Chapter 94: The Phantom Market in Hazy Star Valley

Chapter Ninety-Four: The Spinning Star Valley Market

“Ha, this road really is rather far. If we hadn’t moved inward for a time, we probably wouldn’t have reached this market at all.”

On the outer rim of the Million-Mile Plain, Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen led a thousand-man caravan along the road, the entire procession stretched into a long, thin line.

Warriors and battle pets surrounded a great many ox carts, and behind the carts were piled the goods Li Hongshen’s party had brought to trade.

The temporary markets of the Million-Mile Plain were different from those on the outskirts of the Endless Great Wasteland. Most of the markets here were built by human hands, though they still followed the rule of a small market every five years and a grand market every ten.

However, they were nowhere near as safe and dependable as the markets inside the gateway cities. These scattered markets each had their own rules and order.

Some of them had histories in the Great Wasteland that were no less impressive than those of certain gateway cities, and this time Li Hongshen and the others were headed for a public market managed by the Elite Society.

As a rule, the regulations of such public markets were not much different from those in the gateway cities. The security staff and groundskeepers, however, were provided by individuals or certain alliance groups, and at times disputes between those alliances would even force the market to shut down for a while.

Li Hongshen and the others carried the market maps provided by the Elite Society. Their craftsmanship was strikingly similar to that of the maps from the Maman Witch, all of them functioning as directional charts.

The Elite Society had given Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen well over thirty of these precious maps in total. Some pointed to large public markets, some to internal gathering places of the Elite Society, and others to the markets of well-known major organizations.

After building their walls in succession, Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen had harvested a great deal of blood crystals and hides, and they also now had many crack-pattern oxen that could be used for plowing fields and hauling goods.

For that reason, Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen decided to take part in a market exchange, to sell off some of the resources they had stockpiled and purchase items they needed more urgently.

They followed the map for nearly a month, crossing countless forests and even wiping out a beast pack along the way, and finally arrived at the place marked on the chart: Spinning Star Valley.

It was called a valley, but Li Hongshen felt it was more like a basin. A small stream flowed out from within it, and all around were low earthen rises, scarcely more than twenty meters high.

At the center lay a vast open space dug out by human labor, large enough for five or six football fields. Stalls from many tribes stood within it, and banners of every color fluttered before them.

Yet no matter how Li Hongshen looked at it from the left, the right, above, or below, he could not make out anything resembling a spinning star.

When they reached the valley entrance, they found a hundred second-tier warriors stationed there as guards, and the place looked exceptionally well defended.

One had to remember that this was still only the outer region. Assembling a hundred second-tier warriors was no simple matter. Even Li Hongshen’s own people had only risen together to that level after a great war.

Now, with those hundred second-tier warriors standing guard, the newly arrived lords from the outer reaches of the Million-Mile Plain would obediently line up and enter in order. Any wild notion would be swallowed down at once, and none would dare make trouble.

Li Hongshen was naturally no exception. He was always mindful of decorum and courtesy, and he behaved with remarkable obedience as he led his people to queue at the entrance.

When the guards at the gate noticed a new group arriving, they hurried over to ask for their situation and identities. Li Hongshen took the opportunity to show his identity token and tribal name.

After a round of verification, a warrior led Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen out of the line and moved aside the barricades set at the valley mouth, allowing their caravan to enter.

The other groups waiting in line watched as Li Hongshen’s party entered Spinning Star Valley and vanished from sight.

“Hey, how can you cut in line like that? Wasn’t it said that everyone is treated equally in a public market and must queue for inspection? What’s going on with them?”

The guard captain looked at the lord before him and replied in a calm, even manner, neither arrogant nor servile, “My lord, it is like this: those two are members of the Elite Society. With the permission of the market administration, Elite Society members do not need to queue for inspection and may enter directly.

“If you have any objections, you may inquire with the administrator after entering the market. The person in charge of this market is the Wolf Pack Tower, Lord Wolf.”

Upon hearing the name Wolf Pack Tower, the lord who had raised the complaint visibly shrank back. It was clear he knew Lord Wolf well, and feared him somewhat.

“No need, no need. I was only asking for the situation.”

...

After Li Hongshen and the others entered Spinning Star Valley, someone else came to escort them further inside. Along the way, many lords and warriors watched their procession.

What drew their attention was the astonishing size of the party. The warriors under Li Fuzhen, for instance, were much taller and far sturdier than the warriors of the surrounding tribes.

But Li Hongshen’s warriors were actually one or two sizes larger still. Compared with the warriors of the other tribes, the difference was plain at a glance: longer, larger, thicker, with an unmistakably ferocious bearing.

Then there were those crack-pattern oxen hauling the goods. Though they were herbivores, they were genuine fierce beasts, and yet there were so many of them, used only for transport.

And then the battle pets: fighting wolves, tiger beasts, savage bears, and that tempest eagle, slow and leisurely as though it were an old master out for a stroll.

They were all fine beasts ranked near the top of the Great Wasteland battle pet chart. Appearing in such numbers before one’s eyes, they made it obvious at once that these were people of great means and that they were not to be trifled with.

The staff leading Li Hongshen passed many tribal stalls before finally reaching the center of Spinning Star Valley, where Li Hongshen once again ran into an acquaintance he had not seen in a long time.

“Brother Luo, it has been a long while. I have missed you dearly.”

“Li Hongshen, wow. Every time I see you, it feels like I’ve run into a surprise, and now it’s almost become a shock. How did you get here so fast? Why didn’t you go to the Elite Society’s gathering place?”

“No shock, no shock. How could something this small scare you, Brother? I just missed you, so I came over to have a look.

“As for that gathering place, I met true love, so I’m not going over there to spread dog food, hahahaha.

“Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Li Fuzhen, my wife.

“And this is Brother Luo. The task came from him, so you could say he was the bridge that connected us and the thread that tied it all together.”

“Hello, hello. I had already heard your name before, and this is my first time meeting you in person. You are much more beautiful in the flesh than in the records.”

“Thank you. My Hongshen told me about you before. It was all thanks to your help that he and I were able to meet in the Great Wasteland. I am truly, deeply grateful.”

“Not at all, not at all. You’re too polite. I didn’t really do much, and besides, I followed the proper procedures. I collected every fee that should have been collected, down to the last coin, so I really can’t take any credit now.

“You must be here at Spinning Star Valley for the first time, right? Then pitch your camp beside my tribe. There happens to be enough space here, and there’s no need to go out looking for materials. I have plenty to spare.”

“All right, then we’ll take your advice and set up here. I’ll take some people over to tidy the grounds. Hongshen, you can stay and chat with Brother Luo for a while and let him tell you more about the situation here.”

One update today. I squeezed this out in the spare moments while rushing a project assignment.

The good news is that I finished my PHP assignment, but there is still Java and front-end work to do. The deadline is at the beginning of next month, so my eyes are darkening and I’ve already pulled out several hairs.

This chapter ends here.