Golden Deer Prefecture and Northbone Prefecture are very close, but they are not directly adjacent; one must pass through a small area of Huaijiang Prefecture in between.
They were almost at the Northbone Prefecture, so Jason decided not to take on any more Fiend Mission. He bought a few high-grade Metallic Airship and decided to fly there himself.
Huaijiang Prefecture is located directly south of Northbone Prefecture, bordering Bone Dragon Prefecture. In recent years, it has also been affected by constant turmoil. However, Jason heard that the prefectural lord of Huaijiang Prefecture was relatively weak, and the various cities within the prefecture were not a unified force. Therefore, in the turmoil caused by the change of the prefectural lord of Bone Dragon Prefecture, Huaijiang Prefecture appeared to be in a relatively passive position.
According to Jason's planned route, they would pass through a city called "Greyrock City" in Huaijiang Prefecture, and then they would reach Northbone Prefecture.
Greyrock City is strategically located between four prefectures, making its commerce very developed. While it doesn't have any particularly special products, the constant flow of caravans means that one can often find some good goods.
Jason came because of his reputation.
The Greyrock City is built on a large gray mountain, its overall gray and white color scheme blending almost seamlessly with the mountain rocks.
The area around Greyrock City is filled with rolling mountains and primeval forests. Humanoids don't particularly like living here, but many other species do.
After putting away the Metallic Airship, Jason flew for a while to the city gate, paid the entrance fee of one Nether Stone, and arrived at this famous commercial city.
"There are more shops in this area than in other cities," Jason thought to himself.
Besides the two fixed castles in each city, shops along the streets are also open for trade. Of course, any transactions conducted inside are not protected by the city guards.
Jason walked into a rather upscale-looking private shop, which was filled with all sorts of Divine Artifact and materials.
In fact, for Deity-level being, there aren't many truly essential items. Most of the shops in the city are for enjoyment; and the shops Jason is currently visiting, besides selling goods, are also transit and storage stations for some caravans.
"Sir, what do you think of this piece of green agate?" Jason was mainly selecting Water Element crafting materials; he had already decided to deal with materials of the destruction attribute when he arrived in the Infernal Realm, and he had completely given up on materials of the life attribute.
Jason fiddled with the green stone in his hand. Although it was the first time he had ever seen this kind of mineral, something felt off.
"There's something wrong with this stone," Jason said hesitantly, putting it down.
"Sir, how dare you slander my reputation out of thin air! My green halide was mined from the Azure Feather Sea in the east of the continent!" The shopkeeper said aggressively, seemingly very dissatisfied with Jason's doubts about the quality of their goods.
The Netherworld of only one continent, and the surrounding oceans are simply divided into four major oceans: east, west, north, and south. Some waters that meet the land are further divided into various sea areas. The Azure Feather Sea is a body of water in the Eastern Ocean.
However, Jason didn't pay much attention to what the shop assistant said, and instead focused his attention on his mind.
Jason's golden sea of consciousness was now veiled in black mist, which attempted to invade the area where Jason's soul resided, but was blocked by the Soul Defense Divine Artifact.
Jason looked at the shop assistant who was still threatening him with words. A Midgod naturally didn't have that kind of power. He scanned the surroundings with his divine sense but didn't see anything unusual. Clearly, the other party was very skilled with the soul.
Just as Jason released his divine sense, the black veil within his sea of consciousness vanished without a trace, leaving behind an embarrassed shop assistant who awkwardly stopped talking.
At this moment, a female voice came from within one's consciousness. "Forgive my poor eyesight, I have disturbed you. Although the piece of green halite on the counter is mixed with other metals, it still has some value after refining. Consider it an apology to you."
Jason glared at the shop assistant, who lowered his head. Of course, Jason couldn't attack him here, as they were still inside the city.
In the end, he decided to call it a day, "In that case, I'll take my leave."
After wandering around Greyrock City, I didn't find much except for the piece of green halide that was adulterated with fake materials. The quality of the refining materials here is not bad, but they are either unnecessary or have the wrong attributes.
However, Jason heard that there would be an auction held here in six months by the city lord's family, so he stayed here for six months.
Over the course of six months, Jason gathered a general understanding of the situation at Greyrock Castle.
Greyrock City is located at the intersection of four prefectures, and because the prefectural lord of Huaijiang Prefecture has relatively low control, it is actually in a semi-independent state. Due to its prosperous commerce, the Greyrock City area is capable of supporting the coexistence of multiple major forces.
The city was divided among three factions: the Greenvine Clan, to which the city lord belonged; the "Aisidier Clan" and the "White Crane Tribe," who had settled there.
All three factions are led by Seven Star Fiend, with the strongest being the city lord, "Greenvine Fiend," who possesses the strength of the Asura; the leaders of the other two factions are also Seven Star Fiend.
The auction, held every century, was jointly established by these three companies.
Jason spent a thousand Nether Stone to buy an ordinary seat and entered the venue.
A century is nothing to Deity-level. It's only because Greyrock City is a commercial city with a large flow of people that it attracts such attention. Otherwise, in a more remote small town, an auction with a century-long interval wouldn't attract the attention of a powerful Deity-level.
"This is my first time attending an auction in the Netherworld, and it's definitely more prestigious than the auctions on the Yulan Continent," Jason remarked to himself as he watched the items being put up and taken down.
The Deity-level auctioneer had excellent insight and composure, avoiding the impulsive bidding that drove up prices. The items at the Greyrock City auction were of high quality, including materials, rare items, magical beasts, and slaves. The auction participants were also strong; Jason recognized at least three Six-Star Fiend, though he was unsure how many hidden powerhouses were.
Jason saw several items he liked and tried bidding a few times, but he couldn't win the bid—he had already spent almost all of his Nether Stone, and he generally couldn't spend the remaining Inkstone.
Midway through the auction, an item—more precisely, a slave—caught Jason's attention.
"Midgod slave from the Vermilion Bird Four Divine Beasts Clan. This slave is a mid -Fire Element- Midgod and a low -Wind Element- Lowgod, both of whom achieved godhood independently. Starting bid: five million Nether Stone."
As the host spoke, he glanced at the woman behind him. The woman's soul trembled, and fiery red feathers sprouted from her body, revealing her Vermilion Bird form.
Jason glanced at the remaining 80 million Nether Stone in his Interspatial Ring and decided to give it a try.
This Midgod of the Vermilion Bird Clan is quite popular; in the blink of an eye, the bid has already reached ten million Nether Stone.
"Twelve million!" Jason bid directly.
The bidding paused briefly, then surged again.
The final bid was pushed up to 50 million Nether Stone.
Although the Four Divine Beasts Clan is renowned, their combat power as Midgod is not strong. If they were to be trained to become Highgod, not to mention the time cost, the very question of whether they could be controlled is still a problem.
In addition, the purity of the bloodline shown by this Vermilion Bird Clan seemed to be low, so after the price was raised to 50 million Nether Stone, the price increase at the venue slowed down considerably.
"Sixty million Nether Stone!" Jason raised the price again by a large margin.
"Sixty-one million!" The voice belonged to a woman.
Jason quickly turned to look at the private room where the sound was coming from. "That voice, that aura... it's the one who tried to corrupt my soul in the shop before!"
Jason had previously estimated that this person was probably a peak Six-Star Fiend, but he didn't know which faction in Greyrock City he belonged to.
"Sixty-two million!" Jason raised the bid.
"Sixty-three million!" The other party did not hesitate.
But Jason couldn't back down. "Sixty-five million."
Sixty-six million.
"Ha, phew," Jason exhaled a breath of stale air, "Sixty-seven million."
In the end, the other party did not raise the price further. "You win."
As the auctioneer brought down the gavel, Jason got up and went to the back room to collect his "auction item".
"Would you like to use Soul Seed or a Overgod Contract?" an auction house staff member inquired.
"Let's use the Overgod Contract first. My Death Clone isn't here. Oh, my real Jason Rhein."
The woman from the Vermilion Bird Clan looked at Jason with a resentful expression, clearly indicating that she too was currently bound by the Overgod Oath.
Jason watched as a Highgod tormented the Vermilion Bird woman with soul flames for a while before she gritted her teeth and swore an oath of loyalty to Jason.
The Overgod Oath must be sworn by the oath-taker himself; using Soul Seed to control the oath will have no effect.
Upon seeing this, Jason paid the money and left the venue.