The blacksmith shop in the western part of the city was a large one. Not only was its craftsmanship excellent, it also sold rare metals.
Xu Bai studied the price list for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and taking out two hundred Gold Soul Coins to have the things he needed made.
The burly man who had greeted Xu Bai saw how generous he was at such a young age and was overjoyed. He immediately thumped his chest and promised the goods would be ready for pickup in two days, guaranteeing there wouldn't be any problems with the quality.
After leaving the blacksmith shop, Xu Bai pondered for a moment, then decided his next destination would be the trading house in the city center.
As a medium-sized city, Huangshan City had plenty of trading houses of all sizes in its center.
The largest and most eye-catching was, of course, the Seven Treasures Trading House, diagonally across from the City Lord's Mansion.
The trading house had three stories. Its exterior looked much like a traditional Chinese treasure pavilion, and its interior was decorated in the same style, making a stark contrast with the other, more Western-style buildings.
This was actually one of Douluo I's distinctive features. The buildings of Spirit Hall, the two great empires, and the other small civilian factions all had a Western medieval style, while the major powers used traditional Chinese architecture.
This Seven Treasures Trading House was obviously an enterprise under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Little friend, what can the Seven Treasures Trading House do for you?"
As soon as Xu Bai entered, a young man dressed in blue came over. He was friendly and showed no sign of looking down on Xu Bai for being a child.
"Do you buy rare treasures? What kind of prices do you offer?"
Xu Bai immediately noticed the few gleaming fruits displayed on the counter, along with a label stating the age of the parent plant.
"Rare treasures?" The young man in blue was taken aback, then followed Xu Bai's gaze and realized what he meant. "You're asking about fruits borne by plant-type Soul Beasts, little brother."
"If the fruits are edible or have medicinal value, we do buy them. Generally, fruits from a Ten-Year Soul Beast parent tree won't fetch more than ten Gold Soul Coins; a Hundred-Year Soul Beast's won't exceed a hundred, and a thousand-year one's won't exceed a thousand."
"As for those beyond ten thousand years, they're basically priceless. Some can even be worth as much as a Soul Bone."
"If you're interested in selling, we have appraisers on staff. You can trust us to be fair and reliable, and we can discuss the specific price then."
"Got it." Xu Bai nodded, wandered around casually, then asked for a list of the goods on the trading house's first floor.
Plants that could bear fruit and benefit people when eaten had a collective name in the immortal cultivation world: spirit plants.
On Douluo Continent, places like the Soul Hunting Forest, where Soul Beasts were raised in captivity, existed. Naturally, there were also factions that raised plant-type Soul Beasts like spirit plants.
Where there was demand, there was a market. Plant-type Soul Beasts that could bear fruit grew too slowly. Small factions couldn't afford to raise them on a large scale, while major factions couldn't be bothered. That left a market for plant-type Soul Beasts dug up from wild habitats that were already capable of bearing fruit.
As the largest trading house in Huangshan City, the Seven Treasures Trading House naturally stocked these plant-type Soul Beasts.
Xu Bai had already taken a look. The first floor of the Seven Treasures Trading House only sold ten-year plant-type Soul Beasts.
Although they were all Ten-Year Soul Beasts, their prices varied greatly. The cheapest cost just ten or twenty Gold Soul Coins apiece, while the most expensive were nearly a hundred.
The price gap was large, and so was the difference between them.
Those priced under fifty Gold Soul Coins had a maximum age of ten years. Without some lucky break, they would remain Ten-Year Soul Beasts for their entire lives.
Those priced above fifty had a chance of breaking through to a hundred years. Setting aside the value of their fruit, the higher the price, the closer they were to reaching a hundred years.
Ten-year plant-type Soul Beasts generally bore fruit once a year. If ripened with Hundred Herb Liquid, perhaps the time could be cut down to a month or two.
After all, Hundred Herb Liquid accelerated the growth of plant-type Soul Beasts, and flowering and fruiting were also part of their growth.
"If Hundred Herb Liquid can make these plant-type Soul Beasts bear fruit every two months, then after covering my living expenses, I can still spare at most two hundred Gold Soul Coins."
"The most cost-effective plant-type Soul Beast is the Clear Heart Orange Tree. It bears fifteen to twenty-five fruits at a time. Each plant costs twenty Gold Soul Coins, and each fruit costs two. If I sell them, the purchase price will definitely be even lower. I reckon I could break even with the first harvest..."
As Xu Bai pondered, the young man in blue who had been following him asked, "Little friend, are you thinking of selling any rare treasures?"
"Not for now. I want to buy some plant-type Soul Beasts. This one here—give me five." Xu Bai came back to himself and pointed at the Clear Heart Orange Tree on the product list.
Two hundred Gold Soul Coins would buy ten plants, but he didn't know the art of going all in. He decided to keep some coins on hand, just in case.
The young man: ??????
The Seven Treasures Trading House provided good service. They even offered free delivery for large items, which saved Xu Bai quite a bit of trouble.
However, their service only covered delivery. Having the delivery workers plant the Clear Heart Orange Trees was an extra service that cost money.
Xu Bai naturally didn't want to spend on that, so after seeing the workers off, he immediately opened the Beast Taming Space.
"Aw~"
First emerged from the Beast Taming Space, still half-asleep, and looked at Xu Bai in confusion.
Beast Tamer, is it time to eat?
"Eat, eat, eat. All you ever think about is food. I really don't know whether you're a tiger or a pig!"
Xu Bai glared at the White Tiger and pointed at the yard. "We don't keep idle beasts in this house. See those trees? Your job now is to plant them in the yard. Got that?"
At this, First's eyes instantly cleared, and he stared at Xu Bai in disbelief.
Beast Tamer, you can't be serious, right? I'm a tiger! Do you know what a tiger is? You're making me plant trees. Don't I have any dignity?
Xu Bai paid no attention to First's protest and merely said, "You can eat when you're done planting them~"
First:!!!!!
But then again...
Ten minutes later, Xu Bai gazed with satisfaction at First, who was sulking as he dug in the yard, and took a small sip of freshly brewed hot tea.
That's more like it. Isn't this what a Beast Tamer is supposed to do with his beasts? What's the point of a Beast Tamer running around busy all day? That's completely backward!
Although First was a Hundred-Year Soul Beast and a little small, the strength he could unleash was still beyond what an ordinary person could match. So he dug holes quickly.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before First finished the task Xu Bai had given him.
Xu Bai didn't plan to sit around, either. He still had five sets of ingredients for Hundred Herb Liquid left, and he intended to brew them all while First planted the trees.
As the saying went, practice made perfect. Having succeeded once, making another batch was easy for Xu Bai.
Following the steps in the Manual, it didn't take long for Xu Bai to perfectly brew five bottles of Hundred Herb Liquid.
When he pushed open the door, he saw First lying on the ground, listlessly playing with his tail.
At the sound, First instantly perked up. He scrambled to his feet, then lifted his head toward Xu Bai, looking like he was waiting to be praised.
Xu Bai shook his head with a laugh and quickly went over to inspect the five planted Clear Heart Orange Trees. Finding nothing wrong, he nodded in satisfaction. "Good job. My First is amazing. I'll give you an extra meal today."
An extra meal!?
First's eyes lit up, and he let out an excited little growl.
Long live the Beast Tamer!
As for the grievance he'd felt moments ago, he tossed it aside in an instant at the promise of an extra meal.