Seeing that the raw material avenue held nothing of interest for them, they continued on. They halted for a moment when passing the huge storefront and display of a Spirit Beast Feed and Tack Shop, where the heavy, musky scent of exotic predators rolled out into the street.
Giant iron cages held restless, juvenile wind-wolves and scaled lizards, their handlers frantically applying heavy leather harnesses and checking the glowing runes on their restraint collars. There was nothing that could touch any of their pets, but it was interesting to see some more of the native beasts of the province.
There were also some very familiar creatures among them; the cultivators made no distinction between native beasts and monsters from the Pathworks, as long as they could be controlled with these formation collars. However, the runes on their collars seemed to flicker a little unreliably.
Maybe caused by the need to manufacture them quickly and cheaply? It couldn't be that it was also because the Southern Blade Sect was wiped out, right? The trio didn't buy any beasts, for now, but they got some of the feed and treats that were sold in this place for their pets.
In between big storefronts, the stone walkways were filled with normal and cultivator street vendors, contrasting the high-end spiritual commerce. They were not selling legendary treasures; they were hawking cheap regional snacks—steaming meat buns filled with simple boar meat, roasted spirit-nuts, and hand-painted silk maps of Doushi.
However, not all of them looked like professional traders; many were ruffled and dirt-stained, newly arrived refugees who could barely afford the city entry fee, trying to make a living by selling what they had left.
Small trinkets, simple daily items, and handcrafted goods like combs, animal carvings, or beautifully painted wooden wind-chimes styled like tiny cloud-barges. These were quite nice, and the party got a couple different ones.
These things were nothing magical or powerful, but many were well-made and beautiful. They made for great local souvenirs to bring back home. The trio insisted on paying double their prices for the craftsmanship, denying any intention to support them out of pity or anything.
The prices were one-digit amounts of copper coins, so even buying heaps along the way barely put a dent in the travel budget, even when paying double. They also came by many tea houses and lounges spread between the shops and stalls.
They had elevated balconies where the wealthier visitors would drink expensive tea while loudly gossiping about the political vacuum and the wild beasts outside the walls. Together with the gossip they picked up walking through the bustling crowd, it finally gave them a proper picture of the current state of Doushi.
Apparently, the disappearance of the Southern Blade sect had led to a lot of shortages when it came to materials as well as overall public safety. Usually, the disciples of the sect would be out on missions to gather materials, hunt beasts, or protect traders, especially with the current portal crisis.
Although many of the disciples survived the destruction of their sect, most of them had fled the region; nobody was willing or strong enough to rebuild the sect. In part, this was also because the sect had not only allies in this place. Those that stayed joined other groups or remained hidden.
All of that led to a certain instability in Doushi, with local and foreign factions vying to take control now and fill this power vacuum. After listening, looking, and buying stuff along the various streets, they finally entered the more high-class area of the commercial district.
The cobblestones beneath their boots transitioned into polished white jade-stone tiles, and the air smelled faintly of premium sandalwood and old parchment. They had entered the elite tier of the Commercial District—the high-grade quarter where the continent's true power players, sect elders, and wealthy young masters spent their fortunes.
In this place, there were no ragged sellers or street vendors. The streets were impeccably clean and lined with high-grade stores, only selling the most expensive stuff for rich and powerful cultivators. It was their first look at the slice of life of actual cultivator life, and it felt surprisingly modern.
There were not just alchemy towers and weapon galleries here, but also travel agencies, real estate agents, vehicle salesmen, high-grade beast stores, and high-quality clothing stores, instead of armor shops. As the cultivators had no culture in armor forging, these shops sold robes made of special materials and reinforced with formations.
Neeco Boos might have liked this place, a lot.
More exotic were stores offering Array Services, displaying miniature, glowing projections of complex magical formations floating above silk-lined pedestals. They offered defensive arrays, spiritual concealment matrices, and localized mana-gathering formations carved onto premium jade flags or mahogany plates.
Drawing their attention were the Jade Repositories and Technique libraries, offering martial manuals and essentially books on all kinds of knowledge. If they were looking for general alchemy knowledge, these were probably the main source.
They passed them all, as their destination was a huge alchemy pagoda, standing out even in the commercial district. This was the main branch of the alchemy guild, holding the highest influence on Doushi and obviously the city's most prestigious pill store.
An elderly shopkeeper in fine silk robes rushed forward, bowing low the moment they entered. Nobody set foot in this place by accident; if they did, he would recognize it. He immediately assumed they were wealthy buyers looking to capitalize on the city's sudden instability. A sound assessment
Inside, the atmosphere was thick with the rich, concentrated aroma of spirit qi and dried medicinal flora. There were no medicines openly on display here; instead, the pristine room featured private viewing alcoves lined with silk.
"Honored guests, welcome to the Nine Revolutions Pavilion. If you seek to fortify your meridians or prepare for the shifting tides outside the city walls, you have chosen the right establishment. Our stock is unmatched," he said, polite and confident.
"We're looking for pills that cultivate the body," Seth said, his tone polite and genuinely curious. "Or anything that can provide temporary improvement during combat. Souvenirs that offer lasting utility," the blacksmith explained.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, though his expression quickly turned apologetic. "Ah, body fortification... I understand the need to improve the foundation in such trying times, honored guests, but such treasures are rare. Even under normal circumstances, we only keep a small inventory. However, due to the... recent unfortunate disruption of our southern supply lines, our current stock is critically scarce."
The old man stepped back and deactivated a heavy spiritual ward on a wall-mounted cabinet, carefully retrieving a single, tightly sealed box of white jade. He brought it to the velvet counter and cracked the lid just enough to let a brilliant, azure glow spill out.
"This is a Heavenly Dew Meridian Pill," the shopkeeper whispered. "It is the last one in our private reserve. It permanently increases your spiritual reserves and can slightly improve the overall physique."Seth leaned in slightly, using
< Heavenly Dew Meridian Pill, Consumable
Epic
A pill casually refined by Grand Master Alchemist Dan Gui using an assortment of uncommon and rare herbs in a complex constellation.
+3 To all basic Attributes. +10 Intelligence. +2000 Max Mana>
Seth's
~How is it? -The girls asked, staring at the azure light escaping from the small box.
~It's a genuine stat-booster-, the blacksmith murmured to Fin and Mina using
"How much for this one?" Seth asked the shopkeeper. The man smiled knowingly.
"I knew the customer would recognize quality. For this masterpiece, forty high-grade spirit stones," the shopkeeper said, slightly apologetic. "I apologize for the steep price, honored guests, but the city's current instability has forced our hands. I do have a few lesser Elixirs—they grant a temporary strength and speed—but even those are dwindling fast."
Mr.Moneybags swallowed at the mention of the price. He had the money, but he had also gained an understanding of this world's currency. The step from low to middle-grade spirit stones was 0, but one needed 100 middle-grade stones for one high-grade stone. This pill cost 4000 middle-grade stones, or 40 000 low-grade ones...
Master Mountain had given him 560 high-grade spirit stones, and the blacksmith had thought they would last forever when they set off from Konan. That belief shook now, seeing it would take 40 for just one pill... Maybe he had to give selling stuff in Doushi for money some serious consideration...