The Rui Family's "Little Gift"

The shock of Myriad Crystal Hub was still lingering in Lin Yi's mind when the Floating Shuttle quietly left that bustling area and flew towards another famous area of Mist Sea City.

Outside the porthole, the sky, supported by giant pillars, still radiated a soft and eternal light, enveloping the entire megacity in a spring-like glow.

Lin Yi leaned back in his seat, his fingers unconsciously tracing the scale-like patterns on the wrist of the Fierce Blood Battle Armor, his mind still replaying the shocking prices he had just seen.

One thousand one hundred Eternal Cosmos Crystal.

The lowest grade standard type of Cosmic Clam.

His accumulated salary over a hundred Epoch amounted to just over a thousand Eternal Cosmos Yuan.

In terms of cost, it doesn't even amount to a fraction of the price of a standard-sized Cosmic Clam.

Even including the remaining 19,000 military merits, it's still far from enough.

According to the Imperial Army's exchange system, 1 point of military merit can be exchanged for 1 Eternal Cosmos Yuan. Of course, only military merit can be exchanged for Eternal Cosmos Yuan, but Eternal Cosmos Yuan cannot be exchanged for military merit.

Besides, he couldn't possibly exchange military merits for Eternal Cosmos Yuan. Many good things can only be purchased with military merits, and it would be too much of a loss to exchange them for Eternal Cosmos Yuan.

poverty.

Too poor.

Lin Yi sighed silently in his heart.

However, he quickly suppressed this slight disappointment.

Difficult as it may be, we must take it one step at a time.

He has just entered the True Source Realm, so thinking too much is futile. The most important thing right now is to improve his strength as soon as possible.

When you have the strength, everything will fall into place naturally.

"Vice Captain, what are you thinking about?" Ruida's voice came from the other side, interrupting Lin Yi's thoughts.

Lin Yi looked up and saw Ruida Da smiling at him, while Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow beside him also turned their gazes toward him.

"It's nothing," Lin Yi shook his head and said frankly, "I'm just doing the math, seeing how long I'll have to save up my salary to afford the Cosmic Clam."

Ruida chuckled upon hearing this, waving his hand and saying, "Vice Captain, our soldiers' salaries are just pocket money. Who lives off their salaries? Military merits are the real currency. If we're lucky enough to encounter a few escaped pirates, our military merits will skyrocket."

Ruida spoke with great enthusiasm, but Lin Yi knew it wasn't that simple at all. The pirates who could roam the Black Mist Sea were all desperate criminals, none of them easy to mess with. If they encountered each other, it was still uncertain who would fight whom.

However, Lin Yi didn't expose him, but just smiled and nodded in agreement.

The air shuttle glided smoothly through the airway, and the view outside the window gradually transitioned from the bustling commercial district of Myriad Crystal Hub to a completely different area.

"The residential area is just ahead," Ruida pointed downwards. " In Mist Sea City, the residential area alone accounts for nearly 40% of the entire city, and the differences between the different levels of residential areas are ridiculously large."

Lin Yi looked in the direction Ruida pointed and saw neatly divided blocks below, with buildings of varying heights, but most of them in a standardized modular style.

Further away, some separate courtyards can be vaguely seen.

"Where do Cosmic Source Realm reside?" Lin Yi asked.

"Over there," Ruida pointed to the nearest, most densely populated area, "It's basically impossible for the Cosmic Source Realm to live in a spacious place. Of course, members of large families and powerful forces will have better conditions."

Zhaoyue listened in silence, her gaze lingering on the honeycomb-like buildings for a moment before shifting away.

"What about the True Source Realm?" Lin Yi continued to ask.

"The True Source Realm is much more comfortable." Ruida pointed to a cluster of scattered, independent courtyards a little further away. "Over there is a separate area specifically designated for the True Source Realm cultivators. It's equipped with a meditation room, auxiliary cultivation devices, and a miniature ecological courtyard. It's comfortable and offers good privacy. However, the cheapest one starts at Eternal Cosmos Yuan."

Ten thousand Eternal Cosmos Yuan.

Lin Yi silently recited the number.

He already considered 1,000 Eternal Cosmos Yuan a considerable sum, but 100,000 Eternal Cosmos Yuan... well, it's better to live in the military area.

"And what about further up?" Frost Rainbow asked, unusually taking the initiative.

Ruida shrugged. "Above that are the island estates that Eternal Source Realm has the right to purchase. They're all built on specially designated floating islands above the city, each one an independent private property. As for the price..."

He smiled and didn't say anything more.

Lin Yi didn't ask any more questions.

The starting price of a private courtyard in the True Source Realm, at 100,000 Heng Shen Yuan, far exceeded his previous affordability.

Asking about the floating island manor in the Eternal Source Realm is pointless and only adds to the trouble.

"Vice Captain, you don't need to worry too much," Ruida comforted him, noticing his somber expression. "Although our salaries as sergeants aren't high, the implicit benefits the military provides are something money can't buy. The independent courtyards in the garrison are no less luxurious than those outside costing 100,000 Eternal Cosmos Yuan. Cultivation rooms, training grounds, and auxiliary equipment are all standard. Apart from the fact that we can't bring people and it's a bit small, it's basically perfect."

Lin Yi nodded; what Ruida said made sense.

The area is under military control, and any outsiders must report in advance and go through multiple levels of approval before entering.

Private visitors are fine, but if someone wants to house a stranger long-term, that's absolutely not allowed.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi, Zhaoyue, and Frost Rainbow all fell silent.

Their Divine Kingdom each contain countless people crammed into miniature planetary spaces. While this may not be a problem for them to survive, it is ultimately not a long-term solution.

"So," Ruida quickly changed the subject when he saw the atmosphere getting a bit somber, "Like I said before, military merit is the real currency. Accumulate more military merit, and then you can directly apply to the military to exchange for Cosmic Clam. The exchange price inside the military is much cheaper than outside, and it's a high-quality product supplied regularly. With your high talent, Vice Captain, you might have enough in a few more Universal Epoch."

Several Universal Epoch.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi smiled and nodded, but in his heart he was secretly calculating: if he really relied solely on military merits and salary to save enough money to buy the Cosmic Clam, it would probably take a very long time.

Even with preferential treatment within the military, after purchasing the Cosmic Clam, one still needs to buy Resettlement Space. With these two expenses combined, it seems like the project is still a long way off.

The Flying Shuttle flew across this area and continued westward.

After navigating several main shipping lanes and passing over a cluster of buildings, Lin Yi suddenly noticed a peculiar landscape ahead.

It was a huge, sunken basin, with a dark red energy lake in the center, and countless metal platforms of different sizes floating on the surface of the lake.

The platform is covered with all sorts of domed structures, some resembling training grounds, some trading areas, and others completely enclosed, mysterious facilities.

Lin Yi noticed that there were significantly more cultivators at the Cosmic Source Realm in this area than in other places. Many of them were wearing various kinds of cultivation clothes, moving between platforms or in seclusion in the dome-shaped cultivation field.

The air shuttle landed at the edge of a platform.

Ruixiao led the group out of the Flying Shuttle, a wave of intense energy washed over them.

"Vice Captain, there's a pretty famous cultivation aid shop over here," Ruida said to Lin Yi. "The things they sell are expensive, but they have a wide variety, especially items that help you comprehend rules and even the Chaos Law. If you're looking to buy anything, you can take a look."

Lin Yi nodded and followed Ruida into a large store.

The store has a very large interior space, which clearly demonstrates the use of space expansion techniques.

The first floor is a display area, showcasing various cultivation tools and auxiliary items of all sizes.

He noticed an area dedicated to selling "Chaos Rules auxiliary devices," displaying several different instruments priced between several hundred and several thousand Eternal Cosmos Yuan.

For cultivators at the True Source Realm, these auxiliary devices are not necessities, but they can indeed effectively improve their comprehension efficiency.

However, Lin Yi glanced at the price tag and then silently looked away.

A deposit of one thousand Eternal Cosmos Yuan cannot withstand a few extravagant spending sessions.

After looking around, Lin Yi didn't buy anything.

Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow also watched in silence.

Although they were at the True Source Realm, they deeply felt what "poverty" meant in this Mist Sea City.

As they left the shop and strolled along the long street, they suddenly heard a series of orderly footsteps ahead.

Lin Yi looked up and saw a group of soldiers wearing dark blue standard armor walking towards him from the opposite side.

The squad consisted of about twenty soldiers, all wearing uniform armor with silver insignia on their breastplates.

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the leading soldier, whose armor had a dark red horizontal stripe on the chest, clearly indicating that his rank was different from the other soldiers.

Secondly, the aura emanating from him was far more profound than that of the soldiers behind him, faintly reaching the threshold of the middle stage of the True Source Realm.

"It's the city guards," Ruida whispered.

The leading sergeant on the opposite side had clearly noticed them as well.

To be precise, they noticed the striking dark red Fierce Blood Battle Armor worn by Lin Yi and his companions.

The sergeant almost immediately slowed his pace, his gaze sweeping over the insignia on the chest of the Fierce Blood Battle Armor. After confirming the Imperial Army emblem, a smile appeared on his face.

"Halt!" the city guard officer shouted in a low voice.

More than twenty city guards stopped at the same time, their movements perfectly synchronized, their boots striking the ground with a dull thud.

The officer took the lead, clenching his right fist and lightly tapping his left chest in a standard military salute, and announced loudly, "The Seventh Patrol Detachment of the City Guard greets you, brothers!"

More than twenty city guards behind him also punched their chests with their right fists at the same time.

The orderly sounds echoed down the long street, drawing the attention of the surrounding crowds and merchants. Amidst their hushed discussions, Lin Yi could clearly sense the awe and envy emanating from those who shone brightly.

Ruida remained calm, clearly accustomed to this kind of scene.

He nodded slightly and returned the gesture by pounding his chest with his right fist. "Thank you for your trouble, brothers."

Lin Yi and the other two exchanged glances and returned the greeting.

The city guard officer's smile widened even more, "You're too kind. May I ask which fleet you gentlemen belong to?"

"Seventy-First Garrison Fleet, Fifth Squad," Ruida replied.

The city guard officer's expression straightened slightly. "The Seventy-First Fleet has been clearing out the Black Silence Beast on the Frontline. Those who serve there are all outstanding! Thank you for your hard work, brothers!"

Ruida smiled and waved his hand, "It's our duty. Maintaining order in the city isn't easy for you either, so let's be understanding."

The city guard officer grinned. "To hear that from you, brother, is well worth it. We won't keep you any longer; we'll continue our patrol. Farewell!"

Goodbye.

The two groups passed each other.

Only when the footsteps of the city guards faded into the distance did Lin Yi ask in a low voice, "Are they the city guards?"

"That's for sure," Ruida said as they walked. "The officers of the city guard are mostly retired soldiers from the Imperial Army. That detachment leader we just saw was probably transferred from some fleet after retiring. As for the ordinary soldiers of the city guard, most of them are cultivators who didn't pass the Imperial Army's examinations, or talents cultivated by the city lord's mansion. Although their strength is slightly stronger than ordinary True Source Realm, they are still inferior to us."

He paused, then added, "Of course, the main duty of the city guard is internal, to maintain order within Mist Sea City. The main duty of our Imperial Army is external, to eliminate Black Silence Beast and Black Mist Sea, guard the outer shipping lanes, and deal with other sudden threats from the Chaos Cosmic Sea."

Lin Yi nodded and memorized this information.

Just then, Ruixiao, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped. Then, he turned around, his gentle smile still on his face, but there seemed to be something different in his eyes as he looked at Lin Yi.

"Deputy Captain Lin," Ruixiao began, his tone as usual, "Just now, the head of our Rui Family, who is also my elder brother, Ruizhan, sent a message saying that he heard Xiao Qi was showing his military friends around Mist Sea City, and specifically asked me to ask if you would be willing to do us the honor of visiting the Rui Family. It's quite rare for Xiao Qi to bring his comrades to the city."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi raised an eyebrow slightly and subconsciously glanced at Ruida.

Ruida rubbed his hands together, a little embarrassed. "Vice Captain, I just mentioned it casually to my family. You see... if you don't want to go, we can go somewhere else and continue our stroll."

Lin Yi pondered for a moment, quickly calculating the advantages in his mind.

His purpose in coming out this time was to "learn about Mist Sea City and expand his network of contacts".

Judging from Ruixiao's perspective, the Rui Family is definitely not the "small family" that Ruida Da mentioned.

But since it was an invitation from a comrade-in-arms, and the first impression wasn't bad, it would be inappropriate for him to refuse since the other party had taken the initiative.

"Okay, then I'll take my leave." Lin Yi nodded with a smile.

Ruixiao's smile deepened slightly, and the group returned to the Flying Shuttle, Flying Shuttle immediately changed direction and climbed towards higher altitudes.

As the airship steadily ascended, the buildings outside the window gradually receded into the distance, replaced by clusters of small floating islands.

Lin Yi's eyes flickered slightly, and he exchanged a silent glance with Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow.

None of the three spoke, but they all felt the same shock.

Before long, the air shuttle landed smoothly on the docking pad at the edge of a floating island.

The hatch slid open, and everyone stepped off the Flying Shuttle.

Beneath their feet were dark blue stone slabs, polished to an extremely smooth finish, with faint defensive patterns engraved on the edges, clearly indicating that an energy barrier was in place to maintain the independent barrier of the entire floating island.

In the distance, there was a cluster of buildings built along the undulating terrain. The main hall was decorated in dark gold, and the pillars were carved with reliefs of strange beasts that Lin Yi had never seen before.

Lin Yi and the other two exchanged glances but remained silent.

Ruixiao led the way, with Ruida following beside them, occasionally whispering about the function of the buildings along the way.

Upon entering the main hall, Lin Yi immediately saw a middle-aged man.

He stood with his hands behind his back, clad in a long silver-white robe, exuding an aura of profound mystery.

"Brother, Deputy Captain Lin and several comrades have arrived," Ruixiao Xiao said.

The silver-robed man's gaze fell on Lin Yi, then he gave a gentle yet imposing smile and nodded slightly.

Standing next to him was an old man, dressed in a loose gray robe, somewhat overweight, with a smile on his face.

His gaze swept over Lin Yi and the others with a smile, then he gestured towards the seats next to him.

"Welcome, welcome. I am Rui Ruituan, Ruida's second uncle. This is my elder brother, Ruizhan, the patriarch of our Rui Family," the Gray Robe elder said warmly.

Lin Yi stepped forward half a step and, following the Imperial Army's rules, pounded his chest with his right fist in a salute. "Lin Yi greets Chief Rui and Senior Tuan."

"Hehe, Deputy Captain Lin, no need to be so polite," Ruizhan said with a smile. "Come, please take a seat."

After everyone was seated, Ruituan sat down to the side of the main seat, smiling as he looked at Lin Yi: "Deputy Captain Lin, it's Xiao Qi's good fortune to have met you."

"You flatter me too much, senior members. Ruida has never been one to back down in the team," Lin Yi replied politely.

Ruida chuckled twice, but didn't respond.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ruizhan picked up his teacup and casually inquired about the origins of Lin Yi and the other two.

Lin Yi gave a general account of what happened, starting from when the Cosmic Clam encountered the black mist, without hiding anything except for the most crucial details.

He knew in his heart that this information was no secret to a local tycoon like the Rui Family, and they would find out about it soon enough. Rather than hiding it, he decided to speak frankly.

Ruizhan listened quietly the whole time, nodding occasionally, without interrupting.

After Lin Yi finished speaking, Ruituan, who was sitting to his left, chimed in at the opportune moment.

He chuckled and stroked his short, gray beard, saying casually, "Deputy Captain Lin just arrived in Mist Sea City, has he already made a trip to Myriad Crystal Hub?"

"I've been there," Lin Yi said. "I looked at some things, but most of them were things I couldn't afford."

He spoke these words frankly.

Upon hearing this, Ruituan immediately laughed, just like an ordinary old neighbor. "What's there to be ashamed of? Everyone has to get through this. To put it bluntly, the prices in Mist Sea City are driving cultivators to the brink of despair. If you want to live well, you can only rely on powerful forces to make a living."

He waved his hand, seemingly unimpressed by the rules, then pointed to himself and then to Ruizhan: "Our Rui Family also runs a small business, making some Flying Shuttle. Of course, it's not a large-scale operation; we just pick up scraps from the big powers, barely making ends meet."

When he said this, his tone was neither complaining nor resentful; he was just saying it casually, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

Lin Yi listened attentively, said a few polite words when appropriate, and didn't ask any further questions.

He could sense that although Ruituan had completely concealed his aura and seemed very amiable, his status in the Rui Family was by no means ordinary.

As the pleasantries subsided, Ruizhan glanced at the sky, then at Lin Yi and the other two, and slowly stood up.

"Deputy Captain Lin, gentlemen," he called out, "It's fate that you've come to the Rui Family today."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and clapped twice.

A small door on the side of the hall opened silently, and a man who looked like a steward came out carrying three square boxes carved from dark crystal.

The steward placed the three boxes one by one on the table beside Ruizhan, then bowed and stepped back.

"Deputy Captain Lin," Ruizhan looked at Lin Yi again, "This is our first meeting. Xiao Qi has always been reckless in the team, so I'll need your help in the future. This is a small token of my appreciation, consider it a small gift."

As they spoke, three boxes flew up automatically and hovered in front of Lin Yi and his companions.

Lin Yi didn't take it too seriously, after all, gifts for meeting someone are not uncommon.

In the Imperial Army, it's common for squad members to treat each other to a meal or give each other items to aid in cultivation.

Therefore, Lin Yi didn't think much of it, treating it as just a small gift. He gave Zhaoyue Frost Rainbow a look, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Chief Rui."

As he spoke, he took the box.

The box has no decorative patterns on its surface, except for a silver seal that is slowly flowing at the clasp.

Lin Yi felt it would be impolite not to open and check the box, so he simply put it away.

"Then we won't disturb Vice Captain Lin and the others any longer." After the gifts had been delivered, Ruizhan said, "Xiao Qi, why don't you show Vice Captain Lin and the others around a bit more, so that Vice Captain Lin can get to know Mist Sea City better?"

Ruida smiled and replied, "Sure, it's still early anyway. I'll take the vice-captain to the south of the city for a look around. There's a trading market there, much more substantial than Myriad Crystal Hub's, and the goods aren't expensive."

Lin Yi once again respectfully thanked Ruizhan and Ruituan and took his leave. The group then followed Ruida out of the main hall.

The air shuttle smoothly left the floating island, returned to the regular shipping lane, and headed towards the southern city.

As Ruida said, the trading market in Nancheng is indeed much more down-to-earth than Myriad Crystal Hub's.

There are no dazzling, floating exhibition halls here, nor are there high-ranking waiters in uniforms. Instead, there are crisscrossing old alleyways, with densely packed shops and vendors on both sides.

The vast majority of those doing business here are low-level cultivators at the Cosmic Source Realm. Although the quality of their goods is ordinary, the variety is vast.

Medicines, crystals, broken armor, animal remains, secondhand levitation shuttles... if you're willing to spend the time searching, you can always find something interesting.

Where there's shopping, there's bound to be some buying.

Lin Yi quickly noticed another unique feature of this market: every few shops, there was a small store that specialized in selling Source Essence Crystal.

At the entrance of those small shops, there are usually several metal boxes, about half a person's height, stacked up, with the lids wide open, and inside they are densely packed with dusty crystals.

Source Essence Crystal.

This very thing that Lin Yi had been thinking about for so long was no different from buying rice in the eyes of the cultivators in the Chaos Cosmic Sea.

One Eternal Cosmos Coin can buy a standard portion of pure Source Essence Crystal.

Lin Yi walked directly into the nearest shop with its doors wide open, slapped all the nearly one thousand Eternal Cosmos Yuan he was carrying on the counter, and exchanged them for an equivalent amount of Source Essence Crystal.

After making the purchase, he smiled at Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow and casually mentioned how rare the Source Essence Crystal were in the Cosmic Clam before, but things are different now. He wanted to stock up on more so that his clansmen could use them freely and improve their abilities faster in the future.

Zhaoyue didn't reply, but she also bought quite a lot, while Frost Rainbow bought the same amount without saying a word, no less than the two of them.

The group wandered around the southern part of the city for a long time until half a day had passed and dusk was falling, at which point they returned to the Seventy-First Garrison Fleet's base.

Lin Yi stood at the entrance of his courtyard and thanked Ruida for bringing them back.

After Ruida left, he turned around and pushed open the courtyard gate. The courtyard was quiet as usual, and the protective light shield above his head was still slowly rotating, isolating all the sounds from the outside world.

He went into the meditation room next to the main house.

Inside the quiet room, the Main Body sat cross-legged with eyes closed, and deep within its soul, the Spiritual Enlightenment Qi continued to burn silently.

Lin Yi first took out a storage core with a mottled, gleaming surface.

Inside were ten million standard portions of pure Source Essence Crystal that he had bought during the day for one thousand Eternal Cosmos Yuan. Then he took out the dark box that Ruizhan had given him and put it aside as well.

His reason for buying the Source Essence Crystal was "to make them freely available to the clansmen," which was reasonable and there was no need to worry about anyone with ulterior motives suspecting anything.

After all, this was one of his original intentions.

Lin Yi casually placed the storage core on the jade platform beside him, picked up the box given to him by the Rui Family, and prepared to see what kind of little gadget the Rui Family had given him.

"If they're just flashy but impractical gifts, find an opportunity to sell them for cash, and then buy some Source Essence Crystal..."

As Lin Yi thought this, he opened the box.

He then froze on the spot.

In the center of the box is a floating mark.

The mark was not much larger than a thumb, and it was pale gold all over with a smooth outer shell, like the core of a polished star.

Something was slowly flowing inside the mark, shimmering with a fine, alternating gray and white sheen.

What truly made his pupils constrict instantly was the slowly swirling light and shadow above the mark.

It was an extremely realistic miniature pale gold giant clam.

Its shell was completely closed, the clam body was slightly shimmering, and the exposed part clearly showed the layered and delicate natural patterns.

He had previously stared at the three illusory images of Cosmic Clam for a long time in Myriad Crystal Hub's exhibition hall, so he naturally recognized what they were at a glance.

"The Cosmic Clam..."

Lin Yi murmured.