Chapter 117: Arrival at Cangwu City (Extra Chapter 1/10 for Alliance Leader Wuliangshan Dormitory Number Five)

Among the tens of thousands of trial-takers, the departure of Wei Cheng’s team caused not a single ripple; no one paid them any mind.

They passed through the now-thinning black mist, heading straight for Cangwu City. It is worth noting that perhaps because the Fire Demon boss had been defeated, or perhaps because there were simply too many trial-takers, the black mist in this region was visibly receding and weakening. It gave people the persistent illusion that a counterattack against Floating Cloud City might be possible.

Yes, it was exactly that: an illusion. Because even Cangwu City was destined to fall in the future.

The journey was silent. When Wei Cheng’s group reached the outskirts of Cangwu City, they saw from afar that mysterious and extraordinary protective formation. It was far more grandiose than the barrier that had once risen over Floating Cloud City. It looked as though a massive, cyan curtain had been draped across the sky.

It could be seen from hundreds of miles away. At that distance, it appeared as a psychedelic, shimmering light—not the gaudy kind, but a brilliant, iridescent luster that was impossible to describe, a color one could perceive but never truly identify. It existed somewhere between reality and void, as if one were stepping from the waking world into a dream. If one stared at it for too long, a terrifying, twisting inertia would take hold, as if it were trying to pull the very soul out of one’s body.

Yet, as they drew closer, it became incredibly minimalist—just a clean, transparent, cyan curtain. It was clearly visible, yet if one looked away for even a second, it would vanish from perception, possessing almost no presence at all. Wei Cheng had no doubt that if this curtain were to appear on Earth, ninety-nine percent of people would walk right through it without ever noticing.

Of course, as trial-takers with powerful mental faculties, they could all sense it to some degree. But that was precisely what made it so unsettling. One moment they saw it, the next they ignored it, and the moment after, they saw it again. Standing before this cyan curtain, Wei Cheng began to wonder if he had developed ADHD or schizophrenia, as he found it impossible to focus his attention. When he looked at the others, however, their symptoms were much milder.

"Perhaps this is what they mean by 'ignorance is bliss'?" Wei Cheng could only console himself with this thought.

Fortunately, after they continued forward for another four or five miles, the cyan curtain for some reason became invisible and imperceptible. Before them appeared a city—ancient and elegant, yet not particularly grand. In fact, it was smaller than a typical mid-sized county seat back on Earth; it was so simple and plain that it made them doubt their own eyes. Yet this was indeed Cangwu City, as clearly inscribed on the city gate.

"Look, is that the reward stele?"

The group looked around and, sure enough, found a primitive-looking stone tablet outside the gates of Cangwu City. It looked nothing like the skill-inheritance steles, the region-merger steles, or the secret-realm steles they had seen before. It was just a plain, mundane stone tablet. But when Wei Cheng and his companions stepped forward to inspect it, they were stunned. It wasn’t a reward stele at all; it was a public notice.

[Notice from the City Lord’s Mansion: Recently, eight warriors—Wei Cheng, Bai Han, Chen Ce, Xu Shan, Liu Sui, Yu Liang, Mei Renli, and Tang Yuanshan—bravely invaded the demon’s lair and slew the great demon Fire-Marrow, restoring peace to our territory. From this day forth, trade routes are open; citizens may return to their homes and need not flee.]

This…

The group exchanged glances. This was clearly not giving them any chance to keep a low profile. Fortunately, a second later, the text on the stele changed again.

[Notice from the City Lord’s Mansion: The City Lord has invited masters to take powerful measures to curb the emergence of demons. From this day forth, the outbreak of the Demon Shadow Curse is delayed to once every twenty days. However, all parties must remain vigilant and cautious to prevent minor demons from causing chaos.]

Good heavens, the trial mechanism had been adjusted again.

"It’s probably to accommodate the new trial-takers," Bai Han said with a self-deprecating laugh. "Or perhaps it’s because we were all just too pathetic."

They stood by the stele for a while longer, but no new notices appeared, so they turned and entered the city. The place was somewhat desolate. The city gates were open, and there wasn’t even a guard in sight—oh, wait, there was an old dog napping in the sun at the base of the city wall.

Once inside, the scene became slightly more lively. They could see people now. There was a lonely, long street paved with bluestone. To the left was the Yuelai Inn, to the right the Junlai Restaurant, and above them sat the Kelai Spring Water Tower. All the doors were open, and inside sat dim-eyed, aging proprietors. At each entrance, a piece of paper was posted, the ink still wet:

"Now hiring: several shop assistants, several cooks, several grooms. Room and board provided. Daily wage: ten Copper Dragon coins."

Well, well, they had everything prepared for the trial-takers.

Wei Cheng and his group walked and observed. The shops on both sides of the street were all the same: a grain store hiring laborers, a pharmacy hiring apprentices, a textile shop hiring tailors, the Four Seasons Tower hiring young and pretty ladies, and so on. Every shop was operating, but each had only a listless proprietor—either an old man, an old woman, a pot-bellied geezer, or a similarly pot-bellied madam.

However, Wei Cheng did not see anything called the "Purple Garment Pavilion."

"Wait, are we the first batch of people to enter Cangwu City?" Xu Shan suddenly grew excited, feeling the joy of a successful exploration.

"Wake up," Chen Ce said, sounding a bit bitter. "This is just our region. In other regions—especially the Grade A or Grade B ones—people have probably already settled down and established businesses." His sister, Chen Yu, was in the P5 Legion; sigh, there was simply no comparison.

"Wow, look! This shop on the street is for sale for just one Gold Dragon coin. It’s two stories tall! Old Wei, let’s buy it as our team headquarters!" Xu Shan was bubbling with energy, as if she had discovered a new continent.

The others’ eyes also lit up. What did this mean? It meant the trial mechanism was quietly changing. Perhaps one day in the future, they would never have to return to Earth and could move their families here—provided, of course, they could withstand the demon army’s siege.

"The cost of living here seems fairer than in Floating Cloud City," someone noted. "In Floating Cloud City, no matter what you did, the starting rate was one coin a day. Here, the starting rate is ten coins."

"Even so, it won't be easy for our team to scrape together a hundred Gold Dragon coins," Liu Sui laughed. "It takes one hundred Copper Dragons to exchange for one Silver Dragon, and one hundred Silver Dragons for one Gold Dragon." This information was no longer a secret to those who had deeply researched Floating Cloud City.

Wei Cheng suddenly remembered that one of his level-clearance rewards was ten Gold Dragon coins, though he hadn’t thought much of it at the time. He hadn't expected that in Cangwu City, he could actually buy ten shops with that. However, such low prices for fixed assets, when matched against the daily wages, felt somewhat discordant. These were prime street-front shops! Back on Earth, how many workers dared to boast that they could earn enough to buy a storefront in three years?

Thinking about it carefully, it felt like a time of war and chaos: real estate being dumped, bosses running away, prices skyrocketing, and a massive labor shortage.

"Huh?"

Wei Cheng suddenly noticed a shop that looked different—simply because its name was "Floating Cloud Ironworks," the same chain as the one in Floating Cloud City.

"Let’s go take a look. Our first pot of gold will likely be earned here."

Wei Cheng led the way into the quiet, dim shop. From the outside, it looked like a standard room, but inside, it felt inexplicably vast—though that might have been the lighting. In the very back sat an elderly man with white hair, his appearance and expression nine-tenths similar to the proprietor of the Floating Cloud City branch. No, it *was* that same old man. He still looked worried, as if pondering something.

When Wei Cheng approached, the proprietor looked up, his face showing a trace of surprise as he cupped his hands in greeting. "Forgive this old man’s poor eyesight. Are you all refugees from Floating Cloud City?"

"We are," Wei Cheng replied, unsure of the protocol, and awkwardly returned the gesture.

Unexpectedly, the old man burst into loud, sorrowful wails, lamenting how his family had died at the hands of demons and his multi-generational business had been destroyed in an instant—all sorts of tragedies. Wei Cheng and the others listened, thinking that a plot mission was about to trigger, whether it was a side quest or a main one.

But then—

"Since you are fellow countrymen, I shall give you a ten percent discount today. What kind of equipment would you like to buy? I don't mean to boast, but throughout the entire Tiannan Prefecture, the name of the Floating Cloud Ironworks is renowned."

A ten percent discount? I should give *you* a discount on your bones. Damn it, where was the promised quest?

"Proprietor, we have some Flame Stones. Do you buy them here?" Wei Cheng decided to get straight to the point.

The old man, who had been weeping bitterly just a moment ago, transformed into an energetic young man in an instant. With a *swish*, he pulled out a wooden board from who knows where, which read: "Fair prices for all. This shop buys Flame Stones with no limit. Fixed price: 50 Copper Dragon coins each."

Good heavens! That price was only a tiny bit higher than the acquisition price in Floating Cloud City. So *you* are the unscrupulous merchant, you old geezer!

Wei Cheng cursed internally but did not hesitate. He took off his miner’s basket. "Decide for yourselves if you want to sell. I’m selling all of mine."

*Clatter!*

Wei Cheng dumped out a huge pile, making everyone’s eyes widen. The old proprietor, however, looked unperturbed; he gave a casual wave of his sleeve, and the pile of Flame Stones vanished into it. A second later, two glistening Gold Dragon coins and one shimmering Silver Dragon coin were handed over.

420 pieces. Transaction completed. Truly, he was fair to old and young alike.

"Old Wei..." Liu Sui wanted to persuade Wei Cheng to reconsider—wouldn't these Flame Stones be better used to upgrade their Flame Rings?

But the next second, Wei Cheng tucked away the two Gold Dragon coins and held the Silver Dragon coin, flicking it gently with his finger. A wisp of silver radiance immediately escaped, enveloping him. As he breathed, the light was drawn into his body—it was quite miraculous. Everyone was shocked; this silver radiance could actually be used to restore inner energy. Good heavens, this wasn't just currency; it was a resource for cultivation!

If a Silver Dragon coin could do this, what about a Gold Dragon coin?

"I’m selling too! Selling them all!" Bai Han and Chen Ce, both cunning, immediately began dumping their Flame Stones. The others quickly realized the truth—damn it, this was the secret!

The proprietor of the ironworks smiled but said nothing, sweeping away piles of Flame Stones with his sleeves. But a moment later, the group was furious.

"Hey! Old man, this isn't right! I had a total of 124 Flame Stones. By rights, I should have received 62 Silver Dragons. Why did you only give me 60 Silver Dragons and 76 Copper Dragons?" Bai Han yelled, incensed. Did he think they couldn't count?

But the proprietor merely sneered and pointed at the wooden board, which now clearly read: "Flame Stone acquisition price: 49 Copper Dragon coins each."

I've truly been had.

Bai Han was speechless. But what was even more speechless was that when Chen Ce sold his, the price had dropped to 48. Liu Sui and Xu Shan rushed to sell theirs together and only got 47, while Yu Liang, Mei Renli, and Tang Yuanshan were stuck at 46.

This was truly "market-driven pricing"!