Coiling Dragon
Page 339
“Although they aren’t at the grandmaster level, they aren’t too far off either.” Linley naturally was qualified to make this judgment.
Given his increasingly deeper insights into the Elemental Laws, the Straight Chisel School’s Linley could be considered to have reached true mastery in sculpting.
“These sculptures are so strange. They are so pleasing to the eye.” Bebe’s eyes lit up.
“Of course.” Linley sighed. “I didn’t expect that the sculpting of these giant structures would have been done in such a careful, detailed manner. These buildings must be extremely valuable.”
Daebra snickered, “Hmph, valuable? Extremely, extremely expensive! A single inch of land in Royalwing City is extremely expensive. The price of these structures is naturally even more astonishing. When building them, they invited a number of specialized Deity-level experts to construct them. The price of every single structure…I can’t imagine how many years it would take for me to have enough inkstones to buy one.”
Linley glanced at the look in the nearby Daebra’s eyes.
Linley understood that the terrifying price of these structures had already exceeded the limits of Daebra’s imagination. He didn’t even dare to think about that price; all he could do was say a few grumbling words.
As they continued forward, Linley began to get an understanding of how bustling Royalwing City was.
“Royalwing City has existed for countless billions of years.” Daebra explained towards Linley. “Although these buildings aren’t damaged, I think you have probably sensed that ancient aura coming from them, as well as a few of the small cracks and signs of the passage of many years.”
Linley nodded slightly.
Indeed, he could sense it. The number of years which Royalwing City had existed for was definitely an astonishing figure.
“Perhaps only the mineral ores of the Infernal Realm can allow a city to last for so long.” Linley said to himself. The ores that were used to build this city were originally meant to be used to forge weapons! Naturally, they could last nearly forever.
However, divine artifacts, especially newly made ones, were very cheap in the Infernal Realm.
“There are clothing stores here as well?” Delia’s eyes lit up. She saw a beautiful, extravagant storefront that was completely made from cream-white stones. Linley turned to look as well. He saw that this store was completely carved out from a single giant milk-white stone.
Given the toughness of the stones of the Infernal Realm, one could imagine how costly a building such as this must be.
“What beautiful clothes!” Delia looked through the translucent glass and saw some clothes. She couldn’t help but grow interested. Women always had a special fondness for clothes.
Daebra chuckled, “The costs and expenditures here in Royalwing City are quite terrifyingly high. Ordinary Deities like us who live in tribes are completely unable to afford them. For example, those clothes over there..” Daebra pointed at a violet set of clothes that was on display.
“It is very possible that the materials used to make this set of clothes came from other continents, such as the Bloodridge Continent! It might even have come from the Life Realm, or the Netherworld, or perhaps the Celestial Realm.” Daebra sighed.
Linley, hearing this, stared, slack-jawed.
A single set of clothes might have materials coming from other planes?
“Based on the value of the materials…ordinary clothes are at least a hundred inkstones, while those made from slightly more valuable materials might cost a thousand inkstones. If those materials came from other planes which are extremely rare and precious, a set of clothes could cost millions of inkstones!”
Delia was shocked as well!
Linley’s heart shuddered.
How could this be described as ‘clothes’? A set of clothes was comparable in value to a Highgod spark! This indeed wasn’t something which ordinary people were able to afford.
“But of course, these clothes will have some special effects as well. For example, in terms of defensiveness, they are definitely comparable to most divine artifacts.” Daebra then added with a laugh, “But of course, I’ve only heard others speak of clothes that cost millions of inkstones. I’ve never personally seen any.”
Everyone who entered the city had roughly the same goals; buying and selling items. After all, could it be that the members of the poor tribes had come for the purpose of spending money on services here in Royalwing City? They didn’t have the capital.
Continuing to move forward, Linley’s group was introduced by Daebra to all sorts of entertainment venues in the Infernal Realm.
For example, wine; to make fine wine, one might invite some wine masters who had analyzed wine for hundreds of millions of years, who would use some special methods to create wine using some extremely valuable materials, some of which might only be acquired in dangerous locations.
Actually, the saliva of the Black Dragon Tribe’s Gerrard Black Dragons, after being refined, could produce some valuable materials which could be used to create delicacies.
These delicacies and wines far exceeded their counterparts in the material planes in taste and flavor.
Eating the finest cuisines of the Infernal Realm was a form of utter luxury. However…the price was similarly extravagant. Even ordinary food would cost up to a hundred inkstones. It must be understood that a Demigod spark would only be sold for a hundred inkstones or so. So, there were plenty of entertainment venues, but the price in those venues scared off the vast majority of people.
Linley’s group followed the other tribe members, arriving in the most bustling, crowded area of Royalwing city.
“Those three castles!” Linley’s eyes were filled with shock. From the left, in the distance, he could see an enormous castle that was completely formed from black sand. Deities possessed extremely good vision; it was clear that this castle was made from countless grains of black sand. The strangest thing was…the black sand was continually flowing about.
But the castle itself didn’t budge.
On Linley’s right, in the distance, there was an ancient castle made from violet rocks. At the top of the castle, there was a beautifully carved flower. This flower was a very familiar one; it was the insignia of the Redbud Army. A redbud flower!
And right in front of Linley….
There was an ancient violet castle, more than a hundred meters high. Only, the violet color of this castle was so deep, it was nearly black! This castle had an enormous carving, a carving of a face! The face seemed very blurry, but the single devilish red eye on the face was extremely eye-catching.
“That is Blacksand Castle!” Daebra pointed at the ancient castle formed from black sand. “Any sort of trade can be carried out there, most of which is large-scale. However, that place is a very secretive place with many competing interests. Little people like us had best not go there.”
Daebra then pointed towards the castle with the redbud. “That place is a Redbud Castle. It is the most noble of trading places. They will accept our items at a price of 70% their selling price. When we sell things there, although we still lose a bit, it won’t be very troublesome.”
“And that castle?” Linley pointed at the very devilish-looking castle that was straight in front of them.
For some reason, that sole, devilish red eye in that blurry carved face made Linley’s heartrate speed up, even though it was just a carving.
“That is the Fiend Castle!” Daebra said. “If you want to be a Fiend, you can go there, pay the fee, then participate in the exam. Fiends generally will go to Fiend Castle. Alright, Linley, let’s go to Redbud Castle. It’s best to sell our things there. Blacksand Castle is a very complicated place. Look. The chief steward, Edmond, is entering Redbud Castle.”
This was Linley’s first trip to Royalwing City. Naturally, he didn’t want to go to Blacksand Castle.
After all, even a Highgod like Edmond was going to the safer Redbud Castle.
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��Let’s go.” Linley led Bebe and Delia to follow the others, heading towards Redbud Castle as well.
Book 14, Fiend – Chapter 11, The Third Floor
In the Redbud Castle, there was a sea of people.
The main gate of Redbud Castle was at least a hundred meters wide, with the dense masses of people entering and leaving it. One could imagine how excellent business was doing in Redbud Castle.
Linley’s group of people saw Redbud Castle from afar.
“Hrm, the Redbud Army?” Linley noticed them right away. At the gates of Redbud Castle, there were over ten soldiers dressed in violet uniforms, with a long violet cloak on the outside as well. The warriors all had those unique violet seals in the center of their forehead. It was the Redbud Army!
The nearby Daebra laughed, “There are Redbud Castles throughout the entire Redbud Continent. The master of these castles is the mighty Sovereign, the Redbud Ruler. Naturally, they are guarded by the Redbud Army. Actually, the Redbud Army soldiers here are nothing more than a display of force. After all, within Royalwing City, who would dare to cause trouble? Only someone tired of living.”
“Hey, that chief steward named Edmond. Why are they going to the back?” Bebe’s eyes were quite sharp. He discovered that Edmond’s group of people had headed towards the back of Redbud Castle, and didn’t go to the main gates.
Linley had noticed this as well.
Actually, although many people entered the main gates of Redbud Castle, there were quite a few people who were entering Redbud Castle through the rear gates as well. The number was not any lower than those going through the main gates, in fact.
“Linley, Redbud Castle is divided into the main gate and the rear gate. Those who go in through the main gates are all going to Redbud Castle for shopping, while those who enter through the rear gates do so because they are going to sell their own items to Redbud Castle!” The jade-haired youth, Daebra, explained with a chuckle.
Linley understood.
So Redbud Castle didn’t just sell items; it also purchased them.
“Let’s hurry.” Daebra urged.
Holding Delia by the hand, Linley headed forward with Bebe by his side, following the flow of people through to the rear of Redbud Castle. After walking for several kilometers, Linley’s group finally reached the rear gates of Redbud Castle.
Indeed…
The rear gates were over a hundred meters wide as well, and a dense mass of people passed through them.
Delia laughed, “Most of those who are coming to sell items belong to the tribes and clans located outside Royalwing City. There really are quite a few people here. Redbud Castle buys at 70% while sells at 100%. They earn a profit of 30%…this Redbud Castle is a place which devours gold.”
“There isn’t a chance for others to engage in this business.” Linley chuckled. Behind the Redbud Castle was an almighty Sovereign!
And then, Linley’s group followed the other members of the Black Dragon Tribe into Redbud Castle. Although there were nearly two hundred people in the Black Dragon Tribe’s group, upon entering Redbud Castle, they only made up an extremely small number of the total guests.
“This place is huge!” Linley exhaled in shock.
Linley’s group, upon entering the first floor of Redbud Castle, discovered that the main hall of this first floor was one or two thousand meters wide. This sort of width was an extremely extravagant sum. More than ten thousand people could pass through it without feeling cramped.
“There are quite a few Deities who have come to sell their items.” Bebe was clearly quite excited.
“The main hall of the first floor is for those who have come to sell Demigod sparks, Demigod artifacts, and other items worth a hundred inkstones or less.” Daebra said in a very practiced manner as he explained to Linley’s group. “For example, I’ve come to sell a God spark this time, so I will go to the second floor. In the main hall of the second floor, items like God sparks or God artifacts which are worth around or less than ten thousand inkstones or so can be sold. As for the third floor, that’s the floor for selling Highgod artifacts, Highgod sparks, and other precious items that can be worth up to a million inkstones, or even more.”
Linley’s group followed the Black Dragon Tribe’s men up to the main hall of the second floor.
But of course, more than half of the Black Dragon Tribe’s people stayed at the first floor’s main hall. Clearly, these people had all come to sell fairly cheap items.
“Linley, look. There are many sales counters over there in the main hall, with many people seated there. Those people are the purchasers for Redbud Castle. Haha, have a good look. I’ll go sell some things first.” Daebra waved towards Linley’s group, then headed directly to one of the sales counters in the main hall of the second floor.”
After Daebra left, Linley and the other two exchanged glances.
“Let’s go to the third floor!” Linley said.
Linley’s group had quite a few treasures on them. Two Highgod artifacts, and a Highgod spark. These were all exceedingly valuable items.
The stairs going from the main hall of the first to second floor were all exceedingly large, but the stairs from the main hall of the second floor to the main hall of the third floor was much narrower. Even the gateway into the hall was a full size smaller, and the number of people was much lower as well.
Obviously, the number of people who were selling precious items was much lower than those selling items in the first and second floors.
“Edmond!” Linley saw that up above, Edmond had led his three subordinates directly into the gateway to the third floor. At the gateway to the third floor, an employee wearing a long violet robe seemed to chat with Edmond about something, and then Edmond took out a divine spark.
“Why did Edmond take out the divine spark?” Linley was somewhat puzzled.
And then, the violet-robed man let them through. Edmond led his three subordinates into the third floor.
When Linley’s group reached the doorway to the third floor…
The violet-robed man stretched his hand out, stopping Linley’s group from going through.
“Huh?” Linley’s group looked curiously at the man.
“What have you come to sell? Let me take a look.” The violet-robed said. Seeing the puzzled look on the faces of Linley’s group, he laughed calmly, “Is this your first time? This third floor is different from the lower floors. Every person who enters has to present an item for inspection. Otherwise, no entry is permitted.”
Linley now understood. Thinking back to what Edmond had just done, he now knew what that was all about.
But right at that moment, two youngsters walked past Linley, ignoring the violet-robed men as they headed directly into the third floor.
“Hey, how come they didn’t have to show any items?” Bebe said in confusion.
The violet-robed man was fairly patient and good-tempered. With a calm laugh, he said, “Didn’t you notice? They all had Fiend medallions on their chests. They are Fiends! As Fiends, we have faith in their reputation. When they come, they will definitely have brought quite a few valuable items. There’s no need for them to be inspected.”
Linley sighed to himself, “Fiends. They don’t have to pay any fees when entering the city, and they don’t have to be inspected when entering the third floor of Redbud Castle. Their status really is different.”
While thinking this to himself, Linley retrieved the black dagger with a flip of his hands. This black dagger was the Highgod artifact which Adkins had left behind after his divine darkness clone had been slain.
“Go in.” The violet-robed man nodded.
They entered the third floor of Redbud Castle. This main hall was clearly a size smaller, but it was still hundreds of meters wide. Only, the people here were clearly much sparser in number.
“That’s the place where they buy items!” Bebe ran up ahead as the three of them headed towards a sales counter.
But right at this moment….
Edmonds looked at the distant Linley and the other two.
There were only five people for whom this trip to Royalwing City with the Black Dragon Tribe truly was their first trip. Edmond had seen all of them. Naturally, he recognized and remembered Linley’s group.
“I didn’t expect that these three had a fortune on them.” Edmond’s eyes narrowed, and a cold light flashed through them. “It seems our tribe’s internal supervisory abilities are insufficient.”
In the Infernal Realm, when one’s wealth reached a certain level, there would be others who would desire it.
If you wanted to peacefully enjoy your fortune of a million inkstones which you had spent hundreds of millions of years accumulating, you might just find that some other experts would take it all from you.
This wouldn’t have been the first or second time for Edmond’s group to have done such a thing.
“Don’t worry, milord. Since we already know now, the three of them won’t be able to escape you. When we leave Royalwing City, we can make our move then.” The nearby God said insidiously.
Edmond nodded.
Everyone allowed to enter the third floor had items that were worth at least a million inkstones. Even a Highgod such as Edmond would be desirous of such a fortune.
At a row of sales counter on the side of the third floor’s main hall, there were violet-robed employees seated at every counter. Linley’s group walked towards one of them, a silver-haired old man.
“Hrm?” The violet-robed, silver-haired old man raised his head and smiled calmly. “What are you selling? Take it out.”
Linley and the other two glanced at each other, and then with a flip of his hand, Linley withdrew that black dagger and gave it to the silver-haired old man. “This Highgod artifact.”