Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

As night fell, the clock hands stopped steadily at eight o'clock, and the pedestrians on the street gradually became fewer and fewer, as if dispersed by an invisible hand.

Although the Zul Empire has stepped into the threshold of industrialization and the roar of machines fills every corner, the entertainment industry seems to have been forgotten in the dust of time and has been slow to keep up with the pace of the times.

For ordinary people, after a day's work, apart from going to the tavern to numb their tired nerves with a few glasses of cheap beer, the only thing left to do is to return home and fall asleep on the bed.

However, for the upper class standing at the top of the imperial pyramid of power and wealth, the wave of industrialization not only brought about a leap in productivity, but also opened the door to countless extravagant and decadent entertainments for them.

Wish Street where Lin Yi is located is such a place full of temptation and danger.

On the surface, this is a magical place that can fulfill the wishes of ordinary people, and everyone who steps here can find his or her own salvation.

But beneath this glamorous appearance, Wish Street is an abyss that devours flesh and blood and drains souls.

Here, the realization of wishes is not a free gift, but requires an extremely cruel price to be paid.

Limbs, organs, blood...even souls, can all become bargaining chips.

Even the poorest people can find a twisted kind of "fairness" here - as long as they are willing to pay, their wishes can come true.

This kind of transaction has existed since the founding of the Zul Empire. After thousands of years of development, it has formed a huge and secretive industrial chain.

The darkness of Wish Street goes far beyond the scope of human body trade. Its tentacles have long been spreading like poison ivy, taking deep roots in every corner of the Zul Empire.

This is not only a market for the trading of organs and blood, but also a distribution center for underground intelligence, forbidden technologies and even all the secrets that should not be seen in public.

No matter whether they are the high and mighty imperial nobles, the low-level thugs on the run, or even the demons hiding under human skin, they will all be looking for what they desire in this shadow - of course, the price is often unimaginable for ordinary people.

Lin Yi walked on the cobblestone road of Wish Street, and the ground under his feet seemed to be permeated with the wails of countless wronged souls.

"The smell here is so disgusting." Reinhardt wrinkled his nose, revealing a trace of disgust on his face.

As the head of the execution agency, he was already accustomed to the smell of blood and death, but the darkness and decay of Wish Street were a completely different existence.

There is only pure greed and depravity here; even the air is filled with the sticky feeling of sin.

Lin Yi did not respond, his attention was completely focused on an old shop on the right side of the street.

There was a tattered wooden sign hanging on the door of the shop, with the words "Soul Pawn Shop" written on it in blood-red handwriting.

According to intelligence, this is one of the most central trading places in Wish Street.

On the surface, this is an ordinary pawnshop, but in fact, it is engaged in the intelligence business and is the most secretive and dangerous intelligence trading center in the entire empire.

His boss even considers himself to be "all-knowing", claiming that there is no intelligence he cannot obtain as long as enough money is paid.

Whether it's confidential documents of the empire, the scandal of a noble family, or even the secret plan of a demon, as long as you have enough chips, your needs can be met here.

With a creaking sound, Lin Yi pushed open the door of the pawnshop in front of him.

"welcome."

A hoarse voice came from behind the counter. Lin Yi looked up and saw a hunchbacked old man standing behind the counter with a strange smile on his face.

The air in the store was mixed with an indescribable fishy smell, and the walls were covered with all kinds of items - old pocket watches, broken weapons, and even some unidentified organs sealed in glass jars.

Every object silently tells the tragic fate of its owner.

Lin Yi's eyes swept over these items without any fluctuation in his heart.

The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of black and yellow teeth. "Haha, this is the 'Soul Pawn Shop', guest. As long as you pay enough, there is nothing we don't know."

“Does the Shadow Council know?” Lin Yi was sitting on the chair opposite the old man. After hearing the name of the Shadow Council, the smile on the old man’s face froze.

At this moment, the old man's eyes fell on Reinhardt behind Lin Yi.

As always, Reinhardt covered his chin with the high collar of his windbreaker, looking very mysterious.

His appearance is somewhat similar to Katakuri in One Piece. In order to avoid scaring ordinary people, he chose this unique outfit.

For those familiar with the executioner's apparatus, this look is almost a trademark of Reinhardt.

After recognizing Reinhardt's identity, Lin Yi's identity naturally became clear.

Recently, the news of the cooperation between the sanatorium and the execution agency has spread throughout the imperial capital. As an intelligence dealer, Soul Pawn Shop naturally cannot be unaware of this.

The old man laughed dryly twice, and his expression became much more respectful. "It turns out to be Dean Lin and Commander Reinhardt. I am so sorry. It is a great honor for our humble shop to have you two here."

Lin Yi ignored his polite words and asked, "Do you have any information about the Shadow Council?"

The old man slowly lowered his head, as if he was weighing something. After a moment, he raised his head and said with a hint of caution, "Sir, the information about the Shadow Council... is not so easy to obtain."

"However..., if the two adults are willing to pay a sufficient price, perhaps... we can try to dig deeper."

"Make an offer."

The old man took a deep breath and said, "I need... 10 gold ler."

After hearing the old man's offer, Reinhardt frowned.

Jinle is the top currency of the Zul Empire. It is made of a mixture of gold and other precious metals and has extremely amazing purchasing power.

The annual income of an ordinary family of three is only about 10 gold ler, and even if an awakened person tries his best to hunt down phantoms and accumulates savings for more than 20 years, it is only 1000 gold ler.

The old man asked for 10 gold taels right away, which was totally an exorbitant amount.

Even for the empire's parliamentarians or other high-ranking officials, paying such a large sum of money at one time would be a huge loss, and might even shake their foundation.

Reinhardt stared at the old man, with a hint of warning in his voice: "Are you sure your information is worth this price?"

The old man laughed dryly, his face wrinkled. "Captain Reinhardt, you are joking. The information about the Shadow Council is not something that anyone can get. Their existence itself is a taboo, and their secrets are priceless. 10 gold is already a friendly price given for the sake of the two adults."

"Of course, if you don't have that much cash, you can find another way to pay."

"explain."

The old man took a deep breath and said, "I need...a promise from you."

"Promise?" Lin Yi frowned slightly. He would rather pay the money on the spot than leave a debt of favor.

This thing is the most difficult thing to deal with, especially when dealing with a place like the "Soul Pawn Shop". If you are not careful, you may be involved in endless trouble.

The old man nodded. "Yes, it's a promise. If one day in the future, I hope you can let the Soul Pawn Shop go. We are just businessmen and don't want to get involved in any disputes between forces."

"Old fox, it seems that you already know what happened, right?"

Lin Yi sat on the chair and looked into the other person's eyes. It seemed that the other person should have been waiting here for a long time, otherwise he would not have waited for Lin Yi to come before bringing up this matter.

"What do you know?"

"Sir, I'm just a businessman and I don't know much. But the recent trend in the capital is indeed a little off."

Seeing Lin Yi was silent, the old man continued, "Sir, the promise I made is not too much for you. We, the Soul Pawn Shop, are just neutral information dealers and have no direct conflicts of interest with any forces. We just want to survive, that's all."

"I can agree to your terms. But the premise is that the information you provide must be accurate. If I find any falsehood, you should know the consequences."

When Lin Yi finished saying this, a smile appeared on the old man's face.

"Of course, we at Soul Pawn Shop never sell false information. Sir, you are here for the Eye of the Void, right?"

As he spoke, the old man pulled out a yellowed scroll from under the table. The edges of the scroll were badly worn, and it was obvious that it had been read repeatedly.

Lin Yi opened the scroll and found that it contained the human identity that the Eye of the Void was currently disguising itself as.

Hornby Julius, a wealthy businessman from the border.

Half a year ago, this so-called "border tycoon" suddenly rose in the imperial capital. With his huge financial resources and ruthless means, he quickly gained a foothold in the slave trade market of Wish Street. His rise was like a storm, sweeping the entire underground world of the imperial capital, and naturally attracted the attention of the Soul Pawnshop.

"Interesting. How much did you pay for this information?"

"It's just five lives, sir. Intelligence is always earned at the cost of life."

Lin Yi said nothing more, put the scroll into his arms, and asked, "Where is he now?"

"According to the latest intelligence, he has recently appeared frequently at the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce on Wish Street, which is one of his main bases."

Lin Yi was no stranger to the "Black Crow Chamber of Commerce". As one of the largest slave trading markets in Wish Street, there were intricate forces behind the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce, and it was rumored that it had close ties with the top leaders of the empire.

The layout of the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce is extremely secretive, with its strongholds located in many corners of Wish Street, and the core areas are heavily guarded.

According to intelligence, the Black Crow Merchant Guild is not only engaged in the slave trade, but is also involved in the trade of forbidden items, and may even have some kind of cooperation with the Shadow Council.

However, Lin Yi was holding the "Imperial Sword" on this trip, so even if the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce was backed by a congressman, they had to give in before him.

Lin Yi didn't say any more nonsense and turned to walk out the door.

Reinhardt followed him, glancing at the old man before leaving.

After watching the two leave, the old man sat back in his chair, took a long breath, and murmured in a low voice, "This world is becoming more and more unstable..."

As he spoke, he stood up quickly, his movements so agile that he didn't seem like an old man.

He walked quickly to the door of the shop, closed it, and then turned and walked deeper into the shop.

Under the dim light, he reached his fingers behind his ear and gently tore off a human skin mask, revealing a pale young face.

"No, we must leave Zul City during this period. If we continue to stay here, we will be dragged into trouble sooner or later."

The man's name was Elana Abraham, an extremely rare hybrid of a demon, a ghost, and a human.

This special bloodline gives him a lifespan far beyond that of ordinary people - he has lived for more than a thousand years.

During these long years, he witnessed the rise and fall of countless forces, experienced countless changes of power, and had long since developed a pair of eyes that could see through the world.

And this time, he clearly felt that Zul City was about to face a huge storm.

"Harold... the Execution Service... the Shadow Council..." Elana murmured in a low voice. The collision of these forces was not just a simple power struggle, but a huge change that was enough to shake the foundation of the entire empire.

"We can't stay here any longer." Elana quickly walked to a corner of the secret room, pressed her finger lightly on the wall, and a hidden compartment slowly opened.

The secret compartment was filled with all kinds of precious items - gold, gems, and even some mystical scrolls.

These are the wealth and trump cards he has accumulated over the years, and each one is enough to save his life at a critical moment.

He quickly packed these things and put them on his shoulder, then walked to the other side of the secret room and pressed a hidden brick on the wall.

The ground slowly cracked open, revealing a secret passage leading underground.

"Goodbye, Zul City."

Right now, he planned to temporarily avoid the vortex of Zul City and wait until the situation stabilized a little.

At the same time, Lin Yi and Reinhardt had arrived at the headquarters of the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce.

Thanks to the accurate intelligence, Lin Yi mobilized all the awakened people and troops who were originally scattered outside, and surrounded the headquarters of the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce.

At this time, a man who looked like a businessman walked out of the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce. He was pale and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. It was obvious that he was frightened by the scene outside.

He staggered to Lin Yi and managed a smile that was uglier than crying: "Sir, what brings you here? Our Black Crow Chamber of Commerce will do its best to meet all your requests."

Lin Yi glanced at him coldly and said directly, "Hornby Julius, hand it over."

The businessman's body trembled violently and the smile on his face froze instantly.

He swallowed hard and stammered, "Sir, the Hornby Julius you are talking about is the wealthy businessman from the border? He...he did do business in our Chamber of Commerce, but he is no longer here. We...we don't know where he is..."

"Thirty seconds." Lin Yi's voice was like the sentence of the god of death, "Hand over Hornby Julius, otherwise, the Black Crow Merchant Guild will completely disappear from Wish Street today."

The businessman's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees.

He knew that Lin Yi's words were not a threat, but a fact.

The combined power of the execution agency, the sanatorium, and the military is enough to raze the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce - and even the entire Wish Street - to the ground overnight, leaving not even a piece of rubble.

"Sir, I really don't know where he is..." The merchant's voice was filled with tears, and he was obviously frightened.

Lin Yi didn't waste any more words. He raised his hand and waved it lightly. The awakened people and the army behind him instantly poured into the headquarters of the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce.

The guards inside the Chamber of Commerce tried to stop them, but in the face of absolute power, their resistance seemed so insignificant.

The awakened ones broke through the defense line like a whirlwind. The guards were suppressed before they could even scream.

"What happened? Who dares to break in here?!"

Just as the Awakeners and the army swept into the Chamber of Commerce like a hurricane, a man with his upper body naked walked out angrily from a room.

There were several bright red lip marks on his chest, and it was obvious that he had just enjoyed some unspeakable service.

His face was full of impatience and anger, and he seemed extremely dissatisfied with his "good thing" being interrupted.

"Damn it, do you know who I am? How dare you cause trouble in a place like this?" The shirtless man's eyes were wide open and his voice was full of arrogance, as if the intruders in front of him were just some ignorant ants.

"Who are you?" Just as the man started cursing, Lin Yi's voice came from the back of the team.

The man looked in the direction of the voice, and when Lin Yi and Reinhardt came into view, the anger on his face suddenly froze, replaced by a look of fear and uneasiness that was difficult to conceal.

"You...you are...someone from the execution agency?" The man's voice trembled slightly, and he had obviously recognized Lin Yi's identity.

His body unconsciously took a step back, as if he wanted to distance himself from the two killing gods in front of him.

"It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is, who are you?"

The man swallowed, his voice so low that he almost whispered to himself, "I... I am the vice president of the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce, Carl Morris. My lord, what are you doing..." There was a hint of temptation in his tone, as if he was still hoping to use his identity to buy a chance of survival.

"Where's Hornby Julius?"

Carl’s body trembled violently, and the expression on his face changed from horror to complete panic.

“Sir, I don’t know what you are talking about. Hornby Julius is just an ordinary businessman. He left our Chamber of Commerce a long time ago…” Carl’s voice became lower and lower, and in the end it almost became a whisper. Even he himself did not believe this clumsy lie.

Lin Yi didn't say any more words. He just raised his hand and waved it. The awakened person behind him immediately stepped forward and pressed Carl to the ground.

Carl struggled for a few times, but soon realized that his resistance was meaningless. He could only collapse to the ground with despair on his face.

"Search, and kill all who stand in our way."

Following Lin Yi's order, the awakened ones and the army's soldiers quickly dispersed like beasts out of a cage and began to conduct a carpet search of the entire Black Crow Chamber of Commerce.

There are too many shameful secrets hidden inside the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce.

Some guards and guild members tried to resist, trying to protect the hidden deals and crimes.

But in the face of absolute power, their resistance seemed so pale and powerless.

Amid the flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers, screams were heard one after another, blood dyed the floor red, and the headquarters of the Black Crow Chamber of Commerce instantly turned into a sea of ​​blood.

boom!
A loud noise came from a room deep inside the Chamber of Commerce, and Lin Yi and Reinhardt looked in that direction at the same time.

The Eye of the Void, Found! (End of this Chapter)