Alright, then I'll arrange some tasks for everyone. Do you have the courage to complete them?" Shangguan Mo asked slowly, a slight smile on his face.
"Captain, just assign the tasks! We're not those little kids who only play Ninja games anymore!" Murakami Rin replied with a righteous expression, without even a frown, answering without thinking.
"You're really not afraid?"
"If I'm afraid, I'm your son!" Murakami Rin was also provoked by him, saying stubbornly with his neck stiffened.
…
Two minutes later!
"Captain, those guys shouldn't lay a hand on me, right? They don't look like good people…" Murakami Rin said with a mournful face, tugging at Shangguan Mo's sleeve, reluctant to leave.
But Shangguan Mo kicked him away.
"Did a dog eat your guts? Are you going to treat what you said earlier as farts?" Shangguan Mo scolded him irritably, angry at his lack of resolve.
But he still patiently comforted him.
"I'm just asking you to inquire about information brokers. I'm not asking you to kill anyone. Just inquire about information within a hundred meters of me. Don't go too far from me. If anything unexpected happens, I'll rush over immediately. What are you afraid of?"
"Oh…" Murakami Rin and the others reluctantly left, leaving only Li beside Shangguan Mo.
He was still uneasy about Li, a very innocent girl, operating alone in such a dangerous place.
"In the Underground Black Market, as long as you have money, you can buy almost anything, even Ninjutsu! So, information brokers must exist, but those guys should be very well hidden. It just depends on whether I can find them…" Shangguan Mo didn't have many good ideas. He was just a Ninja Academy student who hadn't graduated yet, without much Ninja experience. Discovering this Underground Black Market was a pleasant surprise, but he was actually unsure if he could find traces of the Evil God Cult through an information broker.
…
"Captain, it's him! He said he's in the information business!" Murakami Rin excitedly pulled Shangguan Mo to the end of the street. What met their eyes was an inconspicuous, dilapidated storefront.
"What is it! The Captain is just a little brat! Go, go, go, go back where you came from. This isn't a place for you kids to play." The shop owner hadn't held much hope for the 'Captain' mentioned by the brat Murakami Rin. Now, upon seeing Shangguan Mo, who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen, his expression immediately became even more impatient, and he waved his hand, trying to shoo them away.
"Boss, you won't even take money that's delivered to your doorstep?" Shangguan Mo calmly pulled out a wad of banknotes from his pocket. The boss's gaze merely swept over them, and he immediately determined that the amount was definitely not less than a thousand Ryo. His expression instantly changed, and he quickly put on an extremely cordial smile.
"Hahaha, little brother, please come in, please come in!" Saying that, he reached out to pull Shangguan Mo into the pitch-black, eerie shop, but Shangguan Mo waved his hand to push him away.
He turned to look at Murakami Rin.
"Go call the others over!"
"Yes!" The excited Murakami Rin cupped his fists in a proper manner, completely immersed in his novel first experience of Ninja cosplay.
…
Shangguan Mo led Li into the shop.
They walked only a few steps before reaching the end, where a foul-smelling drain met their eyes, already clogged with all sorts of trash.
Clap!
The faint crackle of candlelight sounded.
The orange Firelight flickered, making the sharp angles of Shangguan Mo's face even more distinct.
In this shop, where one could barely see their own hand, the darkness finally receded slightly.
Li swallowed, her eyes a little startled, but she also felt a slight thrill.
Shangguan Mo felt the grip on his arm finally loosen a bit.
"Sure enough, no matter what world, fear of darkness is a girl's nature…" He sighed inwardly, then turned his gaze to the boss.
Through the dim candlelight, he could finally see that this was a short, bearded old man, with only a pair of sparkling eyes that revealed the man's cunning nature.
And looking at Shangguan Mo, who showed no change in expression or heartbeat, the old man was actually secretly amazed. He had lived for most of his life and had never seen a kid with such guts.
Such a person was either heartless or had nothing to fear!
Thinking of this, the greed that had risen in the old man's heart quickly vanished without a trace.
He was just an old man who sold information, with one foot already in the grave. There was no need to take risks and backstab like he did when he was young…
"Little brother, tell me, what information do you want to buy? Let's see if this old man has it…" Shangguan Mo's lips curved slightly, and he stared intently into the old man's eyes, saying each word clearly.
"Evil… God… Cult!"
The old man's pupils suddenly dilated, and he quickly got up to tightly close the shop's doors and windows.
Turning around, he then looked at Shangguan Mo with a serious expression.
"Which Ninja Village are you from? Ordinary people would never inquire about the Evil God Cult!" He scrutinized Shangguan Mo with extremely sharp eyes, then his eyebrow suddenly twitched.
"You wouldn't happen to be a Konoha Ninja who just graduated from the Ninja Academy, would you? Only Konoha would take on such thankless commissions…" Shangguan Mo frowned, somewhat impatiently saying,
"Don't ask so many questions, just tell me the price!"
Narrowing his eyes, the old man resumed his old merchant ways.
He slowly extended his right index finger, saying in an undeniable tone,
"One price, this much!"
"One hundred Ryo, right? Okay, deal!" Shangguan Mo agreed very readily.
"Don't give me that nonsense! One price, ten thousand Ryo!"
"Let's go!" Shangguan Mo said nothing, pulled Li, and turned to walk outside.
The old man was stunned, staring blankly as Shangguan Mo got up and left.
Good heavens, I just opened my mouth, why are you getting angry?
Aren't you going to haggle?
"Hey, hey, hey! Whoa, little brother! Stay, the price is negotiable!" Hearing the old man's tone soften, Shangguan Mo's lips curled slightly, and he turned back and sat down.
Crossing his legs at leisure, Shangguan Mo raised his head and said indifferently,
"One price, one thousand Ryo!"
The old man immediately bristled with anger.
Bang!
He slammed the table in anger, shouting,
"Why don't you just rob me?"
"Are you selling or not?" Shangguan Mo acted as if he hadn't seen the anger on the old man's face, still speaking indifferently.
"No…" The old man had just uttered the word "no" when Shangguan Mo stood up again, making to leave.
But he was grabbed.
He turned his head and found the old man's face flushed with anger.
Shangguan Mo smiled slightly.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't sell? Why are you holding me?" The old man was so angry he almost vomited blood at Shangguan Mo's "I've got you" expression, and he was already itching with hatred for Shangguan Mo.
But thinking of the business that hadn't opened for almost a month, he had no choice but to swallow all his frustration.
"If you're not selling, then don't hold me!" Shangguan Mo pushed his hand away, his face full of impatience.
The old man stared intently at Shangguan Mo, grinding his teeth and smiling,
"Heh heh heh… Little brother, you misunderstood. What I meant just now was.
It's not impossible…"