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The two returned to the underground casino, and just as Lindsay was about to step off the stone steps, Claire grabbed him.

"Today I'll show you my special skill, and we'll pass by silently."

After saying that, she put her hands together and moved them forward. Lindsay saw a small dark shadow emerge from Claire's palms and begin to extend up her arms.

Claire lowered her arms, then suddenly grabbed Lindsay's hand, and the shadows around her gradually spread to Lindsay.

"What is this...?"

Before Lindsay could even react in surprise, his vision blurred for a moment, and then he realized that he and Claire seemed to be behind the wooden door inside the casino.

The female wanderer gently closed the half-closed wooden door: "Linse, the black market is just ahead of you, let's go."

"The casino has a whole basement; how did we get here so quickly?"

Claire placed her index finger on her lips: "This is my secret combat technique, keep it a secret for now."

In the corridor, the dim candlelight cast their shadows. After walking a few steps, another wooden door opened, widening the corridor and revealing a bright and open space.

The scene inside the room was similar to what Linsel had seen in the black market of Linci Town; it was also an underground tavern.

However, unlike other places, Linsel did not see any people setting up stalls on the ground. Instead, the place resembled a typical tavern: a bar, tables and chairs, a few diners and adventurers.

"Is this the black market? Where are the items for sale?"

Claire pointed to the bar across the street: "Over there at the bar, the boss manages the black market; he sells everything."

The owner of the underground tavern was a one-eyed middle-aged man wearing a black eye patch. He was sitting at the bar, drinking a glass of purple wine.

Lindsay approached the bar: "Boss, I'd like to buy something here."

"What do you want?"

"What's available for purchase? Let me see."

"There's so much stuff. I basically have everything that comes into my area from the city. You can buy most of what you want, but the prices will be a bit higher."

"Do you have two-handed swords? Crossbows, crossbow bolts and ammunition, and other rare items?"

"We have weapons and equipment, but as for rare items," the one-eyed shopkeeper looked Lince up and down, "the starting price is gold coins."

He pulled a two-handed sword from a large wooden box inside the bar, followed by a damaged heavy crossbow and several bolts of different types.

Lindsay stared at the two-handed sword, which was the same model he had seen before. He raised it with both hands and swung it. The weapon seemed a little lighter, and the feel was just right.

"How much?"

"46 silver coins."

Linsel currently has 62 silver coins, which is enough to buy it, but compared to other places, it's still a bit of a loss to buy it here. Besides, he's quite comfortable using his longsword, so he won't buy it for now.

As for the second heavy crossbow, the body was somewhat broken, but it looked to be a size larger than Linssey's pulley crossbow, and its power was obviously more astonishing.

The one-eyed shopkeeper pointed to the heavy crossbow: "This secondhand heavy crossbow is a bit worn, so the price has come down a bit. Adventurer, see if you're interested."

After Linsel learned of the selling price of 66 silver coins, he realized he didn't have enough money and naturally gave up.

He also inquired about the prices of the protective gear and found that they were all more expensive than those sold in Linchui Town.

Looking at the three types of crossbow bolts placed on the bar, one was the ordinary crossbow bolt he usually used, and the other two were other types of crossbow bolts with lighter and more agile fletchings and heavier and sharper arrowheads.

The one-eyed shopkeeper noticed that Linsel didn't seem to know much about crossbows, so he gave a brief introduction: "The crossbow bolts with heavy arrowheads are cone-headed bolts, costing 40 copper coins each, while the crossbow bolts with light shafts are leaf-shaped bolts, also costing 40 copper coins each."

"Is there any explanation?" Lindsay glanced at Carlisle, who looked on helplessly.

"I don't use bows and crossbows, so I don't know anything about these things. He should know about 'broken arrows.'"

The shopkeeper added, "It's simple. Heavier arrows do more damage, but at the cost of a little accuracy; lighter arrows are faster and can shoot further, but the damage is reduced a bit."

"Then give me five of each."

Watching Lindsay put the crossbow bolts into his quiver, Claire joked, "Why aren't you buying any more? Are ten enough?"

"That's enough. Let's go. Go tell 'Broken Arrow' to leave the casino."

The two left the black market and returned to the casino.

This time, Lindsay and Claire swaggered out from inside the wooden door.

"Small, small, small... haha!"

Linsset immediately heard the excited voice of "Broken Arrow".

"I won again! Hand over all your silver coins!"

The person sitting in front of him, "One String," and several others had gloomy expressions, and the middle-aged adventurer even cursed angrily.

"What incredible luck this kid had today!"

"Broken Arrow, it's time for us to go."

Brinnan, still somewhat unsatisfied after hearing Lindsay's voice behind him, said, "Let's gamble a couple more times."

Claire chimed in, "Yeah, Lindsay, let him gamble!"

"And 'Broken Arrow,' you're in luck today. Look at the people sitting across from you, they've lost pretty badly."

"Heh, the money I lost was also won from you," one gambler retorted disdainfully.

Lindsay was also having a bit of a headache at this point.

Unexpectedly, "Broken Arrow" got carried away with his gambling. As the team leader, I should advise him to rein it in.

"We have to go!" Lindsay urged, and "Broken Arrow" reluctantly left the gambling table.

The three returned to the ground. "Broken Arrow" sighed, "'Phantom,' I finally understand how you feel. Sometimes, when luck comes, there's no stopping it!"

"Right? When you're lucky, you can sweep the whole place!"

"Aren't you afraid of losing everything?" Linsel scoffed.

Claire seemed quite confident: "What are you afraid of? If you're really short of money, Lindsay, I'll take you to borrow some from those unscrupulous noblemen."

"Oh? You mean that?"

"Why would I lie to you? Don't forget my title..."

As Claire was speaking, unsettling bells suddenly rang out from all around the city.

"What happened?"

Claire listened carefully to the number of chimes: "Six, seven, eight... eight chimes! There's trouble in the city, Lindsay, let's go to the Adventurers' Guild!"

The group quickly returned to the Adventurers' Guild, where Linsel discovered that the guild should have been closed for the night, but the main hall was wide open and brightly lit by the glowing stones inside.

The three entered the hall, where dozens of adventurers had already gathered, their noisy discussions echoing in their ears.

"A huge group of cult members outside the city—this is their largest operation in the country in recent years!"

"I heard that the cult leader's name is... Dakul Chosen One. Just hearing that name makes him sound like a ruthless character."

"Don't worry, the guild calling us here must mean they're about to issue an important mission. The rewards are usually very generous, so let's seize this opportunity!"

Is this a major mission? This scene reminded Linsel of the time he took on the task of defeating the goblin raiders in Linci Town.

It looks like another big battle is about to begin.

"Cough cough cough..."

A cough with a demonic sound drowned out the murmurs in the hall. Linsel saw that the source of the sound was a bald man in a guild uniform, who had appeared in the center of the hall.

"Adventurers, please quiet down! The guild is about to issue an important quest!"