“If you don’t want to implicate your families, I advise you to end your own lives. Perhaps…” the old man with white hair began to speak again.
Before he could finish, Billy struck once more.
Since it was a fight to the death, there was no need for mercy. Killing one meant one less enemy.
The old man with white hair frowned but showed no intention of retreating. He formed a complex seal with his hands and faced Billy.
The outcome was obvious. With Billy’s full strength, the old man was no match. The blade’s light cut through him effortlessly.
As his soul tried to escape, Dark Puppet chased it down and absorbed it before it could even scream.
After Stout collected the storage rings from the fallen, the two continued forward.
Soon, they arrived at a waterfall. About ten thousand feet away from it was a small village with around forty to fifty wooden buildings of various designs.
At the village entrance, they saw a bustling main street filled with pedestrians and crowded shops on both sides.
Judging by their attire and demeanor, most of the people seemed to be outsiders who had come to the Realm of the Void, likely in response to an invitation.
“Could this village also be an illusion array?” Stout scanned the surroundings. “Boss, can you sense any formation lines?”
“I can sense formation line fluctuations, but the village seems real. Let’s go in and take a look,” Billy replied.
“Boss, how can you be sure the village is real?” Stout asked.
“The pedestrians on the road are mostly at the Extinguishing God Realm, with some even at the late stage of Extinguishing God Realm and a few at the Entering Empyrean Realm,” Billy explained.
“With their strength, they would have detected an illusion array long ago.”
“Got it!” Stout nodded and pointed to a three-story teahouse nearby. “Boss, there’s a teahouse over there. Shall we go in and gather some information?”
“Alright,” Billy agreed and led Stout towards the teahouse.
As they approached the teahouse entrance, a loud thud echoed.
A burly man was thrown out of the teahouse, landing heavily on the ground and rolling several times before coming to a stop.
“This teahouse does not serve rude guests. Find another place,” a woman’s voice called out from inside.
“You bitch! So what if I touched you? How dare you attack me? I’ll tear this place apart!” The burly man shouted as he got up.
His aura surged to its peak as he formed a seal with his hands and struck at the teahouse.
The man was at the half-step Extinguishing God Realm. Such an attack could turn even walls of bronze and iron into dust.
However, to his shock, his attack vanished upon hitting the teahouse wall, leaving it unscathed.
“Impossible!” The man was stunned. “I don’t believe it!”
He attacked again with full force.
But just like before, his attack disappeared without a trace, and the teahouse remained unaffected.
“What’s going on?” Stout looked at Billy. “Boss, is it because of an array?”
“Yes,” Billy nodded. “Most likely, all buildings in this village are reinforced with arrays; otherwise, they would have been destroyed long ago.”
The formation line fluctuations he sensed earlier clearly came from these building arrays.
“This is your final warning. Persist in your folly, and you will die,” the woman’s voice sounded again from inside the teahouse.
“You bitch! Let’s see how you’ll kill me!” The burly man shouted as he prepared to attack again.
Before he could complete his move, a chopstick shot out from the teahouse and pierced his forehead effortlessly.
The man fell to the ground, dead. His body and soul were both annihilated.
“So decisive?” Stout remarked as he looked at the man’s lifeless body.
The other pedestrians on the street seemed unfazed by the incident, as if they were used to such occurrences.
Billy and Stout entered the teahouse’s main hall.
“Welcome, gentlemen. Please come in,” a woman in plain clothes greeted them with a faint smile.
Judging by her voice, she was likely the one who had spoken earlier.
“Thank you,” Billy smiled back.
“Would you prefer a private room or a regular seat?” she asked as she led them inside.
“Is there a difference in price?” Stout inquired.
“Yes,” she smiled. “A regular seat is one Obsidian Gem per person, which is our minimum charge. A private room is ten Obsidian Gems per person.”
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Hearing the prices, Stout choked on his saliva.
After catching his breath, he asked, “Just for some tea? A regular seat costs one Obsidian Gem? You might as well rob us!”
One Obsidian Gem was equivalent to ten thousand Purple Gems. In large cities, one Obsidian Gem could buy this entire teahouse!
“You jest,” she continued smiling. “Our prices are clearly marked. There is no coercion. If you find it too expensive, you are free to leave.”
“Are all teahouses and taverns in this village priced like this?” Stout asked.
“No,” she replied with a smile. “Only our establishment has these prices.”
She paused before adding, “Other teahouses and taverns have a minimum charge of ten Obsidian Gems per person.”
Stout’s mouth twitched. “Boss, let’s leave. I have plain water in my storage ring…”
“Please take us to a private room,” Billy said as he took out ten Obsidian Gems from his storage ring and handed them to her.
“Very well. This way, please,” she smiled as she accepted the gems and led them upstairs.
Soon, they were seated near a window overlooking the street. “Please take your seats.”
“What is this?” Stout was puzzled. “This is a private room?”
“Yes,” she nodded with a smile. “These seats offer the best view of the village, hence they are called private rooms.”
“You…” Stout wanted to curse.
Why would I want a full view of this rundown village? Spending nine extra Obsidian Gems just to see some shabby houses?
“Can we ask you some questions?” Billy asked after they sat down.
“Of course,” she nodded. “But asking questions costs one Obsidian Gem each.”
“One question costs one Obsidian Gem?” Stout was ready to explode.
“Yes,” she nodded again. “You pay before asking. If I can’t answer, you can ask another question. If I can’t answer any of your questions, I’ll refund your gems.”
“This is daylight robbery…” Stout muttered.
“Are these people here for the Chaos Realm expedition?” Billy placed ten Obsidian Gems on the table.
“Yes,” she took one gem.
“Who organized this event?” Billy asked next.