Desert City

Amid the golden desert stood a yellow city. Above its yellow gates, two large red characters were carved high up.

"Desert City! We've finally arrived." Looking at those two large characters ahead, Xiao Heng softly read them aloud. There was nothing particularly remarkable about this city, but there was someone within it whom Xiao Heng very much wanted to meet.

With Bear Two beside him, Xiao Heng walked straight in. His status as an Alchemist did indeed bring him quite a few conveniences—for instance, the city guards no longer stopped him at the gates.

"Xiao Heng, is there something strange about this Desert City? Why didn't you go to the city we passed yesterday and insist on coming here instead?" Bear Two was merely curious. There was clearly nothing special about this place! It looked utterly ordinary, just a little bigger.

As the city closest to the Tagor Desert, Desert City drew many mercenary groups and merchant caravans, making it exceptionally bustling. Because of its proximity to the desert, the local customs and people were clearly quite different from those in the previous cities. Most noticeably, the people here had darker skin and looked far more fierce.

"Because there's someone here I want to meet," Xiao Heng answered.

"Is that person your friend?" Bear Two followed behind Xiao Heng without looking around anymore. Mainly because they had passed through quite a few cities during this period, so the novelty had worn off.

"No. I don't know him yet, but I think I will soon." Xiao Heng smiled. This person was one of the targets of this journey.

"Oh!" Bear Two had no idea what Xiao Heng was talking about. Not knowing someone but soon knowing them—he couldn't make sense of it.

In truth, unless a city had a dedicated marketplace, it was not all that lively. Compared to smaller cities, there were simply more people.

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand anyway. Let's find someone to guide us, rest for a while, and then go find that person." Explaining such things to Bear Two was truly like playing the lute to a cow.

Stopping in his tracks, Xiao Heng took out a bag of Gold Coins, swept his gaze around, and called out, "I need someone to guide me. Whoever does a good job gets this bag of Gold Coins."

As he spoke, he shook the bag, and the clinking of Gold Coins rang out. Quite a few people's eyes immediately lit up. Since he was wearing an Alchemist's robe and Bear Two stood beside him, most people would not approach him proactively. Bear Two was simply too intimidating. Though he was only around two meters tall now, a Magical Beast was still a Magical Beast, and his presence made many people instinctively keep their distance from Xiao Heng.

But Gold Coins were still highly tempting. In an instant, four or five people rushed forward.

"Sir, me, me, me! I know this place best. No matter where you want to go, I can find it."

"Sir, I know it better! I was born and raised here. Nobody knows this place better than I do."

"Sir, sir... I...!"

For a moment, the four or five people all talked over one another, enthusiastically promoting themselves. They made their living by guiding people around, and landing this job would undoubtedly be a good thing. It was much better than taking mercenaries or merchants around; those people were troublesome and stingy.

Xiao Heng looked them over and ultimately chose a fat man from among them. There was no special reason—mainly, the fat man looked more pleasing to the eye.

Catching the Gold Coins Xiao Heng tossed over, the fat man hurriedly opened the bag to inspect it. Only after confirming that they were indeed Gold Coins did he carefully tuck it into his clothes. The others left with disappointed expressions.

Among the surrounding crowd, Xiao Heng also noticed several people whose gazes were rather unfriendly, as though they had set their sights on him. But he did not care. It would be fine if they did not come, but if they did, he would naturally teach them what friendliness meant.

After putting away the Gold Coins, the fat man walked over with a broad grin. "Where would you like to go, sir?"

"Find an inn first. Tomorrow, I'll need you to take me to a place that sells maps. By the way, what's your name?" Now that he had arrived in Desert City, there was no need to rush to find Hai Bodong. He could rest first and go tomorrow.

"My surname is Li. You may call me Fatty Li, sir. Does the map shop you seek have any distinguishing features? If it does, it'll be easier for this humble one to guide you there." He had truly felt the weight of that bag of Gold Coins, so naturally he had to serve this distinguished customer well. If this patron happened to be pleased, he might even reward him with more Gold Coins!

Distinguishing features? Xiao Heng thought back and realized that he truly could not remember anything obvious.

"The shopkeeper is an old man. He runs the store alone and may have a bad temper. That's all. Can you find it?"

When Fatty Li saw Xiao Heng hesitate, he had thought it would take some effort. But upon hearing Xiao Heng mention a bad temper, he immediately had an answer. "I happen to know the shop you're looking for, sir. It's in the north, in a rather secluded location. That old man has a terrible temper, but his maps are quite good."

He did not know why this gentleman was looking for that old man, but he honestly told him what he knew. In their line of work, the most important thing was to do their job well. After all, he had seen people seek revenge before, only for others to be caught up in it and lose their lives.

It was good that he knew, otherwise it would have taken some effort. "Mm, good. Then take me to an inn first! Don't worry about the price. The more food they have, the better. We'll go there tomorrow. Any problem with that?"

He did not have high standards for accommodations, but since he had money, he might as well stay somewhere better. As for the food, Xiao Heng glanced at Bear Two beside him. That was mainly for this fellow.

The moment Fatty Li heard that money was no object, he immediately had a destination in mind. With a grin, he said, "Then please follow me, sir."

"Mm!"...

"Sir, this is the finest inn in all of Desert City. It belongs to the Misty Cloud Sect. Besides its excellent accommodations, its food is exceptional as well. I heard that as long as you can afford it, they even serve Third-tier Magical Beast meat."

As Fatty Li spoke, he looked enviously at those entering the inn, wondering when he would have enough money to dine here himself.

Xiao Heng examined the ten-plus-story building before him. It was indeed rather good. To open such a large inn beside the desert was no simple feat, and there truly was a Misty Cloud Sect emblem after the inn's name on the signboard.

"Then let's go in."

Fatty Li gazed enviously at the people inside and gave an awkward laugh. "You may enter on your own, sir. This humble one cannot afford to stay here. But rest assured, I will be here first thing tomorrow morning. If you have any other needs, you may leave them to me as well."

"Alright. Come back tomorrow morning, then. As for anything else, there's nothing I need for now." Xiao Heng did need to purchase more supplies, but he still preferred to buy them himself. Next, he would officially enter the central region of the Tagor Desert, and he would indeed need many things. Still, it was best to be cautious.

"Then, sir, this humble one will take his leave." Fatty Li awkwardly bowed to Xiao Heng, then left after receiving his permission.

Upon entering the inn, Xiao Heng found it truly much better than the places he had stayed before. Even the attendants were Girls in the prime of youth.

"Welcome, esteemed Alchemist. Do you have a reservation?" Seeing the Alchemist's robe Xiao Heng wore, the Girl came over and asked.

"No. What, do I need a reservation to stay here?"

The Girl had clearly received professional training. Every expression and movement of hers was measured in a way that made people feel comfortable. "Not at all. It's simply that all of our high-class rooms are reserved in advance. Without a reservation, you may only stay in medium-grade or low-grade rooms."

"Then give me two medium-grade rooms. Also, bring up every dish you have and deliver them to the rooms."

Bear Two would naturally sleep separately from him. Though Bear Two did not really sleep much either, such a large bear still needed his own room.

The moment Bear Two heard Xiao Heng say to bring up every dish, he immediately revealed a delighted smile. The human world was wonderful. Xiao Heng was wonderful. I'll definitely treat Xiao Heng well from now on.

Two rooms? The Girl was somewhat puzzled, but after glancing at Bear Two beside Xiao Heng, she understood who the other room was for.

"This way, sir!" The Girl led Xiao Heng upstairs without asking anything about payment. Clearly, the clothes Xiao Heng wore proved that he could not possibly be unable to afford the stay. Besides, no one dared owe this inn money.

Following the Girl upstairs, Xiao Heng had to admit that this inn was indeed quite good. The room was spacious, its furnishings and furniture were all complete and exquisitely made, and through the window, he could see nearly half of Desert City.

As for Bear Two, he was waiting for the food to arrive. Bear Two's presence had made eating the first thing Xiao Heng did whenever he arrived in a new town or city. Though with his cultivation, going several days without food would not have been a problem.

"Bear Two, I'm going out to buy some things. Do you want to come?"

Bear Two shook his head. "No, no. There's nothing worth seeing. I'm waiting for food."

He had no intention of going. It was boring, and he might as well lie around here and wait to eat. Xiao Heng smiled helplessly. This fellow stopped caring about anything the moment he heard there was food. Still, Bear Two was not the sort of bear to cause trouble. Whenever Xiao Heng was away, he behaved himself and rarely spoke. In truth, he only wanted to talk to Xiao Heng. As for other humans—sorry, there was nothing to say to them.

After going out alone to purchase the supplies he needed, Xiao Heng returned to his room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he produced a card in his hand.

"Dou Ling Experience Card, tomorrow will be your time to shine. I hope you won't disappoint me!" With that, he gazed sharply out the window.

The reason he wanted to meet Hai Bodong was simple: he wanted to fight him once. As for the fragment of the Heavenly Flames map, he did not need that sort of thing. Well, it was not that he did not need it—he just did not need it that badly. And the Green Lotus Core Flame, judging by the timeline, should still be there. Queen Medusa had not taken it yet.

He had also considered whether he should snatch it first. But that thing did not seem all that useful to him! Even if he obtained it, refining it would be no easy task. More importantly, it was the first Heavenly Flame that marked Xiao Yan's rise! What if Xiao Yan became useless after he took it?

Forget it. Why think so much? There was no guarantee he could even find it, and overthinking was pointless. He should adjust his condition and wait for tomorrow's battle.