Chapter 3629 — Star Ink Stone
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
The moment he stepped inside, Wei Zhao sensed how this Hong Clan Trading Company differed from the other shops on the inner street. The grander, more imposing decor was only secondary; what mattered was the clientele—far more people here wore the distinctive garb of elite inner-door disciples of the Tri-Pavilion than in any other shop. In other words, even on a day when the inner street was not open to outsiders, the Hong Clan Trading Company's business had to be far brisker than its neighbors'. Clearly it possessed some excellence all its own.
"Dragon Fish Gallbladder of the Northern Sea, listed at five hundred eighty-eight spirit jades."
"Mysterious Water Droplet, listed at six hundred forty-nine spirit jades."
"Earth Serpent Skin, listed at three hundred twenty spirit jades."
……………………
He had scanned only a single row of display cabinets, and already Wei Zhao's eyes were opened wide.
These were things he had never even heard of back in the mortal world!
None of them came with any description of their uses, yet their appearance alone was enough to tell him they were no ordinary goods!
What was more, Wei Zhao noticed that not a single item in the Hong Clan Trading Company was priced below a hundred spirit jades. Never mind the outer and middle streets—even the other shops of the same trade on the inner street were utterly dwarfed beside it, hardly in the same league. No wonder it drew so many elite disciples of the Tri-Pavilion.
The shop was laid out across three levels in a pyramidal arrangement: the higher the floor, the smaller the gallery space and the fewer the exhibits—though naturally the price of each exhibit climbed considerably, several already bearing jaw-dropping tags of over a thousand spirit jades. That the second floor's wares should always surpass the first was simply common sense.
Reaching the second floor, Wei Zhao made a rough circuit without any intention of lingering long. His purse was thin, after all; no matter how much he looked now, it would be looking for nothing, and would only stoke his envy.
As for the third floor, Wei Zhao had meant to go up and broaden his horizons, but the Hong Clan Trading Company's people stopped him. The third floor was the company's honored-guest section, open only to those who had spent a thousand spirit jades or more within its walls.
The inner street was already the VIP realm of the market district, and the Hong Clan Trading Company was one of the foremost shops on the inner street—so was its restricted third floor not the fighter jet among VIPs?
Wei Zhao privately surmised that anyone who could get in there was likely a personage of consequence, someone who could claim a place in the rankings of the entire northern island of Cloud Terrace Island!
Curious as he was about what remarkable exhibits the third floor held, since they had set such rules, Wei Zhao could only press his curiosity down for the moment and turn to go downstairs.
Yet just then a sudden throb seized his heart, as though he had overlooked something important. While Wei Zhao stood there at a loss, the voice of the blasted thing rang out in his mind: "Don't leave yet. The far corner of the display rack on your right—go take a look."
Wei Zhao started. The blasted thing had lodged in the jade pendant's space for some time now, but it rarely spoke up of its own accord unless something truly important was at hand. Could it have spotted some great treasure?
Doubt in his heart, Wei Zhao followed the blasted thing's direction and, without betraying anything on his face, walked to the far corner of the display rack at the side.
Since there was nothing eye-catching here, the crowd was noticeably thinner than elsewhere. At the moment only one person stood beside Wei Zhao; by his attire, he should be an inner-door disciple of the Skyward Pavilion.
"Senior Ghost, you mean here?" Wei Zhao communed with the blasted thing through his consciousness.