Luo Zhen rode back into Flying Sand City with the weight of a fortune in his saddlebags. He'd spent months in the wastes, a half-man, half-serpent creature of the dust, and the wealth he'd plundered from bandits and beasts was staggering. His first stop was a discreet broker in the city's heart, a place that specialized in converting raw assets into pure power. He liquidated the lot—piles of low-grade spirit stones, vials of elixirs, and bundles of rare herbs—consolidating it all into the compact, potent glow of high-grade stones.
Back at his residence, he found a visitor waiting. A fox-like demon beast from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion bowed low in the sitting room.
"General Luo," he said respectfully, "my manager sent me with a message. We've found a lead on the Thunderstone you were looking for. He suggests you visit the underground market." The fox produced a small wooden medallion. "This will grant you access. Our manager's compliments."
"Thank him for me," Luo Zhen said, taking the medallion. "Tell him I'll head over after I've had a chance to rest."
"Of course, General. We'll be waiting." The fox bowed again and slipped out.
Alone, Luo Zhen made his way to the back courtyard. He drew a hot bath and sank into the steaming water, letting the months of desert grit and grime melt away. Clean and dressed in fresh robes, he tucked the spirit stones and the medallion into a leather pouch and set out for the clandestine market that operated in the shadows of the city. As a half-human, his upper body required the decorum of clothes, a small nod to the world he no longer fully belonged to.
He found the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's underground storefront with ease and was greeted by a familiar, twitchy rat demon—the manager.
"Master Snake! Finally!" the rat squeaked, his whiskers trembling. "I've sent my people looking for you half a dozen times, but your residence was empty!"
"I was out of the city on business," Luo Zhen said coolly, the business in question having been the total annihilation of several bandit clans.
"Well, your timing is impeccable!" the manager chirped. "There's a major Exchange Fair for Demon Generals starting soon. That's where you'll find your Thunderstone!"
"Exchange Fair?" Luo Zhen raised an eyebrow.
"It's exactly what it sounds like," the rat explained, rubbing his paws together. "A place for bartering. See, for powerhouses like you, there are only three ways to get the really rare stuff. You can buy it from shops, but you'll pay a fortune for second-rate goods. You can go to an auction, but you'll get into a bidding war with every fool with deep pockets. Or, you can come to an Exchange Fair."
He leaned in conspiratorially. "Many of us have treasures we'd never trade for something as common as spirit stones. We want other treasures. So, we trade. Item for item, value for value. And as it happens, a Thunder Turtle General has been making the rounds with a stash of Thunderstones. He's already made a few trades, but he should still have some left."
Luo Zhen frowned. "He's already traded some away?"
"Don't you worry," the rat said quickly. "He's got a few left, I'm sure of it. But I have to be honest—I can't guarantee a deal. It all comes down to whether you have what he wants."
"Understood. A successful trade is on me, not you."
The rat demon's smile widened, showing a row of sharp teeth. "Speaking of which… providing this kind of information isn't exactly free, if you catch my meaning."
Luo Zhen knew the game. Information was a commodity, and a little grease kept the wheels of commerce turning smoothly. He reached into his pouch, pulled out a shimmering high-grade spirit stone, and tossed it to the manager. The rat's eyes went wide as he snatched it from the air, his greed eclipsed only by his delight.
"Thank you, Master Snake! Oh, thank you!" he squealed. "When the fair begins, I'll personally escort you. I have a feeling you'll find exactly what you're looking for!"
Half an hour later, the rat demon led him into a cavernous, private chamber. A sparse gathering of formidable figures, each a blend of human and beast, was seated throughout the thousand-square-meter space.
"This is it?" Luo Zhen murmured, scanning the room. "Where's the Thunder Turtle?"
"Patience, patience! It's just starting. More will arrive."
True to his word, the room began to fill over the next several minutes. Luo Zhen took a seat near the back, his gaze sweeping over the arrivals. Then he saw him: a being with the head of a man and the massive, armored shell of a turtle. He looked like something out of a myth, and faint sparks of electricity occasionally arced across his skin. Luo Zhen's internal scanner confirmed it. This was his target.
Soon, the great doors boomed shut. A host stepped onto a raised platform at the front of the room.
"Welcome," the host announced, his voice echoing in the chamber. "Let the Exchange Fair begin. Approach the platform in order."
The first stage was a massive scorpion demon. "I have a palm-sized Golden Sun Stone," he boomed. "I seek ten Bone Shattering Flowers in trade."
A murmur went through the crowd. "A fair trade," someone muttered.
From across the room, another voice called out, "I'll make that trade!" The deal was done in seconds, and the scorpion demon walked off the stage, pleased.
The next participant was less fortunate.
"I offer twenty Crimson Blood Pills for ten Flame Spirit Pills!" he declared.
The room erupted in derisive laughter.
"Is he serious?" a warlord sneered. "He's offering grade-four trash for grade-six elixirs? At a two-for-one insult?"
"Get him out of here!" another roared. "Don't waste our time!"
Humiliated, the demon scurried off the stage. The fair continued like this for some time. Some trades were successful, but most failed, collapsing under mismatched desires or arguments over value.
Finally, it was the Thunder Turtle's turn. He lumbered onto the platform, his expression grim. He produced a fist-sized stone that pulsed with contained lightning.
"I have a high-quality Thunderstone," he said, his voice a low rumble. "I need Thunder Pattern Pills."
A heavy silence fell over the room. The Thunder Turtle waited, his hope visibly draining with every passing second.
"Any thunder-attribute pills will do," he added, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. "I'm in urgent need."
Still, nothing. Just as he was about to retreat in defeat, a Demon General spoke up, not with an offer, but with a harsh truth. "Many of us have the pills you want," he said. "But why would we trade them for your stone? It's valuable, yes, but only to a select few. To the rest of us, it's just a rock."
The Turtle's shoulders slumped. He was beaten. But as he turned to leave the stage, a voice cut through the silence from the back of the room.
"I don't have thunder-attribute pills," Luo Zhen said, rising to his feet. "But perhaps we can still make a deal."
The Thunder Turtle stopped dead. "I might consider high-quality thunder herbs," he offered cautiously.
"I don't have those either," Luo Zhen admitted.
"Then forget it!" the Turtle snapped, his patience gone. "I don't need anything else."
"Wait," Luo Zhen said, his voice calm but firm. He reached into his leather pouch. "You haven't seen what I'm offering." He pulled out a piece of metal, so dark it seemed to drink the light from the room. A solid, flawless piece of Iron Essence.
"How about this?"
A collective gasp swept through the hall. Murmurs erupted into a roar of disbelief.
"Iron Essence? Is that real?"
"He's trading Iron Essence for a chunk of Thunderstone? The man has to be insane!"
"Even the Demon Kings would kill for a piece that pure! It's essential for forging true magic treasures!"
The Thunder Turtle stared, stunned. He swallowed hard. "Are you certain?" he stammered. "Your Iron Essence… It's worth so much more than my stone." He knew its value. With it, he could forge a weapon of incredible power or trade it for anything his heart desired. Unlike his Thunderstone, Iron Essence was a currency everyone respected.
"I'm certain," Luo Zhen said, his expression serious. "But we'll trade based on fair market value. I expect to get exactly what my Iron Essence is worth."
"Of course! I'm not a thief!" the Turtle replied instantly.
Luo Zhen strode to the platform. As they prepared to exchange, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
Host, this Turtle is carrying a lot of Thunderstones. Get as many as you can.
You said five would be enough, Luo Zhen thought back.
I said you needed a minimum of five, the system corrected. But with something like this, more is always better. With enough Thunderstones, the Thunder Cloud Saber we forge could approach the power of a pseudo-magic treasure!
The words resonated in Luo Zhen's mind. Pseudo-magic treasure. It wasn't the real thing, but for someone at his level, it was close enough to change everything.
He looked at the Thunder Turtle. "Friend," he said, his voice ringing with new purpose. "How many Thunderstones do you have on you? I want them all."
The Turtle blinked. "Brother, your Iron Essence is valuable, but it's only worth about four of my stones. I have more, but…"
"You misunderstand." Luo Zhen reached back into his pouch and produced a second piece of Iron Essence, identical to the first. "I have more to trade."
The Thunder Turtle's jaw dropped, then broke into a wide, disbelieving grin. "Well then," he boomed. "We have a deal!"
The onlookers, who had been merely shocked, were now completely dumbfounded.
"A second piece! By the gods!"
"What a waste!" another general groaned, smacking his forehead. "Trading a king's ransom for a handful of useless rocks!"
But for others, shock was quickly turning to avarice. The room descended into a frenzy.
"Brother Snake! I'll trade with you! I have elixirs, rare metals, anything you want!"
"Trade with me! I have a king's treasury!"
"Look here! Over here!"
Ignoring the clamor, Luo Zhen pulled out three more pieces of Iron Essence. In a single, stunning transaction, he traded all five for twenty fist-sized, brilliant blue Thunderstones—the Thunder Turtle's entire supply, which he'd kept hidden within his shell.
With the deal done, the Turtle was ecstatic, and Luo Zhen had his prize. The crowd, however, had gone feral.
Luo Zhen raised a hand, and his voice cut through the din. "Everyone! Listen to me!"
The room fell silent, every eye locked on him.
"I still have plenty of Iron Essence," he said with a faint smile. "But I only want one thing: Thunderstone. If you have it, I'll trade. If you don't, I'm not interested."
A wave of disappointment washed over the hall. No one else had what he wanted.
"Then there's nothing more to discuss," Luo Zhen said. He turned and walked out of the chamber, leaving chaos in his wake.
Back in the open desert under the dimming sky, the system's voice returned. Host, that was incredibly reckless. 'An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth.' You've painted a massive target on your back. They will come to kill you and take what's yours.
Luo Zhen just laughed.
What's so funny? The system asked.
"I'm counting on it," Luo Zhen said, his smile turning sharp and predatory. "Out in the wastes, I learned a valuable lesson: the fastest way to get rich is to take it from someone else."
He glanced back in the direction of the market, where he could already feel the greedy eyes that would soon be following him into the dunes.
"They think they're hunting me for my Iron Essence," he whispered to the wind. "What they don't realize is, I'm hunting them for everything they own."