Chapter 648

Chapter 648: Gradually Recalling the Past

Lolan Hill and Yu Baiqiu stood at the back of the crowd, watching the Daoist on stage continue to call out prices. Among those watching, there were indeed some who were tempted and kept responding.

“10 gold dishes and 40 silver rings!” A burly man holding a large hammer shouted, his upper body exposed, revealing numerous scars.

“Not very generous, Uncle Chi. I’ll offer 12 gold dishes!” An old, thin man bent over and raised his hand, gesturing a number.

“You old man! At your age, how can you compete with me!” Perhaps due to limited funds, this burly man was getting agitated, almost ready to swing his hammer. Fortunately, the market had good security and local officials present, which restrained him just enough.

“Young man, you don’t understand. You still have decades ahead to waste, while I must advance or else I’ll die of old age. So let this one go to the elder,” the old man shook his head and stroked his long beard, saying so.

As cultivators advance in their practice, it does indeed extend their lifespan; the higher the rank, the longer they live. This principle applied to both the Eastern and Western Continents. Otherwise, why would Sequence Nine cultivators be considered pillars of the nation?

After hearing the old man’s explanation, the others who were initially angry found it hard to argue. Firstly, they feared gaining a bad reputation by competing with the elder. Secondly, the price was indeed too high.

The gold dish was a high-value currency used in the House of Plantagenet, formally known as the Gold Peony Dragon Dish. Its shape resembled a flattened, miniature bowl with a dragon intertwined with peony flowers inside, crafted by the central minting bureau. It contained a trace of the dynasty’s dragon aura, making it difficult to counterfeit, hence quite valuable.

Below the gold dish was the silver ring, officially named the Black Chisel Brand Silver Ring. It looked like a small ring, with a pattern of a coiled dragon inside.

The lowest and most commonly used currency was the copper corner coin, shaped like an octagon. Both sides had patterns: one side depicted eight mountains with a dragon in the middle, and the other showed the year of casting and the state or prefecture that minted it.

Due to the vast territory of the House of Plantagenet and numerous provinces across the land, not all copper corner coins were minted centrally. Most were produced locally, but they required the state or prefecture’s name and year to be stamped on the back for easy inspection.

Seeing the old man buy a Pill of Flame Essence, the competition among the crowd intensified. The remaining two were sold for 13 and 15 gold dishes respectively.

“Disperse, disperse. Looks like we’ll have to wait until next time.” A group of people slowly walked away, and the Daoist in green robes also jumped down from the stage.

Some who hadn’t left yet approached to ask when the next batch of pills would be available for sale.

“It’s difficult. We need to venture deep into the mountains to gather herbs and find exotic beasts. It might take months before we see results.”

Hearing this, these few became discouraged and dispersed, leaving the place quiet.

At this moment, Yu Baiqiu stepped forward and asked:

“I’ve just returned from deep within Min Ze and picked some herbs along the way. Do you need them, Master?”

“Oh, let me see.” The Daoist with a small mustache immediately became interested and stopped his work.

“These are what I have. I don’t recognize many, but they contain a rich essence of energy,” Yu Baiqiu said, opening his bag and spreading the roots and leaves on the wooden table.

“Chi Xingji, Tidal Endurance Leaves, Heavenly Blue, Seven-Heart Grass… not bad, not bad.” He fiddled with the herbs and sighed deeply.

“What a pity?” Lolan Hill, curious, walked forward. She still wore her light veil and hat, making her face unclear.

The Daoist looked up, then said in a profound manner, “It’s a pity these herbs were harvested too roughly, damaged, and poorly preserved, causing much of their potency to be lost.”

“Is that so?” It seemed reasonable, Lolan Hill nodded slightly.

“However, seeing they still have some use, I could accept them as auxiliary materials, though the price would be low. I apologize.”

“Well, set a price then,” Yu Baiqiu wasn’t too picky.

“30 silver rings.” He gestured the amount.

“That’s too little, isn’t it?” Although Yu Baiqiu didn’t know the market well, for a cultivator, 30 silver rings was indeed low, especially considering it was his hard-earned result over several months.

“I can’t help it, as they’re not very useful,” he sighed again.

Yu Baiqiu couldn’t help but hesitate. Selling them felt like a loss.

Satisfied, not selling, holding it in hand, its quality will only get worse over time.

“Then don’t sell it.” The少女suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Yu Baiqiu, who had been somewhat hesitant, promptly rolled up the package.

“Indeed, I’ll listen to the大小姐.” This made the Daoist feel somewhat distressed. He had seen several ingredients he needed, and had just wanted to bargain, thinking they could talk further if necessary. But the other party was so decisive, saying they wouldn’t sell it right away.

“Hey hey hey, sir, brother, can you hold off for a moment? It’s not like we can’t talk, cough. Actually, there are a few items in good condition. I can offer more than the market price to buy them.”

His expression softened immediately, his facial expressions changing so quickly it was astonishing.

“Hehe, that works, but you have to pay three times the market price,” the少女said, blinking her eyes.

“Why is this lady teasing me? There’s a hint of bullying here,” the Daoist’s face became conflicted upon hearing this.

“I know it’s expensive, but if both parties agree, it’s fine. Besides, Uncle, you certainly don’t lack this money, right? I believe you’ll earn it back soon, and you won’t lose out,” Lolan Hill responded with a slightly cunning smile.

In her previous life, she was just an ordinary person and rarely experienced bargaining. However, with the recent awakening of some past memories, she recalled her experience as a大小姐in a large merchant guild.

Only in these past two days did she confirm that the world where the魔女s were from was indeed the present world. It was just that one was on the Western Continent and the other on the Eastern Continent.

Following Hope Lane’s route south would lead to the Southern Islands. From there, traveling along the island chain would take one to the Endless Sea to the east. Crossing the vast ocean would bring one to Longquan Bay of the House of Plantagenet on the Eastern Continent.

“Alright, alright, seems like I’ve encountered someone knowledgeable.” The Daoist shook his head and took out three gold plates from his pocket, placing them on the table.

“This should be enough.”

“Haha, thank you then.” Yu Baiqiu accepted the three gold plates and placed the package back on the table.

Afterward, the two left and continued exploring the marketplace.

After walking some distance, Yu Baiqiu turned around and handed two gold plates to Lolan Hill.

“These two are for Miss Lolan. Without you, I wouldn’t have earned these extra two gold plates.”

“In fact, I didn’t do much. These are all your hard-earned medicinal herbs.”

“No need to be polite. You probably don’t have any money on you now. It’s exactly what you need. I’ve also experienced difficult times when I had no money. Indeed, it’s hard for anyone.”

Seeing Yu Baiqiu’s sincerity, Lolan Hill couldn’t refuse and accepted the gold plates.

Two small gold plates gently collided in her palm, their inner engravings reflecting faint light under the sunlight. Though not large, they had a slight heaviness that brought comfort and security.

Indeed, having money would give her more options and confidence.

The two continued searching for bookstores selling ancient texts until they stopped at a stone plaque after tens of minutes.

‘Jade Scroll Reflection Pavilion,’ the large characters carved on the plaque were elegant and eye-catching.

Upon entering, a cool breeze greeted them. Lolan Hill surveyed the room and noticed two bronze ice chests in the corner, emitting a faint white vapor.

This was similar to what she saw in Carithes. When summer first arrived, Butler Sares had placed many of these in the conference hall. Looking at them now, she realized they were learned from the East.

Reflecting on many things, she discovered numerous subtle details. For example, Carithes’ shipbuilding technology came from the Eastern House of Plantagenet, said to be the Fang family’s skill. Early spice trade patterns and methods, such as the Night Painted Flowers, were learned from alchemists in the East by Angus, who later improved them, making them popular in Vergha and earning substantial funds.

No wonder historically, the easiest successful business model was to exploit information asymmetry, earning substantial profits.

Unfortunately, her memories weren’t fully restored, and she didn’t know the current state of Carithes or whether Pulman and others’ resistance and revolution succeeded.

She hoped her apprentice could forge their own path even without her guidance. Otherwise, constantly observing fate from Star World would be unsustainable.

Help can only last so long; anything lasting requires its own struggle and perseverance.

By the way, Lolan Hill’s name wasn’t complete.

It turned out that Lo was not a surname after all. The four characters, Lo Lan Xi Er, formed her full name.

  How should she say this name? It felt somewhat embarrassing to speak it out loud. That morning, when she thought about it, she hesitated for a long time and ultimately didn’t tell Uncle Yu. She decided to keep it as her own little secret.

  This was precisely why today, she learned the source and power of her witch title.

  So it was the stars then.

  ————

  While sitting in the bookstore waiting, the young lady’s thoughts drifted far away until she heard a faint sound of footsteps coming from upstairs.

  ”Sorry for keeping you waiting. Which one of you needs a book for cultivation? Compared to scattered shops outside, the books in our Jade Scroll Reflection Pavilion have been reviewed and examined by masters, making them very stable and safe, with few hidden dangers.” A middle-aged woman approached them. She was still wearing autumn-yellow clothes, looking rather understated.

  ”It’s me who needs it,” the young lady’s clear voice rang out, like a fragrant orchid in a secluded valley.

  Although she couldn’t see her face clearly, just by her figure and voice, one could imagine she was one of the rare beauties in the world. This made the female shopkeeper pay a bit more attention.

  ”So it’s Miss. Have you practiced before? Do you have any preferences?”

  ”When I was young, I studied Magic Heart and Hundred Flowers, two great paths. But after the changes in the world, I haven’t decided yet. As for preferences, perhaps something related to physical cultivation or planting would suit me.”

  The young lady tilted her head slightly, thinking about the demonic and natural sequences she had practiced in the past, which now corresponded well with the Magic Heart and Hundred Flowers paths on the Eastern Continent.

  ”Magic Heart? We don’t have many of those in the store because they often come with side effects that might bring hidden dangers to customers. However, there are quite a few books related to the Hundred Flowers path.” After saying this, the shopkeeper led the two upstairs to rest and asked the clerk beside them to fetch the items she mentioned.

  Soon, a dark red wooden table was brought up, with five books placed on it, each accompanied by a piece of jade.

  ”This is a recording stone, which can display stored images once activated with spiritual energy.”

  Sigh, no inheritance gemstones? Those would directly transmit memories, which should be clearer and more direct. After all, sometimes images cannot convey certain things, like temperature or physical sensations.

  As she thought about it, the young lady asked.

  ”You’re probably talking about the Heart Transmission Stones. They are very precious, said to have originated from the Western World a thousand years ago. Unfortunately, their crafting techniques are special; even in our store, there aren’t many, and they are expensive.”

  Upon hearing the high price, the young lady secretly stuck out her tongue and stopped herself from asking further. “Let’s take a look at these first.”

  Afterwards, she began to scan through them while Yu Bairen helped by flipping through them briefly.

  Among these five books and the cultivation methods recorded in the recording stones, three could only be cultivated up to the third rank, while the other two could reach up to the fourth rank, with nothing beyond that.

  ”After the changes in the world, many old cultivation methods no longer work. These were developed by some experts in recent years by modifying the old methods. Although they can’t reach high ranks, they are balanced and safe, unlikely to cause any unexpected issues,” the female shopkeeper continued explaining.

  【Aromatic Woodpecker】(Silver Rank, Excellent): Describes the advancement route and method from Natural Sequence 1·Herb Collector to Natural Sequence 4·Aromatic Woodpecker Needle. Upon mastery, it grants excellent abilities in herb collection, planting, moxibustion, and healing, but is weaker in other areas.

  【White Poplar拔青】(Silver Rank, Outstanding): Describes the advancement route and method from Natural Sequence 1·Tree Cultivator to Natural Sequence 4·Willow White Poplar Sword. Upon mastery, it excels in controlling the growth of poplar trees and comes with a unique sword technique called Willow Blade, swift and rapid.

  Though neither of these books were perfect, they each had their own merits. The young lady asked about the prices of both.

  ”Each book costs two gold plates,” the female shopkeeper said with a smile.

  Oh, she wanted both and hoped to use the system to integrate them later. The young lady recalled sitting under a red maple tree, letting the system help her deduce things. Even though the world had changed, the system should still be somewhat useful.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough money to buy both. Her eyes kept shifting between the two books.

  ”Then let’s buy both,” Yu Bairen saw Lo Lan Xi Er hesitate and generously took out four gold plates and placed them on the table. Though he wasn’t wealthy, he could afford this amount.

  ”A girl shouldn’t be raised poor,” the uncle said, quoting a popular proverb.

  ”Uh, thanks again, Uncle Yu,” the young lady felt a warm wave inside.

  She needed to work hard now. Hopefully, she could join a powerful faction in the future, not letting Uncle Yu’s kindness go to waste.

  (The End)