From the Abyss of Stars Part 2

Vol-2: 102. The Banquet Begins

Buyers took on the risk, and that was part of the shopping fun.

Many attendees were seriously appraising the weapons in various ways. Clearly, those attending the gathering were from good backgrounds and had their own means of evaluation and instruments.

But even so, when Li Aozi activated his 【Eye of Truth】 and scanned the crowd, he found that out of ten people, at least five had overpaid, and one had bought a mere showpiece.

For such treasure-hunting tasks, the 【Eye of Truth】 was practically a cheat, as the quality and attributes of the items were laid bare before him, sometimes even just by glancing at the names to see if they were genuine.

【This really saves a lot of effort—if the players had a chance to attend this gathering, they'd probably thank me to death.】

Li Aozi pretended to browse some booths, all the while aware of the Frost-Plated agents trailing him. He didn't mind, occasionally picking up weapons to try out and engaging in conversations with the craftsmen.

But soon enough, the Frost-Plated agents' whispers behind him started to have an effect.

Li Aozi set down a wakizashi, shook his head, and said to the craftsman:

"This weapon doesn't suit my combat style, and it's too short. But the craftsmanship is exquisite. I wish you find a suitable buyer."

There was nothing wrong with his comment, but before he finished speaking, a mocking voice suddenly sounded from behind:

"Oh, the Red Arrow man knows his stuff. A wakizashi is indeed a short blade, and yet you think it's too short."

Li Aozi glanced back to see a burly man with a swagger approaching, his aura unmistakably that of a Beta-tier warrior. He wore a large samurai robe, clearly a member of the Dragon faction, with a venomous snake tattooed on his neck.

He sauntered over, grabbed the wakizashi from the craftsman's hand, weighed it, and swung it a couple of times, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp hiss. He nodded approvingly:

"What's wrong with it? It's pretty good. Sharp enough to cut through hair."

Holding the wakizashi, he cast a sly glance at Li Aozi, then his tone shifted:

"Well, no surprise—Tianhuan is a small country. Our resources are scarce, and we've never seen the world. How can we compare to the lords of the empire?"

The nearby onlookers seemed to recognize the samurai and began whispering:

"Hey, isn't that Hojo's retainer—Yanagimon Shinsuke?"

"That Red Arrow guy's out of luck. How did he get mixed up with this mad dog?"

"Yanagimon's master was defeated by a Red Arrow swordmaster and committed seppuku out of shame. Now this guy's just a Red Arrow-hating maniac."

The murmurs and the look of schadenfreude among the guests caught Li Aozi off guard—he hadn't expected to encounter something like this.

【Law III must have gotten really lucky, managing to stir up someone like this.】

On second thought, it made sense. Law III was a master of instigation and had probably approached many similar individuals.

The craftsman, intimidated by the samurai's aura, didn't dare say anything, nervously glancing at Li Aozi for help.

Li Aozi shot a glance at the samurai, not wanting to waste time with him. He turned to leave, but the samurai stepped in his way, blocking him.

"Leaving so soon? What, Tianhuan's goods aren't good enough for you?"