Nuoding Trip

Dawn broke faintly, and the thin mist had yet to disperse.

Ning Dazhuang had hitched up the family's somewhat shabby cart. Several newly made tables, chairs, benches, and a wardrobe were neatly tied down on it, all fashioned from sturdy hardwood and polished smooth, reflecting the craftsman's care.

"Father, can I go with you?" Ning Chuan hurried out of the house, wearing old clothes that were visibly too short for him. His face carried a young boy's eager anticipation at the prospect of entering the city.

Ning Dazhuang was checking whether the ropes were secure. Without looking up, he said, "What are you going for? The city's crowded and complicated. Stay home and help your mother with the work."

"I..." Ning Chuan had long prepared his excuse. Looking slightly embarrassed yet mysterious, he lowered his voice. "Father, when I went to that little stream in the back mountain a couple days ago, I not only failed to catch any fish, but... I also picked up a stone. It was pitch-black and pretty heavy, and it looked strange... I forgot to take it out. Since you're going to the city today, I thought you could ask around and see whether it might fetch a few Copper Soul Coins. We could buy Mother and Xiao He some floral cloth."

As he spoke, he carefully pulled a "stone" from his clothes.

It was an alloy fragment he had carefully selected and processed at the junkyard the night before.

It was roughly the size of an infant's fist, dark gray throughout, its surface covered in irregular edges and fracture marks. It looked utterly unremarkable, even rather ugly.

But upon closer inspection, its texture was extraordinarily dense, and some of its fractured surfaces reflected a restrained, resilient sheen beneath the morning light, unlike that of ordinary metal.

Ning Dazhuang stopped what he was doing and suspiciously took the "stone" from his son. The instant it landed in his hand, his wrist sank from its far greater-than-expected weight.

"Whoa! It's this heavy?" He weighed it twice in surprise, carefully rubbing its surface with his rough fingers before holding it closer to inspect the peculiar luster of the fractured edges. "This... doesn't look like any stone from around here. It looks more like... some kind of iron lump? I've never seen material like this."

Ning Dazhuang was merely a rural carpenter with limited knowledge. He only knew that this thing was strange, frighteningly heavy, and definitely not ordinary iron ore.

"I found it among the rocks on the riverbank. It looked unusual, so I brought it home." Ning Chuan scratched his head, pretending to be shy. "Maybe it's something valuable? There are lots of knowledgeable people in the city. Why not ask at a blacksmith shop or general store? What if it can fetch some money?"

Ning Dazhuang looked at the hope in his son's eyes, then weighed the heavy metal block in his hand again, hesitating.

His son had just suffered a setback a few days ago. It was only natural for him to have some curious ideas, and it would be good for him to see the city.

"All right." He nodded. "Stay close to me and don't run around. The city isn't like the village."

"Yes! Thanks, Father!" Ning Chuan immediately broke into a smile and deftly helped his father tighten the ropes one last time.

Liu Lan came out carrying Xiao He to see them off, reminding them, "Be careful on the road and come back early. Xiao Chuan, listen to your father and don't cause trouble."

"Got it, Mother!"

As Ning Chuan answered, he and his father pushed the cart side by side. With a creak and a groan, it rolled out of Holy Soul Village and onto the dirt road leading to Nuoding City.

The road was uneven, and the furniture on the cart made soft knocking sounds with every bump.

Ning Dazhuang was not a talkative man. He silently pushed the cart, stopping occasionally to rest his feet and take a drink of water.

Ning Chuan quietly followed him, though his eyes discreetly surveyed their surroundings.

This was his first time leaving Holy Soul Village since arriving in this world.

After a little over an hour, the road ahead gradually widened and flattened, while the number of pedestrians and carriages noticeably increased.

In the distance, the outline of a towering city emerged along the horizon.

The bluish-gray city walls were tall and imposing, at least a dozen meters high by estimate. They stretched endlessly into the distance, their end nowhere in sight. Banners fluttered atop the walls, and the faint figures of soldiers in bright armor could be seen patrolling.

The enormous city gate stood wide open, divided into left and right passages. Pedestrians and carts lined up, entering and leaving in an orderly fashion after being inspected by the gate guards.

A lively, clamorous atmosphere washed over them, utterly unlike the peaceful simplicity of Holy Soul Village.

This was Nuoding City, an important border city of Fasno Province.

Ning Chuan took a deep breath. The air was filled with the mingled smells of dust, livestock, goods, and all kinds of food. This was the scent of a city.

The process of queuing to enter the city went more smoothly than expected.

The guards merely inspected the furniture on the cart, asked why they were entering the city, collected a few Copper Soul Coins as an entry tax, and waved them through.

The moment they passed through the gate, it was as though they had stepped into another world.

Shops lined both sides of the broad flagstone streets, their colorful signs and banners fluttering in the breeze. Taverns, inns, grain stores, cloth shops, blacksmith shops, general stores... the sheer variety was dazzling.

The streets were packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.

There were commoners dressed in coarse cloth, richly dressed merchants, imposing Soul Master lords with swords at their waists, and even several boys and girls in Junior Soul Master Academy uniforms walking past with traces of pride on their faces.

The cries of vendors, haggling, the rumble of carts and horses, and laughter and conversation... all kinds of sounds blended together into a vibrant yet noisy liveliness.

Ning Dazhuang was clearly familiar with this place. He pushed the cart skillfully through the bustling crowd, avoiding the carriages that charged recklessly through the streets as he headed toward the western part of the city.

Ning Chuan stayed close behind his father, curiously observing this city of another world while silently memorizing the route and the conspicuous landmarks around them.

At last, the cart stopped behind the back door of a rather grand-looking furniture store.

The proprietor was evidently acquainted with Ning Dazhuang. He inspected the goods, settled the payment readily, and praised the craftsmanship a few times.

A rare smile appeared on Ning Dazhuang's dark face as he carefully wrapped up the Silver Soul Coins and Copper Soul Coins he had earned, then tucked them into the innermost part of his clothes.

With the important business done, Ning Dazhuang visibly relaxed, and his tone lightened. "Come on. Let's buy cloth for your mother and Xiao He, then take a look at that stone of yours."

Father and son pushed the empty cart back into the crowd.

Ning Chuan's gaze swept over the blacksmith shops and general stores lining the street as he calculated rapidly.

If he sold that alloy to an ordinary blacksmith shop, it would probably be bought as scrap metal and fetch only a few coins.

He needed to find someone who recognized its value, or... a place that specialized in buying strange and unusual things.

"Father." Ning Chuan tugged on his father's sleeve and pointed toward a branching street nearby that looked livelier and housed more refined shops. "Let's take a look over there. There are more stores."

Ning Dazhuang glanced at it. That was one of the city's famous commercial streets, selling exquisite goods at equally high prices.

He hesitated, but seeing the expectation in his son's eyes, he nodded anyway. "All right, we'll take a look. Don't touch anything carelessly."

This street was indeed far more prosperous. The shops were elegantly decorated, and most sold Soul Master supplies, weapons and armor, medicinal herbs, and there was even a small Soul Tool shop.