The Little Crown

The dog-headed stall owner’s face turned deathly pale, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. He prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling: "R-Rat King, my lord, I was just... I was only..."

"Only what?" The Rat King walked slowly to the stall, his cane gently lifting the chin of a servant. "I happened to hear that someone was trying to sell an 800 game coin servant for 1600?"

The Rat King’s presence was incredibly imposing, but his height was truly a drawback.

Cheng Shuili stood behind him watching. Although it was unkind to focus on it now, the Rat King was indeed standing on his tiptoes.

If one ignored his status and age, the posture was actually quite cute.

Cheng Shuili was the only one daring enough to think the Rat King was cute. The entire black market was shocked into silence by this display, and all the stall owners kept their heads lowered, not daring to make a sound.

The Rat King suddenly turned around, his cane tracing a graceful arc in the air before pointing directly at Cheng Shuili.

Cheng Shuili paused, nearly drawing the long blade from the Abyss Ring.

The Rat King’s voice interrupted her movement: "This beautiful young lady is my honored guest."

This sentence struck like a thunderclap; the beastmen present all gasped in shock.

The old fox tucked his tail in tight, terrified that Cheng Shuili might settle scores with him at this moment. The old dog realized that things had gone horribly wrong; his body went limp on the ground, and he kept muttering, "Spare me."

"Now," the Rat King turned elegantly to look at the old wolf, "this young lady wants to buy your servants at 70% of the market price. Do you have any objections?"

The old wolf was so excited he kept kowtowing: "N-no! The Rat King is wise!"

The Rat King nodded with satisfaction and looked at the dog-headed stall owner: "As for you..."

"Rat King, have mercy!" The dog-headed stall owner wept bitterly. "I am willing to offer fifty servants to this young lady for free as an apology!"

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow, not expecting things to develop this way.

Just as she was about to speak, the Rat King beat her to it: "Is fifty enough? I think... make it fifty."

The dog-headed stall owner’s face turned green, but he could only nod repeatedly: "Y-yes! Fifty!"

Fifty?

Cheng Shuili blinked. With this, she shouldn't be short of servants for her farm, right?

The Rat King finally turned to Cheng Shuili and bowed slightly: "Beautiful young lady, are you satisfied with this arrangement?"

Cheng Shuili suppressed her laughter and nodded with feigned reserve: "Thank you, Rat King, for upholding justice."

"You are most welcome." The Rat King straightened up and tapped his cane on the ground. "The rules of our black market have always been strict. Business is business; if you want to do it, do it, if you don't, then don't..."

As he said this, he glanced back at the old dog, his voice cold: "Black market stalls are in high demand; there are plenty of people fighting for them, yet some people are actively driving business away."

The old dog’s body gave a jolt. Terrified, he lowered his body even further, swallowing his dissatisfaction, not daring to lift his head.

If he lost his stall, his future... would be completely dark.

Cheng Shuili realized that the Rat King was using this incident to discipline the stall owners.

The Rat King had achieved his goal, and Cheng Shuili had gained 50 servants for nothing; this was an absolute win-win!

She stood to the side, nodding gently while listening to the Rat King.

The other humans watched intently. They were initially stunned that a player could have such a good relationship with the Rat King, but seeing this scene, they couldn't help but sigh that Cheng Shuili was truly daring.

The Rat King’s frame was small, but his voice was exceptionally deep, and the aura emanating from him was terrifying, just like the majesty of a high-level cultivator. Even standing far away, they felt their hearts tremble, yet she was standing right beside him and still had the nerve to nod...

A middle-aged man tried hard to get a clear look at Cheng Shuili’s face. Realizing she was only in her early twenties, he couldn't help but sigh internally that she truly had the spirit of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.

If someone said that directly to Cheng Shuili, she would certainly blink in confusion.

What stuff?

What aura? What majesty?

She didn't feel anything?

She didn't know that this was precisely why the Rat King found her unique.

The Rat King spun his cane elegantly and suddenly looked up at Cheng Shuili, revealing a cunning smile that contrasted sharply with his majestic image: "Beautiful young lady, I wanted to say last time, I wonder if I have the honor..."

He drew out the tone, and his claw suddenly snapped with a "pop".

Two mouse-race beastman guards immediately ran over carrying a rolled-up red carpet, unfurling it with a "whoosh" in full view of everyone.

The Rat King stepped onto the carpet with his toes, performed an elegant stage bow, and only after the ritual was complete did he finish his sentence: "To invite you to become my pen pal?"

The entire black market went so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

The old fox froze completely, and the dog-headed stall owner’s mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.

Even the usually composed guide couldn't help but carefully lift his head, take a look at Cheng Shuili, and immediately lower it again.

What kind of sacred entity is this human?

He could sense that this human was extraordinary, but...

But it was impossible to gain the Rat King’s favor just because of this "non-ordinary" quality, right?

To be a pen pal, what an honor that was...

The guide silently lowered his head even further, yet suddenly developed an idea he had never had before.

Weren't they recruiting servants?

He... he could do it too, right?

As the Rat King’s voice fell, the mouse-race beastman standing nearby immediately pulled a quill and a roll of parchment from behind his back as if by magic, bowing and handing them to Cheng Shuili with both hands.

Cheng Shuili was still dazed when the Rat King pulled a wax seal stamp from his dress pocket like a magic trick, his eyes sparkling as he added: "If you need any help, or if you encounter any interesting things, you can share them with me, my dear friend."

He suddenly lowered his voice, his words implying something: "If you encounter any beastmen who don't know their place... just report my name."

When he said the last few words, the Rat King suddenly turned his head to bare his sharp white teeth at the dog-headed stall owner, scaring the man so much he rolled his eyes and fainted.

Turning back to face Cheng Shuili, he returned to his smiling appearance: "Of course, the most important thing is..."

He produced a small crown covered in jewels from nowhere, "Could you accept this proof of friendship?"

That little crown sparkled in the dim black market, clearly worth a fortune.

The observing beastmen emitted gasps of shock, clearly because the item was priceless.

Cheng Shuili noticed that when the Rat King said this, his tail tip was nervously drawing circles behind him.

This king who ruled the black market was currently like an elementary school student waiting for a reply to a birthday party invitation, even his whiskers were trembling slightly.

She bowed down, giving the Rat King plenty of face, and accepted the little crown with both hands.

"Of course, this is my honor, my dear Rat King."