Ambergris Whale, Whale Rubber in Hand

After learning that his Martial Soul was the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, Mo An was too excited to sleep. He finally drifted off sometime after three in the morning, only for Uncle Fu to wake him at breakfast. Despite sleeping barely four hours, he was brimming with energy and not the least bit drowsy. Before becoming a Soul Master, that would have been impossible.

After breakfast, Mo An told Uncle Fu he was going out and headed north. That part of North Sea City held both its largest Soul Beast processing center and its largest commercial street. He had two main reasons for going there.

First, he wanted fresh Whale Rubber from an older Soul Beast. He hoped to find at least some fresh Whale Rubber from a hundred-year-old whale and take it home to see whether it really worked.

Second, he wanted to test the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo's treasure-seeking ability and see if he could stumble upon a bargain in North Sea City.

"North Sea shrimp! Caught fresh today! Fifty Copper Soul Coins a pound!"

"Salmon! Top-grade salmon Soul Beast, fifty years old!"

"Soul Beast-grade North Sea abalone! Delicious North Sea abalone!"

Mo An went first to North Sea City's Soul Beast processing market. As soon as he entered the street, he heard vendors loudly hawking their wares.

Soul Beasts were extraordinary creatures whose bodies held the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. That energy strengthened their flesh, making them more nutritious, more delicious, and more sought-after than ordinary creatures.

Douluo Continent had only described hunting Soul Beasts for Soul Rings, but once the story became reality, every part of a Soul Beast had found a use. The older the beast, the more valuable it was.

Among Soul Beasts valued for medicinal use, plants such as ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, and snow lotuses were worth less only than Soul Bones.

As Mo An walked, he studied the goods displayed at the stalls and shops on either side. He was broadening his knowledge while searching for the fresh Whale Rubber he needed.

Whale Soul Beasts were among the sea's apex predators. They were formidable fighters, and most lived in pods. Ordinary Soul Master teams did not dare set their sights on them.

Fortunately, Mo An was in luck today. When he reached the latter half of the market, his sharp ears caught people discussing an Ambergris Whale more than five hundred years old. It had just been brought in and was already on sale.

Mo An asked one of the men discussing it where the Ambergris Whale was being sold. Worried someone might buy the Whale Rubber first, he ran there as fast as he could.

Ambergris Whales produced a precious liquid called ambergris, which could be used to make expensive perfumes and also had medicinal value. Whenever an Ambergris Whale appeared on the market, merchants quickly carved it up among themselves.

Mo An had read in a book about aphrodisiacs that, among all whale Soul Beasts, Ambergris Whale Rubber ranked in the top ten for its aphrodisiac effect. Its effects were pronounced.

By the time Mo An reached the shop selling the Ambergris Whale, quite a crowd had gathered. Merchants were bidding on the ambergris taken from its body, while others were buying its remaining parts.

Being short had its advantages. Mo An soon squeezed into the front row, found a shop assistant attending to customers, and asked quietly, "Hello. Do you still have the Ambergris Whale's Whale Rubber?"

The assistant looked down at Mo An, who was plainly a child, and waved both hands. "Kid, I can't sell you Whale Rubber. Besides, you couldn't afford it. Go play somewhere else, and don't cause trouble."

Whale Rubber was a powerful aphrodisiac. No matter how eager he was to make a sale, selling it to a child would be too unconscionable.

"Wait, mister! It's not for me. That man over there asked me to buy it for him. He said he'd buy me candy if I brought him the Whale Rubber."

When the assistant refused to sell it to him, Mo An's eyes darted about. He picked a man who looked like he had kidney trouble and used him as an excuse to buy it.

Following the boy's finger, the assistant did indeed spot a customer who looked very much in need of Whale Rubber. He studied the man for a few moments, then looked down at the boy holding a money pouch. "Come on. I'll get the Whale Rubber for you."

Now that he knew the child was not buying it for himself, he could sell it with a clear conscience.

Whale Rubber was not a fast-selling aphrodisiac, so the shop did not display it outside. It was usually kept in a corner indoors.

Whale Rubber sold slowly because its only use was as an aphrodisiac, and it was far from the only one available. Whale Soul Beasts were also difficult to kill. Together, these factors made its market small, with very little Whale Rubber in circulation.

In a corner of the shop, Mo An watched the assistant take a fist-sized lump of pale yellow gel from a bag. A few streaks of blood still clung to it. It had clearly been removed from the Ambergris Whale not long ago.

Whale Rubber was gelatinous when first taken from a whale Soul Beast. Only after it hardened completely did it become the solid form people usually saw.

"Fresh Whale Rubber, just taken from an Ambergris Whale over five hundred years old. I won't take advantage of you, kid. Twenty Gold Soul Coins. If you don't have enough, you can go ask the customer who wants it."

The assistant placed the Ambergris Whale Rubber in front of Mo An and offered him a very fair price.

Whale Rubber of this age normally cost between twenty and twenty-five Gold Soul Coins. Twenty really was the lowest price.

"Thank you. There should be enough Gold Soul Coins in my pouch."

Mo An reached inside his clothes and pulled out the money pouch he had prepared. He counted out twenty Gold Soul Coins and placed them on the table.

With the purchase complete, Mo An carried the Ambergris Whale Rubber back through the crowd.

In a secluded corner, he put the Whale Rubber into the Azure Jade Ring, then took a few Gold Soul Coins from the ring and returned them to his pouch. After that, he left the Soul Beast processing market and ran toward the secondhand goods market he often visited.

The secondhand goods market had begun as a place for city residents to trade used odds and ends. Because it charged no deposit at all, villagers from outside North Sea City also brought things there to sell.

The occasional bargain find drew collectors of curiosities to the market. The collectors, in turn, attracted retail vendors and individual sellers.

As more people gathered, it grew into a market where anything and everything could be bought and sold. Later, North Sea City's City Lord's Mansion stepped in, established comprehensive rules, and brought it under tighter regulation.

Today, the secondhand goods market no longer dealt mainly in used goods. But its name had become so familiar that no one had changed it.

Mo An had found both the ancient book that described the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo as an Immortal Herb and the book about aphrodisiacs here.

Standing before the secondhand goods market, Mo An summoned his Ink Jade Divine Bamboo Martial Soul. He concealed his right hand inside his sleeve, then strode into the market.