Spirit Gold

In the past month, Duke had heard rumors about the Pioneer War more than once.

The neighbors were discussing it in private.

However, the Black Snake Family hadn't released much news about the Pioneer War. Snakehead Town continued to operate as usual, and not many outsiders were seen entering.

If there were truly a Pioneer War, a large number of outsiders would definitely flood in, hoping to seize opportunities to make contributions and get rich.

"I'm not really sure about that. I've asked several acquaintances in the Black Snake Family, and they don't know either, but..." Owner Winston paused, leaned closer, and whispered, "I think, Boss Little Duke, you won't go wrong by stocking up on more materials. Whether there's a Pioneer War or not is unclear, but there's definitely a Medium Spirit Spring!"

"Is there really?"

"That's my judgment. First, there are many spirit beasts in Emerald Sea Valley, and many mercenary groups go there. Second, the fact that the Black Snake Family hasn't debunked the rumors is the biggest evidence. The higher-ups must still be planning, which is why they're letting the rumors spread!"

After listening to Winston, Duke nodded in agreement. "I have the same judgment."

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Chatting along the way, they arrived at Chen Jiao City.

Duke, with Levin, visited several shops for supplies, purchasing much larger quantities than before.

Previously, he would buy half a month's worth of supplies at a time, following Old Sam's standard. Now that the shop was making good money, he decided to buy a full month's worth at once, making multiple trips to stock up. This ensured that if the higher-ups launched the Pioneer War, Little Sam's Card Shop would have enough materials to sustain itself, as most materials had a long shelf life anyway.

"Levin, can you carry this?"

"I can carry it," Levin replied with a simple smile, shouldering a sack.

"Then let's hurry to the next stop." Duke himself carried two large bags. In the past, this would have been tiring, but after starting the Blood Sea Cultivation fighting spirit, it was effortless. "We still have a lot to do today."

"Okay."

Boarding a trolley bus, Levin wiped the sweat from his brow. It was the height of summer, and any movement made him sweat profusely.

"By the way, Levin, have you ever drunk a Blood Boiling Potion?" Duke asked casually.

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't have money," Levin said with a simple smile.

Duke asked again, "A Blood Boiling Potion is only 11-Silver Dragon. Are your parents unwilling to pay for it?"

Levin thought for a moment and replied, "My older brothers drank it, but it was useless. My dad said I'm too stupid, so it would be useless for me too."

"I see."

The purchasing power of 11-Silver Dragon was equivalent to a little over a thousand yuan.

Yet, even this small amount was unaffordable for many poor families. Moreover, drinking a Blood Boiling Potion didn't guarantee the opening of the Blood Sea, and there was a chance of sudden death. Even if the Blood Sea was opened, it didn't necessarily mean one could cultivate into a Knight, as there were subsequent expenses like contracting a spirit beast and supplementing it with spirit beast meat.

"It's like children in the mountains who can't afford to go to school..." Duke thought, making an inappropriate comparison.

After several detours, they finally bought all the consumables for the card shops and also purchased the proxy-purchased products from the card shops and Spirit Tool shops. Duke and Levin returned to the small inn.

"You stay in the room and keep an eye on the goods. Don't wander off."

"Okay."

"Eat if you're hungry, drink if you're thirsty. Don't try to save. Duke pointed to the pile of food he had bought. "In short, absolutely do not leave the room. Don't leave no matter who calls you, understand?"

"I understand," Levin nodded seriously.

This batch of goods was worth a considerable amount. After repeatedly reminding Levin, Duke left the inn alone.

In the evening, Chen Jiao City's streets were illuminated by neon signs displayed through lantern cards, creating a lively yet chaotic atmosphere.

Duke headed straight for a Spirit Gold shop.

Spirit Gold was spiritual metal, a special material used to forge Spirit Tools and Arcane Artifacts. A very small portion of ordinary ores would be infused with Spirituality. After refinement, it became Spirit Gold, which was many times more valuable than ordinary metals.

Snakehead Town had a Black Snake Spirit Gold Smelter, with its black smoke billowing incessantly.

"Boss, 500 grams of amber gold, 55 grams of gray tin, 28 grams of refined silver, 10 grams of purple copper, 5 grams of sky stone, and 5 grams of lead white..." Duke took out a list.

They haggled over each item.

In the end, this batch of Spirit Gold cost a total of 3 Gold Dragon and 21 Silver Dragon.

After swiping his Spirit Dragon Card, Duke looked at the remaining balance, which was less than one Gold Dragon, and felt a pang of distress.

Even with the booming business of Little Sam's Card Shop, it couldn't keep up with the recent extravagant spending. Especially after opening his Blood Sea, both he and Little Dou needed to eat a lot of meat, which further increased the financial burden.

And now.

He had to buy this batch of Spirit Gold.

"Buy it, buy it. How can I increase my strength without spending money!" Duke put away his heartache and quietly left the Spirit Gold shop with this small bag of valuable Spirit Gold.

"Boss." Levin opened the door.

Duke scanned the room; everything was there, nothing was missing.

"It's getting late. Go take a bath and get some sleep." Duke sent Levin off to bathe while he carefully hid the Spirit Gold at the bottom of his bag.

Then, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate the blood refining method.

Xiao Yi continued to meditate using the meditation method while AFK.

This meant Duke was simultaneously practicing two cultivation methods without any interference.

"This little inn, although located in Chen Jiao City, the spirituality dispersed from its Spirit Spring isn't even as much as Snakehead Town's..." Duke felt the speed of spirituality absorption and shook his head.

Relying on Spirit Springs, humanity built cities and market towns.

However, most of the spirituality dispersed from Spirit Springs was monopolized by the powerful and wealthy. Very little truly flowed out, and on average for the entire city, it wasn't even enough to fill a gap.

"When I save up enough money later, I really need to buy a spiritual plant, otherwise it will greatly delay my Spirit Sea cultivation!"

"Also, I've read enough about Qi Sea related knowledge. I need to have Xiao Yi arrange the opening of the Qi Sea as soon as possible. Otherwise, the older I get, the weaker my Qi Sea will become."

The Three Seas of the human body are basically opened before the age of fifteen.

After fifteen years old, spirituality gradually dissipates, and the Three Seas will continuously weaken until they can no longer be opened.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, they smoothly returned to Snakehead Town by Black Beetle Car. After handing over the task of transporting goods to Levin, Duke quickly returned to his warehouse to modify his room.

"Chirp chirp!"

Xiao Dou, who had grown a full coat of fur, looked like a fluffy giant squirrel, round and plump.

With a wave from Duke, it quickly leaped from the table and, tracing an arc, landed precisely on Duke's shoulder. It grabbed the dried meat Duke gave it and began to gnaw ravenously.

In just half a month, Xiao Dou had already shown a trace of a spirit beast's demeanor.

"Go play by yourself, I have something big to do!" Duke patted Xiao Dou's head, took out a small bag, and spread it out on the desk. Inside were several small paper packets.

Each small paper packet contained a type of Spirit Gold.

He also pulled out a large box from under the bed, which contained another type of Spirit Gold – steel essence.

Steel essence is somewhat similar to aluminum powder and is a widely used, fundamental material for Arcane Artifacts. The Black Snake Spirit Gold Smelter's main product is steel essence, which Duke purchased directly from the factory at a much cheaper price than on the market.

"The Spirit Gold is all gathered. Next, it's time to refine them one by one!"