Procurement

Hodan walked straight toward Black Annihilation Castle. The main entrance of the castle was a full hundred meters wide, with a bustling crowd surging into it. One could easily imagine just how prosperous the business of Black Annihilation Castle was. Hodan took out a black hooded robe and covered his face; this robe had no defensive capabilities, but it could resist most divine sense probes and block the sight of prying eyes—though, of course, if the gap in strength was too great, everything was useless.

He ignored the dozen or so warriors standing by the main entrance, dressed in black tight-fitting outfits with black robes draped over them, each bearing a special black mark on their foreheads. Hodan knew they were the Black Annihilation Army.

However, the master behind the Kalosha Continent was the Chief Sovereign of Black Sand, and since they were currently inside Di Silvermoon City, those Black Annihilation Army soldiers were merely putting on a show. Anyone who dared to cause trouble would have to be tired of living.

That was correct; the black market in Black Sand Castle was established by the Chief Sovereign of Black Sand himself. The Kalosha Continent was unique in this regard: both the legitimate markets and the black markets were set up by the Sovereign. Naturally, cities on other continents also had Black Sand Castles established by Lord Black Sand.

Hodan couldn't help but sigh; this was the benefit of strength—the Chief Sovereign of Black Sand acted as both the operator and the referee.

Hodan walked straight through the front entrance, which was for those intending to purchase items at Black Annihilation Castle. As for those entering through the rear entrance, they were there to sell their own goods to Black Sand Castle. Hodan's trip was specifically for procuring cultivation supplies.

Upon entering the first floor of Black Annihilation Castle, Hodan discovered that the main hall was a full one or two thousand meters in length and width. A space of that size was an exaggerated figure; even with tens of thousands of people pouring in, it wouldn't feel the least bit crowded.

Hodan didn't waste time and headed straight for the third floor. As for the first and second floors, they were for purchasing cheap or small quantities of items. Given Hodan's net worth, he naturally wouldn't linger there. Moreover, Hodan could feel that even if he bought things on the first or second floors, he would soon have no use for them, so there was no need to waste his money.

The staircase from the first-floor hall to the second-floor hall was very wide, but the staircase from the second-floor hall to the third-floor hall was much narrower. Even the hall door was a full size smaller, and the crowd was noticeably much thinner.

Clearly, those who required precious items were not as numerous as the crowds on the first and second floors.

When Hodan walked to the entrance of the third-floor hall, a black-robed figure reached out to block his path.

Hodan knew the rules and directly took out the High-God Artifact left behind by his parents.

"Go on in." The black-robed figure nodded upon seeing the High-God Artifact.

When Hodan stepped onto the third floor, he clearly felt many gazes focusing on him. To be able to come to the third floor, one had to have at least a million Inkstones. Such a sum of wealth would make even a High-God feel tempted.

In Hell, once wealth reached a certain level, it was enough to be coveted by others. If one wanted to accumulate money in peace, spending a hundred million years to save a million Inkstones would likely result in being directly plundered by some powerful expert.

The wealth of those who could reach the third floor was undoubtedly significant. Hodan knew that many people were stationed on the third floor to stake out the area. They would record the information of those who traded, and when these people left Di Silvermoon City, they would launch a robbery based on their strength. This was one of the fastest ways to accumulate wealth—provided they didn't kick a steel plate.

Hodan ignored these gazes because he wouldn't be leaving Di Silvermoon City in the short term. Even if he did leave, it would only be to go to the Plane Teleportation Array, and those areas were under the jurisdiction of the Sovereign's Army. These people would definitely not dare to make a move within that range, and those with the strength to do so wouldn't care for this small amount of wealth.

Hodan walked toward the counter closest to him. Every counter had a black-robed person sitting behind it. Hodan walked up to a black-robed, black-haired attendant.

"Hmm?" The black-robed, black-haired attendant looked up and said indifferently, "What do you need to buy?"

"Give me one hundred and fifty Soul Golden Beads, and a set of Thunder Godhead," Hodan said. As his soul grew stronger, his cultivation speed would increase, and his soul attacks would also become more powerful.

Hodan naturally wouldn't be stingy with this money. When you have sufficient strength, wealth is easily obtained, but having astonishing wealth without the strength to back it up is a sure way to die. In the Coiling Dragon World, there was no such thing as law; there was only the naked law of the jungle—the weak are prey to the strong.

As for preparing a set of Thunder Godhead, it was to provide himself with a fallback. If his Thunder God Clone were to unfortunately perish, then if his Saint-level original body couldn't cultivate other Laws or Rules, he would at least have some ability to protect himself in Hell. As long as one is alive, everything is possible.

Originally, it would have been impossible for Hodan's family to lack a Thunder-attribute High-Godhead, but the family hoped that those who could reach the Mid-God realm on their own would continue to cultivate independently until they reached the High-God realm. This way, they wouldn't waste their talent and would still have the possibility of further growth.

If one were to refine a Godhead to become a High-God, they would be the weakest type of High-God for the rest of their life, with absolutely no future. Therefore, unless it was a special circumstance, the family would not bestow the corresponding High-Godhead upon a Mid-God clansman; this could be considered a form of spurring the clansman on.

Of course, if one truly felt they had no hope, they could apply to the family, but such High-Gods who refined Godheads would not be valued in the clan; they would essentially be relegated to refining God-crystals or working as guards at the gates.

"By the way, help me calculate the value of these items as well," Hodan said, tossing a spatial ring to the black-robed, black-haired attendant. Inside were some artifacts, herbs, and pills that Hodan no longer needed. Hodan could have gone through the side passage to the other side to sell his items himself, but he felt it was unnecessary; he trusted that the attendant who made this sale wouldn't mind running the errand for him.

Sure enough, the black-robed, black-haired attendant didn't say anything, took the spatial ring, and swept it with his divine sense, silently calculating the value.

After a while, the black-robed, black-haired attendant looked up and said, "I'll give you five million Inkstones for the items inside. Is this price acceptable?"

Hodan nodded silently. Trading locations like Black Annihilation Castle and Bauhinia Castle were established by Sovereigns; although the purchase price was only seventy percent of the original value, the pricing was considered fair. If it were a black market like the Black Sand Castle nearby, it would depend entirely on one's own discernment and ability to haggle.

The black-robed, black-haired attendant continued, "A set of Thunder Godhead will be ten million. I'll waive the remainder. One hundred and fifty Soul Golden Beads at one hundred thousand Inkstones each comes to fifteen million. The total is twenty-five million; you still need to pay me twenty million Inkstones."

Hodan didn't say anything; he took all the Azure Stone Slabs and Azure Stone Blocks from his spatial ring and handed them to the black-robed, black-haired attendant.

The black-robed, black-haired attendant also delivered the supplies Hodan had purchased. The entire transaction was extremely swift. However, those staking out the third floor heard the details of this transaction, their eyes flashing with a sharp light. It was likely they had already transmitted the information to their superiors via their divine clones.

After the transaction was completed, Hodan only had about three hundred thousand Inkstones left, so he didn't linger.

Hodan ignored those who were tailing him and went straight from Black Annihilation Castle to the reception of a relatively luxurious hotel nearby. Looking at the decorations inside the hotel reception, Hodan couldn't help but sigh that these ornaments were even more aristocratic than those on Earth, and they exuded the scent of time.

"How is the accommodation calculated here?" Hodan asked.

The woman, who had long green hair and pointed ears—clear characteristics of the Elven Race—smiled and said, "Here, a stay costs one thousand Inkstones."

Hodan was startled. As expected of a major city near the Plane Teleportation Array; the price was indeed expensive.

Fortunately, unlike on Earth, accommodation here wasn't calculated by the day, but by the year.

Thinking about it, it made sense... a God-level expert usually spent several months in a single session of meditation and cultivation.

"Even so, one thousand Inkstones a year. In ten thousand years, wouldn't they earn ten million Inkstones? And that's just for one suite; the hotel has many such suites," Hodan thought to himself, startled. "Whoever runs this hotel is truly making a fortune."

Every hotel in Di Yi City offered individual courtyards for accommodation. After all, God-level cultivators preferred tranquility.

"So, sir, would you like to check in?" the green-haired woman asked, looking at Hodan with anticipation.