Chapter 226 When in Rome, do as the Romans do (Second Update)
"Oh!" Zhang Guodong noticed the strange looks he was getting from many people. He immediately said, "Your clothes are too unconventional. I just wanted to find a place that sells clothes. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; otherwise, you shouldn't be shopping."
Originally, the guest rooms were provided with clothing, but Zhang Guodong was deliberately ignored by the disciple in blue, so he had no clothes to change into.
Being unfamiliar with the area and unsure where to find clothing, a timid-looking boy approached. [Advertisement break]
"Greetings, senior. I am very familiar with this place. If you need a guide, it will cost one low-grade crystal per day," the boy said timidly, looking at Zhang Guodong with anticipation.
Zhang Guodong had noticed him earlier. He was rather thin, dressed plainly, and seemed to come from an ordinary family. From the moment he stepped onto the street, this young man had been watching him closely—was he a tour guide? He definitely needed someone he knew to lead the way.
Low-grade crystal? He had just robbed three storage bags, and the space was much smaller than he had imagined, less than one-tenth of a cubic meter. Fortunately, the storage bags could be opened smoothly.
In the skinny man's storage bag were 120 green, crystalline stones, their grade unknown—perhaps low-grade—and six century-old medicinal herbs. These were stored in six jade boxes, already dehydrated and dried. Zhang Guodong recognized them; he had collected all six types himself. Not particularly interested, he simply put them away. He'd use them for alchemy sometime.
Two small bottles. The first bottle was labeled "Qi-Boosting Pill," likely a medicine for replenishing vital energy and treating internal injuries. Upon opening the bottle, a pleasant fragrance wafted out. Inside were five translucent, soybean-sized pills—medicinal pills?! Zhang Guodong was astonished.
Judging from the degree of integration, it seems to be even better integrated than the ones I refined myself. The spiritual energy fluctuations are concentrated and do not dissipate, and the spiritual energy is slightly less than that of the high-grade pills I refined. Overall, it is comparable to the high-grade pills I refined myself.
Another small bottle of "Spirit-Nourishing Pills" contained a pale yellow pill. These two pills were actually of a higher quality than the superior-grade pills I had refined myself. If classified, could they be considered grade-grade pills? They were also used to treat injuries.
This greatly shocked Zhang Guodong. Suddenly, the pills he thought were incredibly powerful had become healing pills for low-level disciples here. The sense of loss was indescribable.
It's conceivable. For a low-level disciple to possess such a pill, it's not considered particularly rare here.
In that case, the low-grade and mid-grade pills I refine myself would become garbage—no, perhaps only fit for mortals to consume.
Besides that, there were also some loose silver coins inside, seemingly for spending among mortals.
The other storage bag was even more meager, containing only thirty low-grade crystals. There was also a small bottle containing two "Qi-Boosting Pills," along with some loose silver, but not a single medicinal herb.
The storage bag is too small to hold much stuff.
Fortunately, Senior Brother Cheng was the wealthiest of the three. He had a red iron weapon, a low-grade offensive magic weapon, worth over a thousand low-grade crystals. In addition, he had three hundred and twenty low-grade crystals, which was probably his savings over many years. Then there were three locks of gold, which was basically all he had.
Zhang Guodong obtained 470 low-grade crystals, a low-level attack magic weapon, six century-old medicinal herbs, and 370 taels of silver and gold from the three people.
They made a great haul, robbing the three men of all their savings accumulated over the years.
However, this young boy was clearly from an ordinary family. Why would he want a low-grade crystal?
Seeing that this young man was the first person on the street to speak to him, Zhang Guodong asked with interest, "You're not a cultivator, so what do you need crystals for? You won't take silver?"
The question actually stumped the shy, timid boy. His eyes darted around in confusion: "No, no. Silver is fine too, but I want to save up crystals to become an apprentice. They say I don't have the talent." Zhang Guodong was also bewildered. He knew nothing about this place, so he didn't press the matter. Instead, he smiled slightly and asked, "So, how much do you usually charge for your daily tour guide fee?"
The voice trailed off as he said, "I usually earn one or two taels of silver a day," and he became anxious.
"Oh? Then how do you exchange silver for low-grade crystals?"
"Crystals can be exchanged for silver, but silver can't be exchanged for crystals. Nobody exchanges them," the boy told the truth. His honesty was endearing. "If you want to exchange them, one low-grade crystal can be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver."
Zhang Guodong looked at him with a smile. One low-grade crystal a day would be equivalent to one hundred taels of silver, far exceeding the cost of one tael of silver a day.
Realizing that the price he was asking for was indeed outrageously high, Zhang Guodong probably lost interest and turned away dejectedly.
"Wait a minute," Zhang Guodong called out to him.
"Hiring you isn't impossible, but one low-grade crystal a day is too expensive. How about this: one low-grade crystal every three days, are you in?"
Erzi thought he'd misheard. This person actually hired him, offering to earn a low-grade crystal stone in three days. This Fengdu City... if you just want to take a quick look around, three days should be enough. Of course, if you want to explore it thoroughly, three months wouldn't be enough.
"Three intentions?" Zhang Guodong looked at him and said, "Ah, I'm willing!" Erzi nodded happily.
"That's good. What's your name?" Zhang Guodong asked with a smile.
"They call me, Erzi," Erzi blushed.
“Erzi, well, let’s call this day one. Now take me to a place that sells clothes,” Zhang Guodong said.
Erzi was indeed very familiar with Fengdu City. He grew up here. His parents farmed outside the city. His dream was to become a glorious and powerful plant cultivator. Unfortunately, he had already participated in the annual test of talent for those under eighteen in Fengdu City. The outstanding ones would be recruited by the Qingxuan Sect as sixth-generation outer disciples and enter the ranks of plant cultivators. Unfortunately, his talent was only below average, so he was not recruited.
Unable to join a sect to learn, they can only choose to become independent cultivators. However, the path of independent cultivation is extremely difficult because there is no one to guide disciples with poor talent, and they have to rely on their own efforts.
Zhang Guodong only then realized that the Elder Hall, high above, was actually a sect, the Qingxuan Sect. The sect leader was a fourth-generation inner disciple. Although his strength couldn't compare to Xuan Qinghui and Zhao Jun, he was still a top-tier young cultivator, a level 27 plant cultivator. He was skilled in managing sects, so the Elder Hall, in a joint effort, appointed him exceptionally. To a certain extent, he represented the Elder Hall, whose authority was not to be violated. Therefore, while the sect leader's strength wasn't high, his power was immense.
Furthermore, Qingxuan Sect does not participate in specific management, so Fengdu City still has a city lord and a garrison. The garrison is used to protect Fengdu City and maintain its security, and some of them are disciples of Qingxuan Sect.
Erzi led Zhang Guodong to a clothing store. The owner, an ordinary man, paused for a moment upon seeing Zhang Guodong's unusual attire. Erzi then explained, "This senior wants to buy an outfit!"
"Welcome! Please feel free to choose whatever you like. The clothes here are of good quality and inexpensive. Please! Erzi, thank you!" The shop owner immediately put on a warm smile. He naturally recognized Erzi.
Erzi chuckled, looking rather silly. He was happy whenever someone praised him. The clothing store owner slipped two green fruits into Erzi's hand, saying, "Here, have some!"
Zhang Guodong grunted in agreement and, without any hesitation, went inside to choose. The prices were clearly marked, so he wasn't worried about being ripped off. Both silver and crystals were priced. However, the clothes weren't expensive, and no one tried to buy them with crystals.
The shop was quite large. It had a good selection of ready-made clothes, categorized into coarse, ordinary, and luxurious garments. Zhang Guodong chose a set of ordinary purple clothes, including shoes, a headscarf, and underwear, which cost him a total of three taels of silver.
"Please feel free to come here for any market days in the future, take care!" The owner of the clothing store warmly saw Zhang Guodong and his two sons out.
Having changed his attire, Zhang Guodong realized he was no longer attracting attention, and he was in a good mood. He had also learned how to use silver. The remaining 367 taels of silver still had considerable purchasing power.
As for the clothes he took off, Zhang Guodong packed them up and took them with him.
"Second son, where can I buy books? Hmm, books that introduce this continent."
"I know, I'll take you there!" (Ad break)
There is indeed a bookstore here that introduces this continent, but it is managed by the city lord, and anyone buying maps or books must do so here.
Moreover, the books sold here are extremely expensive.
The shop assistant wasn't enthusiastic enough, and seeing Zhang Guodong's ordinary attire, he became even colder: "A comprehensive history of the continent, fifty taels of silver a copy. If you want to buy a map, a brand new map of the entire continent is two hundred taels of silver! That's two hundred and fifty taels of silver in total, or three low-grade crystals!"
Take it or leave it!
Zhang Guodong inwardly cursed this as extortion. These easily copied books were being sold at such exorbitant prices. But circumstances forced him to comply; if he didn't buy them, they were practically unavailable elsewhere. The main problem was that no one dared to sell them privately, as the consequences of being caught would be severe. Reluctantly, Zhang Guodong tossed down two hundred and fifty taels of silver, receiving a comprehensive history of the continent and a newly drawn map of the entire continent.
With a general history of the six kingdoms, Zhang Guodong could at least gain some understanding of the place. Otherwise, he would be completely clueless when he went out, and he could adapt to this place in a short time.
"Erzi, let's go. Let's find a restaurant, eat, and read at the same time." Having acquired these two important items, Zhang Guodong called to Erzi, intending to find a place to sit down and spend some time reading this comprehensive history of the continent. However, he was a little hungry.
Erzi knew where the teahouse and restaurant were; this one was called "Let's Get Drunk Until We're Overjoyed." It wasn't big, and there weren't many people. However, when he arrived at the door, he didn't dare to go up. He was just an ordinary person, at the very bottom of society, and not well-off, so naturally he never came to such places and had some fear of them.
"Let's go. You're my tour guide, so I'll treat you to dinner today without deducting your wages. We can decide where we go after we've eaten." Zhang Guodong smiled slightly, pulled him along, and the two entered the restaurant.
"Gentlemen, please come upstairs! Please greet them."
Note: Second update. This chapter isn't very long, haha.
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