On the following day, after breakfast, Qian Ye made his way to Li Bin City’s most bustling commercial street and arrived at Xinglong Trading House, as directed by the innkeeper. This trading house specialized in products from Pu Gou Mountain, with Cloud Fragrance Deer Bone Powder being one of their main items.
As soon as Qian Ye entered, a clerk approached him, bowed, and with a smile, asked, “Greetings! How may I assist you?”
This clerk was rather young, wearing a well-tailored uniform. His demeanor and appearance were impeccable, and even his strength was noteworthy. It was indeed surprising that a clerk in a trading house could possess a third-level combat power, if this were on the Evernight Continent.
In the entire first floor of Xinglong Trading House, there were around seven or eight such clerks, all strikingly handsome or beautiful. In contrast, Qian Ye, wearing off-the-rack clothes, a tactical jacket with some damage, and having slightly altered his appearance, looked like an ordinary young man. In terms of outward appearance, these clerks far outshone Qian Ye.
Moreover, among the guests at Xinglong Trading House, Qian Ye stood out. The trading house primarily dealt with large transactions, frequented by family stewards and merchants of medium size or larger, with few solitary hunters in sight.
Qian Ye glanced over the display cabinets in the hall and said, “I want some deer bone powder. Additionally, if you have any other local specialties related to force cultivation, bring them for me to see.”
A faint look of disdain flickered in the young clerk’s eyes, though he maintained a decent facade and smiled, saying, “Young sir, we at Xinglong Trading House generally do not engage in retail. For instance, our Cloud Fragrance Deer Bone Powder is sold in sets of three, each set containing two tael, priced at one hundred gold coins. If you are buying in bulk, the price can be negotiated.”
Three hundred gold coins were a substantial amount for a solitary hunter. At that moment, several wealthy guests in the hall were watching Qian Ye with keen interest, eager to see a spectacle.
This place, under the Zhao Clan’s jurisdiction, highly valued lineage and subtlety. Displaying arrogance would be considered vulgar, and the true art lay in subtly making country bumpkins aware of their lowliness, thereby proving one’s own sophistication.
“Sold in sets of three…” Qian Ye estimated the spatial capacity of Andua’s mysterious world.
The young clerk smiled again, “If you don’t intend to buy so much, you might consider visiting the Waterfront Street nearby. There, many shops specialize in smaller transactions and should meet your needs.”
His words, polite and helpful, seemed impeccable. However, the Waterfront Street was a market aimed at outsiders, with cheap and low-quality goods, essentially a black market for swindling foreigners. Xinglong Trading House, a large establishment, had little to do with new hunters and adventurers, thus not particularly well-known among them.
The young clerk’s courteous yet sharp words were appreciated by the guests. In their view, outsiders should go to where they belonged.
Qian Ye sensed the underlying malice, finding the young clerk’s smile and politeness somehow unsettling, though giving no reason to take offense.
After a moment’s thought, Qian Ye said, “Indeed, I won’t be buying much. I’ll take three cases.”
“Th-three cases?” The young clerk’s smile froze, and the guests in the hall almost couldn’t believe their ears.
Each case of deer bone powder contained a hundred boxes, priced at ten thousand gold coins. Three cases together amounted to a massive transaction, even for a large trading company.
The young clerk quickly regained his composure, maintaining his professional smile, and said, “Please follow me upstairs. A manager will attend to you shortly.”
Qian Ye followed the young clerk to the third floor, where they settled into a top-tier lounge.
A slightly plump, middle-aged man soon entered the lounge, seated himself before Qian Ye, and smiled, “My name is Wang Youyuan. Young sir, we can manage to provide three cases, but given the volume of this transaction, it will take us two days to prepare.”
Qian Ye nodded, “That’s fine. I can wait.”
Wang Youyuan scrutinized Qian Ye, then said, “However, while our Xinglong Trading House guarantees timely delivery, can you please show the payment or have someone vouch for you?”
Wang Youyuan’s request was reasonable. Such a large transaction would be a wasted joke if either party failed to deliver.
Xinglong Trading House’s reputation was beyond doubt, and Qian Ye, as a solitary hunter, would deal in cash. Three hundred thousand gold coins, even in black crystal, would require a sizable box. Qian Ye, however, appeared to have brought nothing.
“I don’t have that much cash,” Qian Ye admitted.
Wang Youyuan’s smile faltered, and he slowly rubbed his hands, waiting for what came next. If Qian Ye intended to play a trick on the Zhao Clan, he needed to have the means.
Qian Ye took a small box from his pocket and pushed it across the table, “Can I use this as payment?”
Wang Youyuan, puzzled, picked up the palm-sized metal box, which felt notably heavy. Upon opening it, he gasped, “Mythril?!”
Inside was a fist-sized lump of silver metal, glowing softly—solid mythril, apparently of the highest purity. At its current market value, it more than covered the cost, leaving Qian Ye with a surplus of two to three thousand gold coins.
Holding the box reverently, Wang Youyuan said, “This is a very valuable item, and I’m unable to appraise it immediately. Since the deer bone powder will take two days to prepare, why don’t you come back in three days, and I will have a specialist evaluate the mythril. Does that work for you?”
Mythril, a top-tier strategic resource, rarely circulated. Even a large trading house like Xinglong didn’t have a dedicated appraiser and would need to borrow one from elsewhere.
Understanding this, Qian Ye nodded, “Agreed. I’ll return in three days.” He then retrieved the mythril.
Wang Youyuan’s gaze followed the box until it vanished into Qian Ye’s pocket, then he reluctantly tore his eyes away, beaming, “I haven’t asked for your name and contact information yet. Once our goods are ready, we’ll get in touch with you immediately!”
Qian Ye left a false name and the address of his inn, then departed from Xinglong Trading House.
Wang Youyuan personally saw Qian Ye out, watching him disappear before his smile faded, and his face darkened.
The young clerk, who had stayed by his side, now approached and whispered, “Manager Wang, are you going to let him take the mythril back just like that?”
Wang Youyuan glared, “What else can I do?”
The young clerk lowered his voice, “The rules of the trading house apply only within its walls. Once outside, those rules mean nothing. Perhaps…”
Wang Youyuan frowned, then said, “This is a massive transaction, not easily managed. I need to report it to the higher-ups.” Even iron of the highest grade, he wouldn’t covet, but mythril was extremely rare, especially in such large quantities. Moreover, the Zhao Clan currently had a high demand for mythril due to recent circumstances.
The young clerk gave a sly smile, “Manager Wang, my uncle is in Li Bin City. If there’s anything inconvenient, he can handle it for us.”
Wang Youyuan pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, “Alright, I understand.”
As the manager of Xinglong Trading House, Wang Youyuan was well-informed. He even knew that the Zhao Clan was experiencing a subtle turmoil, making strategic resources like mythril even more crucial. But the source of this turmoil was beyond his understanding.
To the west, Xi Ji City stood, backed by the Yan Mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, known as the granary and a military stronghold.
This ancient city had a long history. Centuries ago, Zhao Wují, the renaissance figure of the Zhao Clan, feeling the decline of his family, abandoned the fertile lands of Qin Territory and moved to the then-dark and barbaric Westland.
The territory Zhao Clan received was vast, but only a county was under their control. The rest was either untamed wilderness or occupied by various tribes and bandits.
Zhao Wují established the clan’s ancestral shrine in Xi Ji City and, after thirty years of war, conquered the Yu Yun and Yan Bei provinces, laying the foundation for the Zhao Clan’s centuries-long prosperity.
Today, Xi Ji City was home to millions, with a constant flow of people through its gates and airships dotting the skies. By any measure, it was the premier city in the Westland, even surpassing the Moonlight City, which the dark races had cultivated for thousands of years.
In the northwest corner of Xi Ji City, a city within a city was built on a mountain, offering a panoramic view of the entire Xi Ji.
This was the Zhao Clan’s stronghold, housing tens of thousands of residents, a city in itself. At its center was the Zhao Mansion, a complex of nine layers, the residence of the successive patriarchs. The current owner was Zhao Wei Huang, the Marquis of Cheng’en and the General of the Northwest.
Nine layers were a mark of the highest rank, as the Imperial Palace was only eighteen layers from north to south and twelve from east to west. The other three major clans’ mansions were only eight layers, even the four-duke Zhang Clan included.
The Zhao Clan’s elevated status was not due to sheer power but their close ties to the imperial family. The Zhao Clan, being the imperial in-laws, produced many empresses, and the current patriarch, Zhao Wei Huang, was married to the Princess of Gao Yi, further cementing the relationship.
Outside the Zhao Mansion, there were one main and eighteen secondary mansions. The two secondary mansions belonged to the hereditary dukes of Yan and You, while the eighteen subordinate mansions housed the main and six major branch families. The numerous minor branches, however, did not have the privilege of residing in the compound.
At that moment, in the main mansion, a young man sat behind a desk, engrossed in reviewing documents. The spacious and opulent study overlooked the famous Mysterious Lake, a picturesque view.
The study’s location indicated its importance, second only to the patriarch and elders. It was unusual for someone so young to hold such a position.
He had short, flowing hair, wore rectangular glasses, and dressed in ancient attire, exuding an elegant air. When he occasionally looked up, his nearly perfect, almost ethereal face was revealed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a young man entered, none other than Zhao Junhong, who had once fought with Qian Ye. He smiled, “Fourth brother, still busy? Eldest brother recently acquired a fine gun and invited us to the front lines to test it. Would you like to join us? It’s been a while since the four of us went to battle together.”
The young man at the desk was the youngest of the Zhao Clan’s four lords, Zhao Jiandu.
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