Chapter 6: The (Extremly Obvious) Black Market.

"These truly are all copper coins…. I will not intrude as to how you managed to gain so many, but they are all authentic. Well Mr. Brown, congratulations on your transaction." In front of him, an oblivious old man nodded, his expression completely solid and neutral as he adjusted his golden spectacle. With an elegant grey mustache and a mop of greying black hair, he waved his hand and a maidservant bowed down, bringing forth a neat pile of glinting silver coins.

"Thank you for your services." Lin Ke got up, nodding slightly as he pocketed the coins and walked off. A giddy smile painted his face as he lurked away quietly.

For good reason, the employees of the bank seemed quite restless and hurried, most likely due to the mayor being an agent of evil. This acted in Lin Ke's favor, allowing for him to slink away with more easily, but he'd still have to sell the whole thing off.

From that exchange, he had received a total of seven silver coins which was nice, and all of them were real. He'd basically gotten them at the expense of about ten copper coins, so the deal was quite nice. No one really expected coins to be fake, anyway. The currency of God's Domain was unique in the way that they were practically unforgeable. The appraiser was just a precaution.

The Bristling-Autumn Bank was a good bank, for sure. It was hospitable and welcoming, but it lacked in…. Security. In the story, Lin Ke could vaguely remember things like "identification crystals" and other security measures, but it seemed that this place hadn't really experienced many issues with that, so he could get away with quite a bit.

Walking down the cobbled Mainstreet, Lin Ke whistled a small tune, enjoying the whole medieval feel of the place. Passing through a thin crowd, he made it to the front gates of the Red-Leaf Town. A low but sturdy wall surrounded the whole premises, made of solid stone. At the front gates, two tall towers rose into the sky, a few stories tall. Atop those towers, a few guards stood at the ready, holding bows and crossbows. And of course, there were those trees, growing from the sides of the walls, their bright red leaves rustling.

Lin Ke was quite thankful that the town names were actually reasonable. It was a nice addition. He' d known many places in real life that had dramatic names, but never delivered on their promises.

Strolling forth, with his head held high and in clear view, he snapped his fingers as he walked through the gate, and onto a small dirt road, off into the wilderness.

Instantly, the smell of the forest hit him hard, despite the fact that he wasn't even there yet. That fresh rejuvenating scent of grass and pine, berries and charcoal, truly was pleasing. Unlike Red-Leaf Town, the forest sadly lacked red leaves, and mostly resembled a "normal" forest. A normal forest by this world standard at least.

Though, later on in a different area, the true namesake of Red-Leaf Town stood. What was this place? The Red-Leaf Forest. A level five monster area.

Standing before the giant wood of trees, Lin Ke whistled. He watched as a few players charged in, and screams of victory echoed throughout. It was truly quite lively…

Entering, he embarked on the dirt path, boots crunching against the ground. Verdant green trees grew around him and wild birds played about, darting through the branches and leaves, chirping their subtle tune.

"Brother Xie! We're holding them back! Come on! Aggro!"

"Right away! Aargh!!!!"

Being the classic fantasy RPG this was, there were of course, parties of people hacking away at monsters. He passed by many similar scenes as he went. It was quite amusing and awe-inspiring to say the least. These were "actual" monsters, fighting against actual people. He watched as a mage threw a burning fireball, its orange frame flickering and smoking as it made contact with a large rabid wolf.

He too wanted to level up, but that wasn't what he came here for. Actually, he'd already achieved that goal…. To go completely undercover. Samuel Brown had left the Red-Leaf Town. That was the message he wanted to convey. All the guards had seen him walk out, so later, when the [Counterfeit] replicas wore off and disappeared, they would hopefully think that he'd dipped town.

Hiding behind a tree, Lin Ke blinked, before activating his ability once more.

[No-Clip]

Once again, that fluid, cold sensation took over as he literally dropped through the ground, "swimming" his way back into the town. Above, he watched as the guards went about their daily duties, and the townspeople chattered and sold their goods. Popping up behind a large ox-cart, Lin Ke made his way onto a side street, before waving open the virtual menu once more.

"Brother Feng…. Want to meet up? I sorta have something to show you." Lin Ke spoke casually as he blended his way into the crowd.

"Oh? Yes, of course. I have something to show you too." Shi Feng said calmly, though some excitement could be found in his voice.

They found a palace to meet, before Lin Ke hung up, a smirk across his face. 'How will the guy react when I tell him that I have a few silver coins after playing this game for about an hour and a half…..' He thought, before cackling. Lin Ke lived for priceless reactions…

Few Minutes Later…

Shi Feng stared at his friend Lin Ke, who had an evil smirk on his face. It seemed that his friend had once again… Done something. That telltale expression told it all. Now, what had he pulled off in the first few hours of the game?

"You see, there was a nice bank. Bristling Autumn Bank it was called…. I scammed them." Without a second thought, Lin Ke procured a pouch, sliding it over to Shi Feng. He was sure that his friend wouldn't steal it. The guy wasn't that greedy.

Looking inside, Shi Feng stared for a second, his mind blank. It was a little hard for his reincarnator brain to process things. Yes, he'd just received a Mysterios-Iron Item from a Unique Quest but…. Silver coins? Seven of them? In about three hours? Did this make sense?

Calming down, Shi Feng looked up, his brown eyes conflicted. He shook his head about, trying to shrug off that feeling of wonder. Lin Ke was someone truly out of everyone else's league. The man was an anomaly for everything he did. Trying to keep a straight expression, he cleared his throat:

"Brother Ke. How the…. How did you manage?"

"Oh. Using my silvery tongue, and my sleight of hand, I managed to trick the appraiser into thinning I actually had about seven hundred copper coins, when I only had…. Five was it?" Lin Ke smirked, before continuing on:

"They won't know where I went. For all they know, a good kind sir Samuel Brown is off to Falling-Moon Town by now."

The reincarnated teen was completely speechless. His friend didn't make sense. As an astonished expression started to crack over his face, he gritted his teeth. Lin Ke chuckled at him a bit, taking back the silver-filled pouch without much concern.

Shaking it off, his heart skipping a beat, Shi Feng cleared his throat, status screen flickering up. "Anyway, Brother Ke, join my party."

"Yes sir...." Yawning, Lin Ke accepted the invitation, and a few sparks flickered through the air.

"I have something to do first, but then, we'll get going." Shi Feng spoke, and the two stood up slowly, off to go who knew what.

They disappeared into the maze of buildings, with Shi Feng expertly weaving his way through until they entered the Trade Area of the Town. It was a bustling place, with sturdy wooden buildings at each side, tiled in red brick roofs, along with many maple trees, their red leaves swaying back and forth.

Countless stalls crammed the area, with people shouting and screaming for their goods, attempting to get people to buy things. Lin Ke sighed a little, remembering those times when he ate mango-shaved ice in old street markets….

"Buying herbs at a high price, contact me directly if you have any!"

"Buying ores; rip-offs can stay away!"

"Sincerely buying high-ranking equipment! Price is negotiable. Willing to pay with Credits!"

A few players were strewn about the merchants, attempting to buy anything to gain a greater advantage in the early game.

Shi Feng led him through the area, and they soon found themselves before a large towering building. It was made from wood and stone, with a curving pyramid-esque roof, made from brick tiles. The building truly seemed like any other in the premises of Red-Leaf Town.

But something made this place… Different. For one thing, a giant sign at the front said: "Black Market". Two, the extremely intimidating guards of the place were gnomes.

Small and stout, they were evil-looking, with beady, narrowed eyes and small cone-shaped straw hats atop their heads. All of them possessed grey beards and grumpy expressions on their faces, glaring at anyone who dared make eye contact with them. Long antique muskets sat in their hands and they wore red cloaks over chainmail vests.