Chapter 20 Penglai Immortal City_2
After they decided on a plan, the two of them immediately sprang into action. Xiao Buli headed east, left the small courtyard with the hot spring, took to the main street, and passed many buildings within the Immortal Palace. Most of these structures were open to the public. Walking among them, Xiao Buli saw that, naturally, there were quite a few immortals, and gradually, he noticed, just like in the mortal world, that these immortals came in all stripes: there were masters, servants, menials, and guards. However, what puzzled him was why those serving as menials and guards usually had Silver Names or Gold Names, while those masters who strolled leisurely through the Immortal Palace mostly had White or Blue Names. Why did it seem that Gold Names and Silver Names were of lower status, while those with White and Blue Names were held in higher esteem?
Xiao Buli struck up conversations with anyone he met, and from their tidbits of information along with his own conjectures, he gradually came to understand some of the intricacies of the Immortal Palace. It turned out that those NPCs with Gold Names and Silver Names were not truly of the Immortal Race.
Although Penglai Fairyland was vast in territory, the population of the Immortal Race was quite rare, only amounting to a few hundred. These Immortals, though powerful in mana, did not have strong reproductive capabilities. Therefore, since ancient times, Immortals have recruited individuals with good potential from the Human Realm to serve as retainers and guards. Humans always harbored aspirations towards the Immortal Realm and those selected considered it a supreme honor, naturally willing to proceed there.
These individuals toiled daily in the Immortal Realm, reaping considerable benefits. Over time, their strength grew rapidly. By human standards, all of them became entities with ranks equivalent to Silver and Gold Names. If they were to return to the Human Realm, just about any one of them could easily be regarded as a Boss-level figure. However, those of the Immortal Race, despite the less impressive color of their names, were far stronger in terms of true ability, which just goes to show how formidable the powers within the Immortal Realm can be.
The guards and servants with Gold and Silver Names, living in the Immortal Realm, were naturally nurtured by the heavenly spiritual energy, not only becoming powerful but also embodying kindness and humility, modest and courteous in conduct. Being of the same human origin, Xiao Buli felt a natural affinity towards them, which meant that whenever he approached them with queries, they were always forthright and exhaustive in their responses.
Therefore, it didn't take long for Xiao Buli to gain a general understanding of the state of the Penglai Immortal Realm. Spanning three thousand li, besides Penglai Immortal City, there were many immortal mountains around Penglai City.
These immortal mountains were also inhabited by immortals. Just like in the Human Realm, those who lived in seclusion in the deep mountains were often beings of formidable strength.
Conversely, the weaker ones tended to congregate within Penglai Immortal City. The reason for this was that although the Immortal Realm was ruled by Immortals, it remained a place fraught with dangers.
For example, beneath the clouds enveloping the Immortal City lay deep ravines and gorges, home to various fierce Immortal Beasts. Legends even spoke of Exotic Beasts left behind from ancient times. Ordinary Immortals venturing there would inevitably meet their demise, let alone attempt to settle there.
Fortunately, the outskirts of Penglai Immortal City were relatively safe. The Immortal Race had formed patrol teams, and the city walls had protective barriers left behind by Ancient Immortals. Although there were vicious Immortal Beasts nearby, none could approach within half a step of the Immortal City. Thus, the immortals living there needn't worry about these issues.
Besides, Xiao Buli learned that one could purchase all sorts of equipment and Magical Treasures within Penglai Immortal City. To the local immortals, these were but daily necessities, but for human players like Xiao Buli, they had significant uses.
There were two types of Magical Treasures. One type was crafted by Immortal Families using Immortal Law, the effects of which were self-evident, but they came with a hefty price tag. The other type was more suitable for human use, affordable and crafted by menial workers and craftsmen from the Human Realm who learned and practiced Refinement after their studies. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire
As for the currency of the Immortal Realm, Xuanxu Zi had previously told Xiao Buli that it was mainly Spirit Stones, which were quite interestingly obtained. It was said that the Immortal Realm was scattered with treasure chests left by Ancient Immortals. These chests contained Spirit Stones to varying degrees, yet they were not visible to just anyone. Each had its predestined finder, who alone could see the whereabouts of the chest. If fate did not favor an individual, they could be staring right at it and still not perceive it.
Therefore, even after many years, newcomers wandering outside might occasionally come across such chests and make a small fortune. This was quite interesting information. While walking, Xiao Buli paid extra attention, hoping to encounter a fateful chest and experience the thrill of a windfall from the heavens.
Apart from relying on these treasure chests, killing Immortal Beasts also presented a chance to obtain Spirit Stones, because Immortal Beasts liked to devour Spirit Stones, and yet, Spirit Stones couldn't be digested. Minor Immortal Beasts swallowed Spirit Stones, and Great Immortal Beasts in turn swallowed Minor Immortal Beasts, causing the accumulation of Spirit Stones layer by layer. If one had enough strength, they could try their luck; surely killing Minor Immortal Beasts could yield some rewards, but killing some particularly powerful Immortal Beasts could result in a big windfall, with hundreds or even thousands of Spirit Stones in their bellies. However, Xiao Buli knew that for now, these were merely fantasies.
After walking for a while, Xiao Buli roughly figured out the two's course of action: they were naturally going to try their luck with the treasure chests, and they also needed to give catching Spirit Beasts a shot—capture if possible, but if not, killing one or two was also feasible.
When the two met up again, Xiao Buli shared his plans, and Yi Xuan nodded in agreement. What surprised Xiao Buli was that Yi Xuan had also received a small task—to mine Crystal Iron Ore for the Immortal Realm's blacksmith. For every 100 jin of Crystal Stones provided, a Runes array could be added to one of their pieces of equipment.
"Not sure if you know how to mine; I searched for half a day and only found this task, so I had to take it, but I don't know how to mine," Yi Xuan typed.
Xiao Buli felt slightly embarrassed, so preoccupied with gathering information that he hadn't taken on even a single task. Hearing Yi Xuan say this, he quickly responded, "No problem, leave it to me. But I can't carry much more, how much can you carry?"
Upon hearing that, Yi Xuan said, "Don't worry about it, I happen to have a Magical Treasure that provides additional carrying capacity. Just mine the ore, and I'll take care of the transport."
Xiao Buli nodded at this and shared the task. He immediately received a small map from the blacksmith, which showed that the Crystal Iron Ore was located in a cavern within the jungle. It seemed not too deep, and he estimated that the Immortal Beasts there wouldn't be too difficult to deal with, which was exactly to Xiao Buli's liking.
Before setting out, they passed by a shop, where Xiao Buli checked the equipment for sale. The equipment here differed from that in the Human Realm, perhaps because most residents were Immortals, with generally higher Basic Attributes. Here, the equipment was based in Silver Name color, with Gold Name options not being uncommon, and occasionally, Dark Gold equipment was visible too. However, the Attributes were quite singular, with very few special weapon effects or additional damage layers.
But after all, it was Gold Name equipment, and even without any special effects, the sheer superiority of the Attributes was enough to make Xiao Buli salivate. Yet, upon looking at the prices, he was inwardly taken aback. Although he was unsure of the exact value of Spirit Stones when exchanged, by the game's currency system standards, they seemed quite expensive.
Here, a piece of Silver Name equipment required hundreds or so Spirit Stones, a Gold Name piece needed several hundred to over a thousand, not to mention the Dark Gold ones.
After checking the equipment, Xiao Buli also looked at auxiliary items like talismans and Magical Treasures, which were innumerable. However, after looking them over, there was not a single item Xiao Buli felt an impulse to own at all costs. This was the lack of an urge to spend; no item there could spark Xiao Buli's impulse to consume.
"Is this all you have? Don't you have anything better?" Xiao Buli asked the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper sized up Xiao Buli and inwardly he didn't think much of him. Although such tourists weren't common here, the shopkeeper, being a discerning person, could tell at a glance just how much "pus" you had. (To Be Continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)