The distant horizon was dyed red by the setting sun. Bathed in its fading glow, Lin Jing strolled into Nuoding City.
No one stopped him or asked any questions.
The first thing he did after entering the city wasn't look for a shop that sold Whale Rubber.
Instead, he asked a passerby where to find the most luxurious clothing store, then headed straight there.
Whale Rubber was something only nobles used. Naturally, he couldn't go buy it dressed in these faded cloth clothes.
After he'd crossed over, the system had swallowed the clothes from his previous life and replaced them with a set of coarse hemp garments suited to this world.
The shop assistant didn't look down on him for his clothes. On the contrary, she greeted him warmly.
The assistant was a woman in her twenties, with a pretty face and a graceful figure.
It was all because Lin Jing had a ridiculously handsome face.
She wasn't the first beauty Lin Jing had seen. He had to admit, Soul Power seemed to drift through the air of this world.
The people of the Douluo Continent had always lived under Soul Power's nourishment.
Handsome men and beautiful women weren't exactly everywhere, but they were certainly a common sight.
With the shop assistant's help, Lin Jing picked out a well-fitting outfit and put it on. After paying, he left the store.
"This outfit cost me five Gold Soul Coins!"
Lin Jing grimaced. "What a rip-off! This place is a total rip-off!"
"That assistant kept showering me with compliments, too. What a wicked thing to do, tricking even a child!"
Still, this outfit that had cost five Gold Soul Coins felt wonderfully smooth to wear. Compared to his coarse hemp garments, it was like night and day.
After buying it, he still had 495 Gold Soul Coins left.
Ninety-five would be more than enough to buy Hundred-Year Whale Rubber.
As for the remaining four hundred, he planned to take a look around the Mercenary Guild.
A passerby had told him about the Mercenary Guild. It was in the eastern part of Nuoding City.
His second reason for coming to Nuoding City was to find out how much it cost to hunt a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.
He wanted to know whether he could afford it.
As he walked along Nuoding City's streets, he looked around at the shops.
He didn't see any stores selling adult products.
He stopped in front of an apothecary and thought for a moment. Whale Rubber was used to boost virility, so it should probably count as medicine... right?
Lin Jing pushed open the door and went inside.
The apothecary's owner was a middle-aged man with little hair.
When Lin Jing entered, he was engrossed in a book on pharmacology, holding it as he sat in a reclining chair.
Hearing the door open, the owner raised his head and looked at Lin Jing. "What can I get for you?"
His voice was flat, without a trace of warmth.
Lin Jing looked over the medicinal ingredients displayed out front, but couldn't find any Whale Rubber. He cleared his throat and asked, somewhat awkwardly:
"Boss, do you happen to have... Whale Rubber for sale?"
"Whale... Rubber?"
The owner froze, stood up from his reclining chair, and looked Lin Jing up and down.
Seeing that, Lin Jing hurriedly waved his hands. "It's not for me. My... father sent me to buy it."
He said it without a hint of guilt. He'd lived two lives, and in neither had he had a father.
"Oh."
The owner nodded, looking a little disappointed. The disappointment vanished in an instant.
The owner looked up at Lin Jing's clothes, confirming that he was either rich or noble.
Lin Jing caught the flash of disappointment on the owner's face and was utterly baffled.
What are you disappointed about, hey?!
"I've got Whale Rubber. How many years old do you want?"
The owner turned toward the back room and asked as he walked.
"Do you have any that's five hundred years old?"
Lin Jing pretended to consider it before asking.
In truth, he'd decided on that age long ago. It wasn't too high or too low, so it shouldn't exceed his budget.
He still had to save money to hire helpers to hunt a Spirit Ring for him. He couldn't spend it all on Whale Rubber.
"Yes. Let me find it for you."
The owner's words were followed by the sound of him rummaging through boxes and cabinets.
Before long, he came back holding a lump about the size of an egg, shimmering like liquid gold.
"Here. Five-hundred-year Whale Rubber."
"The price is thirty-five Gold Soul Coins."
The owner placed the Whale Rubber on the counter and raised his chin slightly at Lin Jing.
He wasn't deliberately inflating the price. It was the going rate.
He wouldn't dare raise it, either. What if he got greedy over a few Gold Soul Coins and a decree arrived the next day, shutting his shop down for good?
Thirty-five coins?!
That cheap?!
Lin Jing had thought a five-hundred-year piece would cost at least fifty Gold Soul Coins.
He took thirty-five Gold Soul Coins out of the System Space and placed them on the counter.
Then he picked up the Whale Rubber. The moment it touched his hand, it disappeared.
That move left the apothecary owner stunned.
He thought, Good thing I didn't get greedy over that little bit.
Storage Spirit Tools were extremely precious. Even ordinary nobles weren't necessarily able to own one.
Lin Jing was so young, yet he already possessed a Storage Spirit Tool. The owner's heart was already singing: I've trespassed in the Imperial Household~
After buying the Whale Rubber, Lin Jing faced another problem.
Could ordinary fire melt Hundred-Year Whale Rubber?
He didn't have a fire attribute, either, and finding a fire-attribute Soul Master was even less possible.
"It's only a hundred-year piece. It shouldn't be a big problem."
After reassuring himself, Lin Jing headed toward the city gate.
On his way in, he'd seen a shop there that looked a bit like the barbecue restaurants from his previous life.
Customers grilled the food themselves, and each person got a private room.
After walking for half the day, he was a little hungry. Besides, there was a source of fire there.
Once the Whale Rubber was melted, he wouldn't take it right away, because he wasn't planning on returning to Holy Soul Village tonight.
It was already late, and traveling at night wasn't safe.
Besides, Lin Jing had to go to the Mercenary Guild tomorrow.
He would put the melted Whale Rubber in the System Space, where time stood still. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about it hardening again or going bad.
Before he knew it, Lin Jing had reached the barbecue shop he'd seen on his way in.
He went inside, and a waiter-like fellow immediately came over to greet him.
Especially when he saw Lin Jing's fine clothes, his face broke into an obsequious smile.
The man led him straight up to the second floor.
Compared to the first floor, the second was much quieter and more refined, without all the noise.
Lin Jing casually ordered a few dishes, and the waiter withdrew.
He sat alone in a private room and didn't immediately start melting the Whale Rubber.
Someone would be coming in to serve the food soon. It wouldn't be good if they saw him.
Before long, all the dishes had arrived. They'd come so quickly that Lin Jing couldn't help wondering if the shop served pre-made meals.
He told the waiter not to let anyone disturb him.
Then he took out the Whale Rubber. Since the shop used charcoal rather than an open flame, Lin Jing would have to make one himself.
He took out some newspaper he'd bought on the way and carefully tucked it beneath the charcoal, then took out a few twigs and placed them on top.
Next, he took out a fire starter and lit it.
Flames sprang up at once, and layers of smoke rose without spreading through the room.
It all went out through the ventilation opening above.
The fire wasn't strong; it only just peeked out from the grill.
Lin Jing took out the Whale Rubber and set it on the table first. Then he used a pair of tongs from the shop to pick it up and hold it in the center of the flames.
He didn't have hands of iron. A burn would leave him with blisters.
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