Kent and Unity were offered seats and tea, which Kent accepted with open arms and a grateful smile. He needed a refill, after all. Unity, following his lead, also accepted a cup of tea.
“I have to say, gentleman, this list is rather long,” the store owner, Li Zing, remarked, holding the tall list in her hand.
“Well, I need as many of those ingredients as I can get. And you can call me Kent,” he replied casually.
“Well, Kent, it will take me a few hours to gather all of this. Of course, I’ll offer a discount for keeping you waiting,” Li Zing said with a small smile. Clearly, she wanted to fulfill the entire order, which meant venturing into her warehouse—a process that could take anywhere from four to eight hours.
“Take your time,” Kent said. “But can we leave and come back later? I can pay half now and settle the rest when we return if you’re worried about us not coming back.”
“Not that I don’t trust a handsome face like yours,” Li Zing said with a playful tone, “but these are rare herbs. I’d need 10,000 gold coins upfront, and you can pay the remainder when you come to pick up the goods.”
Kent nodded, retrieving 100 Spirit Stones from his storage ring, equivalent to the requested amount, and handed them over to her. “We’ll be back in seven hours to pick up the order,” he said, placing his teacup down gently.
Li Zing nodded appreciatively as Kent and Unity stood to leave. A moment later, they exited the herb store and began exploring the bustling city, eager to see what else it had to offer.
“So, where do you want to go next?” Unity asked immediately after they left the herb shop.
“We can go for lunch since I’m already starving from all the, you know—” Kent said, smiling. This made Unity blush slightly, causing the ladies who saw this to feel jealous. From the moment Kent entered the herb store to when they came out, their eyes never left the entrance.
“Take us to a good restaurant. Let me treat you to a nice meal as our first date—even if we’ve already had sex many times,” Kent added. With a deepening blush, Unity led them to a restaurant called Twilight Star Restaurant.
The next two hours were spent there, eating to their fill. Afterward, they left and explored the city, making sure they visited everything Kent wanted to see.
In the circle of alchemy, his master’s memories were exceptional, but when it came to the social aspect, aside from every last brothel, he knew next to nothing about other places.
So, this was a first-time experience for him.
He was enjoying everything. From the diverse scenery they explored to the stores they visited, Kent found himself fully immersed in the experience. He decided to buy more clothes, as he didn’t want to rely on the one Vexthra had made for him for daily use.
Those are very valuable. Clothes made of god material are next to impossible to be destroyed by mortals. He needed them for important moments
Kent spent 10 spirit stones on himself and 30 on Unity, despite her protests the entire time. However, Kent paid no attention to her objections. Although he needed Unity’s help to grow stronger, he wasn’t about to let her appear ordinary either.
Even Vexthra had ensured that wouldn’t happen. She created a cultivation technique for Unity, one that continuously tempered her body as she cultivated. In Vexthra’s words, it would turn Unity into the number-one beauty.
Kent didn’t know what the two women had discussed, but Unity had become noticeably more cheerful and eager to begin cultivating. Of course, Kent couldn’t deny his own desire; he was already looking forward to getting home so he could lose himself in her once again.
“So, where do you want to go next?” Unity asked after three hours of exploring the city, making it five hours since they had left the herb store.
“I want to sell some Tier 0 pills. Do you know of a place where I can do that?” Kent asked.
“How good is the quality of the pills?” Unity inquired, then quickly added, “Don’t get me wrong, I know you’re a good alchemist, but there are different places to sell pills depending on their purity.”
“Don’t sweat it, love,” Kent replied with a smile. “As for their purity levels, the lowest is 75%, and the highest is 99%,” he added, shocking Unity.
“Did you just say you have a 99% pure Tier 0 pill?” Unity asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“Four of them, actually,” Kent said with a grin. “I’ve got one at 74%, one at 91%, two at 98%, and four at 99%.” He didn’t mind bragging a little.
“So, what do you think? Do you know a place where I can sell them?” Kent asked.
“What kind of pills?” Unity questioned again.
“Qi Gathering Pills,” Kent answered. Once again, Unity was hit with a wave of astonishment, struggling to process what she had just heard.
And who could blame her? A 75% pure Qi Gathering Pill alone could be used for five hours of cultivation, increasing qi-gathering speed by 30 times. Five hours of absorbing spirit qi at that speed was more than most cultivators could ever dream of.
Unity took a deep breath, trying to calm her surprise. Then she smiled.
“You should sell them at the Silver Leaf Auction House,” she said.
Kent raised an eyebrow. “Auction house? Why there?”
“It’s the best place in the city for rare and high-quality items,” Unity explained. “The Silver Leaf Auction House is famous for attracting nobles, merchants, and even sect leaders. They bid fiercely for anything valuable.”
“Sounds promising,” Kent said, nodding.
Unity continued. “The Silver Leaf isn’t just known for its buyers. They also have a special appraisal service. Their appraisers are top-tier. If your pills are as pure as you say, they’ll cause a sensation.”
“Anything else I should know?” Kent asked, curious.
“Well,” Unity added with a sly smile, “there’s a rumor that the owner of the auction house is a high-ranking cultivator who collects rare treasures. If your pills catch their attention, you might get a personal invitation for their Annual Auction that is coming up in two months”
Kent chuckled. “Now that does sound intriguing. Let’s head there.”
Unity nodded, leading the way through the bustling streets toward the grand auction house. They passed by many stores and businesses until they finally stopped in front of a massive building.
Kent stood still for a moment, taking in the sight. The Silver Leaf Auction House was unlike anything he had seen so far. Even his late master hadn’t been there before which makes one wonder if he ever had a life.
Its walls were made of polished white stone that gleamed under the sunlight. Golden patterns ran along the edges, forming intricate designs of leaves and vines.
Two tall pillars framed the entrance, each carved with scenes of legendary battles and treasures. A pair of large wooden doors stood open, their surface adorned with silver inlays shaped like flowing rivers.
Above the entrance, a glowing sign read Silver Leaf Auction House, its letters shining with soft golden light.
The place radiated wealth and power.
“This place is incredible,” Kent muttered, his eyes wide.
Unity smiled at his reaction. “Wait until you see the inside. Let’s go.”
Kent nodded, still marveling at the grand structure, and followed Unity as they headed in. However, just as they were about to walk through the towering doors, two guards stepped forward, blocking their path.