757 Exploring The City
The next week passed by quickly, as John spent half his time cultivating, and the other half exploring the city. Five-River Freeport was even larger than he had expected it to be, as each and every inch of land was covered with something regarding trade. Hundreds of thousands of buildings lined the streets, with even more stalls located outside the buildings by those not fortunate enough to own a building outright.
Five-River Freeport was divided into five districts, with each specializing in a certain aspect. The district controlled by the Mystic Trade Hall was a general purpose district, where trade of all kind could take place, and where one could find almost anything their heart desired.
Even the parks and lakes located at various parts of the cities had some sort of attraction, whether it was romantic boat rides, illusion formations that could satisfy any desire, or a thousand other things.
The district controlled by the Divine Merchant Palace was mostly the same, and John quickly came to understand that the Divine Merchant Palace was the Mystic Trade Hall’s biggest rival, as they dealt in similar trades, although their main trade was in formations.
Impressed by this rivalry at first, John’s mood towards the Divine Merchant Palace soured when he learned that it was partially owned by the Starforge Clan. Through discussions with other merchants, he learned that the Divine Merchant Palace was jointly owned by several formation clans, with the Starforge Clan being one of the most prominent.
The Eternal Weapon Temple controlled the third district, which as its name suggested, specialized in weapon forging. The best weapons one could obtain in the city, and in the continent as well, came from the Eternal Weapon Temple and the other crafting guilds in its district. The Eternal Weapon Temple also specialized in other things such as armor, alchemy forges, flying ships, and anything else that required high level forging knowledge.
The fourth district was controlled by the Forbidden Merchant Guild, which was the premier trading guild for the Forbidden Alliance. It was a joint collective of the most powerful sects and clans in the Forbidden Alliance, and a large portion of the Forbidden Alliances funds came through the Forbidden Merchant Guild.
John had inquired why the city allowed such a power to exist within, but his questions were met with curious gazes, almost as if he were stupid to ask such a question. To the merchants of the world, things like alliances and cultivation pathways didn’t matter at all. The only thing that mattered to them was making money, regardless of the source of that money.
Finally was the Black-Vault Trade Faction, which was controlled by the Monster Race. The headquarters of the Black-Vault Trade Faction was a gothic style castle, pitch black in color. Its district dealt in many forms of trade, but it primarily focused on things the monster race specialized in, such as the sale of exotic beasts and plants only found in the monster race controlled region of the continent.
John had explored the Mystic Trade Hall district already, and partially the Eternal Weapon Temple district, but had not had a chance to explore anything else. The city was beyond massive, and it would no doubt take several decades to visit every street and building.
It was as if the entire city was filled with the most enthusiastic merchants, who thought of nothing other than trading and making money.
“I guess the Dao of Business really is a thing,” John mused as he walked through the streets of the city. He could tell just how fervently passionate the merchants were about their profession, an all consuming obsession that he only ever saw in cultivators.
The passion of the merchants coursed through him, making even someone as calm as him become enamored at their zeal. Their overwhelming emotions reminded him of the various joys cultivating gave him, from increasing his insights to the heart-pounding battles that he took part in.
As he strode through the streets over the week, he noticed the boisterous and lively atmosphere become even more so by the day. The streets, buildings, parks, and restaurants became more and more crowded, while heated discussions boomed everywhere.
The discussions were almost exclusively about one thing, as if it had ensnared the mind of the entire city.
The Five-River Freeport Auction.
Just based on the frenzied atmosphere, John could tell just how important the auction was to the city. It was the only thing anyone could think of it seemed.
“Young man. Young man!” an enthusiastic voice called out to John. John stopped and turned towards the voice, which was a smiling middle aged man standing at the entrance of a building.
pan-da-n0vel.com “Blue-Eye Island Entry?” John mused as he read the signboard above the two story building.
“Young man, you look like someone who wants to make it to Blue-Eye Island, eh?” the man said as he walked over to John and draped his arm around his shoulder as if the two were best of friends. “With the auction coming up, it’s the only thing anyone can think of, am I right?”
“Blue-Eye Island?” John asked curiously.
“Ah, I see you’re new to the city,” the man replied. “Blue-Eye Island is the island in the center of the lake, you see.”
“Oh, its that floating island? But why is it called Blue-Eye Island?” John asked.
“When you look down on the island from above, the massive dome in the middle kinda looks like a blue eye, don’t ya think?” he replied.
“I…I guess that makes sense,” John replied, as it truly had looked like a massive eye when he had arrived outside the city at first.
“So, what do you say? Do you want a ticket to the island? You’ll be able to attend the auction if you buy it!” he asked John.
“A ticket to the island? You sell things like that?” John asked.
“Of course. Each of the Five-Powers controls the teleportation formations to the island, which is the only way to get there. And to get to the formation, you need to buy a ticket, which I have three remaining. So what do you say? Surely you want to participate in the auction?” the man asked.
“I’m good,” John replied, as he did not need such a thing.
“Tch, snot-nosed brat,” the man sneered and took his arm off John’s shoulder as if he were disgusted. “
“Heh, everything is about money here, and nothing else matters,” John mused, his words causing the man to twitch with anger.
“Move aside, you lowly brat. You’re blocking the entrance to my building,” the man grumbled angrily, causing John to frown at his unkind words. “I should have you thrown out of this city for interfering with my business. Do you know who I am? I’m not someone you want to mess with, boy!” the man said threateningly as he noticed John’s displeased glare.
Despite the fact that the man’s cultivation was below John’s, he didn’t feel any danger, as there was absolutely no violence allowed within the city.
The man’s eyes suddenly shifted onto someone behind John, and an excited expression replaced his anger.
“Ah, Mystic Trade Hall Young Master! Welcome! Welcome! What brings you to my humble shop?” the man asked as he recognized the robes worn by the newcomer. Everyone in the city recognized the clothing of the Five Powers, and respected them with utmost sincerity.
John smiled as he noticed the newcomer, who smiled back at John before a displeased expression appeared on his face.
“To speak to my friend with such vitriol, I should have you thrown out of the city,” Caz said to the merchant, displeased at how he had treated John. The mans face lit up with horrified shock as his gaze shifted to John, who stood there calmly watching the entire thing.
“I…I apologize! My eyes were blind to see you were such an esteemed friend of the Young Master here!” the man said pleadingly as he fell to his knees before John. “Please, forgive this blind man!”
John stared at the man for a singular moment before averting his gaze, as something like this was far beneath him. He turned to Caz and completely ignored the old man, as if he didn’t exist.
“How did you manage to find me in such a busy city?” John asked curiously.
“I have my ways,” Caz replied with an amused smile, “but more importantly. The day of the auction is tomorrow, and the preparations are complete. Come, let us proceed to Blue-Eye Island!”
“It’s finally arrived huh? Sure, lead the way,” John replied with an excited smile as he began to follow Caz, while a mountain of spirit crystals appeared in his mind, as if he could already imagine the wealth that was soon to come.