Richard continued to stroll around the bustling area after he left the Red Dragon General Store.
He felt sparingly strange as he watched the various people walk past him amidst the noise.
He wouldn’t know when such a scene would appear in Twilight City.
It was a long way to go.
Richard turned to Rebecca after he enjoyed the atmosphere for a moment.
He looked at the young lady while she pondered and said slowly,
“Rebecca, have you heard of Peim before you came?”
A demigod who could survive after he lost his heart was simply a myth and legend.
Furthermore, the other party had a glorious divine artifact… He would probably be a guest of honor for the kings of various empires if such a person had not lost his heart.
Rebecca shook her head.
“The primary plane is too big. There are countless powerful and mysterious existences like Sir Peim.”
“Besides, this is not the Ice Empire…”
Richard fell silent.
The “Glorious Era” was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
The natives had existed for an unknown amount of time, and the players at the current stage of the game could not compare to them.
Richard inexplicably felt a sense of relief at the thought of this. Fortunately, Twilight City was deep in the desert and had a natural barrier from the outside world.
There was no need to worry about clashing with these terrifying forces when they were weak.
He slowly said after a while.
“What do you think of Peim?”
Anticipation immersed Rebecca’s tone.
“His majesty must have been astonishingly powerful at his peak.”
“No one could compete with me for the position of the Frostwolf family heir if I can have the power to kill the ancient red dragon…”
He turned to Richard, her eyes serious.
“Lord Richard, going to the temple to retrieve the heart of a god will be far more dangerous than you can imagine.”
“Please, reconsider if you don’t have absolute confidence…”
“The potential of Twilight City is unlimited. You don’t need to take the risk yourself.”
Her limpid eyes glowed with a subtle light that was difficult for outsiders to understand after a short pause.
“Some of my plans can be put into practice immediately once I get the fur of the fire dragon rabbit. By then, I’ll control more resources of the family.”
“I’ll use this opportunity to find a Contract Scroll for you.”
Richard looked at the girl’s grave gaze.
He felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
This eldest daughter of a noble family with an exceptional background had a good character.
He nodded slowly.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already made arrangements for this matter. If I’m not sure, I won’t take the risk.”
Rebecca looked at how serious his reply to her was. And she felt happy for some reason.
He didn’t say anything else. Richard wasn’t an impulsive person judging from their interactions.
Richard asked as if he had thought of something,
“Rebecca, where can I buy glorious armor in the Black Market?”
His purpose was to buy armor for Xina.
The dark valkyrie had brought her full-body armor. It had impressive defensive power and could repair itself automatically, so he didn’t need to prepare anything.
Rebecca was all smiles as she glanced at Xina beside her.
Grand Duke Solan’s shop might have the equipment that Miss Xina needs.
“Grand Duke Solan?” Richard was curious about the title.
“That’s right, the ruler of Solan City, a legendary ascetic.”
Respect immersed Rebecca’s eyes when she said this.
He exclaimed.
“Grand Duke Solan has already reached level 29 two years ago. He is only one step away from becoming a demigod.”
“It’s admirable that an ascetic can become a legend.”
“Ascetic is a very rare profession?”
It was the first time Richard had heard of this profession.
Rebecca was stunned. It was like she didn’t expect him to miss the news about this.
She immediately explained as she thought of his identity as the Lord of Grace Mainland.
“No, ascetics aren’t rare. It’s just an advanced level for warriors, and you can choose it after level 10.”
“However, not many warriors will change their profession to become ascetics. It was not difficult to change but to level up after becoming an ascetic.”
“Ascetics can’t wear armor or use weapons. They can only fight with their physical bodies.”
“I’ll have to increase the strength of my body first if I want to level up. I can only level up after I’ve reached a certain strength level.”
“That’s why you can often see ascetics go to terrifying places to sharpen themselves, fighting magical beasts with their bare hands.”
“This kind of suffering is not something that ordinary people can bear.”
“However, such hard work has allowed every ascetic to have a body comparable to a dragon of the same level.”
“What’s even more ridiculous is that the ascetics can fight four or five heroes of the same level alone.”
“It’s not a legend for them to hunt dragons with their bare hands.”
“As for the legendary ascetics… I can’t imagine how terrifying it is. I’m afraid that Grand Duke Solan can use his body to resist the dragon’s breath. Entering the lava naked might not feel like taking a hot bath.”
“My father once said that the ascetics are one of the most powerful existences above transcendent.”
Richard lost his thoughts.
He noted down this profession.
He had to be more careful if he encountered ascetics in the future.
Those who were ruthless to themselves were not weak.
He would not go at the very least if they asked him to take off his equipment and fight with ferocious beasts with bare hands.
“Then let’s go to the Grand Duke’s Chamber of Commerce and check. I wonder if we can see the elegant demeanor of the legendary ascetic.”
Rebecca pursed her lips and smiled.
“The Solan Chamber of Commerce is managed by Duke Solan’s daughter, Her Highness Christy. I’m afraid we won’t be able to meet her.”
Butler Kent led them in another direction while the two laughed.
The group stopped in front of a shop that occupied an exaggerated area.
It was like a stadium that could accommodate tens of thousands of people.
There was a huge signboard with the words “Solan Chamber of Commerce” written in the common language of the continent.
The outer wall of the building embossed dozens of flying horse statues that were more than ten meters tall. The flying horses kept galloping on the wall after enhancement with magic.
This scene had quite an impact.
Two rows of ten-meter-tall magic stone statues at the entrance held long-handled battle axes and guarded the sides.
They were all level 19 top-tier troops.
There were many people around, and it was very lively.
Richard’s group of twenty or so people was nothing in this place.
It took some time to settle down the level 15 soldiers of the two teams because they could not bring them to the shop.
Butler Kent then led them into the house.
The view suddenly opened up after they passed the magic stone statue.
One has carved complicated and exquisite patterns in the 20-meter-high sky and hung colored oil paintings on the surrounding walls.
A staff member in his early forties came up to him with a smile before he could look around.
“Dear guests, the Solan Chamber of Commerce welcomes all of you. I will be at your service from now on.
“What are you here to buy?”
Richard returned to his senses and gestured to Xina.
“I need to buy a set of high-quality armor…”
“Armor? What level do you need?”
“Four-stars and above.”
The middle-aged man’s smile became even brighter when he heard this.
“You need to go to the second floor to get a treasure of this level. Please follow me…”
Richard nodded and followed.
However, he had just passed through the crowd and arrived at the stairs.
They could hear the sound of an argument.
Richard turned to look.
An old man with a goatee argued with a few players behind the counter.
In front of them was a pile of severely damaged items.
It was obvious that they had just returned from the wilderness and were there to sell their treasures.
A rusty sword, a broken shield, a broken longbow… It was filled with the aura of time as if one had pricked them up from an ancient ruin.
The middle-aged man awkwardly smiled when he saw Richard’s curious eyes.
“My Lord, some grace mainland overlords usually come to sell things they got from god knows where. Some are very valuable, and some are just junk, so there will be occasional disputes. Please, don’t mind them. Please, follow me.”
Richard nodded and turned his attention away. He looked away and went upstairs.
The argument on the other side became more intense at this moment.
“This is a piece of legendary equipment! It shouldn’t be worth so little money, even if it’s heavily damaged, right?”
“That’s all I have. It’s not worth it to have one more serving! When has the Solan Chamber of Commerce ever lied to anyone?”
“Impossible, the price your people gave me last time was three times higher than yours! You’re lying!”
“Who is it? How come I didn’t know about this!”
The players suddenly noticed the middle-aged man who had become conspicuously halfway up the stairs, and their eyes immediately lit up.
He pointed at the stairs and shouted.
“We sold it to him last week! Call him over. We’ll confront him!”
The old man with a goatee behind the counter immediately turned to look at Richard. It embarrassed the middle-aged man who led the way.
He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know how to.
It was a complete joke to outsiders… Later, he would advise the president to move the acquisition area to the backyard.
At this moment, the commotion had already attracted the attention of many people.
The middle-aged man couldn’t just leave.
He apologized to Richard with a smile and called for a staff member not far from the stairs to accompany him. Then he turned around and walked down the stairs to the players with a dark expression.
It piqued Richard’s interest.
He wasn’t in a hurry to go up. So he brought Rebecca and the others down the stairs. He passed through the crowd and approached the people who still argued.
“The item I’m selling is the same as the last time. Why is the price not even half of the previous one? Tell me!”
The leader held a rusty bronze sword and glared at the two who sold goods.
The middle-aged man’s eyes grew even more unsightly when he saw Richard.
“Hmph, the last time I bought that piece of equipment from you, I brought it to a blacksmith to restore it… But do you know what the result was?”
“Our top-notch blacksmith master said that it’s impossible to repair it since it’s so broken.”
“It is not worthy of repair even if it could be.”
“The resources needed to repair it are enough to forge a brand new one.”
The players did not believe it.
“Hmph, who knows if you’re telling the truth…”
“You can go to another shop and see if they have the same price if you don’t believe me.”
They continued to argue.
Richard finally understood what the players argued about after he listened.
The price was high the last time they came to sell treasures. They got the same treasure this time, but the Solan Chamber of Commerce offered less than half of the previous price, which was unfair.
It was the same for the Solan Chamber of Commerce.
Previously, he wanted to buy and repair it to make a fortune. However, he didn’t expect the repair to exceed the price of the treasure itself. It was not worth it at all.
That’s why this happened.
The players’ treasure piqued Richard’s curiosity.
He opened his attribute panel and took a few glances.
[Damaged Bronze Battle Blade]
[Level: None]
[Status: Severely Damaged]
[Description: Once a legendary weapon. Lost its power over time. ]
…
[Broken Black Longsword]
…
[Broken Longbow]
…
More than 20 weapons. Each was severely damaged.
What was interesting was that half of them were legendary equipment.
He has no idea where the few players got several glorious-level pieces of equipment… It was tattered.
The appraiser with the goatee did not even want to offer half the price after the middle-aged man told him one could no longer repair these weapons.
He chased the players away as if he chased away flies.
The players were depressed. They cursed in a language the world couldn’t understand and greeted the two’s families. They took out a black cloth bag and unwillingly kept the broken equipment on the counter.
An arm can’t win against a thigh…
Richard chuckled.
These guys really didn’t change their nature.
He didn’t stay any longer and turned to leave after he watched the show.
The players collected the last few items on the table after they took a few steps.
[Ding~ Sugar palm]
One of the long blades was too rusty and broke, fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Richard turned around.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he saw the players pick it up while they cursed.
He didn’t take it seriously at first, but at that moment, the leader took out a dried branch from his bag and swept the last two treasures on the table into the bag as if he was a garbage collector.
Richard’s heart skipped a beat.
He fixed his eyes on the dried branch in the player’s hand.
He felt a strange yet familiar aura.
It seemed like… The god’s ancient tree.
No, it was even more evil and dark than the aura of the god’s ancient tree.
More importantly, this dried branch didn’t seem one had passed it down from ancient times like the other broken branches.
It seemed very new…
An adamant curiosity rose in his heart. Where did these players get this branch?