic metal brazier bowls filled with a white ointment. When ignited, they not only cast a brilliant light but also emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance.

The walls of the corridor were lined with a continuous series of murals depicting what appeared to be the founding process of Black Rock City and its former glory.

According to the murals, the earliest founder of Black Rock City hailed from an extremely distant place, being the scion of a noble family from a massive Loucheng.

From childhood, he yearned for the adventurous life in the wilderness and hoped to become the lord of a Loucheng himself, thereby bringing even greater prosperity to his family.

Thus, on the day after his coming-of-age ceremony, he led his personal guards and embarked on a journey of exploration across the wilderness.

During this period, they encountered countless perils and entered numerous magical regions. Relying on courage and sheer luck, the young nobleman finally gathered all the items required to establish a Loucheng and founded Black Rock City far, far away from his homeland.

Following that were depictions of monster sieges, Loucheng upgrades, and battles against other Loucheng—dozens of panels in total.

After viewing these murals, Tang Zhen pondered for a brief moment before continuing his advance deeper into Black Rock City.

Having traversed the nearly hundred-meter-long corridor, a set of doors appeared before Tang Zhen, accompanied by the sound of bustling voices—revealing a massive open-air plaza.

Many Loucheng residents strolled leisurely across the plaza, neatly and cleanly dressed. Their faces bore none of the panic and bewildered expressions typical of wanderers; instead, they exuded a sense of ease and tranquility.

Tang Zhen slipped into a secluded corner, deactivated the quantum stealth screen, and, mimicking the demeanor of the Loucheng residents, casually blended into the crowd on the plaza.

This plaza was immense, situated right at the heart of Black Rock City, covering an area of roughly thirty thousand square meters, surrounded on all sides by towering Loucheng structures.

Most of the time, the plaza remained shrouded in shadow, but at this moment, the sun hung directly overhead, casting warm and comforting rays. No wonder so many Loucheng residents had come out for a stroll.

In the center of the plaza stood a colossal, emerald-green statue. Judging by its physique and features, it was undoubtedly the founder of Black Rock City, the young nobleman from the distant Loucheng.

Gazing at the statue from afar, Tang Zhen noticed a faint, shimmering light playing across its surface, as if it had been carved from some sort of translucent jade.

Having been in the Loucheng world for quite some time, this was the first time Tang Zhen had laid eyes on anything resembling jade, and a trace of curiosity stirred within his heart.

With a leisurely expression, Tang Zhen slowly walked up to the statue and began to observe it closely.

The material chosen for the statue was entirely verdant green throughout, looking supple and enticing—much like the jadeite he had seen in jewelry stores back home, and of the absolute highest grade at that!

Tang Zhen lacked deep knowledge regarding precious gems and jade, so he couldn't be certain whether this was truly jadeite. After all, there were many jade varieties with similar colors; he couldn't even distinguish between jadeite and nephrite.

Yet none of this could stop Tang Zhen from plotting to pull off a heist!

Indeed, Tang Zhen had taken a fancy to this beautiful jade and intended to secretly carve off a piece to take back for appraisal.

Glancing around to ensure no one was paying attention to him, Tang Zhen drew the Purple Lightning Short Sword from his storage space in a flash of lightning and forcefully sliced into a damaged section of the statue's base.

With strength far exceeding that of an ordinary person, coupled with the incomparably sharp Purple Lightning Short Sword, a bowl-sized chunk of jade was severed cleanly and swiftly tucked away into Tang Zhen's storage space.

Having accomplished this task, Tang Zhen walked away from the central plaza statue as if nothing had happened, wandering around idly.

Tang Zhen discovered that along the perimeter of the plaza, shops stood shoulder to shoulder.

These stores operated a wide variety of businesses, ranging from clothing and food to herbs and general merchandise. Tang Zhen chose a weapons shop and slowly stepped inside.

This weapon store covered an area of several hundred square meters and spanned three floors. The first-floor hall was open for casual browsing and purchasing, while entry to the second floor required the presentation of a Black Rock City cultivator's identity token. As for the third floor, only VIPs of the shop were permitted to enter.

Compared to the merchandise in the wanderer town's weapon shop, the weapons in Black Rock City's shop were noticeably a grade higher, far superior purely in terms of aesthetic appeal.

The skilled artisans of Black Rock City not only pushed the quality of these cold weapons to new heights but also put considerable thought into their decoration.

Take, for instance, the longsword before Tang Zhen's eyes. It utilized open-work carving and inlay techniques, adorning the scabbard with gemstones and the teeth or bones of certain monsters, making the sword's design exceptionally stunning.

Through pattern-welding and acid-etching processes, the blade's steel revealed intricate grain patterns, making it look exquisite and breathtaking. Tang Zhen knew that in the prime world there existed Damascus steel, the surface patterns of which bore a striking resemblance to this.

A longsword of such exquisite design naturally came with a hefty price tag, demanding a staggering thirty Level-3 brain cores—equivalent to three thousand Level-1 brain cores.

With ordinary weapons on the first floor being this exorbitant, the arms on the second and third floors would undoubtedly command even higher prices.

Tang Zhen glanced toward the entrance of the second floor, tempted to activate his quantum stealth screen and go have a look, but the two cultivators guarding the second-floor stairway made him abandon that notion.

From those two individuals, Tang Zhen sensed Level-4 energy fluctuations.

Since he was currently inside Black Rock City, essentially walking into a tiger's den, Tang Zhen had no desire to court unnecessary trouble.

After sweeping his gaze around the room, Tang Zhen turned and left the weapon shop, stepping into a neighboring herb store.