Chapter 45: Mortal, Harvest
Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Mortal, Harvest
At 7:00 PM, the sky had completely darkened. The Inner City of Qingyan Marketplace was much quieter than it had been during the day, but the sight of temporary sentry posts and patrol teams indicated that security had not been relaxed in the slightest.
Lu Zhao and Chen Moyang walked side-by-side, both dressed in relatively clean, standard-issue blue robes of the Hundred Arts Camp. The Tokens at their waists glinted faintly in the dim light.
They arrived before an impressive, three-story pavilion. The gilded words "Thousand Stars Tower" on the lintel above the entrance still shone brightly.
Two expressionless Mid-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators stood at the entrance, their sharp gazes scanning everyone who approached.
"Hundred Arts Camp. Chen Moyang, Lu Zhao." The two presented their Tokens at the same time.
The Guard on the left took the Tokens and tapped a Rune on the back. The Token flashed faintly, confirming its authenticity. His gaze swept over their faces as he said in a flat voice, "The stairs are at the end of the hall to your left."
Upon entering, they found the first-floor hall was quite spacious but currently a complete mess. Exquisite counters were overturned and scattered about. Only a few Moonstones embedded in the walls emitted a cold light, illuminating the path to a corridor on the left.
Following the corridor to its end, they came upon a wide, carved wooden staircase. Another Cultivator was guarding the landing, his aura shockingly at the Late-stage Qi Cultivation realm! He stood tall and straight, his mere presence exuding an intangible pressure.
"Identities verified. Spirit Stones," the Late-stage Qi Cultivation Guard said, his voice low and curt.
Lu Zhao and Chen Moyang each presented a Spirit Stone. The Guard accepted them, briefly sensed their energy, and then stepped aside to clear the way. "Go on up. I assume you know the rules."
"Thank you." After thanking him, the two ascended the stairs.
Stepping onto the second floor, the space opened up before them, a stark contrast to the ruined chaos of the floor below.
The area had clearly been meticulously cleaned and arranged. The entire second floor had been opened up into a single, extremely spacious hall, dozens of yards on each side, with ceilings far higher than in a typical pavilion.
The floor was covered with a thick, dark-cyan carpet woven with intricate cloud patterns, soft and silent underfoot. Dozens of thick, vermilion pillars supported the vaulted ceiling. Glowing stones of various sizes were embedded in these pillars, illuminating the entire hall as brightly as day, yet the light was soft and not at all glaring.
Hundreds of people had already gathered in the spacious hall! It was crowded with a sea of heads, and though noisy, it was not chaotic.
The Cultivators were gathered in small groups, either standing or sitting at brocade-covered tables temporarily placed throughout the hall. They conversed in low voices, displayed their wares, and haggled over prices.
The air was thick with the mixed fluctuations of Spiritual Qi from various Spiritual Materials, Pills, Talismans, and even Magical Artifacts, as well as a palpable undercurrent of suppressed excitement and anticipation.
Weaving through the Cultivators were dozens of mortal girls dressed in simple, uniform blouses and skirts. They were all young, around fifteen or sixteen years old, with delicate features and graceful movements. Carrying ebony trays, they served steaming Spirit Tea and exquisite pastries to the Cultivators at their tables.
They had clearly been trained. Their movements were deft and their gazes were lowered, not daring to make eye contact with any of the Cultivators. They wore masks of forced calm, but their faintly trembling fingertips and the occasional flicker of terror in their eyes betrayed their inner fear—after all, the floor below was a freshly conquered battlefield.
Chen Moyang’s gaze swept over the busy serving girls, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he were surprised by the scene. He turned and whispered to Lu Zhao, "I didn’t expect there would be mortal girls serving tea at an event like this."
Lu Zhao, who had been impassively observing the hall’s layout and the people within, let his gaze drift over to the serving girls upon hearing Chen Moyang’s comment. He picked up the Spirit Tea a girl had just placed beside him. The brew was a vibrant green and suffused with Spiritual Qi, its quality almost on par with the tea he’d had at the Hundred Refinement Pavilion.
He took a sip, feeling the gentle Spiritual Qi spread through him, and then spoke calmly.
"Mr. Chen, having spent so much time at the Zhou Family Marketplace, you must be accustomed to places where Cultivators gather and mortals are scarce. These smaller Marketplaces are different." He set down his teacup, his voice soft but carrying clearly to Chen Moyang’s ears.
"A place the size of Qingyan Marketplace, while no match for the Zhou Family Marketplace, is still one of the larger hubs for Cultivators in this region. Countless mortal villages and towns in the surrounding area depend on it for their livelihood.
"The Marketplace itself needs a large number of mortals to keep it running. Many Cultivators’ families, relatives, and servants also live on the outskirts." Lu Zhao paused, distant memories flashing through his mind.
"I once briefly stayed in a small border Marketplace called the Black Stone Collection." His tone became faintly, almost imperceptibly distant. "It was much smaller than Qingyan Marketplace, with just a single main street and a few dozen shops. But the streets were bustling, and more than half the people there were mortals."
"These smaller Marketplaces have always been places where Cultivators and mortals coexist. Now that this Marketplace has changed hands, these people... they merely depend on it for survival. Their fates are no longer in their own hands. For these girls, serving tea here might be the safest work they can find at the moment."
"We also need people to maintain basic operations now that order has been restored. For now, people familiar with local affairs are still useful."
Chen Moyang fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded. "Mr. Lu, you have a keen eye for details. I, on the other hand, was thinking too simply."
He paid the serving girls no more mind, his gaze shifting toward the depths of the hall. "Let’s go. We should see what kind of haul we can get tonight.
"I heard a few people got their hands on a batch of freshly salvaged Refined Cold Iron, and someone else is clearing out a stock of Spirit Wood Materials. The prices are supposed to be very low."
A short while later, the two split up and began to wander through the hall on their own.
Lu Zhao ambled along, stopping here and there, sometimes lingering in front of a stall, other times asking a Cultivator for a price.
An hour later, Lu Zhao had traded two Ice Puppets for five hundred pounds of Ironwood.
’The haul is pretty good. Puppet prices have gone up quite a bit, while material prices have plummeted.’
’At the old prices, two Puppets would have gotten me two hundred fifty pounds of Ironwood, at most.’
’Walking through this bustling Trade Assembly, it almost feels like I’m back in the Zhou Family Marketplace. Everyone’s red in the face, arguing over a handful of Spirit Stones.’
"Huh?"
Lu Zhao’s gaze swept across a stall and landed on several yellow, crystal-like objects.
A sign next to them read: Earth Spirit Crystal, Tier One Middle-Grade Spiritual Object. The three Crystal Stones were priced at fifteen, twenty, and eighteen Spirit Stones, respectively.
"Friend, I’ll take all three. Can you give me a discount? How about forty-five Spirit Stones for the lot?"
"Friend, you drive a hard bargain! I can’t go lower than fifty-two Spirit Stones..."
After half a quarter hour of haggling, Lu Zhao finally acquired the three Crystal Stones for a price of fifty Spirit Stones.
After paying the Spirit Stones, Lu Zhao kept shaking his head and muttering about what a bad deal he’d gotten.
But once Lu Zhao was away from the stall, the corners of his mouth curved into a smirk. He recalled the Puppet Bead’s earlier notification: ’Tier One High-Grade Spiritual Object: Earth Vein Crystal.’