Chapter 362

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Chapter 362: Appearing to Make Peace
Since there were no goods from the Era Region to buy, Zhang Mu asked the system to exchange positions with Yuan Rui, waiting quietly in the space she had just been in.
After Yuan Rui finished trading in the era, they found out she had never even seen the Era Merchant face-to-face. Zhang Mu was truly impressed by this Era Merchant, and they both requested the Era Store to send them back to the outside world together.
When Zhang Mu and Yuan Rui appeared outside the Era Store, he became alert.
It was very quiet around them, only the sound of the still wind blowing.
It was just too quiet.
Just now, the four dark-faced guards were not there, and Hachikuju and his Red Blood were also not there.
“Come out.”
In the moment when Zhang Mu’s mental power spread out, he discovered the source of danger and locked onto a certain location in space.
In the shadows of a corner, a person dressed in a black robe and mask slowly walked out from that shadow.
“A second-ranking evolver of the Shadow element?”
Zhang Mu stared firmly at the man who emerged from the shadow of the building, his intuition telling him that this person was a member of the Caravan Alliance in the capital, also known as a local Era Sub-merchant.
The man did not speak, appearing to blend with the darkness, exuding a silent and lifeless aura.
Zhang Mu was able to detect him because of his sharp awareness of threats with his mental power, as well as his knowledge of various evolvers from future generations. Otherwise, who would have imagined a person hiding within the shadow of a building?
After being exposed by Zhang Mu, the man did not speak immediately. However, when he realized that Zhang Mu accurately mentioned the name of his awakened ability, a hint of emotion flickered in his originally lifeless eyes.
The man emerging from the dark shadows approached Zhang Mu and Yuan Rui, and said slowly, “I am Dark Dove. Welcome to Hohhot City. I represent the Caravan Alliance. We welcome you to join our big family as new Era Sub-merchants.”
Dark Dove is probably just his code name. Is he trying to forcefully recruit me and Yuan Rui to join this Caravan Alliance and work with them?
Zhang Mu smiled lightly and said, “Why should I join you? Do I get any benefits?”
Dark Dove remained expressionless but seemed patient as he said slowly, “First, our self-formed Caravan Alliance consists of eighteen Era Sub-merchants who can exchange information.
Second, we operate exclusive roads for trading with major Era Cities. In the two capital cities in Inner Mongolia, we have Eight War Riders serving us. In the future, in other Era Cities, we will also communicate with local strengths. For a single Era Merchant who risks death at any time on the journey, are these two points not attractive enough?”
These two conditions sounded very tempting, but Zhang Mu was not an ordinary Era Sub-merchant. He had no problem trading in eras alone, and the role of exchanging information was too small. Even Era Merchants cannot clearly capture market information, let alone them.
After the Era Store updates the goods for the Era Region and general trade goods for the month, it can work, but the time and effort required for the process usually require another update soon.
A Era Sub-merchant who has traveled through hardships to complete a transaction in another Era City is very likely to agree. With this exclusive passage, the threat from mutant beasts and zombie hordes will be reduced to the lowest level, and a united group can also deter any human threats.
However, this model has a major drawback, that is, uneven distribution.
In the early Era Region, there were plenty of goods and no problems. But as time passed, the promotion of many Era Sub-merchants caused the volume of each transaction to increase, leading to some Era Sub-merchants being sacrificed.
Each time they could buy goods in the Era Region, they basically only got what was left over by others, leaving large amounts of unused gold leaf. This widened the gap more and more.
So, in the future, Zhang Mu would not choose to settle in Era Cities controlled by large groups. Eventually, these large groups would also fall apart due to their own conflicts.
Moreover, these were just minor issues. Zhang Mu felt something strange and mysterious about this Caravan Alliance.
Seeing Zhang Mu silent, Dark Dove spoke again, “What are you thinking?”
Zhang Mu wanted to see what they really wanted to do, so he pretended to be interested and asked, “What do I need to give in return? You can’t just offer me everything cheaply. What’s the catch?”
“In the early days of the Caravan Alliance, there’s not much you need to give. Your duty is just not to sell Era Universal Merchandise to local powers without permission. If the information you provide is truly helpful, you’ll receive rewards from the alliance and Era Sub-merchants.”
Dark Dove’s tone was sincere, asking Zhang Mu to cooperate in maintaining local financial order. Considering the small effort required compared to the potential huge benefits, it was nothing to worry about.
Zhang Mu smiled and said, “Let’s think about it when we go back. My friend is still waiting for me.”
What surprised Zhang Mu was that Dark Dove stepped forward and blocked his path, saying, “I’ve been given orders to have you join us, not to consider it. If you need time to think, do it here.”
While his tone was very calm, his words revealed that he fully expected Zhang Mu to comply.
Zhang Mu chuckled disdainfully, “You want to force me to join? What power do you have to make me stay? Why not bring your other seventeen companions along for a challenge?”
Otherwise, as a second-rank shadow evolver, even though you may be a bit tricky, you’re not a threat in my eyes. What’s the Caravan Alliance? Just a group of pretentious tricksters.”
Zhang Mu wanted to provoke Dark Dove, to see what made them different. He realized he knew very little from Era Merchant because he rarely paid attention.
Before Dark Dove could speak, a furious shout echoed from the Great God Temple above, followed by a familiar energy surge that shook the ground.
It’s Hachikuju’s power!
How did he end up there? With that energy, if Hachikuju is using his full strength, what could have happened?
This is Hohhot City, and Hachikuju is about to use all his power.
Feeling that something is wrong, Zhang Mu directly grabbed Yuan Rui and rushed towards the source of the energy shock. Dark Dove did not stop them, seeming unaffected by Zhang Mu’s words, and followed along indifferently, as if already knowing what had happened.
…