East Sea City

East Sea City.

It is the second-largest city on the East Sea coast of the Sun Moon Federation. As the second-largest city of the Sky Sea Alliance, it serves as a vital hub for ports, maritime transport, and the development of marine resources.

Compared to Sky Sea City, which is filled with skyscrapers and resembles a literal steel jungle, East Sea City boasts a much longer history. It places great emphasis on the preservation of its historical culture, giving the city a rather quaint and ancient appearance.

At the East Sea City Soul Guidance train station, a blue Soul Guidance train slowly pulled in.

This was a special train of the Sky Sea Alliance, shuttling between all cities within the alliance that possessed Soul Guidance train stations.

Tang Wulin straightened his clothes and followed the flow of the crowd as he exited the train.

Ever since he received the Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver Ring from his teacher, he had stored all his luggage inside. It was not only safe from theft but also incredibly convenient.

Now that he had arrived here alone, he could only rely on himself—though, at the very least, he still had his teacher to help him.

Thinking of this, Tang Wulin didn't seem quite as worried anymore.

"Teacher, where should we go next?" Tang Wulin called out to Long Yuan in his mind.

[There is still quite a bit of time before registration, so let's head straight to the East Sea Museum's auction house. It would be better to unseal the seal within your body sooner.]

"Alright."

Tang Wulin looked left and right, quickly spotting the law enforcement officers maintaining order outside the station. He walked up to them quickly. "Excuse me, Uncle, could you tell me where the East Sea City auction is held?"

"The auction?" The officer blinked. "What is a little kid like you doing there?"

"It's nothing, I'm here to meet a friend. He said he'd be waiting for me there."

"I see." The officer nodded and said, "Our East Sea City auction house is operated in conjunction with the museum. The museum has a dedicated exhibition area for auction items and holds auctions periodically. If you want to go to the museum, just walk over to the second platform over there. There is a Soul Guidance bus line that only goes there; just hop on that."

As he spoke, he pointed out a direction for Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin nodded. "Thank you, Uncle."

The Soul Guidance bus was quite fast, and since it wasn't far to begin with, Tang Wulin arrived at his destination in just over twenty minutes.

The East Sea Museum was located just south of the city center, a complex of quaint, traditional buildings consisting of one main hall and two side wings.

The main hall housed various cultural relics, monuments, and specimens of rare, extinct soul beasts.

The left wing was the auction area. Entry didn't require a ticket; there were only people standing guard at the entrance as a formality. Even for a child like Tang Wulin arriving alone, they just gave him a glance and let him pass.

According to the signs at the entrance, Tang Wulin learned that the first through fourth floors were all auction areas.

The higher the floor, the more precious the items became.

[Let's go to the non-Soul Guidance section; the spiritual items should be over there.]

Tang Wulin nodded. In truth, he didn't even know if he had enough money on him, but since he was already here, he might as well take a look. If it wasn't enough, he would just have to save up more.

The auction display area was surrounded by transparent containers, each holding treasures Tang Wulin had never even heard of. The cheapest ones started at 100,000 Federal Coins.

Dragon Spirit Grass, ten-year spiritual grass, starting bid: 260,000 Federal Coins. Estimated final price: 300,000 to 350,000 Federal Coins.

Crystal Peach, thirty-year spiritual fruit, nourishing and health-restoring, starting bid: 150,000 Federal Coins. Estimated final price: 180,000 to 210,000 Federal Coins.

Looking at these outrageously expensive spiritual items, Tang Wulin couldn't help but click his tongue in secret.

After circling around for the better part of the area, he finally found what he was looking for.

Ice Crystal Fruit, thirty-year, ice-attribute spiritual fruit, can strengthen ice-attribute martial souls and boost soul power to a certain extent. Starting bid: 180,000 Federal Coins, estimated final price: 220,000 to 250,000 Federal Coins.

Red Flame Fruit, forty-year, fire-attribute spiritual fruit, can strengthen fire-attribute martial souls and boost soul power to a certain extent. Starting bid: 160,000 Federal Coins, estimated final price: 200,000 to 230,000 Federal Coins.

"I found them, Teacher, but aren't these two spiritual fruits too low in age?"

[It's an auction house; naturally, the rarer items are on the higher floors. Besides, since they have these two fruits here, they most likely have fruits of a higher age.]

Hearing this, Tang Wulin beckoned to a nearby staff member.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

The young lady serving him didn't show any surprise at his age and asked with a bright, professional smile.

"Do you have these two spiritual fruits in the century-old variety?"

Tang Wulin pointed at the Ice Crystal Fruit and Red Flame Fruit in the display case.

The attendant smiled even more brightly. "Of course we do, sir. However, those two fruits are on the second floor. If you wish to go up, you must pay a 100,000-coin security deposit or present proof of a Level 3 professional certification. Please be aware that this 100,000 Federal Coin deposit is non-refundable."

In other words, just to go up and take a look, without even buying anything, he had to spend 100,000?

Although Tang Wulin felt it was incredibly expensive, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and pay the fee.

After paying, the attendant led him directly to the second floor. The second floor had more items than the first, and the layout was more complex. After several turns, they finally stopped in front of a display stand.

Stored inside were the targets of Tang Wulin's trip: the Century Ice Crystal Fruit and the Century Red Flame Fruit.

The effect descriptions were the same as on the first floor, but the starting bids and estimates were different.

The former had an estimated price of 930,000 to 950,000, while the latter was 970,000 to 1,000,000.

"Can I purchase these directly?"

The attendant shook her head apologetically. "I'm very sorry, sir. The latest auction schedule for these two fruits is in seven days; they are currently in the public notice period. Of course, according to the auction house rules, you may purchase them directly by paying a 20% premium on the highest estimated price."

He had to pay a premium on top of that?

Tang Wulin felt his scalp tingle, but considering the money in his wallet, he decided to go through with the purchase.

After searching another area, he found the blood of a century-old dragon-type soul beast.

Ten drops were priced at 1.2 million.

Finally, under Tang Wulin's reluctant gaze, 3.78 million was deducted from his savings card, replaced by two boxes and a small vial.

He stored all three items inside his Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver Ring.

Tang Wulin remained in a daze even after leaving the auction house.

"Teacher, this feels so unreal."

He had been a child who dressed simply and haggled over snacks, yet he had just spent nearly four million in the blink of an eye at an auction house, a notorious money pit.

[Hehe, this is the world of soul masters. Money that ordinary people couldn't save in a lifetime is spent in a few words. You need to learn to get used to it. You are a future Divine Craftsman, a genius of the forging world; what is money compared to that?]

"Hoo—"

Tang Wulin took a deep breath, calming his still-racing heart.