Chapter 9: White City

After leaving the Cain Clan, the difference between the two didn’t seem too large. White City was a large city, so it naturally would have more possibilities. Kirian decided that he would spend some time familiarizing himself with the city before looking at the institutions. He cringes at the idea of being labeled a country bumpkin. Kirian’s distant cousin left the Cain Clan roughly 10 years ago. He had spent his days inside the Clan doing nothing but flirting with girls and playing games. When he arrived at White City he was tricked into spending all his money on overpriced goods, got tricked into doing free manual labor, and spent 2 days trying to get into 3rd high. They wouldn’t let him in because he was in a sorry state, didn’t know anything about the city, and was only a mid level initial awakening cultivator. Needless to say he learned a lot while away from the Clan.

Kirian took a stroll through the city, taking in all the sights. He spent the whole afternoon walking since White City was more than 5x bigger than the Cain Clan territory. White City was set up as a large Circle with an ‘X’ in the middle. The ‘X’ were the main roads of White City. Kirian walked a figure 8 and saw a good portion of the city.

On his way he passed 4th and 1st high. The area near 4th high was calmer and gave off a more familiar vibe, so he picked a random inn to stay at. As he walked into “Cultivator’s Comfort” he was greeted by a young boy.

“Good evening, sir! Welcome to Cultivator’s Comfort? May I ask what the purpose of the young Sir’s visit is?”

Kirian responded, “Hello, I would like to stay 2, maybe 3 nights in one of your cheaper rooms.”

The boy smiled. Any guest was valuable, “Sure, I will give you room 3 on the first level. It is near the dining area. The room is single with a cultivation mat. Due to other guests drinking and staying up late in the dining hall it is considerably cheaper than other rooms, since it is not soundproof. 2 nights will cost 2 stones, but will include 2 meals a day.

Kirian only had 180 stones and needed to buy a communication crystal which would set him back at least 150 stones. ‘2 stones? That’s more than I thought.

Kirian reluctantly pulled out 2 stones from his storage space. Kirian asked for the boy to bring his meal to the room along with a map of the area. After eating, Kirian spent the rest of the night meditating and consolidating his new energy level. At 2am, Kirian awoke from loud squeaking and high pitched moans coming from the room above him. Clearly, the bed quality was lacking.

As an 18 year old, Kirian couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the activity. After a few moments, he sighed to himself and looked out the window. There was no way he could sleep anymore. You can only mentaly prepare for so much without first hand experience. People within the Clan were much more reserved, so he never needed to worry about the night time relations between men and women being this loud and distracting. Not to mention, they enjoyed quality materials so maybe it wasn’t that the Clan was reserved.

Kirian decided he needed to work on tempering his mind or earn more money, so he could get a soundproof room.

With that, he left his room to find a place to do his morning routine. After walking a few li he arrived at a training field across from 4th high. He ran their track and gave a few head nods to the other diligent students who were working out. After a few hours he returned to his inn to get breakfast. He then set out to the Northern district. This area was well known for its trading center. There was also a city hall branch in the area.

Per Lawrence’s instructions, it was mandatory to register with city hall. Each country in the Murong Empire had their own city hall system. Anything issued at a city hall in Silver Country had the country crest engraved into the top corner. By registering with Silver Country he essentially got proof of citizenship. His merits would be recorded for this Country. Within Silver Country he could use his ID as identification, bank card, or as an access card. ID cards were linked with a drop of blood and required the holder to input his/her EU into the card. This way the card would only activate for their respective owners. Since the cultivation world valued strength, if you died your possessions were up for grabs and your ID card would lack ownership. Restrictions or enchantments were available for those with power, money, or both to better secure their assets but nothing was full proof.. However, for most you were out of luck.

After going through the formalities, Kirian walked down the street towards the busy trade market. As he got closer, he heard dozens of voices yelling. Some were declaring their intentions to buy certain goods, while others were yelling out deals. Based on his cousin’s experience, most of these peddlers were up to no good. Kirian quickly brushed off all of them and stopped in front of “Merlin’s Market Goods” or MMG, a well-established trading firm.

Kirian stepped inside and was greeted by a faint woody fragrance that was calming. A brightly lit first floor had counters lining the walls. Each wall had different signs that read ‘Buy,’ ‘Sell,’ and ‘Need Help.’ The middle area had tables of all sizes, private booths, and a staircase to upper levels. Each MMG had similar formats to limit customer confusion and increase efficenacy. Kirian walked through the store to the ‘Sell’ wall. All the counters were full so he waited patiently in line.

As he was waiting, he eavesdropped on nearby tables but nothing sparked his interest. As he was called up, the customer representative gave his spiel. “Welcome to Merlin’s Market Goods! Are you a first time seller?” Kirian nodded. “Fantastic. Merlin’s Market Goods or MMG is the #1 reputable store in Silver Country. We have branches all over and your relationship or past history is synced between all locations in this Country. This provides you with a status and rates your buyer/seller relationship with MMG. The MMG Rank is a numerical scale that caps at 5. You can increase your MMG Rank by volume of exchanges.”

“If you require more information, please visit the ‘Need Help’ section of the store. Now, what are you looking to sell today?”

Kirian reviewed his storage ring before replying, “Thank you. I have 4 serpent fangs and some serpent beast meat.”

‘Okay, please remove the items and place them in the bin located to your right.’ Kirian complied.

‘Perfect. I will now appraise the goods and weigh the skin.’ The MMG representative cataloged the goods, updated the computer, and received the base value. ‘If you wish to sell all the items, you will receive a total of 36 stones and 450 Nics. Do you wish to finalize the sale?’

Kirian needed money and was still figuring out inflation in a larger city. He found the price reasonable enough. ‘Yes, that works. Please transfer the funds to my ID card.’

Once Kirian finished the sale. He walked over to the buy section and perused their catalog. He spent 40 stones on a few E Grade Energy Savior and health potions.