Chapter 3: Nightmare Spider
The world is merely a boundary of wind and yellow, both inside and outside the boundary, there are many things I do not recognize. The shopkeeper does not buy into this; he simply responds with a blank expression, saying, "Explain what this is... Don't let me misestimate the price for you."
"This is really annoying," Chen Taizhong muttered in anger. He couldn't deny that the other party had a point, but at this moment, he was completely broke. "I don't have any spirit stones... how much deposit do I need to pay?"
He wandered around the market and did not find anyone selling spiders similar to the ones he had killed, so he could not estimate the price. However, given the circumstances, he had to sell the spiders to exchange for some spirit stones
He reached out and pulled twice, paused in surprise, then exerted more force to pull twice again, revealing a hint of astonishment in his eyes
What exactly is it? The young man furrowed his brow; this thing called merit is truly something that can only be encountered by chance. Apart from exchanging a large number of spirit stones, only those who make outstanding contributions can obtain it
To obtain a significant amount of merit, there is only one choice, and that is on the large battlefield
Qingshi City is not considered within the sphere of influence of the Blood Sand Marquis, but the Zheng family is notoriously difficult and ruthless in their dealings, possessing formidable combat strength, making it unwise for ordinary individuals to provoke them
Why? Chen Taizhong was astonished, "I am helping him gather the fiery sun fruit"
"Why didn't you say so earlier? I thought it was something mysterious with rules," the shopkeeper coldly snorted, raising his hand to pull at the white silk cord. "It turns out to be the raw material."
"It is not merely a matter of spirit stones," the middle-aged man sighed, then shook his head, "it can also be exchanged for merit, it is merit."
However, rules are rigid, while people are dynamic. The middle-aged man spoke expressionlessly, "I am from the Zheng family of the Northern Region. In the Qing Stone branch of the Merchant Alliance under the heavens, I have a casual acquaintance with the second offering, Willy. Please consult him about this."
The blazing sun fruit is indeed a high-grade item; it can be used to concoct elixirs with mid-grade second-tier spiritual materials, so how can it not be considered high-grade?" The staff's expression darkened, "The pills that are effective even against sixth-level wandering immortals, or those guarded by ninth-level wild beasts... The reason they cannot fetch a high price is that they are auxiliary spiritual medicines.
At this moment, Chen Taizhong already understood that in the celestial realm, only strength matters. He swiftly moved his body and quickened his pace to leave
The text here is quite similar to Chinese on Earth, with many traditional characters and some variant forms. While one may not understand a single character in isolation, it becomes much clearer when viewed in context.
"Whether you meditate or not is your own business. Why are you grinning like that, what do you want to do?" The two immortals glared at him, and one of them even projected a strand of divine consciousness.
He is quite unfamiliar with the city he has ascended to. He intends to buy a map, but upon realizing that it also requires spirit stones, he refrains from asking, as he has no money in his pocket
Two men entered; one was a young man and the other a middle-aged man. The young man slapped a piece of paper onto the counter, saying, "Pawn, high-grade magical artifact binding spirit ring."
I can't believe it, are you joking with me? The staff almost tripped over a garlic clove and nearly fell down right there. However, considering that the other party has just ascended, it is somewhat understandable.
"It feels like a kind of silk thread," the middle-aged man smiled slightly and then asked in return, "Do you not recognize it?"
Oh, the middle-aged man has confirmed that the other party does not know what this is, and thus he lightly nods, "Alright, I am here to accompany my nephew to redeem the Binding Spirit Ring, you go fetch it from hetushucom.com"
"Do you really think you are the urban management officer?" Chen Taizhong muttered softly, stood up, and left
He had just laid out some spider silk on the ground when two immortals appeared before him, their eyes shining brightly as they looked at him. "Are you sitting here to set up a stall?"
"Is it acceptable for me not to meditate here?" Chen Taizhong said angrily as he stood up, with his items still unsold, demanding to exchange for spirit stones—what is this, I don't have a single spirit stone.
"How could such a strategic resource end up in the hands of an individual?" Zheng Zitao gasped in astonishment. The Ascended Nightmare Spider is indeed renowned in the celestial realm, yet those who have truly encountered this entity are exceedingly few.
"Live as it is," Chen Taizhong thought that this bundle of spider silk was worth more than 2.5 spirit coins. He probably had ten times that amount, but it was all in one large bundle, not separated. If he could complete the task, he hoped to redeem this bundle as a sample.
He wandered aimlessly on the street, unaware of how long he had been walking. As he noticed the sun setting in the west, he suddenly discovered a pawn shop ahead.
It is not surprising that Chen Taizhong has such a question. Although he is not very clear about what realm corresponds to the first-grade high-level, the procurement of other first-grade high-level medicinal materials often costs dozens or even hundreds of spirit units per plant
Chen Taizhong left the courtyard and walked for a while, discovering a market bustling with activity, where a variety of goods were sold. Many people displayed their items directly on the ground, calling out to attract customers.
He pondered for a moment, his hand trembling slightly, as if he still wanted to stretch it a bit more. In the end, he slowly spoke, "Unknown spider silk, two spirits... if it were to be taken literally, two spirits and five."
However, such a large character "dang" swaying in the wind, he could not possibly overlook it
"Two spirit stones will suffice; the blazing sun fruit cannot possibly be sold for a higher price. We are merely fulfilling our responsibility to the client," the staff replied in a dismissive manner. "If you deposit four spirit stones, I can lend you one recording stone."
However, Chen's spiritual strength far exceeds that of an ordinary Level 1 Wanderer; he merely paused for a moment and then withstood it.
A middle-aged person picked it up, frowned, and asked, "What is this?"
The staff looked at his back and scoffed, "Ascenders from the lower realm, the celestial realm is not so easy to navigate!"
"I just arrived today," Chen Taizhong said, spreading his hands in a natural manner, not expecting to deceive the other party.
"Indeed, it is the Cleansing Spider," the middle-aged man glanced around before replying in a low voice, "the Ascending Nightmare Spider. If it weren't for my third uncle's participation in the Battle of Defending the Land, he would not have been able to ascertain this in the end"
"Spider silk," Chen Taizhong replied helplessly; under a low eave, who would dare not bow their head
"I hope you are tired from walking," the other party replied coldly, "just a reminder, setting up a stall here requires a fee, at least one spirit stone per day, otherwise your goods will be confiscated"
After redeeming the binding spirit ring, the two did not speak and turned to leave the pawnshop. After walking for a long time, Zheng Zitao finally asked, "Third Uncle, is that silk... very valuable?"
Some speculations," the shopkeeper did not wish to elaborate. Although Blood Sand Marquis was formidable, the Merchant Alliance traversed the world for business, and naturally, they had their own confidence.
"The Zheng family of the Northern Region under the Blood Sand Marquis?" The shopkeeper was taken aback and asked in astonishment
The pawnshop owner is a middle-aged man, and he remains silent upon seeing him enter; this is a matter of who is seeking whom.
"Wait a moment," the middle-aged man happened to see the shopkeeper packaging white spider silk and illustrated books, so he spoke in a low voice, "Can I take a look at this item?"
"Willy's offerings are currently not available at the bluestone," the shopkeeper's sweat began to bead. After a moment of contemplation, he gritted his teeth and handed the box over the counter, "Please take a look... it is best not to use your hands"
The young man is a junior member of the Zheng family, named Zheng Zitao. This time, he came to the Qingshi area for training with friends. During the hunt for wild beasts, one of his friends accidentally fell victim to a strange poison, and the antidote pills he carried were ineffective. In search of a spiritual remedy, he reluctantly pawned his personal magical artifact, the Binding Spirit Ring.
However, upon further reflection, this is most likely an undervalued item. If it truly is remarkable, he could negotiate with that young man to purchase it at a high price. In this way, he would be making a significant contribution to the business alliance
Chen Taizhong subconsciously glanced at the arms of the two individuals, noticing neither the red armbands nor the words "Urban Management and Law Enforcement". However, he was very familiar with this kind of imposing presence, and could not help but let out a cold snort, saying, "I am tired from walking; is it not permissible for me to sit down and meditate for a moment?"
"This is a live item," the shopkeeper replied with a smile, subtly refusing the dead item. It is acceptable for other customers to take a look, but live items are different; if they are damaged, who will take responsibility?
In any case, the item is now in his possession, so he slowly retracts it and tentatively remarks, "I see, it looks like spider silk."
"You run a pawnshop in the world, yet you cannot see what this is?" Chen Taizhong scoffed.
Indeed, the shopkeeper nodded and asked, "Mr. Zheng, do you recognize what this is?"
The staff finally sensed something was amiss, so they turned their head to glance at him and said, "Could it be that you just ascended?"
And these ten pieces of the fiery sun fruit only cost 3 spirit stones, which feels just like selling cabbage on Earth, 3 yuan for 10 jin
The middle-aged man did not take action; he merely observed silently for a while, his consciousness scanning back and forth. After some time, he nodded slightly and said, "You can take it back... Is this item the one that young man just had?"
He glanced around and discovered that there was some empty space in a corner. He walked over, casually cast a Wind Sweep spell, cleared the ground, and then sat down.
"I will go earn some spirit stones first," Chen Taizhong sighed and turned to walk out of the courtyard
Chen Taizhong had a rough and careless temperament. He pulled out a clump of spider silk from the Xumi戒 and directly tossed it onto the counter, saying, "Take this."
Chen Taizhong wanted to ask again, but seeing that the other party had already shown a displeased expression, he refrained from being overly talkative. He raised a finger and said, "One last question... where can I find the Sunfire Fruit?"
If you happen to collect the Sunfruit and then return to say the mission has failed?" The staff rolled their eyes and said, "Therefore, you need to pay a deposit and also prepare a photographic stone as evidence... In this way, even if you fail the mission, the deposit can be refunded.
"Apart from Blood Sand Marquis, who dares to claim the Zheng family?" The middle-aged man replied proudly, and then scolded, "Why aren't you going to report this?"
The young man silently took a few steps, then suddenly gasped, "Did Uncle San say, cleaning ... ... ?"
The middle-aged man did not answer directly, but spoke at length, "I was just drawn to that thing; I sensed a wave of isolated space. Upon careful reflection, it indeed is so. The shopkeeper also mentioned that this is spider silk... Do you understand?"
After receiving the promissory note and two spirit stones, he turned to leave and nearly collided with two men at the door
He replied slowly, "We cannot provide specific locations, but the person who issued the task has the information. However... you need to pay a deposit to obtain it"