As time went on, many traveling merchants arrived at the mysterious land mentioned in the advertising slogans.
Although it was far from bustling, it was no longer as deserted as it was a month or two ago.
Many major merchants representing the oasis, after concluding their trade, did not leave. They remained in the commercial oasis to continue their investigations. For them, new goods were frequently put on the shelves in the grand marketplace, and there were occasional promotional activities. It was necessary to stay and coordinate the command.
Most importantly, the living conditions in the commercial city were very comfortable. The residences were in a style different from the Starfire Fortress, which was refreshing. At first glance, they were not luxurious, and they did not incorporate high-level rituals. However, after living there, they found that everything was very convenient.
Convenient and comfortable were the merchants' evaluations of the place.
The more they stayed, the less they wanted to leave. The various novel entertainment projects also opened their eyes, and they exclaimed that they were indeed from other great domains, with so many tricks up their sleeves.
There was even more delicious food that made people linger, with a refreshing comfort that seemed to burst open their clothes.
Therefore, after sending off their caravans, many major merchants stayed behind themselves, adding a bit more human touch to the Blazing Fire Oasis.
Outside the oasis,
A large caravan, numbering over a hundred people, slowly emerged from the gray fog and entered the sun-drenched land.
The guards wore gleaming armor. Although there were traces of wear and tear on the armor and the merchant vehicles, indicating that they had gone through many battles and hardships, the spirit of the caravan guards remained high. Their sharp eyes scanned their surroundings, guarding against any disturbance.
When they set foot within the oasis, they did not relax much, their hands still resting on the hilts of their swords and sabers, standing ramrod straight.
The caravan stopped a few hundred meters away from the entrance of the commercial city.
"Another caravan is here?"
"Oh wow! Quite a few people. This is a large caravan. Whose doing is this?"
In the Ghost Realm, the farther one traveled and the larger the group, the more likely they were to be attacked by malevolent spirits.
Therefore, large oases explored the Ghost Realm in small teams, with a maximum of ten people. Merchants needed transportation and more manpower, but usually, it did not exceed fifty. Large caravans of a hundred people were rare, let alone over a hundred.
The oasis was not large, and there was little excitement. As soon as people arrived, many caravan bosses looked into the distance, wondering which great oasis they came from.
Could they cooperate, or were they competitors?
"At this scale, could it be people from Fallen Star City? The royal caravan of Fallen Star has not appeared yet."
"Doesn't seem like it. I know the Fallen Star royal caravan. These people look unfamiliar, and… the emblem on the carriage is not the Fallen Star emblem, yet I can't recognize it?"
It was a gray emblem with complex patterns that could not be easily described in a word or two, but it was certain that those who had seen it would find it hard to forget.
The old man had never seen it before!
Mo Yan, the president of the Scorching Flame Chamber of Commerce, suddenly spoke, "I have a slight impression. This emblem seems to be… it's the emblem of a powerful oasis in the Sighing Mountains, 'The End of All'!"
"The End of All? I seem to have heard of it. It's the most powerful oasis in that great domain of the Sighing Mountains, but the prosperity of their domain cannot be compared to our Fallen Star Cave."
"Your information is outdated. It is said that decades or even more than a century ago, someone in The End of All advanced to the mythical realm. Now, The End of All is a super oasis power in the true sense of the word! A super power from another domain!"
"The news of the Blazing Fire Commercial City's opening has spread so far?"
"Hiss—"
As the traveling merchants chattered, in the caravan from The End of All, a young man wearing a gray, form-fitting long robe adorned with several epic ghost artifacts looked up.
In the oasis of The End of All, gray was often considered precious, and only high-ranking officials and nobles could wear it. If one's entire attire was a shining gray, they were essentially part of the royal court.
Nitatt was the thirteenth prince of The End of All, holding a very noble position. Among the many princes of The End of All, he was one of the three eligible to contend for that prestigious position.
The second prince, the sixth prince, and he, the thirteenth prince.
The eldest prince failed his advancement to the Fourth Awakening and became disabled. Currently, the strongest among the three princes was the second prince, who had been in power the longest, with a significant advantage in personal strength and supporters.
In contrast, Nitatt, only in his thirties, despite his considerable talent and advancing to a non-human state at a young age, was too young and had risen too recently. He had shallow roots within the oasis and few supporters.
He was even considered a thorn in the side by the second prince.
"Now, if I want to turn things around, I can only place my hope in this Blazing Fire Commercial City."
The thirteenth prince mused inwardly.
This errand was only entrusted to him when the second and sixth princes did not care.
After all, traveling across domains was fraught with danger. Even with strong guards, there was no guarantee of safety. It was common for a long journey to disappear without a trace.
It would also keep him away from the center of power for half a year.
Even if he reached the Fallen Star Cave, and even if the Blazing Fire Commercial City truly existed, Nitatt was unsure how much benefit he could gain from it and whether it could alter his situation.
If he had a choice, he would have preferred to stay in the royal court and enjoy himself.
"The Blazing Fire Chamber of Commerce, I've never heard of them. In this great domain, apart from Fallen Star City, there shouldn't be any other oasis worth mentioning."
"I suspect His Highness will be disappointed."
"Yes, you can see the entire oasis at a glance. It's as small as it can be. What good things can such a dilapidated oasis have?"
The murmurs of the crowd reached Nitatt's ears. He sighed inwardly, mentally preparing himself for a wasted trip.
He said, "Let's go. We've come all this way."
...
The Blazing Fire Commercial City was small, but it was surprisingly well-equipped.
As soon as they entered the city gate, the attendants guided them to park their accompanying carriages in a place called a 'parking lot.' Various vehicles were parked here, as well as some live mounts.
Nitatt assigned a few people to guard them, and then officially entered the commercial city.
The construction was quite good, but most of the shops on both sides were closed, with only a few restaurants open. There were hardly any people inside.
It looked extremely desolate.
Although it was within expectations, Nitatt could not help but feel disappointed.
"Your Highness, this Blazing Fire Commercial City looks like it has only been operating for a few years. It hasn't developed yet, so it's normal for it to seem a bit desolate."
The strategist, wearing a gray headscarf, said, "What we need to do now is to confirm what goods are for sale here. If the goods are acceptable and can make us a profit, this trip won't be a significant loss."
"Mm."
Nitatt nodded and walked directly into the grand marketplace.
The gray-headed strategist followed closely.
After a while,
The strategist spoke, with a hint of pleasant surprise.
"Your Highness, looking at these displayed treasures, it's clear that this chamber of commerce is not as bad as it appears on the surface. Perhaps there are surprises. I have already selected a few items worth purchasing and taking back."
Nitatt nodded, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.
A little later,
The strategist spoke, with unconcealed delight.
"Your Highness, the Blazing Fire Grand Marketplace sells all kinds of daily necessities. After a brief look, almost all of them are better than what we produce in The End of All, and they are cheap! I believe we can purchase them in large quantities and resell them to the nobles in our oasis, and we will definitely earn a considerable amount of ghost crystals… this is even before we factor in reselling them based on their appraisal."
The gray-headed strategist listed a list, which included not only the purchase price but also the appropriate selling price upon returning to The End of All.
It was not exorbitant.
The strategist continued, "Your Highness, purchasing these will help us earn ghost crystals, that's one point. Secondly, as long as we sell them at a fair price, we can gain the friendship of many high-ranking nobles, which will be beneficial for your contention for the throne!"
The End of All was regarded by many major oases as a super oasis at the pinnacle of the Ghost Realm, possessing endless glory and honor.
However, both the strategist and Prince Nitatt knew that The End of All was still only a major oasis.
To measure whether a force is a super oasis, in addition to having a mythical being as its foundation, it must also possess two other conditions.
The first is the level of the oasis it operates.
Quantified, their End of All is only a level 6 oasis, still a considerable distance from the level 7 standard. A level 6 oasis and a level 7 oasis are worlds apart in importance for a force.
After all, The End of All had been operating for a short time, and its foundation and accumulation were far less substantial than those of Fallen Star City.
The inability to self-produce various high-end daily necessities was a manifestation of their insufficient accumulation.
The second is that true super oases often have 'backers.'
Fallen Star City has one, reportedly belonging to the 'Stars' lineage within the Human Alliance.
Nitatt did not know the specifics.
Their End of All was still lacking considerably, but they had already met the most difficult condition, and the future was promising.
"Purchasing high-end daily necessities is good, but this alone is not enough to reverse my current disadvantage."
Prince Nitatt remained very clear-headed.
Gaining the friendship of high-ranking nobles through these means was possible, but such shallow friendships could crumble at any moment and would not shake the years of effort by the second and sixth brothers.
Moreover, The End of All was currently striving to become a super oasis, prioritizing practicality. Hedonism might even be a negative point.
"Mainly buy practical daily necessities, such as shower gel, sanitary napkins, and the like."
He said.
His expression was calm, but his heart was filled with uncontrollable joy. After all, it was much better than he had predicted.
Seeing that the thirteenth prince remained composed, the gray-headed strategist felt admiration while gradually suppressing his emotions, continuing to gather intelligence on various goods.
Not long after, he returned.
The smile that he had just suppressed once again appeared, this time more excited.
"Your Highness, good news, great news!"
"This Blazing Fire Commercial City can purchase a large quantity of grain, one hundred thousand tons, even one million tons can be purchased!"
"What!"
Nitatt's eyes widened, and he could not suppress his surprise.
Their End of All was striving to become a level 7 oasis. What was the most lacking thing currently? It was grain! As long as there was enough grain, their oasis could have more births and raise more population, thus reaching the requirement for promoting the oasis.
If they could bring back a large amount of grain, if they could establish a stable trade relationship with the Blazing Fire Commercial City, he… he could…
"Handle this immediately."
"However, what is the background of this Blazing Fire Chamber of Commerce? They can even sell grain in large quantities? Few oases can store large quantities of grain."
Prince Nitatt pondered.
He then shared his thoughts with his accompanying strategists.
One strategist mused, "It is a bit strange. Even if this chamber of commerce is backed by a super oasis, a super oasis cannot sell a million tons of grain at once, unless…"
At this point, the eyes of the strategists and Prince Nitatt met, and an answer emerged in their minds.
Unless it was a fallen oasis!
A once glorious but now extinct super oasis!
"I was wondering why a super chamber of commerce would do business in an outer domain like Fallen Star Cave, but if they are hiding from enemies, then everything makes sense."
"Yes, the name Blazing Fire must also be a disguise. Throughout history, there have been not a few former super oases that were destroyed by great disasters or enemies, fled far away, and lived incognito."
"The 'Ancient Moon Dynasty' in the Shattered Sea seems to have a more glorious buried history."
"If this is the reason, then the sale of large quantities of grain by the Blazing Fire Commercial City can be explained. They do not need it themselves and urgently need various resources and ghost crystals to recover."
"We should have thought of this reason when we saw the sparse population of this oasis at the beginning."
This possibility was more than ninety-nine percent certain.
Thinking of this, Prince Nitatt felt much more relaxed and revealed a smile. "Since it is a fallen super power, perhaps we can buy some unimaginable treasures at a low price. Did the suddenly spread rumors not mention that the Blazing Fire Commercial City possesses treasures that can enhance potential? Perhaps it's true!"
He clenched his fist.
His gaze shifted from daily necessities and grain to those special treasures, hoping to buy one or two.
The liveliness in a certain product display area ahead attracted Prince Nitatt's attention.
In this rather desolate marketplace, more than ten men and women in gorgeous robes had gathered, examining an item in the display cabinet and exclaiming.
Seeing this, Nitatt quickly stepped forward.
An item resembling a fruit, inscribed with mysterious patterns, lay quietly in the display cabinet.
The treasure's radiance emanating from it was not bright.
"What is this…?"
"Here, look at the label. It's a fruit containing the inheritance of thunder abilities. All you have to do is eat this fruit directly, and you can absorb the inherited power and wield the power of thunder."
A major merchant next to him said, "However, this is just the Blazing Fire Commercial City's own claim. Can such magical fruits exist in this world? Ability fruits?"
He shook his head, expressing doubt.
Nitatt was astonished for a moment and looked at a strategist accompanying him, one wearing a monocle.
"Take a look."
"As you command, Your Highness."
This strategist's ability was related to appraisal and analysis. He adjusted his monocle, and his pupils flashed with an eerie glow. After a while, he nodded slightly at the thirteenth prince.
"Your Highness, after my appraisal, the effect of the fruit is indeed similar to the description."
However, the effect was too exaggerated and unreal. Even with the ability appraisal, Nitatt still could not believe it. Other major merchants were also skeptical. When traveling, could they not have appraisal-related abilities or ghost artifacts?
Naturally, they did, but appraisals could also be deceived.
Most importantly,
"Even building a place for ability inheritance with immense cost would take several months, or even longer, to learn, and that's if it's possible to learn the inherited abilities. Now they say you can gain abilities just by eating a fruit? They must be lying!"
"Such technology cannot exist, and such treasures have never been heard of."
"Moreover, this fruit's treasure light is very faint, clearly just a low-level treasure, making it even more impossible."
The merchants chattered, most of them disbelieving.
Some people asked Bai Yansi about the origin details of the ability fruit. Bai Yansi smiled and said:
"This involves commercial secrets, my dear. Detailed information cannot be disclosed, but I can reveal one thing: these fruits were all obtained from an ancient ruin."
After saying this, she closed her mouth, unwilling to reveal any more words.
What is an ancient ruin? It refers to the inherited ruins and treasure troves left behind by glorious empires of ancient times. The most famous among them is the ruins of the Kandela Empire of Radiance.
Nitatt pondered, 'These ability fruits look almost identical, and their treasure light is faint. They indeed seem like mysterious creations. By common sense, there shouldn't be technology to integrate inheritance into a fruit, but the technology of the Kandela Empire never followed common sense...'
He was half-believing and half-doubting.
Reason told him it was fake, but his heart yearned for it to be true.
If he could master one more lightning ability, it would greatly enhance his combat power.
He longed for it!
He looked at the marked price.
[Thunder Fruit: 980,000 Ghost Crystals (Opening Promotion Price)]
Nine hundred and eighty thousand!
If it was real, it would be absolutely worth the price. After the promotion period, the price might skyrocket several times.
At this price, he could still afford it if he gritted his teeth.
If it increased further, he would absolutely not be able to afford it.
Nitatt stared at the price, his breathing becoming rapid.
Seeing that he was somewhat moved, Bai Yansi said, "This prince, if you are willing to cooperate with our Blazing Fire Commercial City for a post-sale promotion, this fruit can be further discounted by fifty percent. It is limited to the first customer who purchases it."
She had a gentle smile, carrying an angelic temptation.
Nitatt couldn't resist!
Buy!
"Your Highness…"
The gray-headed strategist persuaded.
He waved his hand and said through gritted teeth, "This is an opportunity! An opportunity to surpass my second and sixth brothers. I must seize it!"
With that, he instructed the gray-headed strategist to make the payment.
At the same time, he removed the ghost artifacts from his body one by one and handed them over to his trusted subordinates.
At this moment, Nitatt no longer had any ghost artifacts on him and could only use his awakened abilities.
He opened his arms, and a brilliant golden light appeared on his body, gradually forming a set of golden armor.
"This is my ability, energy armor."
A purely defensive ability, a turtle shell.
After the display, Nitatt opened the treasure box containing the Thunder Fruit, paused, then picked it up abruptly and swallowed the entire fruit in big bites, flesh and skin, in two, three gulps.
It tasted bland.
But he suddenly froze as incredibly profound inherited information flooded his mind. At the same time, a sapphire-blue seed appeared within his body.
It represented the core element of lightning ability!
Is this… real?
"Impossible! If one can master an ability so easily, I'll write my name backward!"
The president of the White Tower Chamber of Commerce scoffed.
Keep acting, you continue to act.
Ability fruits are not skill books and cannot be learned immediately. The specific learning time depends on one's talent and level.
For ordinary people to get started, it takes ten days to half a month, or even longer.
However, Nitatt was a Fourth Awakening non-human, proficient in the use of life energy and the development of awakened abilities. Da Feng Novel Network.
He immediately closed his eyes, extended his right hand, clasped his left wrist with his right hand, and stood still like a sculpture.
He began to comprehend the profound inherited information.
It was called Palm Lightning, the power of concentrating lightning into the palm.
The comprehension process was not easy, but miraculously, Nitatt quickly entered a state of unparalleled focus. He had never been so focused before. His entire state was perfect, and the external disturbances did not affect him in the slightest.
The White Tower president sneered.
Several major merchants looked on with suspicion.
The gray-headed strategist showed concern.
More and more curious merchants gathered around.
Suddenly,
*Screech—*
A low, long, sharp sound rang out, interrupting the merchants' incessant arguments.
They were stunned.
The Prince of The End of All, who had kept his eyes closed, suddenly emitted a brilliant sapphire arc of lightning from his palm, flickering and dancing, illuminating shocked and dumbfounded faces.
"Holy crap—!"
-- Author's Notes --
A new month, seeking monthly votes, sob sob~!