Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce, buying Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue

At this, Xue Qinghe's expression turned strange. "Whale Rubber? What would someone your age buy that for?"

Lin Chen tried to put on an innocent expression. "For cultivation, of course. What else would I use it for?"

"This stuff can be used for cultivation? Who told you that?" Xue Qinghe looked at Lin Chen with an increasingly strange expression.

Seeing Qian Renxue like this, Lin Chen knew exactly what she was thinking and brought out the explanation he had prepared long ago.

"I figured it out myself." Lin Chen scratched his cheek, looking a little embarrassed. "When I was little, I found some in my dad's bedside cabinet and ate it out of curiosity."

"The nobles of Heaven Dou City really are beyond saving..." Xue Qinghe pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly. "Go on..."

Lin Chen did his best to keep a straight face. "Whale Rubber is hard to bite when it's solid, so I thought I'd heat it up with fire. After I ate it, my body felt warm, and my physique grew stronger too. Whale Rubber was also the reason I was able to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

At that, Xue Qinghe nodded in sudden understanding. She had been wondering how Lin Chen had absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and now it seemed Whale Rubber was probably the reason.

Thinking of this, Xue Qinghe smiled and nodded. "In that case, go buy some."

With that, Xue Qinghe took out a gold card and casually tossed it into Lin Chen's hand. "There are five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins on this card. That should be enough for you to spend. If it isn't, come ask me for more."

Lin Chen quickly nodded. "Enough, enough. It's definitely enough."

"Still, this item is unusual. Remember to wear a mask when you go out to buy it. Don't reveal your identity," Xue Qinghe reminded him.

Out of concern for Xue Qinghe's reputation, Lin Chen didn't bring any servants. Instead, he quietly left the crown prince's residence alone and entered the bustling Heaven Dou City.

Shops lined the streets, which were more than ten times larger and livelier than those of Nuoding City.

A mask on his face, Lin Chen darted his little eyes around, carefully examining the nearby shops that might sell Whale Rubber.

Before long, Lin Chen found a luxurious-looking pavilion on a bustling street.

The pavilion's signboard was lavish in the extreme, with the four characters for Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce written across it in bold, sweeping strokes.

The Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce had the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind it. With the sect being the wealthiest on the entire continent, the chamber's reputation, sources of goods, and connections were all first-rate.

For that very reason, the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce offered a dazzling array of goods, with everything one could want, attracting plenty of people inside.

"Welcome!"

Several beautiful maids stood at the entrance to the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce to greet customers. When they saw Lin Chen's luxurious clothing, they immediately realized he was an important guest and hurriedly bowed in welcome.

Lin Chen didn't spare them a glance. He strode straight through the entrance and began asking shop after shop whether they sold Whale Rubber.

At first, Lin Chen asked several pharmacies in a row, but all their answers were no. Some even recommended other aphrodisiac herbs to him.

Lin Chen paid them no mind and continued searching the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce. Finally, in a luxurious pharmacy gleaming with gold, he found a trace of Whale Rubber.

When the owner heard that Lin Chen wanted to buy Whale Rubber, his face was full of an "I understand" expression.

Smiling, he welcomed Lin Chen into the shop and pulled a small box from a cabinet. Inside was the very Whale Rubber Lin Chen was looking for. "This box contains fifty-year Whale Rubber. Take a look. Is it suitable?"

Lin Chen shook his head and asked casually, "This Whale Rubber is too young. What's the oldest Whale Rubber your shop has?"

The owner's eyes flashed. "The oldest Whale Rubber we usually have is a thousand years old. Would that satisfy you, young master?"

The older the Whale Rubber, the better its aphrodisiac effect. In the merchants' eyes, however, that was its only use.

And since there was no need to buy Whale Rubber that old, few nobles did so. They generally bought Whale Rubber that was a few decades or a few centuries old; very few bought any that was a thousand years old.

As a result, most shops sold Thousand-Year Whale Rubber at most, while Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue was an uncommon sight.

Lin Chen shook his head again. "It's still too young. Does your shop have any Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue?"

The shopkeeper looked at Lin Chen with newfound respect and couldn't help asking curiously, "Young master, are you buying Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue to eat yourself, or...?"

"That's none of your concern," Lin Chen said in a low voice. "My master gave me an order."

"I understand, I understand." Hearing that, the shopkeeper hurriedly said with a smile, "Normally, my shop really wouldn't have any Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.

"But you're in luck, young master. My little shop just happened to get three pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue in stock three days ago. I wonder how many you'd like to buy?"

Lin Chen glanced at the shopkeeper and said arrogantly, "All of them, of course."

Damn... that's fucking impressive, the shopkeeper exclaimed inwardly, unable to keep himself from feeling admiration for the master Lin Chen had mentioned.

Lin Chen casually tossed a gold card onto the table. "Just charge it to the card. Be quick."

Once the shopkeeper came to his senses, he hurriedly nodded and bowed. "Right away. I'll go get those three pieces of Whale Rubber from the storeroom now."

The shopkeeper hurried into the shop, and before long, he came back out with three wooden boxes.

Lin Chen opened them and took a look. After confirming that the Whale Rubber was fine, he put it into his Storage Soul Tool.

The shopkeeper bent over, his face wreathed in a fawning smile. "Young master, one piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue costs you five thousand Gold Soul Coins, so three pieces come to fifteen thousand."

Lin Chen didn't even blink. "Just charge it to the card," he said indifferently.

After all, Lin Chen had been born into a noble family, and now he had Qian Renxue behind him. Naturally, he wouldn't care about a little over ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.

After paying, Lin Chen left the shop and made another round of the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce. But whether because his luck had run out or not, he didn't find another shop selling Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.

After returning to the crown prince's residence, Lin Chen headed straight for Qian Renxue's study and took out the three wooden boxes containing the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.

Xue Qinghe looked down at the golden-yellow solid in the boxes, still somewhat hesitant. "Are you sure Whale Rubber can improve one's physique?"

Lin Chen smiled and shook his head. "Oh, Brother Xue, don't worry. I've been eating this stuff since I was little. It'll definitely be fine!"

No matter how I hear it, that sounds strange, Xue Qinghe muttered inwardly. She shook her head helplessly. "In that case, come with me. This isn't the place to eat Whale Rubber."

Before long, Xue Qinghe had brought Lin Chen to another cultivation room. An iron pot stood inside, with a blazing fire burning steadily beneath it.