Behind the door was a basement passage, dark and deep. Many faint human scents wafted out from it, which surprised Dudian. He didn't expect the underground market to be so lively. Just from these scents, he could tell that there were more than a hundred people here. Although this special potion could cover up the scents, it couldn't completely eliminate them.
"Follow me." Rat was very familiar with this place and led the way in front.
Dudian followed behind him.
Going down the dimly lit steps, the copper lamps on the wall illuminated them, and the shadows of the two of them were stretched very long.
Below the spiral steps was a corridor about four or five meters long, guarded by black-robed guards. At the end of the corridor was a large door. When Dudian and the others came to the door, the black-robed guards on both sides opened the door, and a mysterious and novel dark underground market was presented in front of the two of them.
It was a huge underground square with dim light. The lights on the surrounding walls, like dancing sprites, illuminated the place. There were various stalls and relatively large simple shops spread all over the place. All kinds of novel things were displayed and sold freely, presenting a dazzling sight.
Dudian was a bit surprised. He didn't expect the underground market to be so large. You know, only alchemists, or employees of the Dark Church like magic pharmacists could enter this underground market. And just the merchants selling things in front of him were already more than a hundred. As for the customers buying things, they were all over the square. Judging by his estimate, there were at least more than three hundred people gathered here.
This was the first time Dudian had seen so many "evil people" of the Dark Church at the same time, and he had a somewhat strange feeling in his heart. At this moment, Rat pointed in one direction and said, "They sell alchemist tables over there. Follow me."
Dudian followed behind him and looked in that direction. Although the surrounding light was dim, he could see it clearly from a distance. It was a simple shop set up on the square, slightly larger than the bookstall next to it. On the left side of the shop, there were rows of alchemist tables, and on the right side were various bottles and jars, as well as strange things. He even saw a pitch-black sharp claw, and he didn't know what it was cut off from.
"Boss!" Rat called out to the shop owner, "We're here to take a look at the alchemist tables."
The shop owner was tall and wore a dark red mask. He glanced at Rat and Dudian. Judging from their height and voices, he knew they were two children, most likely alchemist apprentices or magic pharmacist apprentices. He was too lazy to say much and said, "Look for yourselves. Pay if you pick one."
Rat was obviously used to this. He pointed at an alchemist table made of birch wood and stone and said, "Hound, what do you think of this one?"
Dudian took a look and said, "Are the prices of these all different?"
"Of course." Rat was very experienced and said, "This one is the cheapest, only two silver coins. It's enough for us beginner apprentices. Of course, if you're rich, you can also buy a more high-end one. For example, this one costs four silver coins. It has a storage tank, which is more convenient, and it's much optimized in both water diversion and fire ignition aspects. And this one costs seven silver coins..."
He pointed at them one by one in a row, and his finger landed on the topmost alchemist table and said, "That one is really amazing. It costs two gold coins. It has an automatic fire starter, and it can automatically clean the pot ash. Moreover, it has two refining pools, which are essential when doing some complex experiments."
Dudian took a look. It seemed to be cast from brass, and its material and appearance were more imposing and stable than the previous ones. However, two gold coins were out of the question. He only had a little more than one gold coin on him now, and he couldn't spend it all.
"Just this one." Dudian pointed at the one that cost two silver coins.
The shop owner glanced at him, as if he had expected it, and said, "Pay the money and report your address. If it's in the residential area, we'll deliver it to you at the latest by tomorrow night."
"You'll also deliver it for us?" Dudian was a bit surprised.
Rat laughed and said, "Of course. Such a big thing, we can't carry it, and it's too easy to be exposed. They have secret transportation channels and can deliver it here without anyone knowing. Even if you're a noble, they can deliver it to you. Of course, you have to cooperate a bit."
Dudian was secretly shocked. Did the power of the Dark Church penetrate so deeply?
At this moment, Rat suddenly grabbed Dudian and pulled him aside, saying, "Hurry up and make way."
Dudian was taken aback for a moment. He followed Rat's gaze and immediately saw two figures walking towards them from behind, a man and a woman, wearing crow masks. They came to the front of this shop. On their shoulders, they both wore dark golden hexagonal badges, which were exactly the Meteorite Badges!
"Official alchemists!" Dudian immediately understood why Rat had quickly made way. These two were both official alchemists. Especially the tall figure among them, the Meteorite Badge he wore had three small suns engraved on it, and he was actually a Three-Star Alchemist!
From Rossyard's notes, Dudian had learned about the classification of some alchemists. From apprentices to Five-Star Alchemist Masters, to move up one star, a large number of alchemist points were needed, and it often required submitting several experimental achievements to accumulate them.
And this Three-Star Alchemist was basically equivalent to a Grand Knight of the Holy Church of Light. This was a very high-ranking position among knights, second only to the Knight Commander. Even a great noble family like the Mel family would treat them politely.
"Boss, do you have any good alchemist tables?" At this moment, the Three-Star Alchemist said to the shop owner in a deep and hoarse voice, obviously deliberately lowering his voice.
When the shop owner saw the Meteorite Badges on their shoulders, his eyes tightened, and he quickly stepped forward and said, "Yes, there's a new batch just out. It was personally forged by Master Rohl. His 'War Artisan' level will surely satisfy you. This is it." He pointed to the topmost alchemist table.
The Three-Star Alchemist took a look and turned his head to the figure beside him whose robe was slightly graceful and said, "What do you think?"
The woman's Meteorite Badge had two suns on it, and she was also a big shot. She took a look and shook her head, saying, "It's too bad. The number of decomposition pools is too small, and there's no heat preservation pool."
"You're right." The tall figure pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's look around some more."
"Forget it." The woman sighed and said, "This should be the only shop specializing in this in the market. I've already submitted my experiment report, and I'll soon receive a summons from above. I'll just make do with this one."
The tall figure hesitated for a moment and said helplessly, "Okay."
The two of them immediately paid and bought it from the shop owner.
Dudian and Rat watched them leave before looking away.
Rat clicked his tongue and sighed, "We can't afford it, but they still think it's bad. Indeed, we've been exposed to too little. Alchemy is too profound. It's a pity they didn't talk more. Otherwise, we might have been inspired by their conversation."
Dudian wondered, "She just said that the experiment report was submitted. Does that mean it was submitted to the Dark Church? Why not wait until the experiment is completed and directly submit the experimental results?"
Rat shrugged and said, "They want to get alchemist points earlier. Some alchemists are worried that their experiments will be researched by others in advance, so they submit their ideas first. If it is determined that the experiment report is of value, it will be converted into corresponding alchemist points."
"Of course, there's another possibility. That is, some people suddenly have other experimental inspirations, but they are busy with their current experiments and don't have the energy to do it, or they are too lazy to collect those materials to do it. So they will submit their calculated experiment reports or experimental creative ideas. If it is verified that it is feasible, they will be given alchemist points."