Once they’d fled the level the Spire was on, Sage turned to Guan Zhenyan.

“So, where to, next? Was that everything? Wasn’t there something you needed from the actual Chain Ocean Palace headquarters? We just left the Sea King so maybe now is the perfect time to strike when he’s away.”

The man was sitting upon a divan within a palatial cabin, smoking from his long pipe and holding the newly acquired item in his hand. It was a blackened sphere, similar in size to a walnut, yet hard as rock. Sage’s Blacksilver Pawn had slipped out of the Spire when the barrier was broken for just that quick moment, sneaking aboard one of the giant tendrils and getting carried out without anyone noticing. Now, with the item they’d worked so hard for in Zhenyan’s hands they were only one piece away from completing the agreement.

“There is indeed one final piece in the coffers of Chain Ocean Palace. We can head there now, but I’m not called the Dream Dealer for no reason. I got word that another one has just come onto the market.”

“Oh, let me guess. This new source is also extremely expensive. Do they also have a grudge against you?”

“The expense goes without saying. I wouldn’t have requested your assistance if the items I required were not difficult to acquire. As for a grudge: no more than any other customer.”

“So they hate you. I’ll keep that in mind. So, what level are we heading to? Is there a good place to stop along the way to trade for Spirit Stones? Surely you know someone who can take a large amount of lower level resources with no questions asked, right?”

“Of course. I’ve already told Fei Long our destination.”

Sage rolled his eyes. To see Guan Zhenyan getting along so easily with the chubby Artifact Spirit no longer surprised him. The two had already had many conversations about their taste in women and he’d heard the sounds of a party going on a few days ago. The women on the crew were not real, merely creations of the Artifact, yet the two of them were having such a great time. It seemed ridiculous to him, but as long as the Shifting Jade Mountain stayed on course and made good time, why should he complain about their oddities.

They weren’t the only ones with a Flying Ship. The passageways over the ramps between the levels were quite large and as long as they paid a premium price they could fly through without even having to slow down. Sage only paid the premium for the first few levels they crossed, and then they chose to wait in line to make the price more bearable. The price for flying devices was double those on the ground, and the price for large ones doubled again. The price to skip the line was a thousand Spirit Stones per level. It was especially obnoxious given they were on their way to a shop to earn more Spirit Stones. He even considered putting away the ship and proceeding through the levels on foot, but then he might be seen storing away such a massive vessel and owning a Storage Ring that fit a Flying Ship inside would incite more greed than owning the Flying Ship itself.

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He just had to hope they didn’t have to travel through many levels, but even waiting in line, they spent money very quickly. Four hundred per level, ten levels at a time, four thousand spirit stones were expended again and again. Sage had paid for the lower levels, but that was only for himself and without his disguised identity. If they didn’t want to give away Guan Zhenyan’s presence, or explain the whole crew created by their Artifact Spirit, they had to pay for the large flying ship pass which covered the whole vessel rather than worrying about the individuals.

Eventually, the cash bleeding was paused as they left the path heading towards the next level. The ship tilted over to the side and they flew in towards the center of the level. Almost immediately a wave of heat rolled over the deck of the ship and the artificial light on this level seemed to multiply in intensity. Down below the dense buildings always present around the ramps between levels rapidly dwindled to nothing and rocky ground quickly changed to sand. Yellow dunes kicking up sand from the wind, the view from above showing how the gusts of air were slowly changing things.

They passed over a few roving caravans. There were no wagons to be seen, but instead many camel-like lizards that sported large claws on their wide feet. Glad to not have to suffer through that trip, Sage saw a few spots of green in the distance. Each of the small oases were surrounded by many tents and the camel lizards basking in the sun. They seemed to know where they were going and after a time they approached a shining blue point in the sea of golden sand. This oasis was many times larger than the others, a huge lake rather than a small pond. Greenery surrounded it, spreading out a few hundred meters, enough for farms to be built along with a city of adobe buildings. Their destination was at the edge of this city where more tents were set up. More specifically, there was a series of immense tents that might be found at a circus, except they were each of a single color rather than garishly patterned.

The ship descended into an open space behind the largest tent, the one that was an ivory white color, and before the ramp finished lowering to the ground a group of people were already waiting to receive them. A thin man with a long curly mustache was at the head of the group, greeting them with a wide smile as soon as their feet hit the sand.

“Welcome to the Imperious Emporium. How may we be of service to you?”

Sage was still wearing the dark armor from before and Guan Zhenyan was still aboard the ship along with Xiang Fei Long. Sage, in his imposing black armor with red highlights, was accompanied by only a pair of deckhands, the two women wearing simple sailing outfits fit for the age of sail, but with very pirate-like bandanas and cutlasses. They were both merely creations of the Artifact Spirit which meant they couldn’t stray too far from the ship, but even the research teams hadn’t been able to confirm all the details as they fell into the bounds of keeping the Artifact Spirit happy to increase performance.

“We’ve been told you can purchase large amounts of resources here. Here’s a manifest.”

Sage held out a Jade Slip and the man quickly checked it, nodding his head, “Very well. Let us head inside. The Guru will wish to speak with you.”

Guru? Really?

He waved his hand to the two workers beside him and they ran back up the ramp. The two of them along with a dozen others started walking up and down the ramp again. Moving in teams of two to carry Storage Chests out from the ship’s hold and then setting them down at the bottom of the ramp before heading back up for another. The large chests started to stack up at the end of the ship’s ramp, even as Sage followed the mustached man into the large white tent behind him.

Inside, the thick walls of the tent were very different from the outside as they were covered with various decorations. Silk banners, intricate tapestries, and thick cushions filled the place. Between the piles of plush cushions were larger pillows that were occupied by valuable items, a fact which he identified after just a few moments with a whole research team to assist him. The man led him to a cordoned off area of the tent, where a curtain slowly pulled back and a chubby brown skinned man walked out. Sage was surprised as the Tianxia Empire was predominately east asian in appearance. He’d seen the whole range of peoples down in the Depths, but it was something else to see here in the Tianxia Capital.

“I am the Guru. Who might you be?”