Chapter 32
Although it was a low-level mine, it had been in operation for quite some time. Thanks to the presence of Ka Li, a senior engineer, the territory had managed to extract high-quality green energy crystal ore, and only two pieces remained from the entire mine since its establishment.
"Nothing is beyond trade; the key lies in whether the value is equivalent."
Ye Bai blinked and recited this first principle of the Merchant Guild to Kazmai.
"It’s a pleasure to collaborate with you, Lord Bai Ye!"
The familiar trading interface appeared, and Ye Bai saw Kazmai placing a note on the scale, which read: [Kazmai's Passenger Ticket].
"Pleasant cooperation."
Ye Bai placed the energy crystal on the scale.
...
Even though he agreed to take Ye Bai aboard, Kazmai still adhered to the rule of staying for two days before departing, leaving only on the second game day.
Ye Bai took the night to arrange the future work for the territory, then organized the items, equipment, and high-value goods she might need for this journey, filling her backpack to the brim.
The next day, as soon as the time arrived, Ye Bai stepped onto the hot air balloon and, amidst the villagers' waving farewells, left Bai Ye Village with Kazmai.
Sitting in the hot air balloon, Ye Bai looked down through the clouds at her territory, which was just beginning to take shape. As she watched the various buildings and fields shrink in size, a sense of accomplishment surged within her.
It wasn't until the territory completely vanished from view, leaving only the desolate mountains and fields, that she turned to Kazmai.
"Now you can tell me where our destination is, right?"
"Of course." Kazmai finally revealed, "We are headed to Mei Luo City—a beautiful capital of magic."
**Chapter 22**
The hot air balloon flew high and fast, quickly obscured by the clouds. The inscriptions carved on the balloon glowed faintly. After careful observation, Ye Bai determined that the inscriptions not only provided protection but also had acceleration and navigation functions.
The technology of [Inscription] belongs to advanced science known as [Alchemy], one of the three branches of high-level technology in the multiverse.
As the technology tree develops, it will branch into three directions: elemental magic, alchemical technology, and chaotic power.
The traveling merchant's hot air balloon utilized a practical approach to alchemy, and it was clear that the next destination, the "capital of magic" Mei Luo City, was a major city leaning towards elemental magic technology.
This was good news for Ye Bai.
One unique aspect of "Wan Jie" is that each server is a different "sandbox map."
Each server has distinct towns, terrains, and resource distributions. Otherwise, if the locations of high-level resources on the map were fixed, once a location was discovered on one server, players could easily find it on others, losing the element of fairness.
Moreover, the NPCs in each town are also different, randomly generated just like the towns themselves, and the specific quests they offer vary.
Of course, this randomness follows certain foundational rules.
For instance, each server generates a varying number of NPC towns based on the number of registered players, and there will always be three major cities representing the three technological paths, referred to as [Main Cities], showcasing what the pinnacle of these three types of technology looks like.
These are also the three major academic factions in the game, and the development of other NPC towns is influenced by these factions, including player territories. Lord players can choose to join the corresponding academic faction, gaining access to exclusive resources and technological support, unlocking unique buildings and professions.
As for NPCs, various factions like the [Adventurers' Guild] and [Merchant Guild] exist on every server, but players will find that the high-ranking NPCs in these factions are entirely different across servers. The same goes for skill trainers and job change mentors—while their functions are the same, the individuals are different.
So, since Kazmai referred to Mei Luo City as the "capital of magic," Ye Bai could almost be certain it was a main city of elemental magic.
If players are attentive, they can gather a wealth of information from NPCs. Unless in special circumstances, this information is rarely false.
In cities leaning towards magic or alchemy, Ye Bai could find the job change channels she desired. If she had gone to a town focused on chaotic power, she would have to spend some money to use the town's teleportation array.
With the acceleration inscription, the hot air balloon reached Mei Luo City after just one game day.
During the night in the game, Ye Bai logged off and found that nothing had changed in the outside world, which was not surprising. Ordinary interstellar journeys typically take at least a "day or month" as a unit. Given that Ye Bai was abducted from Blue Star, it could certainly be considered "smuggling," perhaps along a secret route akin to human trafficking.
As dawn broke in the game, Ye Bai caught sight of a magnificent city in the distance.
The city favored dark-colored architecture, with various tower-like buildings dominating the center. The main roads were adorned with decorations formed by elemental magic, including a rainbow bridge created by controlling water elements to flow against gravity, and various plants thriving under botanical magic, along with floating steps made using gravity magic.
As the hot air balloon gently descended onto the city's landing platform, Ye Bai noticed that most of the pedestrians were dressed in robes, exuding an air of mystery and scholarly elegance. Some even had peculiar magical pets following them.
"Lord Bai Ye, we have arrived at our destination. Until next time!" Kazmai bid farewell to Ye Bai, as he was about to head to the market in Mei Luo City to trade the energy crystals he had acquired.
Since purchasing the "ticket" extra, Ye Bai noticed that Kazmai had changed how he addressed her; it seemed this traveling merchant had completely remembered her.
If Ye Bai were a traveling merchant, she would certainly remember a lord who "had a mine" as well.
Ye Bai replied, "Goodbye! I hope you can come back to trade in our territory next time."
"Of course! You are my valued customer!" Kazmai readily agreed, then left with his signature pack.
Ye Bai turned to leave as well, not forgetting her current business.
Since she had come with the traveling merchant, Ye Bai landed directly in the inner city, bypassing the scrutiny of the guards at the inner city gate, which saved her quite a bit of trouble—
There is a distinction between the inner and outer cities of a town. The core area of the inner city contains many important buildings, and the residents there are of a much higher level than those in the outer city. Essentially, those living here are mostly high-level professionals and noble NPCs.
Players can only enter the inner city after changing jobs. If they wish to enter before completing their job change, they must either undertake a series of quests or pay the guards a "bribe" of one silver coin.
Ye Bai had undoubtedly saved time and money this time.
"Excuse me, do you need a map of Mei Luo City? You look like you just arrived here. Without a map, you might get lost. A map is only 10 copper coins!"
"No, thank you."
Declining the offer from a child selling city maps, Ye Bai stood on a higher ground, scanning the exteriors of several buildings. Her gaze quickly locked onto a tall tower with a three-pronged design, and without hesitation, she jogged toward it.
Naturally, she didn’t need a map. While she was unfamiliar with Mei Luo City, she was well-acquainted with the styles of various functional buildings!
...
"Why won't you let me in?"
After being turned away from several places in the inner city, the player Zhou Ya glared at the staff blocking his way, unable to hold back his frustration.
It was one thing to be denied entry to the Magic Guild, the Town Hall, or the Library, but why couldn't he even enter a magic equipment shop to buy... cough, just to look at the equipment?
"Sorry, but clearly your identity and strength do not match this place." The staff gave Zhou Ya a disdainful look, their cold expression perfectly embodying the meaning of condescension and arrogance.
"What kind of attitude is that?!"
Zhou Ya was a formidable figure in reality; he had never been treated this way.
He had gained entry to the inner city of Mei Luo City purely by chance through a delivery quest, and he was fairly certain he was the first player to enter the inner city.
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