CHAPTER 395: CHAPTER 40: FIVE SAINTS MOUNTAIN CITY

Upon seeing Yue Jinghua, Guo Ziyu’s eyes lit up like a cat that had just smelled fish.

There is a kind of friendship called revolutionary comradeship, and there’s another kind called fair-weather friends.

It’s not only men who can have such so-called friendships based on feasting and drinking; now, Yue Jinghua and Guo Ziyu have such a relationship, akin to a liquor-based strategic alliance.

She hurriedly dragged Yue Jinghua into the house, no longer displaying her previously shrewd proprietor demeanor.

"I followed your method, using those what do you call them, hops, to brew this beer," Guo Ziyu had never been exposed to beer. When she first brewed it, she tried a scoop and found it bland and tasteless at first, but after a few more sips, she realized that although this new beer wasn’t as potent as the whiskey or red wine from the pub, it had a pleasant aftertaste.

It was mild, with a scent of wheat and hops, and drinking a few more glasses wouldn’t result in drunkenness. It would be great for killing time with a few good friends.

Guo Ziyu used several large wooden barrels for brewing, and when she opened the stopper, Yue Jinghua smelled a familiar scent.

The beer in the barrel was a yellow-orange color, slightly too mild, but it already had the rudimentary elements of beer, only lacking more hops.

In Guo Ziyu’s hands, there was only a small packet of dried hops bought from the female mercenary Weiwei, used for brewing, and the quantity was insufficient, which made the beer somewhat weak.

"It’s a pity, I haven’t heard from Weiwei in a while. For all I know, she might have died in the forest like some of those unfortunate short-lived mercenaries," Guo Ziyu, originally an assassin, had only a typical business relationship with Weiwei, and was indifferent to her life or death.

However, if something happened to Weiwei, the whereabouts of the hops would be a mystery, and their plan for mass production of the beer would fall through.

After thinking for a moment, Guo Ziyu suddenly slapped her thigh: "I got it, I almost forgot about this matter. Just because we don’t have hops, doesn’t mean others don’t. Every day there are so many mercenaries and herb gatherers going in and out of the Xuan Beast Ridge, it’s possible that someone else has also found hops. This time at the Five Saints Mountain Market, we should focus on purchasing hops.

Yue Jinghua had earlier proposed to attend the Five Saints Mountain Market. Due to a breeding farm task last time, Yue Jinghua missed it, but the next Five Saints Mountain Market would be held in three days.

The Five Saints Mountain Market, located around the Xuan Beast Ridge, is the biggest unofficial trading spot there, held bi-monthly. Each event attracts thousands of participants.

At the market, sellers need to pay a fee of one thousandth of five to freely sell their goods. As for buyers, they do not need to pay anything.

Many people attending the Wusheng Mountain Market are mercenaries. They come with the intention of trading, serving both as sellers and buyers, but there are also a small number of people coming for sightseeing. Moreover, some chambers of commerce and trading caravans also send people to procure the freshest medicinal herbs and newly captured Dark Beasts.

Because of its flexible system and affordable prices, many people prefer to perform transactions directly at the Five Saints Mountain Market.

Guo Ziyu was very familiar with the market, and three days later, accompanied by her and her husband, Yue Jinghua and Shalman went to the Central Area of Five Saints Town to participate in the bimonthly Five Saints Mountain Market.

Before leaving, Guo Ziyu reminded Yue Jinghua, apart from the necessary Dan Xuan Cards, it was best to prepare two or three valuable items because at the market, some well-off mercenaries prefer not to accept Dark Pills but like to trade using barter, exchanging rare items.

Yue Jinghua thought about it. The last time on Mazaro Mountain, she had obtained a significant quantity of Spirit Grass and beast skins, along with some Dark Pills, from the hands of the Mercenary Inspection Team — except for those branded, all could be sold conveniently.

As for her own Elixir Pills, not yet familiar with the Five Saints Mountain Market, she only planned to test the waters this time and did not intend to sell them.

On the day of the Five Saints Mountain Market, the entire Five Saints Town became crowded.

Like the tender leaves of a willow rejuvenated by a spring rain, mercenaries quickly filled up various inns in the town overnight.

According to Guo Ziyu, although Five Saints Mountain City is called a mountain market, it actually forms around the Ancient Hero Statue in the Central Area, with stalls aligned along the street.

The closer one gets to the Hero Statue, the more precious the items sold, and the greater the number of people inquiring about them.

Some mercenaries even came a day or two early to the Central Area to claim good spots.

As dawn broke, Guo Ziyu and his wife arrived at the White Moon Pavilion Inn where Yue Jinghua was staying.

Once she stepped outside, Yue Jinghua heard the noisy cries of hawkers.

On the streets, crowds thronged; some street vendors simply hung their goods on themselves, mostly selling Dark Beast skins.

Others set up colorful tents resembling circus tents, forming temporary stalls which mostly belonged to Mercenary Teams or even Mercenary Groups.

Yue Jinghua preferred to deal with individual mercenaries selling their wares; after all, even if a Mercenary Group obtained some precious treasures, they were mostly consumed internally and the items displayed for sale were rarely anything rare.

Mercenaries, brimming with vigor, shouted out in the streets. Most were from the Five Saints Branch, but there were also some freelance mercenaries from other places.

"An unopened-eyed Fifth-level Six-Eared Fox, whiter and cuter than a Kate Rabbit, five hundred Fourth-level Dark Pills, buy one for your lover, buy one for your junior,"

"Dark Earth Realm Xuan Skill Youlong Palm, astonishingly powerful, can split a huge stone with one palm, eight hundred Fourth-level Dark Pills, essential for travel,"

"Seeds of Third-stage Spiritual Wood Longevity Ear, germinate as soon as they are planted, with a hundred percent germination rate, no need for Dark Pills if they don’t germinate,"

"A pair of Middle-level Spiritual-grade Power Bracelets, left hand South Mountain Tiger, right hand Forest Wolf, no longer just a dream,"

Walking past the flushed face of a barking mercenary, Yue Jinghua eyed the wares being sold along the street.

Indeed, Xuan Beast Ridge was a treasure trove of Dark Beasts, with various beast skins and armors unseen on a regular day, dazzle the eyes, yet regrettably, with Yue Jinghua’s discerning eyes today, she found nothing that caught her interest.

At that moment, a man with a pointy face and monkey-cheeks approached; his lapel sported two Mercenary Star Patterns, indicating he was a Two-star Mercenary.

With the streets densely packed, by this time, Guo Ziyu and his wife looking for Hops had already drifted some distance away from Yue Jinghua.

This Two-star Mercenary sneaked up to Yue Jinghua’s side, mysteriously asking, "Young man, first time here? You’re in luck, let me show you a fine item, Seventh-level Sky Escape Fox’s Dark Pill."

Seventh-level Dark Pill?

A slight stir rose in Yue Jinghua’s heart; her Jiuxiao Tianpeng Array Plate just needed a Seventh-level Dark Pill.

"How about it? Shall we discuss it over in that alley?" The mercenary nodded toward a side alley, his face full of expectation as he looked at Yue Jinghua.