Chapter 847: City at the Top of the Sky
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the ancient martial arts world, spiritual stones were rare items. The ancient martial art pract.i.tioners from some small sects would even see a spiritual stone as a treasure. On a normal basis, they would be reluctant to even use them.
Mo Wen and Ling Feng were both people who had seen the world at large. But even for them, a spiritual stone a day as a fee for a guide made them secretly astonished.
A sect like the Intentionless Sect would at most acc.u.mulate three to five hundred spiritual stones a year. On average, that would be around one spiritual stone a day. This was the spiritual stone intake of a large sect.
In Dragon City, a guide had a daily income of one spiritual stone. It was comparable to the income of a sect!
It was no wonder that even though so many special people came to Dragon City, those who hired a guide were rather rare. It wasn’t that they wanted to figure out the Dragon City guidebook on their own, but they could not afford a Dragon City guide.
“May I ask whether you wish to hire a guide?” Tang Zhizh fluttered her eyelashes as she looked at Mo Wen and Ling Feng. She had a hopeful look in her eyes. Since yesterday she had not received even one guest. It was the same as having wasted one day.
She knew that the guide fee was very expensive, but this was the standard price set by the Huatian Palace. She could not do anything about it. In reality, the amount of money that she could earn was just a very small portion. Most of it would be taxed by the Huatian Palace.
However, even so, working in Dragon City was still a lucrative job. Many Huatian Palace Executors had fought for the right to work in Dragon City. It was because of the job income in Dragon City. Even if a large portion of it was deducted by the Huatian Palace, the little portion that was leftover was still a very large sum of wealth.
Tang Zhizhi had worked hard to get the t.i.tle of Dragon City guide. If everything went smoothly, in one Martial Arts Circle Convention she could at least earn ten spiritual stones. This was wealth that she had never dared to even dream of before.
“What’s the difference between hiring you and not hiring you? I want to know whether you are worth one spiritual stone a day.”
Mo Wen did not immediately agree. Although he had many spiritual stones, he did not want to fall prey to a scam.
“Sir, it is true that, in the outside world, a fee of one spiritual stone a day is certainly incredible. However, in Dragon City, there will certainly be value for your money. Maybe during a crucial moment, by hiring me, you can even avoid a greater loss.”
Although Tang Zhizhi felt that the guide fee was expensive, she never thought that it was not worth it. More often than not, one would not only not suffer a loss from hiring a guide, and they would even benefit from it.
“Oh, why is that so?” Mo Wen asked.
“The guides are among the people who are most familiar with Dragon City. If you hire me, you can reduce the number of detours you will take and can avoid violating the laws of Dragon City. Dragon City has its own laws. Some people who did not know this went bankrupt because they repeatedly broke the law and were fined. So, if you hire me, I can point out the law of Dragon City for you at all times.”
Every guide that entertained a guest would have some ways to promote themselves. Tang Zhizhi was no exception. However, she made no false statements; everything that she said was true.
“Your reasoning managed to convince me. You are my guide now,” Mo Wen stated plainly.
“Hiring me will definitely be worth it! Sir, how many days are you prepared to hire me for?” Tang Zhizhi inquired excitedly. She had finally received her first guest. Guide work in Dragon City was not easy because the number of people who could afford to hire guides was few and far between. Even if some people did not lack funds, very few people were willing to hire a guide at this price.
“I will hire you until I feel that you are no longer of worth. If I feel that today you are no longer worth it, then tomorrow I won’t hire you. If I feel that you are always of worth, then I will hire you until the Martial Arts Circle Convention is over.”
Although Mo Wen did not lack spiritual stones, he did not want to spend lavishly.
“Really? That’s wonderful. You will definitely recognize my value,” Tang Zhizhi exclaimed with an excited look. She never thought that she would encounter a nouveau riche, and a super nouveau riche at that. This youth did not look like someone who lacked money.
Some of the Dragon City guides around them saw that Tang Zhizhi had managed to strike a deal. They immediately shot her looks of envy. For guides in Dragon City, striking a deal with a guest was not easy. Securing a long-term paying client was even rarer.
Ling Feng also looked at Mo Wen with a slightly surprised expression. This fellow seemed to be ostentatious. Even Ling Feng had never been so rich.
With Tang Zhizhi as a guide, Mo Wen did not need to figure out the Dragon City guidebook anymore. The three of them went on their way.
Tang Zhizhi told them that they were not currently in Dragon City and were instead on the outskirts. They still had to walk a fair distance before they reached Dragon City.
“Is it the first time you have both been to Dragon City?” Tang Zhizhi looked at Mo Wen and Ling Feng curiously.
Mo Wen nodded his head, then turned his gaze to Ling Feng. This elder had lived for more than two hundred years. This must not be the first time he had come to Dragon City.
“Dragon City? I have forgotten how many times I have come here, but it is certainly not fewer than ten times.”
Ling Feng looked in front of him, a flash of emotion flas.h.i.+ng in his eyes.
“Ah!”
Tang Zhizhi looked in astonishment at Ling Feng who was beside her. This elder was clearly not from an ordinary background; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to have been able to come to Dragon City so many times. Although Dragon City was open once every five years, not just anyone who wanted to come could do so. Even those who had Dragon City Talismans who attended the Martial Arts Circle Convention could not come to the following two conventions or for ten years. Unless they were from the sects that partic.i.p.ated in the Martial Arts Circle Convention battle royale, the number of times they could come to Dragon City would be restricted.
In reality, the people who came for the Martial Arts Circle Convention were just a small group of people. Most of the people came to Dragon City with other goals in mind. Based on what Tang Zhizhi knew, the ancient martial art pract.i.tioners from the various large Inner worlds usually made up more than sixty percent of the total population. As for the main s.p.a.ce ancient martial art pract.i.tioners that could partic.i.p.ate in the Martial Arts Circle Convention battle royale, they would at most make up ten percent.
“The last time I came to Dragon City was seventy years ago. After so many years, I am not really familiar with Dragon City anymore. I will not affect your job,” Ling Feng said with a smile. He knew the meaning behind Tang Zhizhi’s astonished expression. A person who had come to Dragon City no fewer than ten times would naturally be very familiar with Dragon City.
“Senior, you must be kidding. You must certainly be more familiar with Dragon City than I am.” Tang Zhizhi smiled bashfully. Seventy years ago, she had not even been born.
They walked for around fifty kilometers and could finally see the outline of Dragon City in the distance. However, Mo Wen discovered that although Dragon City was in sight, they were still at least a hundred kilometers away.
From a distance of a hundred kilometers, he could actually make out the outline of Dragon City. The scale of Dragon City was unimaginable.
A hundred kilometers was a terrifying distance for ordinary people, but for ancient martial art pract.i.tioners like them, it wasn’t far at all.
The three of them were all traveling on foot. Mo Wen noticed that the gravity in the Dragon City Mystery Dimension was far greater than that in the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension. It was at least ten times that of the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension.
Even Golden Elixir Realm ancient martial art pract.i.tioners could not fly in the Dragon City Mystery Dimension, let alone those at the Embryonic Breathing Realm. Only those at the Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm or above had the ability to fly.
“Do you know what Dragon City is built on?”
Along the way, Ling Feng spoke very little, being somewhat taciturn. He merely walked behind Mo Wen as though he was Mo Wen’s shadow. Tang Zhizhi knew that this person did not wish for others to disturb him. So she casually struck up a conversation with Mo Wen.
After finding out that this was Mo Wen’s first time in Dragon City, she felt that as a guide, she had to give him more information about the city.
“Oh, isn’t Dragon City built on the ground?” Mo Wen asked curiously.
“Dragon City is not built on the ground. Instead, it is built at the top of the sky.” Tang Zhizhi smiled. “More precisely, Dragon City is built on a scepter,” she said.
“On top of a scepter?” Mo Wen clearly did not understand what Tang Zhizhi was telling him.
“The majesty and mystery of Dragon City are beyond our wildest imaginations. Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you truly understand. Dragon City is a city at the top of the sky, built on top of the scepter of a G.o.ddess. If you want to take a look at the full view of the Dragon City Mystery Dimension, I suggest you head to the observation platforms. There are sky mirrors on the observation platforms that can show the full view of the Dragon City Mystery Dimension. However, it is quite expensive to use a sky mirror.”
Not many people could afford to use a sky mirror. It cost ten spiritual stones to look through one once. Very few people were willing to pay such an astronomical price just to see the full view of the Dragon City Mystery Dimension. However, Tang Zhizhi thought that it was quite worth it. The Dragon City Mystery Dimension was one of the most mysterious mystery dimensions in this world. Its level of majesty was absolutely beyond the imagination.
Using a sky mirror cost ten spiritual stones?
Mo Wen suddenly felt that even a super-wealthy nouveau riche like him had to keep a low profile here in Dragon City.
Dragon City was an ancient city that had been around since ancient times. Rumor had it that it was impossible to establish when the city had been founded, but it must have been a very long time ago.
After countless eras of decay, Dragon City did not show any signs of deterioration; instead, it had become both more grand and ancient.
From a hundred kilometers away, Mo Wen experienced the immenseness of Dragon City. However, as he got closer, this experience became even more vivid.
The city walls were three thousand meters tall, standing before him like a prehistoric monster. Even in the main s.p.a.ce, there were few mountain peaks that were three thousand meters tall. Three thousand meter tall city walls were unimaginable.
When Mo Wen reached the bottom of Dragon City’s walls, a wild aura surged forward, causing one to subconsciously imagine how ancient this city was. It seemed as though countless eons ago, it was already standing at the top of the sky.
“Rumor has it that Dragon City has existed since the Ancient Age and has survived until now,” Tang Zhizhi stated softly. Countless eons and the river of history could not bury this ancient city.
Ling Feng looked at the majestic city before him with a complicated gaze. He had stood before this city when he was a youth. Now his hair was white and he was standing here once again. Times had changed. It felt as though more than two hundred years had pa.s.sed in an instant. From a handsome young man, he had become an elder approaching his grave. As for Dragon City, it had not changed since ancient times.
“Where are the observation platforms?” Mo Wen was suddenly interested in seeing the full view of this Dragon City Mystery Dimension. He wanted to feel the charm of this city at the top of the sky.
“The observation platforms are just at the top of the city walls,” Tang Zhizhi said with a smile.