The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 948 Making Money
After Zhao Chen and Su Xuanbing left the coffee shop, they saw many homeless people with obvious hunger on their faces pacing back and forth. They looked numb and had empty eyes, more like zombies than humans.

Some of them were so weak that they could collapse and die on the roadside at any moment.

Although there are similar homeless people in many cities of Daxia, thanks to the existence of "sweet potato rice," even the poorest people wouldn't starve to this extent...

Even if someone has no other way to make a living due to various special reasons, as long as they report to the government, they will receive "sweet potato rice" for free, but they will be relocated to an unknown place afterward.

Since this place was most likely just a "projection" of some other dimension, Zhao Chen and Su Xuanbing didn't offer any help. They walked out of the area and came to a relatively clean and bustling street.

It was clear that they had just been in one of the city's slums.

Only then did Su Xuanbing sigh, "I never thought 'sweet potato rice' had any benefits before. On the contrary, I thought it was extremely harmful to the common people, making it difficult for ordinary families to produce cultivators..."

"But seeing the situation here, I think the Great Xia Dynasty's willingness to spend so much to promote 'sweet potato rice' is truly a benevolent policy."

Actually, it's because the high-level cultivators of the Great Xia Dynasty can transform their strength into productivity. Even without "sweet potato rice," as long as any "Ascension Profound" True Monarch is willing to waste time growing food in their own cave world, the price of grain won't be too high...

The reason for promoting "sweet potato rice" is not only because of its high yield, but also mainly because of its "side effects".

Thinking this to himself, Zhao Chen glanced at the horse-drawn carriages parked by the roadside and suddenly said, "Don't pity those homeless people yet. How much money do you have on you?"

As he spoke, he rummaged through all the pockets of his clothes and found only three five-solar notes. The rest were copper penny coins, no more than ten in total, and he had just paid two pennies at the coffee shop.

Su Xuanbing came to her senses at this moment, and after feeling around at the clothes given to her by the "room", she finally found one gold pound and three soles.

In the Kingdom of Rune, the gold pound is the highest-ranking currency, with one gold pound equal to twenty sul and one sul equal to twelve pence.

"So, we don't even have two gold pounds in total?" Although Zhao Chen didn't know the exact purchasing power of these currencies, he knew that two gold pounds would definitely be a tight sum for seven days... Moreover, they still had to investigate the case, and they would inevitably need money.

"The person who designed this currency exchange system would definitely be sent to the 'front lines' to do hard labor if they were in Great Xia!" Su Xuanbing, however, focused her attention on other things. While complaining, she laughed and said, "My 'memory' tells me that the gold pound of the Kingdom of Rune is pegged to gold. I have quite a few gold bars minted by my family here, which should be worth a lot..."

The Great Xia Dynasty's banks only held authority in the Central Plains. Although other prefectures and counties also recognized the paper money issued by the government, the people still trusted the money shops run by local aristocratic families or powerful clans more.

However, before Su Xuanbing could finish speaking, her expression changed. She turned to look at Zhao Chen and saw that he looked amused. She puffed out her cheeks and said, "You knew all along that the storage artifact couldn't be opened here?"

She, who always loves to secretly gossip, was surprised to find that someone else had actually "eaten" her gossip, which made her feel terrible.

"Of course, it was confirmed immediately... Only storage-type magical abilities are still usable, but you can go out but not go in." Zhao Chen has seen too many types of "alternate dimensions" and is much more experienced than Su Xuanbing in this regard.

The "storage-type supernatural power" he mentioned naturally refers to the "storage space" provided by the talisman position.

Su Xuanbing also had a "rank" and roughly guessed Zhao Chen's situation. She was silent for a few seconds, then smiled bitterly and said, "But no one would put gold and silver or other valuables in a 'storage magic'..."

“That’s right…” Zhao Chen nodded and shrugged, “So our primary task is probably to make some money.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Do you have any information about your residence in your 'memory'?" "No..." Su Xuanbing never imagined that one day she would be troubled by such a thing.

This was the first time in her life that she had truly grasped the importance of money.

I knew you, a young lady from a prestigious family, wouldn't consider these things! Zhao Chen sighed, and just as he was about to say something more, he saw two burly men suddenly get off a carriage parked by the roadside, knock a girl who happened to be passing by unconscious, and drag her into the carriage.

Huh? Is this a human trafficking scene? Zhao Chen's heart skipped a beat. He pulled Su Xuanbing, who wanted to go over and rescue the girl, and whispered with a smile, "Isn't this a money-making opportunity?"
"Don't rush, let's find their hideout first."

When it comes to making quick money, the best way is through shady dealings.

Upon hearing this, Su Xuanbing immediately understood Zhao Chen's meaning and stopped what she was doing. Instead, she used her divine sense to simultaneously imprint an inconspicuous mark on both the carriage and the girl.

Although their spiritual senses were limited, they could easily cover several streets.

Next, the two of them walked through the streets and alleys at a relatively normal pace, constantly adjusting their direction, crossing a large bridge, and walking along the riverside avenue to an area called the Joewood District, where they stopped on a street called Iris Street.

The surrounding buildings are all surrounded by expansive lawns and spacious gardens, clearly indicating an area where wealthy people congregate.

The carriage they were tracking had stopped in front of a house with an exquisite little fountain and marble statues.

The two walked hand in hand past the house, just like a couple strolling through the streets, without attracting anyone's attention.

However, their divine senses had already searched the entire house thoroughly.

After walking down the street, Su Xuanbing subtly withdrew her hand from his and said in a serious tone, "There are several cultivators in that house. Although I can't tell their exact cultivation levels, one of them gives me a dangerous feeling. He may have even sensed my probing..."

"Moreover, the underground room is protected by a 'restriction' that makes it difficult for divine sense to penetrate."

"Isn't this a bit too much power for a human trafficker?"

Zhao Chen nodded, then frowned and said, "Something is definitely not right. This human trafficking organization is probably very problematic... But now that we've discovered it, we can't just leave those abducted girls alone..."

"Moreover, this organization might be related to the serial murder case we are investigating."

Su Xuanbing's blue eyes lit up: "That's very possible... Major cases in the same city are often related!"

"Shall we go and investigate the human traffickers' hideout now?"

Zhao Chen smiled and shook his head, saying, "No need to rush. It's inconvenient during the day, let's talk about it tonight... We'll still go visit that famous 'hero detective' as planned. According to the newspaper, he also lives in the Joewood district, so he might not be far from here."

(End of this chapter)