Free trade?
What are they planning?
With the Floating City around, who would dare to trade?
However, the Floating City isn't interested in artifacts, talismans, or spirit materials, only spirit herbs, medicines, and beasts. If this is real, perhaps they can exchange for much-needed items, making this trip worthwhile.
Xi Feng said, "I want to trade all the supplies of the Nolan Imperial Court."
"Agreed."
"How do you guarantee the Nolan Imperial Court won't hoard anything?"
"You can inspect the Imperial Court after the market closes. If any hoarded resources are found, the Imperial Court will receive nothing!"
Xi Feng frowned. While he knew they had their own ulterior motives, the offer was reasonable.
Moreover, the Nolan Imperial Court had to be entered, and that couldn't be faked.
With the technical means provided by Voidwalker Kassadin, the Floating City had spatial fluctuation detection equipment, capable of uncovering any hidden small worlds and ensuring no one could transfer supplies using wormholes or similar methods.
After pondering for a while, Xi Feng said, "The market opens immediately, no delays!"
"Half an hour!"
"Agreed!"
The Imperial Court wasted no time. The army dispersed and took up defensive positions, while another group emerged to set up the market with great focus.
News of the Imperial Court's Grand Trading Market spread like wildfire, and cultivators throughout the Nolan Empire went mad, fearing they would miss out!
The Nolan Empire's foundation was incredibly deep. If a trading market truly existed, many rare items, currently unavailable, would surely appear!
The Nolan Empire was vast, covering more than half of the mortal realm, roughly half the area of Earth. The furthest point from the capital was at least twenty thousand li away. However, for advanced cultivators, traveling thousands of kilometers in an hour was quite normal.
In the left side hall.
Xi Feng reported the situation.
Zhang Wei said indifferently, "Our goal is only ingredients. Let them do whatever they want with the rest. Besides, even if there are tricks, so what?"
Xi Feng nodded and took his leave.
"Wait, when does the market start?"
"Soon. Will you be going personally?"
"Of course! So many precious ingredients, just thinking about it makes me excited. I can't wait to see your report!"
...
The Grand Trading Market began.
The Prime Minister presided over the order, with the Floating City as the primary participant, and a crowd of onlookers surrounding them.
The temporarily erected market wasn't large, and the dense crowds of traders made it feel somewhat cramped.
Given this scale, the Imperial Court could only release the national treasury's supplies in batches for sale.
First came the ordinary items like bone-setting grass and thousand-year-old ginseng. The Imperial Court had collected herbs over a hundred years old, making them incredibly potent!
The auctioneer shouted, "First batch of medicinal combinations! One thousand stalks of bone-setting grass, one thousand stalks of thousand-year-old ginseng, one thousand snake gallbladders... a total of eight thousand spirit herbs, all over one hundred and thirty years old. The starting bid is four hundred thousand spirit stones!"
"Equivalent item trades are also accepted, but item trades will be priced at eighty percent of the market value!"
The central area was for auctions, where anyone could bid. Other areas were for fixed-price sales. However, all stalls related to food had Zhang Wei's people present.
The auctioneer's first item made everyone gasp. The first lot was a bundle, with a price of four hundred thousand spirit stones?
This was beyond the reach of rogue cultivators. Even major sects would have to think twice.
A cultivator at the second or third level of Qi Refining could earn only three to five spirit stones in a year. If they reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, a typical rogue cultivator would only possess two to three hundred spirit stones.
Early Foundation Establishment cultivators had better earning potential. A main spirit artifact was worth about eight hundred spirit stones. Later, three to five spirit artifacts would be worth eight to nine thousand spirit stones. However, four hundred thousand spirit stones was enough for three late Core Formation cultivators to accumulate over their lifetimes. Even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator absolutely couldn't afford that much.
Cultivators rarely kept large amounts of wealth; it was usually exchanged for resources to boost their cultivation. Aside from sects, few rogue cultivators could participate in auctions of this magnitude.
Zhang Wei bid directly, using seawater vinegar as a trade.
This seawater vinegar, collected from the ocean with a daily replication volume of hundreds of millions of tons, was the best choice.
"This seawater vinegar can whet the appetite and strengthen the spleen. When made into a beverage, it can greatly enhance the body's absorption efficiency, including spiritual energy!"
Normally, one kilogram was equivalent to ten spirit stones.
With an eighty percent discount, that would be eight spirit stones per kilogram, totaling only fifty tons.
This effect of increasing spirit energy absorption was extremely important to cultivators. Many cultivators stepped forward, requesting to purchase some.
However, Zhang Wei refused them all.
Petty gains no longer interested Zhang Wei.
"Fifty tons of seawater vinegar, equivalent to four hundred thousand spirit stones. Are there any higher bids?"
The Floating City had bid, so who would dare to acquire it?
This question was rhetorical.
"Once!"
"Twice!"
"Thrice! Sold!"
"Please proceed to the backstage to collect your auction item and submit your payment."
The auctioneer was efficient.
He immediately began the second auction.
Before long, the exchange personnel returned, handing the combination package to Zhang Wei.
The exchange personnel said, "The progress is smooth. The other party showed no signs of delaying, nor any strange emotions. I checked the goods, and everything is normal."
"Normal... Everything being normal is the greatest abnormality."
Putting that aside, Zhang Wei opened the combination package. Inside were small red silk boxes, exquisitely and meticulously crafted.
Individually packaged!
Upon opening one, a rich medicinal aroma wafted out!
Zhang Wei inhaled it deeply, marveling, "Ten-year-old bone-setting grass is full of bitterness and a slight fishy odor. But this hundred-and-thirty-year-old bone-setting grass has almost no bitterness, replaced by this intoxicating aroma, like a newly opened bottle of aged wine!"
"It's perfect!"
Zhang Wei's Treasure Hall could replicate ingredients by incorporating the advantages of various types. The ten-year-old perfect-grade bone-setting grass seemed less perfect compared to this.
Indeed!
This world was still vast!
Even a small bone-setting grass could possess such high quality.
The taste of dishes made with 130-year-old bone-setting grass must be unimaginable!
At this moment, bidding for the second item had begun.
...
As the auction was in full swing, the Prime Minister observed from his vantage point with a cold gaze.
"What's the situation with the Great Emperor?"
"There's no movement yet. He should be entering a critical phase."
The Prime Minister continued, "There's no need to rush anything now. We just need to wait quietly."
"How long can the national treasury hold out?"
"How long? Heh, much longer than you imagine. And when the Great Emperor emerges, he will return everything that was taken, with interest!"