Pioneer Order

"It went up again!"

Duke couldn't help but sigh as he finished his tour of the Spirit Material Wholesale Market in Chen Jiao City. Even before the Pioneer War had begun, the material merchants were already bleeding everyone dry.

But it didn't affect him much. If material costs went up, so would his card crafting fees.

It was all the same money, just changing hands. As long as it wasn't his own money being bled, he didn't care.

He sent his two assistants back to the inn with the goods and, bringing his Spirit Dragon Card, headed to the Spiritual Plant Market north of Chen Jiao City.

"Young man, looking to buy some spiritual plants? Come on in and take a look." The owner of a spiritual plant shop called out to him.

Although Duke was young, his demeanor suggested he wasn't poor. The shop owner was a good judge of character and thought he might be a potential customer.

Duke didn't refuse and entered the shop.

"What kind of spiritual plants are you looking for? Spirit grain, spirit medicine, or spirit fruit? My shop has a full selection. We also have spiritual energy types, both 0-Ring and 1-Ring. I can even get you 2-Ring if needed." Since there were no other customers at the moment, the owner latched onto Duke and started his sales pitch.

"Spiritual plant" was a broad term, encompassing any plant possessing Spiritual Power.

Theoretically, any type of plant could evolve into a spiritual plant.

The shop, run like a greenhouse, was filled with all sorts of spiritual plants. However, most were 0-Ring spiritual plants. The true 1-Ring spiritual plants were kept under lock and key, and 2-Ring spiritual plants weren't displayed at all.

"I'd like to see the spiritual energy types."

"Spiritual energy types, got it. You must be a Spiritual Apprentice, young man?"

"The boss has a good eye."

"Haha, it's mainly because you have a good aura, you don't look like an ordinary person at all." The owner pulled Duke over to a corner of the greenhouse. "Come, come, take a look at these spiritual plants. They're all 0-Ring spiritual plants that can help you sort your spiritual energy. Just meditate for a bit, and you'll feel how rich the spiritual energy field is here."

"What kind of spiritual plant is this?"

"Wheatheart Grass. Cheap, 8 gold dragons and it's yours."

"And this one?"

"This is a Lantern Pepper. Not only can it sort spiritual energy, but see these pepper-like fruits? They're spirit fruits, edible!"

"How much?"

"If you're serious, 17 gold dragons and you can take it."

Duke quietly withdrew his gaze and looked at other spiritual plants, but after browsing, he didn't find any 0-Ring spiritual plants that appealed to him.

Mainly, he had a bit of an aversion to 0-Ring spiritual plants.

The spiritual energy field sorted by 0-Ring spiritual plants might not even be as beneficial as moving to a residence closer to the town center to increase his spiritual energy.

He wanted a 1-Ring spiritual plant, the kind that could fundamentally change the concentration of spiritual energy.

However, after asking the owner about the price, the cheapest 1-Ring spiritual plant was over thirty gold dragons, which he simply couldn't afford.

"I can't afford it, boss. They're all too expensive," Duke said truthfully.

The owner's enthusiastic attitude didn't change. "It's okay if you don't buy. Would you like to look at some spiritual plant seeds? You can grow them yourself."

The spiritual plant seeds were much cheaper and came in a bewildering variety.

A pound of Wheat spiritual plant seeds cost only 30 silver dragons, containing over five thousand seeds. Each seed, when carefully sensed, held a faint trace of spirituality.

"If you have land, planting a pound of seeds will yield several hundred pounds in half a year. Don't underestimate these few hundred pounds of spiritual wheat; they can sell for over ten gold dragons."

"Once I buy a farm, I'll come back to your shop to wholesale wheat seeds, boss."

Duke gave a perfunctory reply to the enthusiastic owner, his eyes scanning a row of shelves. He spotted a packaging bag labeled "Spiritual Plant Energy-Boosting Fertilizer."

He inquired, "What is this?"

"Energy-Boosting Fertilizer. Sprinkle it on, and it helps spiritual plants sort spiritual energy sooner," the owner replied casually.

"Can 0-Ring spiritual plants that can't sort spiritual energy sort it after being sprinkled with this Energy-Boosting Fertilizer?"

"Honestly, any spiritual plant has the potential to sort spiritual energy; it's their innate nature. It's just that many 0-Ring spiritual plants are too weak to activate this nature. Sprinkling this Energy-Boosting Fertilizer might indeed help a 0-Ring spiritual plant activate its ability to sort spiritual energy."

"How much per bag?"

"Not expensive. 3 silver dragons for a small bag. If you want more, you can buy a large bag for 25 silver dragons, ten times the amount. It's hard to activate a 0-Ring spiritual plant's sorting ability without using this much."

Thinking of his Earth Orchid at home, Duke couldn't help but be tempted. "Make it a bit cheaper, boss. I'll just buy one bag."

"These are already the lowest prices..."

"I'm also a businessman..."

"...Alright, I'll give you a little discount. 23 silver dragons, selling it to you at cost."

After some haggling, the deal was made for 23 silver dragons. Duke, carrying a large bag of Spiritual Plant Energy-Boosting Fertilizer, returned to his rented inn.

The next day, he rushed back to Snakehead Town.

Duke immediately fertilized his Earth Orchid, hoping that this bag of Energy-Boosting Fertilizer would truly stimulate its ability to sort spiritual energy.

If it succeeded, the value of this Earth Orchid could increase tenfold.

Before he could fertilize the Earth Orchid a few more times, an expected major piece of news quickly spread throughout Snakehead Town. The Pioneer Order, officially signed and sealed by the Seven Towers Federation-United Tower, had been issued to Chen Jiao City, tasking them with presiding over the Emerald Sea Valley Pioneer War.

Just like the Pioneer War in the Black Snake Lair back then.

Afterward, the Snakehead Tower in Snakehead Town posted the Pioneer Order for the Emerald Sea Valley Pioneer War on notice boards all over town.

This news immediately set the whole town abuzz.

However, after the initial excitement, everyone went back to their own business. Duke had also joined the crowd outside for a while but couldn't gather any useful information.

He returned to Little Sam's Card Shop, ate dinner, and then continued to bury himself at workstation number four, repairing discarded spirit cards he had salvaged from the Scrap Card Station.

He thought life would continue as usual.

Unexpectedly, an incident occurred. Card Master Murav found him during work hours. "Boss Duke, someone wants to treat you to lunch today."

"Who is it?"

"I'm not sure who it is. A relative of mine in the Black Snake Family asked me to pass on the message. Hmm, my relative is a small captain in the Security Brigade, and his name is Murashi. He'll be joining us for lunch too."

"Is that so? Alright, I'll be there." Duke nodded in agreement.

Murav didn't say much and continued to repair spirit cards.

Duke, however, was pondering. He wondered who would invite him to a meal and even have Murashi from the Black Snake Family act as a go-between.

Compared to Murav, who was an outer member of the Black Snake Family, Murashi, as a captain in the Security Brigade, should be considered a core member of the Black Snake Family.

"What do they want with me?"

"Could it be related to Robney? Have they found Robney's remains... Impossible. I went to the dumping site; Robney was already gnawed to bits by wild beasts... Besides, if they wanted to find me, they would have done so long ago. It's impossible to wait two or three months."

"Hmm, a dinner invitation... It shouldn't be anything too bad."

Waiting until noon, Duke and Murav walked together to a large hotel in the town center. In a private room, they met the person who had extended the invitation.

Captain Murashi, still wearing his Security Brigade uniform, smiled slightly and said, "Boss Duke, allow me to introduce you. This is Boss Lucius. He plans to do business in Snakehead Town and hopes you two bosses can cooperate happily."