Beast Taming Star Journey

As the tent flap was lifted, a strong smell of spices mixed with the stench of sweat wafted out. The promethean merchant was sitting cross-legged among a pile of messy sheepskin scrolls, holding a magnifying glass and carefully examining something.

He seemed more haggard than the last time we met, with sunken eyes, an unshaven beard, and an overall air of dejection.

“I need more intelligence,” I said bluntly.

The promethium merchant looked up, a hint of wariness flashing in his cloudy eyes. "About what?"

“The dark forces,” I said in a deep voice, “their recent movements.”

The promethium merchant put down his magnifying glass and rubbed his grimy hands. "Information about dark forces is very expensive. Can you afford it?"

I frowned. Last time, I had already paid a heavy price to obtain information about the gathering of dark forces. This time, I was completely broke.

But in order to thwart the dark forces' plot, I must obtain more intelligence.

“This time, they’re unusually quiet,” I said in a low voice. “I’m worried they’re brewing a bigger conspiracy.”

The promethium merchant sneered, "Are you questioning the accuracy of my information?"

“No,” I quickly explained, “I just feel something is amiss. The intelligence last time was very timely and helped us achieve victory. But this time, they’ve been completely silent after their defeat, which is very unusual.”

The promethium merchant remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. I knew he was a profit-driven man; he would never speak up easily without sufficient benefit.

I started to feel anxious. What should I do if he refused to provide information?

Su Yao was still waiting for me outside. The conspiracy of the dark forces was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, ready to fall at any moment.

"What do you want?" I tried to keep my tone calm.

The promethium merchant narrowed his eyes, sizing me up. "Kid, you're not as generous as you were last time. Why should I believe you can afford the intelligence fees?"

His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head, leaving me feeling utterly powerless. Indeed, I was penniless; what could I possibly offer in exchange for precious intelligence?

My hand involuntarily reached for the storage pouch at my waist, but it was empty, containing only a few pieces of silver, not even enough to buy a full meal.

The atmosphere inside the tent became heavy. The promethium merchant's gaze was like that of a venomous snake, fixed on me, making me feel suffocated.

My heart started racing, and my palms began to sweat. I felt like a naked prisoner standing on the judge's bench, awaiting the final verdict.

I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm.

“I…” I took out a black stone from my storage bag. This was… a trophy I had seized from the last battle with the forces of darkness.

It is completely black, with a strange luster flowing across its surface. It feels cool to the touch and faintly emits a powerful energy fluctuation.

At the time, I didn't know its specific purpose; I only felt it was extraordinary, so I kept it. Now, it is my only hope.

"What is this?" The promethium merchant's eyes lit up, his greedy gaze fixed on the black stone in my hand.

“A strange stone,” I said, trying to sound calm. “I don’t know its specific function, but I feel that it contains powerful energy.”

The promethium merchant stretched out his filthy hand, eager to take the stone. I hesitated for a moment, then handed it to him anyway.

He carefully took the stone, examined it closely in his hand, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"A treasure! A treasure!" he exclaimed excitedly. "This is rare obsidian, containing powerful dark energy; it's priceless!"

I was overjoyed; it seemed this stone was even more precious than I had imagined.

"So?" I asked tentatively, "Can this stone be exchanged for the information you have?"

The promethium merchant pondered for a moment, seemingly assessing the value of the stone. My heart leaped into my throat, fearing he would refuse.

“Okay,” he finally said, “I can tell you some of the information, but only some.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded in agreement. Some information was better than none; at least it would let me know the recent movements of the dark forces.

Just then, Su Yao's voice came from outside the tent: "Yu, how is it?"

I lifted the curtain, and Su Yao was standing outside, looking at me with a worried expression.

Seeing the obsidian in my hand, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She then gave me a flirtatious wink and said coquettishly, "Yu, you're so smart."

She leaned gently against me, and I could feel her softness and faint fragrance. I smiled slightly, took her hand, and gave her a reassuring look.

The promethean merchant handed me a parchment scroll, which detailed the new location of the dark forces' operations—the Misty Swamp. The Misty Swamp, located in the southwest of the empire, was a swampy land filled with miasma and danger.

It is said that all sorts of poisonous insects and ferocious beasts live there, and even legendary monsters appear.

The fact that the dark forces chose that place as their new stronghold is clearly an attempt to avoid our notice and secretly accumulate power.

My heart sank. The Misty Swamp was a complex environment, easy to defend but difficult to attack. If the dark forces had indeed established a new stronghold there, we would probably have to pay a huge price to eliminate them.

“This…” I looked at the parchment scroll in my hand, my heart filled with doubt. “Would they really be there? Or could it be a trap?”

I relayed the intelligence I had gathered to the other members of the Justice League. However, opinions differed on how to respond to the new situation… Some believed we should immediately send troops to nip the dark forces in the bud; others worried that it might be a trap set by the dark forces, and that a hasty attack might lead to an ambush… The elder slowly spoke: “This matter…”