CHAPTER 13: CHAPTER 13: MERCHANT GUILD

Li Yi skillfully led Anna and Li Xing, taking a shortcut to a commercial district bustling with people, even more lively than the area in front of the Testing Hall.

The commercial district was quite similar to a shopping street on Blue Star, with various styles of buildings lining both sides of the road. There were futuristic UFO-style structures, ancient-style buildings with upturned eaves and railings, dark gothic castles with pointed roofs, and even some with a rugged Western style. In short, the shops could be built in any style the owner fancied. Surprisingly, these bizarre buildings harmonized together, becoming a unique sight in Datang City.

In addition to ordinary folks like themselves, there were many others shopping here who appeared travel-worn, clearly not locals judging by their attire.

All the way here, Li Xing encountered several teams that seemed to have just returned from hunting in the Star Beast Forest, looking formidable covered in Evil Qi and bloodstains. If Li Xing guessed correctly, they came to the commercial district to sell their prey.

Anna bought three giant colorful cotton candies, and the family of three wandered around while eating. Li Xing noticed that many shop doors bore the same emblem and quietly asked Li Yi, who explained:

"This is the Merchant Guild’s emblem. Shops bearing this emblem are run by senior merchants who have received registration certification and are under the Guild’s supervision. Shopping at such stores ensures quality and after-sales service without inflated prices. Most importantly, these stores will never sell counterfeit goods, as failing to comply results in losing everything to compensate consumers, being blacklisted by Merchant Guilds in all Federation cities, and ruining their reputation."

Li Xing pointed to a shop without the Guild mark and asked:

"Uncle Li, look, that store doesn’t have a mark, yet it’s crowded. Don’t they know it’s safer to buy from Guild-certified shops?"

"That’s a peddler’s shop. Peddlers don’t have a fixed business address; they just pay a small permit fee to the local Merchant Guild and rent a place to do business whenever they arrive in a city. Peddler shops frequently sell bizarre items, and occasionally someone might snag high-quality goods at a low price, so these shops are just as popular as Guild shops. Everyone hopes to discover a treasure, but few have the discerning eye. If you make a mistake in a peddler’s store, either they’ve packed up for the next city, or it’s ’no returns, no responsibility’; you’d just be out of luck. So Xiao Xing, always buy from certified shops, and never let the desire for a bargain cost you more."

Li Xing nodded but secretly felt that peddler shops were fantastic; they should be explored at least once, not to find hidden treasures, but just to give a reason for showcasing the Heavenly Wolf Saber and the Shennong Cauldron.

Li Yi brought his wife and child into a Guild-certified shop. From the outside, it appeared to be an old red brick two-story building, but inside it had a modern minimalist style, with white ceilings, walls, and floors making the space extremely spacious and tidy.

A large display screen was actively introducing the shop’s hot-selling items; no shelves were visible, and there was a set of sofas in the corner where the owner was sitting, idly swiping through his digital device.

As soon as Li Yi entered, he loudly greeted the owner, indicating they were old friends.

"Lao Guan—! Business is booming, eh? How much did you make this month?"

The owner, Lao Guan, was a trim and muscular man in his fifties with short white hair, looking energetic.

"Booming my ass, haven’t even opened yet! How much? Not even in my dreams! Oh, your wife’s here too!"

Anna greeted Boss Guan with a smile, and Li Yi pointed at Li Xing, saying, "This is my daughter, Li Xing. Xiao Xing, say hello to Uncle Guan!"

"Hello, Uncle Guan—!" Li Xing drew out her greeting sweetly, sugary sweet.

"Is this the one you mentioned wanting to adopt?" Lao Guan nodded and continued, "The kid’s good, really sharp!"

"That’s right!" Li Yi puffed out his chest. "A-grade Fire Elemental Spirit, just tested!"

Lao Guan feigned envy: "Got any more like that? I want to adopt one too."

"Sorry, bachelors can’t. Get a wife first."

Lao Guan rolled his eyes at Li Yi, then turned with a smile to Li Xing, "Xiao Xing, feel free to choose anything in my shop as a welcoming gift from your Uncle Guan."

Li Xing was about to refuse, but Li Yi accepted on her behalf: "Alright then, this kid doesn’t have a digital device yet. Show me your latest model."

Lao Guan summoned the display screen for them to make their selection, with product prices, specifications, advantages, and disadvantages all detailed.

The three of them chose three models for the final decision: Anna favored a Barbie pink one, Li Yi picked the most expensive, and Li Xing chose the most cost-effective one. This digital device was moderately priced, wouldn’t cause too much loss to Boss Guan, and wouldn’t cheapen the intended gesture of a gift.

"Xiao Xing, I’m a close friend of your dad’s, so no need to be polite with me." Lao Guan noticed Li Xing’s thoughtful selection and couldn’t help but admire Li Yi’s good fortune in adopting such an understanding child.

"Uncle Guan, I really only like this one. I’m still young; I don’t need anything overly fancy and extravagant."

Lao Guan: Sensible! Would she be willing to adopt another godfather?

Li Yi and Anna agreed with Li Xing’s reasoning and thus settled on the digital device she chose.

Boss Guan pulled a long, wide drawer from the smooth, mirror-like wall, revealing an array of products inside.

Li Yi and Anna were unfazed, but Li Xing’s eyes lit up. No wonder the store seemed empty; the mystery lay within the walls. This space-folding technology was similar to a storage bag and could house as much as containerfuls of goods.

Boss Guan retrieved the digital device Li Xing selected, helped her bind it, and input personal information.

Name: Li Xing, Age: Six, Federation ID: 810112198901160079001

Attaching the device to Li Xing’s wrist, Boss Guan pointed, "Here, you can set a personal nickname and ringtone." Li Xing thought for a moment and entered seven characters in the nickname field.

"Beep—"

A gentle electronic voice announced, "User nickname: Delicate Little White Flower, binding successful."

Lao Guan glanced at Li Xing’s petite figure, thinking the name suited her perfectly.

Li Yi took out a space button, and Lao Guan, understanding the gesture, swiped his hand to lift a large, flat white platform from the floor, floating between them.

Li Yi activated the space button, and with a toss onto the platform, dozens of animal hides, a heap of fangs and bones, and a bulging small bag appeared out of nowhere.

Lao Guan first checked the quality of the hides and then equipped a professional magnifier to categorize and grade the bones and fangs. Finally, he opened the small bag, pouring out a pile of shiny, round stones.

Li Xing was astonished—were these Demon Crystals? So many of them!

While Boss Guan examined the Demon Crystals, Li Xing tugged at Li Yi’s sleeve, asking, "Uncle Li, what are these stones? They’re so pretty—!"

"These are Crystal Stones, formed in the heads of Star Beasts."

Li Xing stayed silent, her eyes sparkling with desire. Li Yi couldn’t resist her puppy-dog eyes and handed her a low-level Crystal Stone to play with.

The Crystal Stone felt cool to the touch, with a texture similar to a crystal, containing two forces: dense Chaos Qi and a small amount of Spiritual Energy.

Li Xing’s eyes shone instantly. The Chaos Qi in these Crystal Stones was far purer and richer than that in the air, exactly the cultivation resources she needed!

"Do all Star Beasts have Crystal Stones?"

"They do," this time answered by Lao Guan.

Li Xing was quietly amazed—in the cultivation world, a Demon Beast had to reach the Demon General level, equivalent to the Golden Core Stage for human cultivators, to condense a Demon Crystal. The Crystal Stone in her hand was from a low-level Star Beast, implying that Demon General-level strength was the starting point for Star Beast combat power. So, how powerful must the high-level Star Beasts be?