The cold wind raged, and the snow swirled wildly. Just overnight, the land and the forest were covered in white, as if they had donned new clothes. The bone-chilling cold followed closely. Even more dangerous was the beast tide! Carl, accompanied by his men, arrived at the Cape family’s ’beast pen,’ a place for wholesaling beast meat and other beast-derived products. "Still two thousand jin of beast meat and five hundred portions of processed beast pill pre-products as usual?" Carl nodded. "How many Magic Stones?" "Eight hundred thirty!" Sam wrote a note and handed it to someone behind him, who then arranged to load the goods onto the cart. "Eight hundred and thirty Magic Stones." Carl sighed. "The price has gone up again." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 Last time he was here, it was only seven hundred ninety Magic Stones. A few months ago, the price was less than four hundred. It had more than doubled! "It’s not me who wants to raise the price; it’s the market that’s pushing it up," Sam said, rubbing his hands together to ward off the cold as he explained, "With the beast tide and this terrible weather, all food-related items will see a huge price hike. I think it won’t be long before these things cost over a thousand!" A thousand? Carl’s eyes flickered. "Hold on, add another two thousand jin of beast meat!" Leipzig Market, though called a market, was actually a sprawling city with a population of several hundred thousand. Seventy percent of these people depended on hunting for their food. Now, going out to hunt was akin to courting death, and stockpiled food was finite. As time passed, food became scarcer, and its price naturally soared—it even exploded! "Smart!" Sam nodded with a smile, writing the order. He then said, "You can process this beast meat as you see fit, but don’t sell it in the store; that would be against the rules." The implication, of course, was that it was fine to sell it discreetly. Indeed, these days, merchants at the ’beast pen’ had been increasing their purchases and secretly stockpiling them. Carl nodded. Noticing a few more white hairs at Sam’s temples, he asked, "Has your family’s issue not been resolved yet?" "..." Sam’s expression changed instantly. His eyes turned dark and cold, filled with a murderous aura. "Not yet." "But soon!" His facial muscles twitched, and veins bulged on his neck as he continued, "This time, my great-grandfather himself has intervened. Schtrude, that animal, won’t escape if he’s still in the Magic Forest." Oh! A Second Circle Wizard has taken action? It seems the matter will be resolved soon. Carl silently nodded. He was just an outsider, indifferent to the feuds between the families, watching it all as if it were a play. The cartwheels turned, pressing into the thick snow and making rhythmic sounds. Carl walked ahead with his hands behind his back. He suddenly stopped and turned his head, as if sensing something. Zero-Circle Magic—Multiple Water Arrows! With a gentle wave of his sleeve, several three-foot-long water arrows shot out, piercing the shadows in a corner by the wall. Shrill cries came from the shadows, then abruptly fell silent. "Go see what’s going on," Carl said. The new guard, Mod, responded loudly and hurried toward the corner. He returned shortly, carrying the body of something resembling a wild wolf. "Mr. Karl." He threw the body on the ground and reported, "There were two of these creatures gnawing on a human corpse." A human corpse? Carl’s brow furrowed. "Has the beast tide already affected the market?" "Too many beasts are emerging from the forest, so it’s normal for a few to break through the insufficient defenses outside," Mod explained. "However, they aren’t Magic Creatures. Any Magic Creatures with witchcraft powerful enough would be detected in advance." He then added cautiously, "That human corpse wasn’t killed by animal fangs; the heart was pierced by a sharp weapon, and all his belongings were looted." "Heh..." Carl realized and murmured, "Things are truly becoming more and more chaotic." Humans excel at killing each other. The chaos created by the beast tide might just suit some people’s interests. He shook his head resignedly and continued walking. There was no need to worry unless the beast tide breached the market. Mod dutifully rejoined the group, escorting the beast meat toward the shop. He lacked Wizard Talent and had chosen the Knight Path. Despite his age, his Cultivation only amounted to that of an ordinary Knight. Logically, he shouldn’t have qualified for the job as a guard at the apothecary. Especially now, with many people competing for jobs at the market, even Peak Knights were being carefully scrutinized. But he had a good daughter. Mod’s daughter was Charlie’s lover, the pregnant woman. Of course, Charlie had to take care of his ’father-in-law.’ Fortunately, though Mod was not strong, his extensive experience made him efficient and reliable. Back at the shop, Carl shook off the snow from his coat. "Everyone is to receive one hundred jin of beast meat! Everything else remains as usual!" Immediately, the shop rang with the voices of people expressing their gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Karl!" At this time when every household was short of food, on the outskirts of the market, beast meat was even more valuable than Magic Stones. The benefit of one hundred jin of beast meat naturally made everyone happy. Babbara, heavily pregnant, approached. She was Charlie’s mistress. Her figure and appearance were exquisite, and she possessed a pair of golden eyes. Charlie especially loved these eyes, claiming that in Ancient Times such eyes were exclusive to God Bloodlines. "What is it?" Carl asked, taking off his cloak and hanging it aside. "Yes." Babbara nodded. She was keenly aware of her status and never showed arrogance, even though she was carrying Charlie’s child.