With Chen Mu's current level of expertise in rune research, the Jade Pass is something that can be easily counterfeited.
So Chen Mu casually copied a passerby's jade pass and successfully entered Xihe City.
The Xihe City was bustling with people.
The residents here are of high quality. Chen Mu walked for a long time and hardly saw any ordinary people. The vast majority of them were at least martial artists.
Perhaps ordinary martial artists here cannot be considered cultivators at all. Some of them are selling animal meat, some are cutting hair, some are singing songs by the roadside, and some are even sweeping the streets with brooms.
Here, only cultivators at the Core Formation Realm as arrogantly and casually as martial artists in Wilderness village.
"Class societies are the same everywhere."
Chen Mu shook his head with a smile as he walked.
Although the people here are generally a whole level stronger, the social structure remains unchanged, as if everything has returned to its starting point.
Perhaps the purpose of human existence is to climb one peak after another and enter one higher level after another.
Chen Mu walked slowly and leisurely from the city gate all the way to the headquarters of the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce.
"I come from the Chen Kingdom, and I am a good friend of your Chief Hou Sailei. Please pass on my message."
Chen Mu didn't want to make a big fuss, fearing that Hou Sailei would know he was coming and make things too grand, so he followed the usual procedure and asked the gatekeeper of the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce to announce his arrival.
The Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce is, after all, a business guild that opens its doors to do business. There simply aren't that many snobbish gatekeepers, and those kinds of gatekeepers wouldn't last long anyway.
So even though Chen Mu looked ordinary, he was still invited into the shop, where a maid prepared tea for him to wait.
"Waaah... Brother Chen Mu, you've finally come to see me."
Hou Sailei arrived at the reception room, he looked like he had a deep grudge and kept rambling on and on.
"Please forgive me, brother, for not visiting you in the Chen Kingdom recently. I've simply been too busy."
You have no idea how fierce these alien Sage these days. They're always wandering around our merchant guild's mines. I'm constantly running into trouble. None of these Sage are easy to deal with..."
Due to the great changes in the world, many of the mineral veins controlled by the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce have undergone abnormalities, and rare minerals are constantly being mined from the depths, naturally making the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce a fortune.
Unfortunately, this good fortune didn't last long. Starting half a year ago, more and more cultivators from other realms began to explore the Pan Emperor Continent.
Previously, the strongest cultivator on the Pan Emperor Continent was at the Emperor Level, and the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce's military strength could still guarantee relative safety.
But things are different now. More and more Saint Level cultivators are coming to the Pan Emperor Continent. Some of them are relatively civilized and will trade with the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce, but others are very tyrannical and directly intimidate and plunder.
The Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce can conduct business freely in the Pan Emperor Continent is naturally due to the support of Sage. However, the changes in the Pan Emperor Continent are too sudden, and several Sage are still in seclusion in other planes and have not yet been contacted.
Currently, the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce only has one Sage supporting it, which inevitably leads to a predicament of being stretched thin and unable to attend to everything.
"Alright, I'm not blaming you, you don't need to tell me everything."
After listening to Hou Sailei's explanation, Chen Mu waved his hand dismissively, adopting an attitude of indifference as if it were none of his business.
"Hey! Brother, I've already said all this, don't you want to help me out?"
Hou Sailei gripped Chen Mu's arm, his eyes sincere.
As an important strategic partner of the Chen Kingdom, how could he not know that Chen Mu had once killed a Sage of the Heavenly Puppet Sect? If he didn't cling to such a powerful ally, would he still be known as ' Monkey Skinflint '?
Chen Mu wouldn't be fooled like that. Back in Chen Village, although Hou Sailei was always a man of his word in business, Chen Mu never got a good deal from him. He could only be called a trustworthy businessman, but not an honest one.
"You need my help? Sure! I'm free this month, but when Sage of my level gets involved, it's never cheap."
Chen Mu crossed his arms, his eyes wary.
"Of course! Do you think I'm the kind of person who would take advantage of a friend?"
Hou Sailei was immediately filled with righteous indignation, looking heartbroken:
Don't worry, as long as you're willing to sell, name your price! As long as I can afford it, I'll give it to you even if it means going bankrupt."
Hou Sailei say that, Chen Mu felt embarrassed and thought for a moment before replying.
"Alright then, ten World Crystal for defeating a Sage, no bargaining."
Chen Mu considered this a reasonable price. In fact, given his wealth, he didn't care much about these few World Crystal. But one can't sit idle forever, and with no war recently, he found his wallet starting to empty.
"No problem, I'll give you twenty coins each, it's all from the Chamber of Commerce's money anyway!"
As brothers, how could I let you suffer a loss!
Hou Sailei patted his chest and said with great pride.
In fact, Chen Mu was unaware that the current situation of the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce was no longer a matter of whether it could make money or not, but rather that those alien Sage had already damaged the image of the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce.
If this situation continues, more and more foreign Sage will target the Eight Directions Merchant Guild, and it won't be long before the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce is destroyed as a result.
Any wealthy merchant, without the deterrent force of military might, is like a fat sheep roaming the mountains.
At such a time, if a Sage could help the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce restore its reputation, let alone dozens or hundreds of World Crystal, even if half of the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce's wealth were taken away, the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce would likely agree.
Meanwhile, Hou Sailei, with his silver tongue, managed to bring Chen Mu, a powerful ally, to the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce in just a few words.
A researcher trying to do business with a businessman is lucky if he doesn't get sold out.
"Then let's not delay. Send me the information about the powerful alien you're going to deal with, and I'll head over now."
Chen Mu was a man of action. Since Hou Sailei sounded very urgent and there was money to be made, he prepared himself and wanted to set off immediately.
"Sigh, we can't rush things!"
I'll arrange accommodation for you first. You can take your time to digest the information I gave you, and then set off early tomorrow morning.
Although Hou Sailei was greedy, he genuinely considered Chen Mu a friend. Fearing for Chen Mu's safety, he suggested that Chen Mu stay overnight and thoroughly digest all the information about the opponent before setting off.
"Alright, I'll take a stroll around Xihe City tonight. I've never been to an ancient city like this before."
Chen Mu didn't care. He was also very interested in Xihe City. It had many ancient buildings, some of which still had Ancient Runes, which were incredibly profound and helpful to his research.