Chapter 100: Ring Merchants

Chapter 100: The Ring Merchants

The Ring Merchants?

Chen Jian remembered that name.

When he had previously tried to uncover the truth about the mimetic heresy, Zeng Yi had mentioned this organization.

According to him, the Ring Merchants were the world's strongest information dealers and also its most sinister war profiteers.

Yet at the same time, they had once been an immensely powerful mercantile guild, amassing great resources and wealth by selling 'ancient technology'.

In short, they were a complex and mysterious organization.

Zeng Yi had also warned that if one were to deal with them, one must maintain a considerable degree of caution.

So, when Zeng Yi spoke their name, Chen Jian almost reflexively raised his gun.

Everyone around him did the same.

The man opposite seemed startled by their movements, his face showing a panic utterly at odds with his weathered visage.

"Relax! Relax!"

"Gentlemen! I'm just a merchant; there's no need to treat me like this, is there?"

The man spoke hurriedly while spreading his hands to show he posed no threat.

Chen Jian shook his head slightly, gesturing for him to stand in the corner, then asked Huang Yu:

"How did he get up here?"

"Following your orders, he stripped naked and swam up."

Huang Yu hurriedly replied.

Chen Jian relaxed a fraction and then issued the command:

"State your identity!"

His barrel remained lowered, yet the opponent keenly noticed the easing of hostility.

Thus, the man drew a deep breath and spoke slowly:

"I am a merchant of the Ring Guild; my name is Qin Yuan."

"I came here to do business—of course, I know you'll ask why I would come to Huangshi City at a time like this."

"My answer is simple."

"We've always operated in perilous places, and our trade is hardly safe."

"You know we are information dealers, and even war profiteers."

"So my presence here is actually quite reasonable, wouldn't you agree?"

His words fell, and Chen Jian nodded slowly.

"Reasonable."

"What do you want?"

"I want information."

Qin Yuan answered immediately:

"I want information about you—whatever you deem shareable, to be used in exchange for supplies."

"You know you just defeated the allied forces of the Holy Blood Sanctum and the Machine God Sect, displaying considerable strength in battle."

"A force of thousands vanished in an instant."

"Now this news has spread far and wide; even in the imperial capital where the Holy Blood Sanctum resides, tales of you circulate—or rather, horror stories."

"Undoubtedly many are curious about you, and what I wish to do is obtain that information from you and sell it to those who need it."

"This is not a demand, merely a proposal."

"If you deem this request unreasonable, I can leave at once, as if I had never come."

"I will forget everything I have seen—guaranteed by the reputation of the Ring Guild."

"What is your reputation worth?"

Chen Jian retorted sarcastically, but the man replied with a solemn expression:

"It's worth a great deal."

"If you don't believe me, ask that well‑traveled Holy Blood adherent beside you."

Having finished his words, Qin Yuan, Zeng Yi nodded at Chen Jian and then spoke softly:

"They live by their reputation; they are unlikely to break their word."

"Understood."

Chen Jian gave a brief reply and then continued questioning Qin Yuan:

"What can you bring me?"

"Gold."

Qin Yuan answered:

"This is the simplest trade; if you need gold, we can supply you with gold."

"At the same time, we can provide you with channels to trade that gold, allowing you to exchange those exquisite metals for many things."

"Food, weapons, tools—you name it, we have it."

"Of course, if you prefer not to complicate the trade, you can simply name your price."

"We will assess how much grain and how many weapons you desire and give you a satisfactory answer."

"Quite reasonable."

Chen Jian finally lowered the barrel of his 191, though he did not stow the weapon rack on his exoskeleton.

He locked eyes with Qin Yuan opposite him and continued:

"What if we don't want any of these things?"

"We guessed you wouldn't be interested in those, so we've prepared something better."

A flicker of a smile crossed Qin Yuan's face, and he then said:

"Knowledge, technology, and even those ancient pieces of equipment—indeed, we still have plenty of such items."

"It's just that we haven't brought them out for trade in a very long time."

"So why now?"

Chen Jian remained wary; to him, anyone who shows up untested is treated as an enemy.

Qin Yuan shrugged and replied:

"It's simple—because of your potential."

"The Ring Guild has had enough of the Machine God Sect's charlatans and the Holy Blood Sanctum's deviants."

They could perhaps make this world better, but they are far too slow.

Even a single tier‑three monster requires them to expend considerable time and manpower to clear.

And you, it is said, need only a few minutes.

Such a rising new star—why would we not cherish it?

.A very persuasive reason, yet illogical.

Chen Jian smirked coldly and retorted:

"You are merely merchants; do you truly care whether this world fares well or ill?"

We do not.

Qin Yuan shook his head indifferently, then said:

"But if the world could become better, we too could live more comfortably—a simple example: you cleared the monsters from the Han Shui ruins, giving us a chance to explore them."

Sorry, that example isn’t very good, for I’ve heard you’ve already declared the Han Shui ruins a forbidden zone.

But in truth, for Chuan Sha the same principle applies, right?

Exactly.

Chen Jian offered no rebuttal.

He continued to watch Qin Yuan’s every move, not relaxing his vigilance in the slightest.

Yet at the same time he finally steered the conversation onto the proper track.

"In a trade, we need to hold the initiative."

"What I mean is we must first see your chips before we can decide how to trade."

"So I suggest you go back and bring your chips."

"You came up here naked; you won’t tell me your chips are hidden in your head, will you?"

"Not at all."

Qin Yuan laughed heartily and replied:

"We have indeed hidden our chips somewhere, and we fully intend to retrieve them first."

"That is a perfectly reasonable request."

"But before that, I have also brought something."

As he spoke, Qin Yuan pointed to the table in the room.

At that moment Chen Jian noticed an apple‑sized spherical device on the table. "It is a lock—inside lies an important message meant for you, from the leader of the Round‑Ring Mercantile Guild."

"But you cannot open it yet."

"It is fitted with a timer that has already been started."

"Only when the timer runs out can you open it."

"Otherwise, the explosives concealed within will blast that message to smithereens."

Chen Jian reached out, picked up the device, gave it a gentle shake, and asked:

"In other words, only after you leave can I open it?"

"Exactly, that’s right."

Qin Yuan nodded, then said:

"But don’t worry, there isn’t much explosive—at most it will destroy the message, harming no one."

"What is the message? Why do this?"

Chen Jian pressed on.

"I don’t know the content; it is the leader’s arrangement."

"He told me it will make our cooperation run more smoothly."

"But that message is extraordinary; even I am not permitted to know it."

"So he chose this method to guarantee the message reaches only your hands—a security measure."

"Preposterous."

Chen Jian gave a derisive smile and then asked:

"What if you hid the goods, pretended you’d delivered them, or gave them to someone else?"

"The information would still leak; this is entirely a ruse."

Hearing Chen Jian’s words, Qin Yuan replied without hesitation:

"Quite simple: I must return before the countdown ends and may not go out again— the ensuing trade will be handled by my other companions."

"As for how to guarantee I won’t flee, that’s another matter; I need not explain it too clearly."

"Understood."

Chen Jian gave a slight nod and handed the device to Lei Jie.

Lei Jie placed the device to his ear, listened for a few seconds, observed carefully, then shook his head at Chen Jian.

"Most likely it’s an electrically triggered detonator with a mechanical timer controlling the positive electrode’s opening and closing, while the fixed distance between the two hemispheres governs the negative electrode."

"The design is quite ingenious; forcing it open will indeed cause an explosion."

"Understood. Then let’s leave it be for now."

Upon hearing that, Qin Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.

He bowed slightly, speaking in a relaxed tone:

"Thank you."

"The device’s countdown still has six hours left; my companions will arrive thereafter bearing our sincerity."

"By then you too should know what the leader’s message to you actually is."

Having said that, he rose to leave.

But just then, Chen Jian raised his gun barrel once more.

Qin Yuan froze in place, while Chen Jian spoke calmly:

"I said, you are to stay."

In the short term, Chen Jian and his companions could not possibly open that timed device.

Precisely for that reason, he could all the less allow the messenger to depart.

Although we do not know what purpose the other side has in being so mysterious, Chen Jian could be certain that this design is not merely for secrecy; more likely it was devised to buy time for the Round‑Ring merchants.

And if it is indeed to gain time, then the messenger must not be allowed to go.

In warfare, do we not spare the envoy?

Oh, come off it.

The messenger is not just a messenger; they can also be a spy.

Even if we don't kill them, locking them up first is perfectly fine.

In the temporary command room of the event hall, Lei Jie studied the timing device while speaking:

"The design of this device is quite precise; I suspect it uses some kind of limiting mechanism as the detonation trigger."

"In theory, we could simply use a cutter to slice along the casing, examine the interior, then decide how to dismantle it."

"But doing so carries risk; if it truly explodes, the information inside will be reduced to ashes."

"Therefore, if we want to obtain the information, the best course is to wait."

"But from another angle, do we really need this information that badly?"

"That’s also my question."

Chen Jian nodded slowly, then said:

"They want to cooperate with us, yet they use this to try to manipulate us—what are they thinking?"

"Are they mentally off, or just showing off their tech?"

"Perhaps both."

Zeng Yi beside him shook his head, clicking his tongue, and interjected:

"Actually, I was initially doubtful about his identity, but when he produced this, I was certain he was from the Ring Guild."

"The Ring Guild’s modus operandi has always been like this: aloof, obsessed with researching strange, largely useless technologies."

"It is said their greatest mission is to relight the Ring, yet no one knows what the Ring actually is."

"In short, it’s not surprising they’d do this—perhaps it’s also a self-preservation tactic, since each of their members is highly valuable to the guild."

"I suspect the contents likely involve some major secret, or something that could provoke us, or perhaps a highly risky 'suggestion'."

"The reason we let the messenger leave after delivering the message, aside from secrecy, is primarily to protect the messenger."

"Reasonable."

Chen Jian gave a slight nod, then told Lei Jie:

"Then let’s dismantle it."

"Even if what’s inside blows up, it’s fine—worst case, we have him go back and get another."

"If they want to cooperate with us, they’ll have to play by our rules."

"Trying to manipulate us with such petty tricks shows they’re still naïve."

"Understood."

Lei Jie hesitated not at all, turned to the newly erected workshop, fetched the cutter, started the generator, and began cutting without hesitation.

He was meticulous about his technique, even forgoing any protective gear.

Sparks flew, yet the device on the bench showed not the slightest tremor.

Lei Jie’s hands were as steady as Mount Tai; after a few minutes he had completed a half‑ring cut of the device, leaving only a small piece to ensure stability.

At this point, the interior structure could be roughly seen through the cut gap.

The operation became considerably easier; Lei Jie drew a breath and exclaimed in wonder:

"It feels like dismantling a precision clock from the Renaissance."

"The hinged limiting disc—its design is quite ingenious."

"But that’s all there is to it."

"Find me a bucket of edible oil—I want to open this thing and insulate it as best as possible."

"Xie Liu, go."

Chen Jian gave a simple order; moments later, Lei Jie placed the device into the murky grease and carefully severed each connection on the limiter.

"It’s open!"

Lei Jie let out a long sigh, extracting the paper wrapped around the electrically triggered detonator.

When Chen Jian took the paper and unfolded it, the four‑member team fell silent at once.

On it were only a few characters.

"You detonated a nuclear bomb."

(End of chapter)