A Huge Sum

"Oh, if Shopkeeper Wang says so, then that's for the best!"

Lu Wanyuan nodded and said, "I have six jin of Yellow Barley Malt Golden Leaf here!"

Shopkeeper Wang examined the Yellow Barley Malt Golden Leaf in front of him and weighed it in his hand. Satisfied that there was nothing wrong with it, he put it into his Storage Bag and took out a pile of Spirit Stones, setting them on the tea table.

"Here are 690 Spirit Stones. Take them! That settles the payment in full!"

Shopkeeper Wang said with a smile.

At that, Lu Wanyuan immediately collected the 690 Spirit Stones.

He kept thinking to himself that one mu could bring in 690 Spirit Stones. He had five mu now, so at full yield, he could get 3,450 Spirit Stones per harvest from all five mu. And since he could harvest three times a year, that meant he could earn Spirit Stones a year. To him, that was definitely a huge sum.

It was a pity that after a year, he would have to hand over seventy percent of the profits. That meant he could only keep thirty percent of the proceeds, which would be 3,450 Spirit Stones.

Still, this was a good foundation. He could build on it and pursue other ventures, and by then he would surely be able to earn even more.

"By the way, I have one more question. How much do you pay for Spiritual Talismans here?"

After thinking it over, Lu Wanyuan looked at Shopkeeper Wang and asked with a smile.

"Oh, Brother Baili, you actually have Spiritual Talismans too? I wouldn't have guessed. But then again, you can sell so much Yellow Barley Malt Golden Leaf, a material used to make Spiritual Talismans. How could you not have any yourself?"

Shopkeeper Wang looked at Lu Wanyuan and came up with his own explanation.

Seeing this, Lu Wanyuan said nothing. Since the other man was making up his own explanation, why should he fuss over it? He certainly wasn't going to correct him. He let Shopkeeper Wang's imagination run wild; after all, this did him good, not harm.

Seeing Lu Wanyuan just standing there with a smile, Shopkeeper Wang continued, "There are many kinds of Spiritual Talismans: Attack Spirit Talismans, Defense Spirit Talismans, and Support Spirit Talismans."

"Each level corresponds to the cultivation system, from the first to the fifth. Every level is also divided into four grades, from low to high: low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and top-grade."

"Generally speaking, Defense Spirit Talismans are a little more expensive than the other two types, Attack Spirit Talismans and Support Spirit Talismans!"

"Oh? Then what's the going price for first-grade Spiritual Talismans?"

Lu Wanyuan looked at him and asked along.

"First-grade Spiritual Talismans start at 20 Spirit Stones. The prices vary by grade, usually by around five to thirty Spirit Stones. Defense-type talismans cost about ten more than the other types, mainly because their materials are more complicated. It depends on the specific case. That's just how buying and selling works!"

"Oh, I see. Then how many Spirit Stones could I get for this talisman?"

Lu Wanyuan immediately took a First-grade High-grade Golden Sword Talisman from his robe and handed it to Shopkeeper Wang.

Feeling the spiritual energy swirling around the talisman, Shopkeeper Wang snatched it up and said loudly, "This is an Attack Spirit Talisman. Would 40 Spirit Stones work?"

"Deal!"

Lu Wanyuan had brought it out because he wanted to sell it. After all, he already had two "First-grade High-grade Golden Sword Talisman" entries in his mind. He could use up one first and give one to Baili Qiuyue later.

For now, he definitely needed to build up his Spirit Stones so he could put them toward other things.

"Good. Here are 60 Spirit Stones. If you have any other talismans to trade, you can bring them to me. I definitely won't let you come out at a loss!"

Shopkeeper Wang took another 60 Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and set them on the tea table.

"Oh, Shopkeeper, besides Spiritual Talismans, what else do you sell here?"

Lu Wanyuan glanced over and discreetly put the Spirit Stones on the tea table into his Storage Bag.

He had 750 Spirit Stones now. It really hadn't been easy. His Storage Bag had never even held a hundred before. Who would have thought he'd have so many Spirit Stones today!

"Brother Baili, take a look for yourself. Most of the goods are on those shelves. We specialize in selling Spiritual Talismans, but we carry a few other goods too, just as a sideline. It's convenient for customers who sell Spiritual Talismans here to buy other things from me as well!"

Shopkeeper Wang pointed toward a huge exhibition hall next door.

Following Shopkeeper Wang's finger, Lu Wanyuan finally noticed that there were also people browsing in the neighboring hall. The long exhibition hall was lined with shelves, and many boxes sat on them, each labeled with the item's name and price.

He immediately left the reception room and went to the hall to examine the goods. The listed prices were much higher than what he had just sold his own talisman for. His First-grade High-grade Golden Sword Talisman, for instance, was marked at 80 Spirit Stones here—a difference of 20 Spirit Stones!

His face darkened when he saw that. But then he thought about it: the man was a businessman and had to make a profit. Otherwise, why would he bother? It wasn't as if he were doing good deeds or was some great benefactor. That was obviously impossible.

Most of the goods were Spiritual Talismans, but he noticed something very strange: there were quite a lot of first-grade talismans, and they were mostly middle- and low-grade. High- and top-grade talismans were rare, while second-grade talismans were even rarer. The talismans also came in all sorts of bizarre shapes!

There really was a wide variety. It was just like a shop that specialized in Spiritual Talismans. Support Spirit Talismans included Cleaning Spirit Talismans and Sound Transmission Spirit Talismans, among others. Attack talismans included Golden Sword Spirit Talismans, Long Arrow Spirit Talismans, and Fireball Spirit Talismans. Defense talismans included Earth Shield Spirit Talismans, Diamond Shield Spirit Talismans, and others.

Huh!

Lu Wanyuan's eyes lit up. He saw a box in front of him labeled "Introduction to Spirit Talisman Crafting," priced at 200 Spirit Stones. It looked like a book, and presumably one specifically about making Spiritual Talismans.

There were also other books on the subject nearby: "Preliminary Understanding of Spirit Talismans," "True Understanding of Spirit Talisman Crafting," "Miscellaneous Matters of Spirit Talisman Crafting," and "Spirit Talisman Crafting: From Beginner to Master," among others.

He hadn't expected this place to have books like these.

Perhaps Shopkeeper Wang had noticed Lu Wanyuan's surprised expression. He quickly asked, "Little brother, did you find something puzzling?"

"Shopkeeper Wang, isn't it said that one shouldn't casually pass on the Dao or sell techniques cheaply? You have so many texts on making Spiritual Talismans here. It's really puzzling."

Lu Wanyuan immediately voiced his question.

"Haha, I thought you were going to ask something else. It's actually very simple!"

"That may well have been true in the past, but there's no need for it now. The main reason is that spiritual energy is scarce these days, so many Spirit Plants can't grow, especially higher-grade Spiritual Medicines and Spiritual Materials. The ingredients used to make Spiritual Talismans aren't as common anymore."

"In other words, without the materials to make Spiritual Talismans, knowing how to make them is useless!"

"Besides, even for an ordinary person, becoming a Spirit Talisman Master is no easy feat. Usually, only major sects and Aristocratic Clans can support such an undertaking. Talent alone isn't enough; it also takes a massive investment to become a true Spirit Talisman Master."

"Smaller sects and clans don't dare attempt it. They fear that if they invest too much and fail, it could affect the development of the sect or clan, or even destroy it. So they'd rather spend more Spirit Stones to buy Spiritual Talismans."

"Actually, it's the same in other fields, too, like Alchemy and being a Spirit Planter."

"The main thing is, spiritual energy in this whole world is growing thinner and thinner. It's not like before, when abundant spiritual energy made Spiritual Materials and Spiritual Medicines commonplace. Back then, of course you'd keep the refining methods in your own hands to secure your side's advantage!"

Shopkeeper Wang explained patiently.

At that, Lu Wanyuan nodded, suddenly understanding.

He had originally wanted to buy a book to look through, but in light of all this, he definitely didn't want to waste his money. The main thing was, he didn't have many Spirit Stones right now. If he had any to spare, he'd certainly buy one to study.