Chapter 1032: Kuna
No wonder so many Professionals want to obtain an identity pass.
Inside a safe zone, no matter how low your level or how weak your strength, you won't be bullied or oppressed.
But outside the safe zone, it's a world where the strong prey on the weak.
This frogman had clearly been mixing around in Helen Town for quite a while.
Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to so brazenly force a trade.
Moreover...
The surrounding merchants were clearly crossing their arms, watching with amused smiles.
This kind of bullying toward weaker Professionals happened almost daily here.
Even though this area was close to Helen Town's safe zone, it wasn't truly within the safe zone.
Of course, there were enforcers here to maintain daily order.
But Toad San, the frogman, had his reasons for being this arrogant.
Besides...
What merchant here didn't pay enough protection fees to the enforcers?
If you wanted to do business here, you had to obediently pay commercial tax to the safe zone's enforcers regularly.
That tax could be high or low, all depending on your "sincerity."
If your sincerity was enough, you'd be fine. The enforcers might even back you up in a dispute.
If your sincerity wasn't enough, then you were out of luck. Even if you were in the right, they wouldn't help you.
That's reality.
This kind of thing applied in any world.
At the moment...
Under Toad San's signal, six aggressive-looking Professionals blocked the shop entrance with sly smiles.
Clearly, they were preventing Ling Zhan from escaping.
"A level 210 plus three women at level 190..."
"Kid! You dare come outside the safe zone like this?!"
"Didn't your elders teach you? Level 200s have no business roaming the wild alone!"
"Guess we'll give you a good lesson today!"
Toad San held onto Ling Zhan's item and looked at him coldly.
In the Upper Realm, a level 200 Professional was no different from a rookie.
Either you stayed quietly in the safe zone and ran dungeons in a party—the cities even had Dungeon Halls for that.
Or you hired strong bodyguards to accompany you.
Like this youth in front of them, only level 210, with three beautiful girls at level 190 beside him...
He was the perfect prey in the eyes of wild Professionals.
And the item he pulled out looked valuable.
That meant he probably had more treasures on him.
If they didn't take this chance to rob him, it would be a waste.
Who knew—maybe they'd strike it rich off this.
The surrounding shopkeepers, seeing prey enter Toad San's store, all looked at him with envy.
Most of the businesses here made a living scamming outlanders.
Scam one if you can.
If someone was too strong to scam, then do honest business.
But if someone like this weak youth came along, of course they'd scam him.
Of course...
Not all wild-zone hubs were like this. Some large cities were more tolerant, allowing shops to open around their outskirts and accepting Professionals without identity passes.
And they strictly required merchants to follow Upper Realm law.
At this moment...
Ling Zhan remained calm.
But Yun Man, Chang Yue, and Meng Shuang—the three girls—had turned completely cold-faced.
Honestly...
Just the past couple of days in the Upper Realm had already disappointed them.
They thought the Upper Realm would be grand and magnificent, but all they had encountered was petty scheming and greed.
Just as the three divine beast girls were about to unleash their pressure and eliminate Toad San first...
A sharp voice called out from the door.
"What's going on? What are you all doing here?"
The previously smug Toad San and the aggressive thugs instantly froze at the voice.
Their faces first turned dark, then quickly shifted into fawning smiles.
"Ah..."
"Respected Lady Kuna, nothing's going on! I'm just doing business here..."
Toad San hurried out from behind the counter, groveling as he approached the door.
At that moment, Ling Zhan turned to look and saw a pretty girl with long fiery-red hair standing at the shop entrance.
She wore a red female knight's outfit that highlighted her tall, graceful figure. A knight's longsword hung at her waist, and she looked to be around level 280.
Age-wise, she seemed to be thirteen or fourteen.
Her pretty face was full of sternness as she glared coldly at the ugly Toad San.
Her level wasn't high, her strength wasn't strong, and she was young.
But even an old fox like Toad San was bowing and scraping to her.
That could only mean one thing:
First, she definitely had an identity pass and was a legal citizen.
Second, she held a high status in Helen Town—at the very least, the family backing her was powerful.
Otherwise, why would Toad San fear a red-haired girl only level 280?
"Lady Kuna, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
Toad San rubbed his hands and asked obsequiously.
"Someone told me you were forcing trades and bullying people here!"
"So I came to see for myself..."
"And from the looks of things, they weren't wrong."
The red-haired girl named Kuna spoke sternly.
When her eyes swept over to Ling Zhan, she momentarily froze.
How could a guy be this handsome!?
But she quickly returned to a serious expression.
Toad San, hearing her words, cursed silently and glanced resentfully toward a shop dozens of meters away.
There, a female frogman stood at the doorway, sneering at him.
She was Toad San's rival.
No need to ask...
Kuna must've shown up because of that woman's tip-off.
Well...
That was normal.
Everyone here ran shops—some had good relationships, others bad, and some were straight-up enemies.
If they didn't get along, messing with your business was normal.
But more importantly, Kuna's identity was a bit special.
She was the daughter of Helen Town's mayor and also held the title of deputy captain in the enforcer team.
Her race was the Fire Fox Clan.
With a head of red hair, fluffy red fox ears, and a long red fox tail swaying behind her.
If it had been any other enforcer, Toad San would've already bribed them. Even if the frogwoman reported him, they'd just turn a blind eye.
But this Fire Fox girl was different!
She was young but full of righteousness.
She loved standing up for justice.
To be honest...
At first, the merchants here liked her a lot.
Why?
When she had just arrived and was setting up shop, facing bullying from the veteran merchants, she was the only one who stood up for them.
She gave them the breathing room they needed to survive here.
So whenever someone got bullied, they'd call this righteous little girl over and basically use her as their weapon for justice.