The market district was lively as always.
Almost everything sold here was either earth-attribute or related to it in some way. There wasn't anything particularly rare or high-grade, but compared to the Central Continent, there were plenty of things Yun Jin hadn't seen before.
She strolled through the stalls, her curiosity piqued, occasionally stopping to ask a few questions.
"This manual's a Mystic rank one? Looks pretty interesting." Yun Jin picked up a book from one of the stalls. "How are you selling this? For spirit stones or trade?"
The vendor glanced at the token hanging from her waist and smiled warmly. "This Mystic rank manual's pretty common stuff. If you like it, just take it. It's yours."
Before she could react, the stall owner had already shoved the manual into her hands.
Yun Jin blinked in confusion. What was going on?
Sure, she knew she was charming, but she hadn't even tried to be charming yet!
Could these Shi Tribe folks already see past her pretty face and recognize her beautiful soul instead?
That'd be... surprisingly insightful of them.
She tried refusing, but the vendor wouldn't hear of it, so she could only accept it with an awkward smile.
As she continued walking, she quickly noticed a pattern. Every time she showed interest in something, the sellers would immediately offer it to her for free. Whenever she tried to pay in spirit stones, they all refused with stubborn smiles.
After a few rounds of this, Yun Jin finally took off the token hanging at her waist. It was the one that soldier from the patrol had given her, supposedly allowing her to buy things for free in the city.
She hadn't even used it intentionally, yet somehow, every merchant still insisted on giving her things without charge. If it'd been just one or two vendors, maybe they were simply generous. But if everyone was acting like this, then something else was definitely going on.
There had to be some kind of benefit to giving her free stuff. Now she was genuinely curious.
Could it be because she'd registered herself as part of a "rare species"?
The thought made her think of Gun Gun.
That silly iron-eating beast was just an average spirit beast in this world, but in her senior brother's world, it'd be a national treasure!
So now she was being treated like one too?
That was... kind of embarrassing.
This city wasn't that big, and there wasn't much left to see. By the next morning, Yun Jin decided to move on. But as soon as she reached the city gate, she was stopped.
"Please remain here for two more days," the soldier said.
She raised an eyebrow. "And if I don't?"
The Shi Tribe soldier simply looked at her calmly and repeated, "Please remain here for two more days."
Yun Jin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Alright then. If that's how they wanted to play, she'd play along.
She wanted to see what exactly they were planning in two days.
Without another word, she gave the soldier a polite nod and turned back toward the inn.
Not long after she left, the soldiers at the gate started whispering among themselves.
"Tsk, tsk, that guy Yan Xiao really lucked out. He's the one who registered that rare species, right? He's gonna walk away with half the benefits!"
"Who could've guessed that a rare species would just stroll into the city on its own and even claim to be one?"
"Yeah, I hesitated for just a second, and he swooped right in to claim it."
"Look at that white-haired woman, she clearly comes from some backwater place. It's probably her first time outside her home region."
"She's too good a find for Yan Xiao. Total steal!"
"Doesn't matter. We'll all get a share anyway."
"True. Once the delegation from the royal capital arrives in two days, we'll have plenty of benefits to go around."
They all laughed as they chatted.
Yun Jin had already walked quite far, but her ears twitched slightly, picking up every word they said.
Interesting.
So being a "rare species" meant something special here in Stone City. And in two days, someone from the royal capital would arrive?
Alright then. She'd wait and see what kind of show they were planning. She returned to her room and started flipping through the Mystic rank manual she'd received.
The Shi Tribe cultivated earth-attribute Laws, and their methods were quite different from what humans practiced. Even if the manual didn't offer much practical progress for her, she still found it insightful. While she practiced, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Then, on the morning of the third day, a luxurious carriage stopped at the city gate. It was enormous, drawn by sixteen blazing stone horses. The carriage itself stretched ten meters long and five wide, almost like a moving fortress rather than a vehicle.
Yun Jin's eyes flickered as she sensed the energy from within.
The Shi Tribe was really full of surprises. Before the soldiers could even come fetch her, she jumped straight out the window and landed lightly in front of the carriage.
The people below froze in surprise.
She smiled. "You're here for me, right?"
The group exchanged glances. They'd never met such a proactive "rare species" before.
This white-haired woman really was just like Yan Xiao's report described: isolated from the world and completely clueless about how things worked outside.
After sharing a few looks, the leader stepped forward and said politely, "Miss Yun, you've traveled far to reach the Shi Tribe. We'd like to extend our hospitality. The royal capital's the most prosperous place in our lands. We were hoping to take you there as our honored guest. What do you say?"
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow. They sounded courteous, but every single one of them was tense. If she refused, they'd probably attack on the spot.
She gave them a faint smile. "Sure. I've been meaning to see what your royal capital looks like anyway."
Her easy agreement caught them off guard.
They exchanged relieved glances, then smiled. "Excellent. Please, this way, Miss Yun."
Without hesitation, she lifted the curtain and stepped into the carriage. As soon as she entered, the group outside visibly relaxed.
"Alright, move out."
"Hurry, we need to reach the capital before the grand event starts."
"Yeah, step on it."
"Don't worry, Mister Mirror's inside. Nothing will go wrong."
They spoke quickly as they hitched the reins, and the massive carriage began rolling forward.
Inside, Yun Jin walked through a long, narrow corridor lined on both sides with mirrors. The moment she entered, she felt a wave of spiritual energy trying to invade her sea of consciousness.
Unfortunately for the one behind it, the strength of that mental probe was... pitiful.
Yun Jin's lips curved slightly. She pretended to fall under the influence, letting her eyes go blank as she walked deeper into the corridor.
At the very end stood an enormous mirror. It flickered with light as an image appeared on its surface—her own reflection, expression dull and empty.
"Who are you?"
A voice echoed from within the mirror.
"Yun Jin," she answered in a flat tone.
"Where are you from?"
"The White-Haired Tribe."
"How many of your kind still exist?"
"Three, including me."
"Where's your tribe located?"
"Deep within the marshlands."
The mirror questioned, and Yun Jin replied obediently each time.
Whoever was inside seemed very satisfied with her honesty.
His voice grew softer, more hypnotic. "Come closer."
She took a step forward.
A strange fluctuation rippled from the mirror.
Whoever it was, they were trying to take full control of her mind.