The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside. A middle-aged man with an apologetic face stood outside Zephyr’s door and quickly spoke, “Master, we have used up all the pearls in the Dragonboat so we have no choice but to stop in this city for a while to replenish our stock.”

Judging by his drawn-out aura, Zephyr guessed the middle-aged man was none other than Frederick Ash, who was the same official that gave him a ride from Starlight. His attitude had changed by 180 degrees as he now treated Zephyr with nothing but the utmost respect.

“Which city are we in now?” asked Zephyr calmly.

Frederick visibly relaxed when he realized Zephyr had no intention to chastise him. He thanked his lucky stars that Zephyr held no grudges against him.

“We’re in Viridian, which is a mid-grade city in the kingdom with a lot of pearls. It should take us less than a day to replenish our stock once the mayor knows about your status.”

“There’s no need to rush, Zephyr. Viridian is not far from Starlight. Let them take their time,” Bruce spoke after he came out of his room.

“Ok, we’ll just stay the night here,” assented Zephyr grudgingly. Even though Viridian was not far from Starlight, he could not shake away the anxiety he had felt. ‘It’s only one night. I’m sure nothing will happen,’ he thought to himself self-soothingly. He disembarked from the Dragonboat and found himself to be standing in a spacious square.

“Master Zephyr, it’ll take us some time to complete our tasks. May I humbly suggest you take a stroll around the city to stave off the boredom? I heard there’s a city fair around the corner.” Frederick said with his head bowed.

“That sounds like a great idea! Let’s go, Zephyr,” said Bruce.

“Alright,” said Zephyr. He easily gave in to the idea as he was interested in what this city, which was bigger than Starlight, had to offer. In no time at all, under the escort of a group of guards, Zephyr and Bruce had arrived at the fair. The square was more spacious than the one they had landed upon and the gathering of the crowd lent it an air of festivity.

“You’ve gotta hand it to Viridian. Even their fair is much livelier than Starlight’s,” said Bruce, surprised at the tightly packed crowd. As for Zephyr, he was in full agreement with Bruce’s statement. Suddenly, his attention was captured by a stall with a large group of people that had excitedly gathered around it. He started making his way to that stall, curious as to what the stall was selling.

The stall was manned by a skinny old geezer with a head full of white hair. There was a certain vitality in his eyes. Zephyr sensed him to be a Strength of level six. There were all kinds of things for sale at the stall — beasts’ pearls, various weapons, and many others — which was the reason why the large group had gathered in front of the stall in the first place.

‘Huh? How is it possible for a Strength of level six to procure a tier-three beast’s pearl?’ wondered Zephyr.

“How much is this beast’s pearl?” asked a stranger. Neon green light swirled around the pearl and its energy was as sharp as the biting wind.

“This is the pearl of a Wind Wolf. It has the ability to temper one’s agility. The price is eight hundred thousand!” said the old geezer serenely. It was true that a tier-three beast’s pearl could sum up to such a high price, but it was obvious that this pearl in particular already had some of its energy used up by someone else. Therefore, it was not worth the price.

Of course, the old geezer was a salesman after all — he made sure to inform the prospective customer about the pearl’s ability before naming his price. This made the prospective customer want the pearl even more as it was just what he was looking for. The two of them haggled for a bit before sealing the deal.

Even with its high net worth, the sight of the large sum of money exchanging hands caused Zephyr and Bruce to choke. However, the old geezer did not seem to be worried at all about carrying so much money on him as he continued to man the stall with a serene expression. He was either very confident about his own ability or there was a strict city law that was able to guarantee the safety of all its inhabitants.

One customer after another frequented the stall as Zephyr scanned the offerings. He found nothing of interest until his gaze stopped at the seemingly wilted plant. The plant was so dry that it looked to be beyond saving. He stared at the plant and he felt a chill run up his spine after detecting a faint light swirl around it. Only those with strong mindfulness were able to see the faint light. He fixated at the plant and discovered there were exquisite patterns etched on the plant, which offered an air of mystery.

“How much is this?” asked Zephyr, pointing at a red fruit. It was a Crimson Fire, it had the extraordinary ability to increase one’s true energy after consumption.

“Thirty thousand,” said the old geezer, as calm as ever.

“Thirty thousand?” repeated Zephyr as his eyes widened at the aforementioned price.

“The price is non-negotiable!” shot back the old geezer with a smirk on his facee.