My inventory is full of monster materials.

Chapter 122 Spatial Affinity

After leaving the Violet Tavern, Mark did not immediately head to the black market.

Even a fool could tell that Eugene and the Shadow Network were up to something, and no one could guarantee that this message wasn't a trap set by Eugene and the Shadow Network in collusion.

Even Mark himself wasn't sure if the Eugene or O'Connor family would actually prepare a ransom of 2 gold coins.

But the temptation was just too great. Even if he split the money with the movie website, Mark could still get 1 gold coins, which would give him a huge windfall.

Faced with such enormous profits, all risks become insignificant.

To prepare for this trap, Mark returned to the Magicians' Guild and made ample preparations.

The most pressing issue to address is body shape.

Mark is now over two meters tall, tall and thin with fair skin and outstanding looks.

Even when draped in a black robe and wearing a mask, blending into the crowd, they would still stand out like fireflies in the darkness, bright and eye-catching.

Unfortunately, sometimes being too handsome can be a burden.

In order to reduce his visibility, Mark planned to learn the second-circle spell "Shape Change" to change his appearance and confuse people.

However, this spell is not ice-based, so even if you cram at the last minute, it will take at least several days, which is not as fast as black market transactions.

However, Mark came up with a better idea.

He contacted Dylan and, through an acquaintance, acquired a grayish-blue humanoid face from a member of the Lynx Academy within the association for 132 gold coins.

[The Disguised Shapeshifter's Face (Green)]

Completeness: 78%

[Effect]: "Shapely Creature (Green)"

【special】:

Talent "Shapeshifting Creature": Can transform into a small or medium-sized humanoid creature that has been seen before.

Shapeshifters are creations of ancient wizards, born specifically for espionage and infiltration missions. They possess innate abilities such as powerful shapeshifting and mind detection.

The moment Mark placed the "Shapeshifter Face" in the [Skull] slot of his equipment bar, a flood of fragmented memories of transformation rushed into his mind—the instinctive feedback that shapeshifters are born with.

Then, Mark had a sudden thought and activated his talent "Shape-shifting Creature".

His original two-meter height slowly shrank, his facial muscles kept writhing and reorganizing, and his features gradually turned into an indistinguishable face with brown hair and brown eyes.

To ensure the negotiations went smoothly, Mark went to Clyde again and borrowed a magic ring.

The ring is permanently imbued with the daily 3rd-level spell "Intelligent Barrier," which effectively resists various forms of mental intrusion and protects one's consciousness from being manipulated during its duration.

Finally, Mark even arranged his escape methods in a clockwise direction.

For example, if you encounter danger, immediately activate the 3rd Ring spell "Blink" to escape the dangerous situation.

Then switch to "Ghost Leopard Fur" to activate "Ghostly Shuttle", enter ghost state, escape into the ethereal plane, and quickly run away.

After considering the plan several times, Mark made sure that there were no problems with Xiao Lian's escape before setting off for the black market.

The underground black market.

The underground space extended from the sewers is always dark and damp, with the air filled with the smells of mildew and rust.

Most of the people coming and going were dressed in black robes, walking hurriedly, with obvious distance between them and a strong sense of vigilance. Every corner exuded an unspeakable danger.

Mark pulled down his hood and was about to head straight for the Shadow Network's headquarters when his gaze swept in a certain direction, and he couldn't help but let out a soft sound of doubt.

"Huh? What's this...?"

Mark slowly approached and came to a pile of ruins.

The building in front of us had already been destroyed by the explosion, with broken walls and ruins scattered all over the ground. Even the ceiling had obvious dents, and it looked like it was at risk of collapsing at any moment.

"Black Scale Workshop!"

Mark instantly realized that this was the address of the secondhand refurbished equipment shop.

The store used to have extremely bright and glaring lights, which were quite arrogant. Now, all that's left is a mess.

There must be rain in the sky, and woe to the madness.

These people deserved it.

but...

Beneath the white mask, Mark's eyes flickered slightly, a vague feeling stirring within him that the shop's current state was likely largely due to his own actions.

Immediately afterwards, a name involuntarily surfaced in Mark's mind—

Lockland.

I wonder if the old man trapped in the workshop managed to escape from that cage.

As Mark stood silently pondering the ruins, a withered hand suddenly gently rested on his shoulder.

Mark felt a chill run down his spine and to the top of his head, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Is someone taking advantage of the situation to sell contraband?

Are they black market thugs causing trouble?

Or did Eugene see through his disguise and set up an ambush beforehand?

Before he could think it through, Mark followed his instincts and activated "Flash" without looking back, his figure twisting and disappearing from the spot.

Five meters away, in a secluded corner, a figure stumbled out of the space.

Mark had just breathed a sigh of relief when that withered hand, like a maggot clinging to his bone, pressed firmly on his shoulder, not moving an inch.

"Hmph!"

Mark was genuinely terrified this time.

"Flash" is clearly a single-person teleportation spell.

Why are there people or things behind me? How can I accurately predict my teleportation location?

The next second, Mark's eyes hardened, and a bright blue magical light erupted from his palm beneath his robes. He turned around, ready to fight the uninvited guest behind him to the death.

But when the magical light illuminated the scene behind him, Mark froze, his face filled with astonishment.

The man wore a large black hood, beneath which appeared a pale, wrinkled old face, but his eyes were unusually bright, and his face looked somewhat familiar...

It was the old man from the Blackscale Workshop's processing room, who was also the owner of the manuscript "Rockland's Spatial Conjecture"—Rockland.

At this moment, Lockland was in high spirits and completely refreshed, showing no trace of his previous disheveled state. He looked up at Mark with a calm and resolute expression.

"I've been waiting for you."

'

""

Mark paused for a moment, carefully choosing his tone, and asked in a low voice.

"Senior, is there something you need from me?"

Mark could clearly sense that Lockland's strength far surpassed his own.

Moreover, Mark had previously taken the other party's dimensional bag and notebook from the workshop, so he was inevitably a little uneasy and could only lower his stance and comply.

Lockland, however, seemed completely unconcerned about the lost items and went straight to the point.

"You must be the 'ghost' spying on me at the door that day."

Mark hesitated for a moment, then quickly explained.

"Uh... Senior, I'm a human, not a ghost. I just happened to be passing by that day and had no intention of disturbing you."

Lockland smiled and waved his hand.

"Don't be nervous, I mean you no harm. On the contrary, I am grateful to you. If it weren't for those two spell scrolls, I wouldn't have been able to escape their enslavement, let alone vent this pent-up anger that I've been holding onto for so many years."

At this point, Lockland's expression instantly turned fierce, his eyes filled with ruthlessness and a sense of exhilaration at having avenged his great grudge.

Mark listened intently, knowing that Black Scale Workshop and the forces behind it were finished. Without asking about the cause and effect, he quickly offered his congratulations with a smile.

"Congratulations, senior! You've avenged your great enemy!"

Lockland merely glanced at Mark coldly and said in a flat tone.

"I always repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge. Since you've helped me a lot, I'll give you this item, and we'll be even."

Immediately, Lockland shoved a round, heavy object into Mark's hand. Before the latter could react, the object vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed.

59

""

Mark stood quietly in place, his mind shifting from wariness to relaxation, and even a little bewilderment.

So, this senior has been waiting here all this time just to thank me and give me a gift?

Well, the senior is indeed a true character!

Composing himself, Mark looked down at the things in his hands.

What came into view was a jet-black meteorite iron ball, its surface pitted and riddled with tiny holes, from which a faint purple light emanated, radiating a weak magical fluctuation.

[Ethereal Void Elemental Core (Blue)]

Completeness: 100%

[Effect]: "Void Co-source I (Green)"

【special】:

Talent "Void Co-origin I (Green)": Spatial Affinity +40%

A space that feels welcoming!

Mark's pupils suddenly contracted, his face filled with shock. It was actually a Void creature material.

He was also a novice in magic and had considerable knowledge of astral phenomena.

The astral plane is a transitional plane connecting the material plane and the outer planes, and it is also the divine realm of many gods.

Void elements are pure spatial energy beings born from rifts between planes, forgotten remnants of creation, or moments of annihilation of immense energy.

Mark wasn't very clear about their specific information either, and even the association's library didn't have much of a record of them.

In short, this core is extremely valuable.

Perhaps even Lockland himself didn't realize that this core was far more valuable to Mark than he had imagined.

This is because the attributes brought about by the core are spatial attributes that are even rarer than the four basic elements of earth, fire, wind, and water.

Mark gripped the core tightly; with just this one item, the trip to the black market would have been worthwhile.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he silently recited it in his heart.

【equipment】

In an instant, a strange feeling swept over my whole body.

Mark felt as if he were submerged in water, with invisible and intangible spatial fluctuations gently caressing his skin without any resistance, instead intimately supporting and assisting him.

Is this what spatial affinity is?!

Suppressing his excitement, Mark composed himself, feeling even more confident. He turned the light towards the ShadowNet headquarters and muttered to himself.

"Come on, let me see what tricks you're going to pull."

The Escape Room of the Movie Web.

The room was empty and quiet, the air almost stagnant.

A long, dark wood table stood in the center, its surface spotless, reflecting the pale light overhead. A figure in black robes stood at the head of the table, wearing a raven-shaped mask with two dark red orbs embedded in his eye sockets, silent as a sculpture.

The high-backed seat on the left side of the long table was empty, covered with white velvet cushions, clearly reserved for the other party in this transaction.

On the right sat a man in a black priest's robe. He was not wearing a mask, and his neatly combed mustache was slightly upturned, but his eyes were full of gloom, and his dissatisfaction was almost overflowing.

Eugene glanced at the empty seat across the long table, his brow furrowing even more.

The seats on both sides were three or four meters apart, seemingly a deliberate distance to prevent any extreme behavior from either side.

Eugene didn't dwell on the loss, but instead questioned the man in a hoarse voice, filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Walker, I'm exercising my partnership rights with Yingwang.com. Immediately hand over all information regarding this codename 'None'."

From the seat of honor, Walter spoke in a gentle voice, offering his advice slowly.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wu, this is top-secret information. Unless Lord Shadow has given his permission, I cannot overstep my authority to provide you with any information."

"What do you mean?!"

Eugene suddenly stood up, slamming his hands on the long table with a loud "bang," his eyes cold and piercing, staring intently at Volker like a venomous snake.

Volk was not afraid at all. The shadow behind him suddenly darted around wildly, as if some kind of creature was restless and might rush out at any moment.

"Eugene, are you questioning the rules of the movie website?"

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point, the two auras colliding silently, as if a conflict would erupt at any moment.

Then, it was Wall who broke the deadlock first, speaking with a hint of mockery.

"Eugene, so you've indeed switched to the 'Abyss' path as a 'Blasphemer.' I'm curious, how do you manage to endure this nauseating stench of the abyss?"

Eugene's face darkened, but he ignored the sarcasm. Instead, he took a deep breath, sat back down, and suppressed his anger.

"I can pay you 10 Shadow Crystals as usual, but this one must die."

Upon hearing this, Walk shook his head and said calmly.

"Eugene, don't you understand? ShadowNet will not be involved in this ransom deal or your subsequent actions."

""

As the butler of the Shadow City Shadow Network, Wall had already understood the Shadow Servant's meaning.

The so-called "do it your way" may seem like a business matter, but it is actually a clear rejection and a deliberate act of distancing.

Upon hearing the word "follow-up actions," Eugene shifted uncomfortably, a flicker of apprehension crossing his eyes.

It seems that the Shadow Network's intelligence network has obtained information about certain movements.

Considering the bigger picture, Eugene had no choice but to shut his mouth and suppress his agitation, sitting quietly in his seat.

Seeing this, Walter's smile widened, and he leaned forward slightly, tentatively asking.

"I really don't understand, Mr. Wu is extorting the O'Connor family, what does that have to do with you? I remember you severed ties with the O'Connor family a long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Eugene's eyes narrowed sharply, and he spoke with obvious impatience.

"This is none of your business. I just want to know if you're going to protect this person to the death."

Walter chuckled softly, his smile carrying a hint of amusement.

"Yingwang acts as an intermediary, without favoring either side. Once he leaves Yingwang's doors, whatever you do is none of Yingwang's business."

"Alright, it's a deal."

Eugene finally got the answer he wanted, then sat up straight, closed his eyes and sat quietly, ignoring Walter, clearly plotting something in secret.

Just then, a blind human figure suddenly rose from the shadow behind Wall.

The humanoid figure silently whispered a few words in Wal's ear, then merged back into the shadows and disappeared.

After listening, Wall looked up at Eugene and gave him a meaningful smile.

"He's here."

""