Wuwei's sleep quality these past few days had been surprisingly good.
The reason was that every room in the Underworld hotels came with a soundproof magic barrier provided by the hotel, ensuring the residents' high-quality sleep.
This kind of barrier was quite common in the Underworld; in a society where technology and magic coexisted, high productivity and strong versatility naturally led people to spontaneously embrace and actively consume, driving its further technological development.
This made Wuwei quite tempted, and he thought about buying some local specialties to take back, which he could probably use in the Surface World as well... guaranteed sleep quality (joy!)
Then, heading straight for the magic item specialty store, he had an unexpected harvest...
Coming out of the magic item specialty store, Wuwei was in a rather pleasant mood; he had indeed found many good things, such as automatic cleaning runes, portable soundproof barriers, scent-shielding barriers, and so on... If released, these would all be considered rare treasures of that level.
However, as he looked up, the grand castle reappeared in his sight, and his heart suddenly felt a bit gloomy and helpless...
No clues, absolutely no clues, and no way to conduct any investigation...
He had tried to enter that castle before, whether by stealth, using tools, or even attempting to enter openly, but there was absolutely no way.
There was a very, very powerful magic barrier outside the castle; one night he tried to sneak in, but as soon as he got within a mile of the castle, he was immediately discovered.
Imagine the entire castle suddenly lighting up like a Disney castle, and then dozens or hundreds of magic cannons extending from it, aiming at you and charging up?
Good heavens, dozens of security-like Magicians suddenly burst out from inside, shouting things like "Thief!" "Brute!" "Scoundrel!" and charged forward, scaring him so much that he scrambled away, clutching his head.
To this day, there's still a bit of a shadow lingering in his heart.
As for using tools? He had tried sending signal robots over, but they exploded as soon as they got near the barrier, leaving nothing behind.
Entering openly... In broad daylight, he tried to pose as a tourist, but he was driven out by others before he even got within three miles.
The reason was that outsiders were not allowed to enter here at all.
Helpless, ah, it wasn't that he didn't want to proceed, but that he truly couldn't proceed...
They also tried to find the Far East Society members, but those people were elusive, only occasionally hearing rumors about them but never finding them; they were too well hidden, simply untraceable.
With a hint of resentment and helplessness, Wuwei carried a large bag of local specialties, preparing to return and meet with the Ikenouchi father and daughter to discuss their plan further.
Just then, he got an unexpected gain.
"Hey, young man!"
A strange voice rang out, seemingly calling him. Wuwei turned his head in confusion and saw an old man leaning against a wall by a small path. He wore a hat, his head was lowered so his full face couldn't be seen, and a lit cigarette hung from his mouth. Wuwei could only barely see his gaze, realizing the old man was speaking to him.
The sudden call from a stranger made Wuwei wary; his right Sharingan was already stirring, ready to strike a fierce blow at any moment.
Ever since Wuwei came to the Underworld, he had never worn an eye patch again, because he observed that while people with heterochromia were not abundant in this world, there were quite a few, and even those with patterns like his would only be perceived as some kind of magical tool.
He had even earned the reverence of some ordinary people who couldn't use magic because of it.
"Young man, by the looks of you, do you really like magic tools?"
The old man leaned against the wall, tilting his head, his words full of the feeling of a second-hand dealer, pointing at the bag in Wuwei's hand.
He had seen very clearly the joy and excitement on this person's face after he left the magic tool shop.
"...What do you want to say?"
"I have some good stuff here."
The old man finally raised his head, and Wuwei could then see his appearance; he was just an unremarkable old man, probably forty or fifty years old, with a face full of stubble.
The old man looked at Wuwei's pair of heterochromatic eyes; he felt the evil and terrifying magic power deeply buried in those red eyes.
Hearing this, Wuwei raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. Good stuff? What kind of good stuff?
Better than these things?
Once a person's interest is piqued by something, even if it's a three-minute passion, it will be fervent.
After seeing magic technology, he naturally grew fond of these things. Since this person was so enthusiastic, he decided to see what it was all about!
The old man saw the hint of excitement on Wuwei's face, a slight smile played on his lips, and he pushed off the wall with a grunt to stand upright, pointed towards the depths of an alley nearby, and then turned and walked in.
Wuwei could perceive that this person's magic power was not strong, and besides, he had already hypnotized the old man earlier, making him subconsciously unable to harm him.
With great skill comes great courage; facing such a not-so-powerful person, Wuwei simply followed him.
Wuwei thought he would lead him all the way to the very end, but the old man stopped halfway, not even going very deep.
Looking around furtively, the old man pulled out an exquisite small box from a magic storage pouch by his pants pocket and opened it in front of Wuwei.
Seeing what was inside the box, Wuwei's breath hitched instantly.
A familiar purple magic crystal lay quietly in the box, emitting a stable and powerful magic power.
This was the Ikenouchi's specially made magic crystal, a secret art.
In an instant, Wuwei became excited, not because he wanted this thing, but because he finally got a hint of a clue.
The old man thought Wuwei was interested in this item and was somewhat proud.
"Judging by your expression, you recognize this thing? Then you truly have good taste!"
The smug old man casually tossed the box containing the crystal onto the ground, took the magic crystal in his hand, and held it up to Wuwei's eyes, seemingly showing off or perhaps promoting it.
"The Buren Family's magic crystal! You recognize it, right? It's said to be the Magician's best magic partner! Look at this color, this shape~ how beautiful it is—
Ha, this is strategic material from within the Buren Family; there's nowhere to buy it. I had a really hard time getting these from the production site."
"You said you got it from the production site?"
Wuwei raised an eyebrow, his excitement growing even more.
If he got it from inside the Buren Family... The barrier he couldn't enter, this old man could get in?!
Of course not! Then there were only two possibilities: either it wasn't obtained from that castle, or this old man had a very powerful organization behind him, and it was possibly an enemy of the Buren Family.
No matter which possibility, it was a strong and powerful clue!
"Yes, yes, it was so hard to get these after so much effort..."
"Where is the production site?"
"Young man, why so hasty?"
A cunning smile appeared on the old man's face.
"Look, something I worked so hard to get... wouldn't it be too much to charge you two hundred thousand?"
Wuwei pulled out three hundred thousand in cash from his pocket and slapped it directly onto his face, while glaring at the old man with his right eye.
"Speak."
"Alright, sir!"
Finally, Wuwei left satisfied, rapidly departing with countless new pieces of information.
Under the hypnosis of the Sharingan, he wasn't worried at all that this person would lie.
After Wuwei left, the old man's hypnosis automatically lifted, and he forgot what he had just said.
He only remembered that he had found a good prospect... I hope you can bring us some surprises, young man.