No one had any objections.
Emily led the way, and soon the group arrived at the outer city by carriage.
Street vendors were already set up along the roadside, mostly ordinary people coming and going.
Compared to the prosperity of the inner city, the outer city felt more alive with everyday bustle.
Emily guided them through corridors and alleys until they arrived at a simple-looking little inn.
The inn's old, weathered sign read "Happiness Inn." An elderly lady wearing an apron was pouring water down the drain.
Seeing Emily, her weathered face broke into a faint smile as she spoke kindly, "Emily! Long time no see. Are you here delivering goods with your father?"
Emily stepped forward a few paces and called out sweetly, "Grandma Mason, I'm here this time to take the White Star Academy's exam.
"These are some friends of mine who didn't have a place to stay, so I brought them here."
"I see." The old lady named Mason looked at Dusk and the others and smiled. "I don't have many guests here, and the rooms are all empty. If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay.
"You probably haven't eaten yet, right? I'll prepare some food for you."
"Thank you very much, Grandma." Dusk smiled and nodded, then led Nara and Quito into the inn.
The inn wasn't very large, and many places had already faded and aged, but the floors and tables were very clean, reflecting a warm glow under the oil lamps.
As they entered, they all caught a faint scent in the air — it smelled like sandalwood but with a slight difference.
"Just a moment, I'll get the keys." Grandma Mason bent over and walked behind the bar counter, then took out several keys and handed them to the group.
"Thank you." Dusk took the tea and was about to head upstairs when he heard a familiar voice from outside.
"You guys just got back too?" Ruen entered the inn with a group of his men.
Judging by the flush on his face, it was clear they had a good haul this time.
Emily couldn't help but complain, "Don't mention it. There were way too many people taking the White Star Academy's new student exam this time. We waited there all afternoon and almost missed it."
Ruen scratched his thinning hair and said, "On our way back, we passed by Redleaf Academy. There were tons of people there too. I don't remember it being this crowded a few years ago."
Redleaf Academy, just like White Star Academy, was one of the capital city's famous schools.
Grandma Mason came over carrying tea. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "This year the Fallen Dragon Gorge opened. If you miss it, you have to wait five years for the next chance. Lots of young people want to try their luck, so it's normal to see such crowds."
Dusk reached out to take the tea and took a small sip. He hadn't expected it to have anything to do with Fallen Dragon Gorge.
But on second thought, it made sense. Fallen Dragon Gorge was a top-tier secret realm. No one wanted to miss a once-every-five-years opportunity like this.
It seemed that if he wanted to get into Fallen Dragon Gorge smoothly, he still had some work to do.
This gave Dusk a rising sense of urgency.
After all, the entrance exam was in three days, and he hadn't even gathered the materials needed for Class Change yet.
Thinking this over, Dusk looked at Ruen and asked, "Mr. Ruen, do you know if there's a black market nearby?"
Emily asked curiously, "Why are you looking for a black market?"
Dusk didn't answer. He certainly couldn't say he was looking for Class Change materials.
As a merchant who had traveled extensively for years, Ruen naturally knew more than ordinary people.
He raised a hand and pointed toward the city gate. "Not far north of the city gate, there's an alley used exclusively for underground trading. It's called the Dark Alley.
"You could say it's the biggest black market in the entire Clinton Empire. If you want to buy something, you can check there. You might find unexpected treasures.
"But be careful — it's also the most chaotic place in all of Clinton. A lot of ruthless scoundrels like to lurk in the corners of the Dark Alley, looking for prey."
"Dark Alley..." Dusk nodded. "Thanks. You guys eat first, I'll be out for a bit."
Without further explanation, he turned and left the inn.
Nara and Quinn quickly followed him.
"Where are they going? Aren't they going to eat?" Grandma Mason, who had just brought the food, looked after the three with some confusion.
"Don't worry about them, they have things to take care of. Let's eat first." Ruen took the dishes from Grandma Mason's hands, pulled out a chair, and began inviting Emily and his men to eat.
The reason he had survived all these years and even managed to accumulate a decent fortune wasn't mainly because he was a particularly clever businessman.
But what really kept him alive all these years was his strong sense of self-awareness—knowing when not to get involved in things he shouldn't be prying into.
On the other side, after leaving the alley, the three of them originally planned to call a carriage.
But when the coachman heard they wanted to go to the Dark Alley, he absolutely refused.
Even when Dusk offered double the price, no one was willing to take them there.
With no other choice, Dusk had to buy a carriage himself.
He let Quito drive them to the place Ruen had mentioned.
Fortunately, the spot wasn't far from the city gate.
So it didn't take long before Dusk, Nara, and Quito found this underground black market inside Clinton's imperial capital.
Calling it a black market was a bit of an exaggeration—it was basically just an alley resembling a commercial street.
The main difference was that the location was very hidden, and Dusk had to ask around for a long time before he even found out how to get inside.
Vehicles were strictly forbidden in the Dark Alley.
Once they got off the carriage, the first thing Dusk noticed was the air, which was filled with a faint smell resembling the stench of corpses.
Though it wasn't strong, the odor lingered persistently at the tip of his nose.
Looking around, Dusk saw the Dark Alley was not large—actually, it was quite small, only about the length of one street.
But the shops and the crowds beside it were extremely dense and layered on top of each other.
Even the second and third floors had neon signs hanging outside.
Figures cloaked in hoods or wearing masks walked among the crowd, making Dusk almost feel like he wasn't in a fantasy world, but in a cyberpunk city.
Luckily, before coming, the three had prepared by putting on black cloaks to avoid standing out too much.
After entering the Dark Alley, the three didn't attract much attention and blended into the crowd just like ordinary pedestrians.
The materials Dusk needed to find were quite rare, so buying them wouldn't be easy.
Mainly, he couldn't reveal his identity or leave too many clues.
Otherwise, if someone with ill intent investigated him, it might lead back to the Cult of the End behind him.
Once inside the alley, the first place they headed for was the biggest shop selling extraordinary materials.
Inside the store, it was clear that the merchandise was very different from the shops outside.
The biggest difference was that every item was covered with a layer of black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.
At that moment, a man with a handlebar mustache wearing a suit approached and smiled as he said,
"Gentlemen, I'm Udyr, the owner here. I have a great reputation on this street.
"No matter how rare or strange the item, if you want it, I can get it for you."
Dusk had heard this kind of sales pitch countless times in his previous life and didn't take it seriously at all.
After a moment's thought, he said,
"I wonder if you have Heartless Herb, Witherbone Bloom, Hundred Ghost Stone..."
As he listed each item, Udyr's expression gradually turned strange.
He hesitated for a moment, then reminded them, "Sir, these materials, although not high-level, are extremely rare, and their prices are not cheap. I think you understand that."
"So, you really have them here?" This actually surprised Dusk a little. He had thought it would take quite some effort to find these, but didn't expect to find them so easily.
"Wait a moment." Udyr said, then turned and walked back into the store.
Before long, he came out holding several boxes. Dusk opened them one by one. What appeared before his eyes were exactly the materials he needed for his Class Change "Harbinger of the End" — Heartless Herb, Hundred Ghost Stone, and others.
Udyr smiled and said, "Except for the Witherbone Bloom, we basically have everything you need here.
"Of course, if you can wait a while, I can also find a way to get you that one, but as for the price..."
Hearing he'd have to wait, Dusk immediately shook his head.
The White Star Academy entrance exam was just three days away. Where did he have the time to wait?
"I'll take all of these." He pulled out several bags of Gold Coins from his storage ring and tossed them to Udyr, then added, "Do you know where I can find the Witherbone Bloom?"
After the deal was done, Udyr was in a very good mood. Hearing Dusk's question, he thought for a moment and said, "The Alaya shop up ahead should have it. If she doesn't, you might want to check with the Black Crow Trading Company."
The Black Crow Trading Company was the shop run by Wester, the actual ruler of the Dark Alley.
If even he didn't have the materials Dusk wanted, then this trip would be a wasted effort.
"Thanks." Dusk thanked him and didn't waste any more time there. He and Nara headed straight to the Alaya shop to check the situation.
"Please wait a moment, sir." Just as they were leaving, Udyr suddenly called out to the three of them.
Dusk looked back curiously, seeing Udyr pull a business card from his jacket pocket and hand it over.
Udyr smiled and said, "The things you need are quite rare. I imagine we'll have opportunities to cooperate in the future. Next time you come, I'll give you a 2% discount. Hope we have a pleasant partnership."
The promotion materials for The End were indeed quite strange.
If Dusk could make a long-term supplier friend, it would save him a lot of trouble.
So he accepted the card and said, "If I need anything, I'll come back."
Udyr smiled and nodded, watching them leave.
A shop assistant nearby asked curiously, "Master Udyr, does this guy have a big background?"
Normally, the owner rarely gave out his business card unless the person was someone important.
Udyr shook his head and said, "I don't know for sure, but the two people behind him are no ordinary men. I guess this young man can't be ordinary either."
For people whose backgrounds he couldn't figure out, Udyr always tended to show a bit more goodwill.
Being friendly brings wealth, after all, it couldn't hurt.