Shaking his head helplessly, the cheerful Adam Bennett also replied with a few words, and the two of them laughed and chatted as they walked out of the family grounds. On the way, they encountered some other clan members, and when those people saw him and Emily talking and laughing so intimately, they couldn't help but show strange expressions.

Right now, Emily, whether in terms of beauty or talent, was the brightest jewel among the younger generation of the family. Although she usually appeared gentle and amiable within the clan, beneath that faint smile was a subtle coldness. Greeting her was easy, but having a deep conversation was very difficult.

Ignoring the looks from the clan members, Adam Bennett led Emily straight out of the family estate, then slowed his pace, leisurely wandering the bustling main street...

Wutan City truly deserved to be one of the major cities of the Jia Ma Empire, with a thriving population. Even under the scorching sun, the streets were still packed with people, and occasionally, one could even spot some exotic races.

Perhaps because of Adam Bennett's company, Emily became much more lively after leaving the family grounds. She dragged the helpless Adam Bennett from stall to stall, her light laughter bringing a touch of coolness to the sun-baked street.

After Emily grew tired of playing, Adam Bennett finally took her to a nearby herbal shop, where he spent over nine hundred gold coins to buy three stalks of twenty-year-old Purple Leaf Orchid and two five-year-old Bone-Washing Flowers. These were all low-grade materials that could be bought at a herbal shop for a bit of money. Of course, if one needed higher-grade materials, they would have to search for them personally, or go to the marketplace, auction house, and so on.

Looking at his rapidly shrinking fortune, Adam Bennett shook his head with a bitter smile. Now, he finally understood just how important money was on the Dou Qi Continent...

With the herbs in hand, the only thing still missing was a first-grade wood-type magic core!

Main Text Chapter 11: Marketplace

Magic cores, on the Dou Qi Continent, are also known as magic crystals, or the prototype of spiritual pills, and so on. As the name suggests, they are a kind of energy crystal core found inside magical beasts, filled with extremely violent natural energy. Even a Dou Wang would not dare to risk their body exploding by forcibly absorbing such wild energy.

However, although magic cores cannot be directly absorbed by people, they are an essential main ingredient for alchemists when refining pills. After being refined by an alchemist's secret methods, the violent properties of the magic core are neutralized by some miraculous herbs, transforming it into various elixirs that countless people covet to increase their strength, causing its value to skyrocket!

Furthermore, magic cores can also be embedded into weapons. Weapons enhanced with magic cores not only become more destructive, but also gain the tempting effect of amplifying Dou Qi, making them highly sought after by fighters on the Dou Qi Continent.

Of course, besides weapons, magic cores can also be embedded into armor and other items, providing the owner with powerful defense and giving them greater security when facing danger.

With so many special effects, magic cores have naturally become the most popular mainstream material on the Dou Qi Continent. Not only fighters, but even those esteemed alchemists often humble themselves to search the world for high-level magic cores to refine higher-grade pills.

Driven by this trend, magic cores on the continent are almost always in short supply. As soon as high-level magic cores appear at an auction or elsewhere, they are immediately bought at high prices.

The high value of magic cores has naturally given rise to a large number of mercenary groups who make a living by hunting magical beasts. However, obtaining magic cores is not an easy task.

First, magical beasts are not only powerful but also extremely cunning. Due to their ferocious nature and unique attack methods, magical beasts are often stronger than human experts of the same level. So, trying to hunt a magical beast of the same rank alone, without exceptional strength, can easily backfire.

Second, not all magical beasts have magic cores inside them. This seems to be a matter of random chance. Sometimes, after a mercenary group suffers heavy casualties to kill a magical beast, they might end up empty-handed. Such things are common on the Dou Qi Continent and are not considered unusual...

Therefore, the value of magic cores on the Dou Qi Continent has always remained high and they are extremely sought after.

...

After making a few turns with Emily on the wide street, they finally slipped into a medium-sized marketplace in the southern part of the city. There were several such marketplaces in Wutan City, each controlled by one of the three major families in the city. The one Adam Bennett entered was managed by their own The Bennett Family...

To call it "control" was actually more like maintaining the order and safety of the marketplace. In return, mercenaries or merchants who set up stalls and trade in the marketplace had to pay some commission to the family. This had always been the rule on the Dou Qi Continent, so it was rare for anyone to cause trouble.

Entering through the marketplace gate, there were two The Bennett Family guards at the entrance. They clearly recognized Adam Bennett and Emily, and when they saw them arrive, they were both momentarily stunned, then quickly bowed slightly in respect.