Chapter 121: The Black Emperor? The Tall, Dark-Haired, Handsome Majesty

While Ou Xiaolu was examining the [World: Island Prison], the merchants had nearly finished exploring District D-11 of the Steel Island, with only the initial spot designated by Ou Xiaolu left untouched.

By now, most of the prisoners in this area knew that a somewhat capable merchant had arrived. If they wanted anything, they just had to tell him—even if he didn’t have it on hand, he could find it for them quickly.

So, when the merchant trio appeared, ordinary prisoners would voluntarily step aside rather than provoke them.

As for those reckless enough to block their way, they were all beaten nearly to death by the minotaur, robbed of their belongings, and tossed into a corner.

Thus, the merchants had effectively made their way through District D-11 with impunity. When they reached the spot initially specified by Ou Xiaolu, no one stopped or questioned them.

Upon entering, the merchants understood why Ou Xiaolu had chosen this place first—it was a remote corner of District D-11, with several adjacent cells unoccupied.

Only then did the prisoner inside lift his head to glance at them. “I don’t need anything. You may leave.”

Through the merchant’s vision, Ou Xiaolu saw the prisoner: an elderly man whose age was impossible to gauge from the wrinkles on his forehead.

He wore a black-and-white striped prison uniform, yet his posture in the cell gave off an aura as if he were clad in imperial robes.

At that moment, Ou Xiaolu’s consciousness projected directly into the merchant, taking over his vision. “You say you want nothing because you believe we can’t give you what you desire.”

The prisoner looked up at the merchant and then smiled. “It seems it’s not you who came to see me, but the one behind you.”

“Yes, and of course, I’ve done a fair bit of business along the way and earned quite a bit.”

“What a pity. If you had come earlier, perhaps I would have had something to request of you. But now, it’s too late.” The prisoner sighed.

“Unless you try, how would you know?” Ou Xiaolu released control of the merchant, allowing him to negotiate with the prisoner.

Yet the prisoner merely stared intently at the merchant and offered no demands.

Instead, Ou Xiaolu learned from him some details about the Steel Island. It was a detention center used by a major nation to incarcerate superpowered criminals. The island was divided into above-water and underwater sections. The above-water part had C and D zones where all C and D-ranked superpowered criminals were confined.

Underwater, only B-ranked and above criminals were held. The rules dictated two per cell for B-rank, one per cell for A-rank, and for the legendary S-rank, a whole floor to themselves.

Though this prisoner was only D-rank, he enjoyed special treatment due to his status among the superpowered.

“The Black Emperor,” the prisoner said proudly, “that’s me. But the name doesn’t come from controlling dark forces. I was once an emperor, and the ‘black’ refers to my hair.”

Through the merchant’s eyes, Ou Xiaolu saw the prisoner’s bald head and could only imagine how magnificent his hair must have been.

“My full title was once ‘The Tall, Black-Haired, Handsome Emperor.’ But after all these years here, I’ve grown shorter, my skin’s sagged, and I’ve lost my hair. Had you come a few days earlier, perhaps I would’ve asked you to bring me some hair growth tonic. Now, I don’t even need that.”

Hearing this, Ou Xiaolu was speechless. At first, hearing this prisoner was a former emperor, he had been excited, hoping to rescue him. But it turned out his only request was a bottle of hair tonic. Even if the world was altered by some magical transformation, this change was excessive.

Still, the merchant was a merchant. Failing to make a deal didn’t show on his face. Instead, he introduced the legendary Black Emperor to various goods he had on hand.

This was how the merchant gradually sold items to prisoners who initially ignored him.

The merchant’s mindset was clear: as long as the Black Emperor hadn’t driven him away, he would keep introducing offerings, hoping something might catch the emperor’s eye.

The Black Emperor was happy to have some amusement and didn’t stop the merchant’s efforts. As one item after another was presented and dismissed, the Black Emperor chuckled.

The merchant expected this. After all, these items were all personal belongings from D-rank criminals. The Black Emperor, having seen it all before, would naturally find them unimpressive.

While thinking this, the merchant pulled out a new item: “Take a look at this — a model of a cannon, which I just—”

Before he finished, the model vanished from his hand. He looked up to see the Black Emperor gently stroking the small cannon model.

The merchant was stunned, silent, and dared not make a sound.

After a long moment, the Black Emperor placed the model down. “I’ll take this.”

“Huh!?” The merchant was dumbfounded.

“Do you know how I became emperor?” The Black Emperor fell into thought. “They always said my power was controlling metal. But have you noticed? There isn’t a single piece of metal near my cell. They’re all wrong. My power is controlling trajectories. I can control the flight path of every shell simultaneously, but there’s one condition—the shells must have already been fired.

“So back then, I could single-handedly control an artillery regiment, creating a barrage effect. No one in Europe could resist me, and that’s how I became emperor.

“But later, technology advanced. They invented auto-tracking missiles and homing technology, rendering my ability useless. No matter how strong I was, I was only one person. I couldn’t compete with those missiles, so I lost.

“Luckily, I had been emperor, so they didn’t make things difficult. Plus, my superpower wasn’t very high, so they just left me here to grow old.

“I like this little thing. Leave it with me. What do you want in return?”

The question stunned the merchant, but the Black Emperor laughed. “If you don’t know, ask the one behind you.”

“Ask him for a hair. He said so much, but hair is the only thing he cares about.”

Hearing Ou Xiaolu’s command, the merchant blinked and cursed inwardly: Damn it, you’re messing with me. Asking a bald man for a hair? Do you want me dead already?