West Metal Empire
West Metal Empire, Metal City
The West Metal Empire, a unique empire in the western part of the Five Elements Continent, is characterized by its pervasive metallic aura, making the entire empire resemble a vast treasure trove of gold. On this land, luxury and wealth are intertwined, and every inch of the land exudes the unique aura of the rich.
Metal City was the heart and symbol of the West Metal Empire, the most dazzling place in this prosperous land. The city's architectural style was full of metal elements, with magnificent city walls, gilded walls, and intricate carvings, all proclaiming its wealth and luxury. On the streets, there were many luxurious shops, with their windows displaying all kinds of jewelry, luxury goods, and rare metal handicrafts.
In Metal City, people's clothing also reflected the prosperity and luxury of the empire. The magnificent gold thread embroidery and the jewel-encrusted mansions made every resident feel as if they were walking a fashion show. The symbolism of wealth was not limited to architecture and decoration, but also penetrated into people's daily lives.
If Xu Xingyu were to give this country an evaluation, it would be that it is magnificent but actually superficial, because everything in this country is controlled by a business association called "Foolish and Rich".
On the surface, this land belongs to the royal family of the West Metal Empire, but in reality, it is controlled by a merchant guild called "Foolish and Rich". This Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce is undoubtedly the richest merchant guild in the entire Light Five Elements Continent. Since its establishment, it has brought countless riches to the entire West Metal Empire.
It can be said that everything in the entire country—wealth, military, industry, construction, and so on—is supported by the Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce. It can be said that once the West Metal Empire loses the support of the Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce, it will surely fall to the bottom of the five great empires.
But the Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce is different. Even if they sever their cooperation with the West Metal Empire one day, it will only cause them some financial pain, because the Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce also has countless businesses in the other four major empires besides the West Metal Empire.
The relationship between the West Metal Empire and the Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce is unequal. The West Metal Empire cannot do without the help of the Foolish and Rich Merchant Guild, but the Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce does not need the West Metal Empire. They can make the West Metal Empire one of the top three countries among the five great powers, or they can abandon the West Metal Empire and make it the weakest country.
This led to an unwritten rule within the West Metal Empire: you can disobey the royal family, but you absolutely cannot disobey the rules of the Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce! Even if you're a princess or prince, it's still not allowed!!!
It can only be said that if it weren't for the excessive patriotism of the members of this Foolish and Rich Chamber of Commerce, this nominal royal family would have been unnecessary long ago.
To be honest, neither Xu Xingyu, Gu Qiuxi, nor Ya Lin'er, who had always been with the two of them, were particularly fond of the West Metal Empire. There was no way around it; the country was filled with the oppressive atmosphere of capitalists.
However, there was no other way. Xu Xingyu had previously asked Lie Yan to teleport them to the city closest to the Sanhe Mountain Range where the Dragon Clan was located, instead of directly to Dragon Valley.
The reason for doing this is that there are two peak Demigod- level experts in the Sanhe Mountain Range. If we teleport directly there, it would easily alert those two experts and cause unnecessary trouble. Another reason is that we need to make preparations in terms of supplies before going to Dragon Valley in the Sanhe Mountain Range.
Whether it's the map to get to Dragon Valley in the Sanhe Mountain Range or the food supplies they need, they have to buy them in these cities. Especially the latter, since Xu Xingyu, the successor of the Dragon God, and Gu Qiuxi, the successor of the Golden Dragon King, have appetites that are beyond the imagination of ordinary humans.
During this period of time Ya Lin'er has lost count of how many times the two of them have eaten at restaurants and ended up eating all the food prepared by the restaurant that day.
On several occasions, Ya Lin'er asked them, speechless, if their stomachs were connected to some void, how they could eat so much?
Xu Xingyu and Gu Qiuxi had no way to solve this problem. They could only wait until they condensed their Bloodline Soul Core in the future to resolve the issue of overeating and drinking. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good to cause trouble for those restaurants every time.
Fortunately, today is also the last day the three of them will stay in Metal City, because they have already bought almost all the supplies they need, so today they just need to rest a little and go shopping with the two girls.
Gu Qiuxi excitedly grabbed Xu Xingyu and shouted, "Xingyu, I want that! And that!!!"
Seeing Gu Qiuxi pointing at all sorts of glittering gold ornaments like a little girl, which was rare for her, Xu Xingyu chuckled helplessly, "I know, I'll buy them for you right away."
After saying that, they didn't care about the high price marked on the sign at all, took out their wallets to pay, since the money in this world wasn't of much use to them anyway, and would be useless after they left.
Moreover, he didn't spend his own money; it was money he had casually taken from those Light Heavenly Stem Saints (excluding Ji Dong and Yao Xianshu) when he was on Sacred and Evil Island. Therefore, he had no psychological burden at all when spending it.
Moreover, it's rare to see Gu Qiuxi being so lively, cheerful, and curious. Usually, she uses a cool and aloof expression to hide her true feelings as a protective shield, so spending some money on such a good younger sister is perfectly acceptable.
Just Xu Xingyu noticed Ya Lin'er's somewhat gloomy expression and asked with concern, "Lin'er, are you alright? Haven't you found the weapon you wanted yet?"
Upon hearing this, Ya Lin'er immediately adjusted her emotions and said, "Oh, that's true. Although there are quite a few Xin Metal Magic Power weapons here, it feels like those weapons focus too much on the ever-changing characteristics of the Xin Metal element, and their direct attack performance is not as good as my longsword. On the other hand, those weapons with strong direct attack performance are all Kang Metal weapons."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about that." Xu Xingyu shrugged. "We can only hope that the next shop will have a weapon you like. Of course, the main purpose today is to enjoy ourselves, so it's okay if we don't find one. Don't always be so tense. Learn to balance work and rest, and learn to relax when appropriate."
"Okay, I understand." Ya Lin'er nodded helplessly.
It seems that Xu Xingyu also noticed why Ya Lin'er was gloomy. After all, in Ya Lin'er's remaining memories, she seemed to be from the West Metal Empire. However, when she arrived in the West Metal Empire, she couldn't see anything familiar. This made her feel a little panicked, as if she had been separated from the world.
Having recalled the story of this world in the original novel, Xu Xingyu could only hope that this trip to the Sanhe Mountain Range would somewhat Ya Lin'er's heart, since her last remaining relatives were there.
Just as Xu Xingyu was about to speak to Ya Lin'er, a shrill and unpleasant voice interrupted their conversation.
"What a pretty girl!"