Wizard, I Have Another World – Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Breathing Technique Acquired

The fragmented Crimson Moon still hung high in the sky, unchanging whether it was day or night.

But the grey mist that enveloped Black City had thinned to the point of being almost imperceptible.

A few figures could be seen on the usually deserted streets today.

It was true!

Today, every month, was Black City’s safe day. Not only would the half-dead creatures not appear, but the underground miners would also get a short rest.

“Phew…”

Karl let out a long breath, tightened his grip on the items in his hand, and headed straight for the Laca Market.

The danger in Black City wasn’t just the half-dead creatures.

There were also the living!

The one safe day each month brought a much larger crowd than usual to the market, and the cacophony of voices could be heard from afar.

Karl squeezed through the crowd, stopped in front of a stall, and frowned:

“Where’s Colon?”

This was Colon’s usual stall, but the stall owner was now a skinny teenager.

“Do you know Old Man Colon?”

The teenager looked up, stopped arranging the stall, rubbed his hands, and said:

“Uncle has something to do and is temporarily away. I’m helping him manage the stall. If you need anything, just tell me.”

“You?”

Under the hood of his cloak, Karl’s eyes were filled with suspicion.

The ‘stall owner’ in front of him was too young, and his ragged clothes revealed his ribs.

Although the teenager looked eager and anxious to prove himself, his appearance made it difficult to trust him.

“Karl!”

At this moment, Colon’s voice rang out from not far away:

“I knew you would come today.”

He quickly approached, grabbed Karl’s arm, and pulled him towards an empty corner.

Before Karl could speak, he whispered:

“I have a lead on a breathing technique!”

“Oh!”

Karl’s eyes lit up, even ignoring the other man’s pungent bad breath:

“Tell me about it.”

“Hehe…” Colon chuckled and pulled out a booklet from his bosom:

“To get this breathing technique, I spent all my savings from the past few years. Fortunately, that person was in a hurry to raise money and leave Black City, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get my hands on it.”

“Of course, we’re old friends, so the price is negotiable.”

Karl looked at the booklet in the other man’s hand, his heart pounding. For a moment, he even had the urge to kill and steal.

A breathing technique!

This was a miraculous method that could grant ordinary people supernatural power!

“Just right.”

Steeling himself, he suppressed the impulse, and put down the things he was carrying one by one:

“I’ve also brought a lot of good things this time.”

“Compressed beef cans, a total of thirty-two pounds, can be preserved for at least a year. There’s also high-quality fresh milk. These are all good things brought from outside.”

“Gulp…” Looking at the items in front of him, Colon swallowed hard, his one eye shining.

Meat cans that could be preserved for a year could be sold for a fortune in the underground mines.

Fresh milk was even more valuable.

Life in Black City was difficult, but there were also newborn babies, and the importance of fresh milk to infants was self-evident.

“Um…” Karl pointed:

“Can I take a look first?”

“Of course, no problem.” Colon’s small eyes flickered as he handed over the booklet, not forgetting to add:

“I have a few more pages. You can’t practice it just by looking at what’s in there.”

“Understood.”

Karl nodded and quickly opened the booklet.

It was real!

Although he hadn’t practiced a breathing technique, he knew many knight squires and had heard bits and pieces about them. He had even specifically inquired about breathing techniques.

So he could tell whether a breathing technique was real or fake.

Venomous Wolf Breathing Technique!

A very ordinary name, and its rank was probably not high, but as long as it was a breathing technique, it was enough for him.

“Huh?”

Touching the traces of writing on the pages, Karl’s eyes flickered slightly:

“This writing… it was written recently, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Colon nodded:

“But it doesn’t affect anything, does it?”

“It doesn’t affect anything.” Karl looked up and said slowly:

“However, it seems that that person didn’t just sell the breathing technique to you. He probably sold it to others as well.”

Colon’s expression changed.

Karl had guessed correctly. That person’s asking price was too high for a single person to afford.

So he simply copied several copies of the breathing technique and sold them to multiple buyers.

“We’re old friends, so I won’t hide it from you.” Colon said:

“There are indeed other sellers in the market who are selling the Venomous Wolf Breathing Technique, but can you be sure that what you buy from them is the complete version?”

“Although I haven’t practiced a breathing technique, I know that even a single mistake in the method can be fatal.”

He said resolutely:

✿✿✿

“This book of mine hasn’t been modified in any way!”

Karl fell silent.

Indeed.

His goal was the breathing technique; where he bought it from was irrelevant, even the price didn’t matter.

Of course, he couldn’t completely trust the other party either.

“The breathing technique is useless to me. We can negotiate the price. There’s also another matter.”

Colon leaned forward, lowering his voice.

“Do you want to leave Black City?”

“Leave Black City?” Karl raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t afford Madam Butterfly’s two thousand blackstones.”

“Not through Madam Butterfly.” Colon waved his hand. “I know a group of people who can secretly smuggle people out of here to nearby Viterli City, only needing three hundred blackstones.”

“A secret route?” Karl’s expression changed. He’d heard of such rumors but hadn’t considered trying.

“If you’re caught, you’ll die!”

Several corpses occasionally hung from the tall wooden racks at the market entrance, most of them people who had tried to escape the city.

“Die?” A sneer appeared on Colon’s face. “In this place, is there any difference between being alive and dead? It’s just a matter of time.”

Karl still shook his head.

He had a way out, so there was no need to take such risks. He returned to the previous topic.

“Let’s discuss the breathing technique.”

“Alright!”

Colon sighed.

A short while later, after they’d settled the deal, Colon waved to a young person at the stall.

“Her name is Aya. If I’m not around, you can look for her. Don’t let her small stature fool you, she’s very sharp.”

“Aya?” Karl examined the other party. “A girl?”

“Yes.”

Aya rubbed her hands, her large eyes staring straight at him. “Mister, please take care of my business from now on.”

*

*

*

Karl touched the booklet in his arms, his heartbeat quickening. After leaving the market, he hurried back to his residence.

Having waited so long to finally get his hands on the breathing technique, he could barely contain his excitement.

“Hmm?”

“Bang!”

His sheathed broadsword collided with a wooden stick. Karl stumbled backward, regaining his balance at the entrance to an alley.

Several shadowy figures lurked within the alley.

Two people lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.

This seemed to be a murder scene. Did they attack him because he happened to pass by, worried he’d seen something? What a senseless disaster!

“Everyone…”

Karl held his sword, slowly retreating. He said solemnly,

“This has nothing to do with me. I didn’t see anything.”

“Ugh…”

A burly figure stepped out from the group, his gaze fixed on Karl, pausing momentarily on the broadsword.

“Boss!”

Someone whispered, “Should we…?”

“Forget it.”

The burly man’s voice was deep, and he waved his hand at Karl.

“Go on.”

Karl retreated step by step. Once he was a safe distance away, he turned and sprinted, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

“Boss.”

Inside the alley, someone said,

“That guy probably hasn’t cultivated a breathing technique. It wouldn’t be hard to catch him.”

“No need.”

The burly man said, “He held his sword steadily. He might have some skills, and his sleeves were bulging, he could be hiding hidden arrows.”

“The main thing is…”

“He doesn’t have any goods on him. Killing him won’t get us anything. No need to take unnecessary risks. Let’s clean this place up first.”

“Yes.” His subordinate nodded, wielding a blood-stained longsword, and walked towards one of the people on the ground, raising his hand and stabbing fiercely.

“Thud!”

Blood splattered.