Similar Scene, Different People

Heavenly Martial Qilin Tower, Yellow-tier Zone · Starry Sky Train Arrival Hall

"My lord! Our shop will buy them at a ten percent markup! We can settle payment for the Quicksand Star Grass you just brought back immediately!"

"What's ten percent? We'll offer twenty percent more! And throw in a bottle of intermediate Star Energy Potion!"

The train arrival hall rang with one clamor after another. Heteromorph merchants in gray uniforms crowded before the platform, their eyes fixed on the explorers disembarking from the train, price lists held high in their hands.

Yet despite the merchants' enthusiasm, most explorers merely shook their heads indifferently. They were clearly long accustomed to such scenes.

Only a small number of travel-worn explorers stopped to briefly negotiate with the surrounding Heteromorphs.

Chen Kong watched as a piece of Quicksand Star Grass had barely been taken out by an explorer surrounded in the crowd before three merchants set their sights on it at once. Unable to hold back, he asked, "Lena, why are they in such a hurry to buy the explorers' things?"

Lena's wolf ears twitched lightly. Pointing at the signs of the shops in the distance, she explained, "Mr. Chen Kong, it's because the things explorers bring back are local products of the Fallen Zones. They can't be found anywhere else, so they're especially valuable."

"For example, Quicksand Star Grass can be used to refine potions, while the ores from the Redstone Zone can be used to forge Star Tools."

Realization dawned on Chen Kong. In an instant, he understood that the relationship between explorers and Heteromorph merchants was much like that between prospectors and merchants during a great gold rush.

Although these Heteromorph merchants seemed crazed, once Chen Kong considered the dangerous and complex environment of the Fallen Zones, their behavior seemed