Chapter 290 - Troublemaker
Chapter 290 of "Exploring Technology in a Wizard World" introduces new challenges: Chapter 290: Chapter 289: Troublemaker Chapter 290: Chapter 289: Troublemaker Richard quickly made his way... Keep following!
Chapter 290: Chapter 289: Troublemaker Chapter 290: Chapter 289: Troublemaker Richard quickly made his way to the Underground Market and confidently walked up to the entrance of the Taboo Bookstore, stepping inside.As expected, a pair of furry arms appeared, and a burly black man stood at the door to block him.
Looking over, the black man shouted at Richard, âHey, you in the mysterious outfit, this isnât a place you can just waltz into. Iâm warning youâŠâ
Before the black man could finish, Richard extended a hand from beneath his black cloak, showing a silver plaque in his hand to the black man and said, âI have this, I should be allowed in, right?â
âUhâŠâ The black man blinked his eyes and said in a muffled voice, âSo, you were referred by a regular customer. According to the rules, you do qualify to enter. But I must tell you, there are rules here. Itâs your first time, and you might not be aware, so listen well. The firstâŠâ
Richard interrupted the black man, his voice hoarse as he quickly said, âFirst, all the books are just for viewing, not for picking up unless you intend to buy. Second, if you want to buy a book, be prepared with enough money since thereâs no bargaining. Third, leave after buying your books. Fourth, do not violate any of the above rules. Those are the rules, right? Did I get that correct?â
âYouâŠâ the black man stuttered, glaring at Richard for a few moments before saying, âAlright, you got it right; it seems you did your homework before coming.â
Richard said nothing, simply stepping inside.
As he approached the bookstore, he glanced around the interior briefly and noticed nothing different from his last visit; no new books. He looked at the black man and demanded, âI want to enter the inner part of your bookstore.â
âHmm?â The black man raised his eyebrows, scrutinizing Richard several times before firmly rejecting him, âNo!â
âWhy not?â Richard asked.
âBecause according to the rules, to access the interior of our bookstore, you must buy at least one book from us and become an official customer.â
âIs that so?â said Richard, stretching out his hand towards a nearby bookshelf and randomly pointing at a book, he asked, âHow much for this book?â
â120 lower-grade crystal coins.â
âIâll buy it,â Richard declared, flipping his hand to reveal a top-grade crystal coin and two medium crystal coins.
The black man was taken aback; it had been a long time since heâd seen such a straightforward customer, one who didnât even bother to check what the book was about before deciding to buy. Was this man really just too rich to care?
Thinking this, the black man didnât turn down the easy business. Reaching out, he quickly took Richardâs money and then said to him, âWait here for a moment. Iâll go get something for youâŠâ
âYouâre going to take the book off the shelf for me, right?â Richard asked the black man, then shook his head, âNo need. Iâll donate the book to your store.â
âHm?â
âIâve heard about your storeâs reputation long ago, but due to some reasons, Iâve never had the chance to come here. Now that Iâve finally made it, Iâm prepared to offer a small gift as a token of my respectâa book as my little gift, I hope you wonât despise it. So, you can take my money, but the book can stay here and continue to be sold to others. And your store, just give me the status of an official customer, allowing me access to the interiors.â
âUh⊠Is that soâŠâ The black man looked at Richard with a strange gaze, already convinced that Richard really did have money to burn. Since that was the case, he was happy to oblige.
The next moment, a hand reached into his sleeve and pulled out a gold plaque, handing it to Richard, the black man said, âAlright, from now on, youâre an official customer of our bookstore, and your previous silver plaque can still serve its purpose, allowing you to refer another person for entry into our bookstore.â
Richard nodded.
âAdditionallyâŠâ the black man continued, âAdditionally⊠you must have heard about our rules for entering the inner parts, right? Besides being an official customer, you also need toâŠâ
âPass a test, proving my own strength, right?â
âUh, it seems you do know quite a bit. Since thatâs the case, thatâs good,â said the black man, âAre you ready for the test now?â
âWhat specifically does the test involve?â
âWe have different tests depending on the person; you can freely choose,â the black man explained, âThe first option, defeat me. The second optionâŠâ
âI choose the first option.â Richard didnât wait for the black man to finish and made his decision immediately.
âHuh?!â The black manâs eyes widened, clearly annoyed by how often Richard interrupted him, and with Richardâs choice seemingly belittling him, he couldnât help but snort, âWhat, you think Iâm weak, so you chose this test without hesitation?
Hmph, youâve miscalculated! Though I donât know why youâre all cloaked and mysterious, even hiding your face, Iâm not afraid of you. Iâm telling you, Iâm not ordinary; one punch from me could smash your head! Choosing to defeat me is choosing the hardest test!â
With that, the black man glared and launched a fierce punch that didnât hit Richard, but stopped in front of him as a demonstration. With the black manâs punch, the air surged, and a fierce blast of wind blew Richardâs hood off, revealing his disguised, somewhat weathered face.
Facing the black manâs fist, Richard blinked his eyes, his expression showing little fear, looking at the black man, he asked hoarsely, âYour strike, does that mean the test has started?â
âIf you wish, it can start now. Iâll let you strike first; as long as you can defeat me, youâll gain the right to enter our bookstore inner parts,â the black man said, âHowever, I think the likelihood is low. People who deliberately act mysterious like you often end up on the ground searching for their teeth, begging for mercy.â
As he spoke, a strong aura slowly emanated from the black manâs body.
Richard sensed it, clearly distinguishing that it wasnât mana fluctuations but the unique aura of a Bloodline Seed, similar to the Tuo Tie he had encountered in the Duel Arena in Kairo City of Pu Aiji Kingdom, at Corpse Mountain Blood Seaâbut the black man was stronger than Tuo Tie.
If that was the case, the black manâs words were not boastful but confident. Normally, with the black manâs physical strength alone, it genuinely would be difficult to defeat him.
Since it was soâŠ
Energy Elements quickly surged from Richardâs Magic Origin within his body, activatingâŠ
The Spell began to ready; Richard planned to utilize magic, and in one confrontation, take down the black manâusing magic and not using it were two different concepts; now disguised, he naturally wasnât afraid of anything and could fully exert his power to reduce unnecessary trouble.
This Richard thought, having prepared his Spell, and just as he was about to attack, suddenly, a black shadow flashed in front of him, blocking the path between him and the black man.
The Black Shadow said, âStop!â
Huh?!