The city of Ignis was built amidst the windy fields of gentle grasslands and was truly an ancient phenomenon. Surrounded by giant walls that were over twenty meters in height, it was a sight to behold.
"Okay. We have reached our destination."
After a loud shout, the carriage stopped before the city gate.
Jumping out of the carriage, the first thing that greeted his sight was a long line of people standing there. Before entering the city, one needed to pay the entry fee and register himself.
Looking around, there were many people waiting for their turn in silence. Though the majority of them were normal people, Yang Ze still saw a few with swords on their backs. There were even some whose faces were covered with black masks.
Thinking for a while, he pulled out a piece of cloth from his bag and tied it around his face in a way that only his eyes and the portion above it were visible. It took more than two hours for his turn.
"Name?"
"Meng Hao."
"Reason to enter the city?"
"To do some work and try out my luck at the martial academy."
The guard looked at Yang Ze for a moment before shaking his head. Even though he couldn't see his face, he could make out his age from his voice. Every day, there are people like him trying their luck. Alas! Almost all of them are now working as servants to meet daily needs. Some of them have even left the city.
"Two pieces of silver."
Without wasting further time on him, the guard collected the silver before signalling him to move forward.
...
"So this is the city of Ignis. This is much better than I had expected."
The first thing Yang Ze noticed upon reaching the city was the systematic rows of buildings that were built on both sides of the road. Almost all of these buildings were made up of red bricks and were two stories high. As far as his eyes could see, he only saw the colour red.
"Interesting."
Looking at the road that didn't have any pebbles or trash on it Yang Ze was amazed. Compared to Yuyang City, the road here was much cleaner. Even after walking for a long time, he didn't find any littering on the ground.
Other than the crowd of people, he occasionally saw some people with a blossom tree embodied on their sleeves.
"Blossom Martial Sect."
Even though he had never seen them, he made a loose guess based on their uniform and the arrogance that was seeping from their faces.
Ignoring them, Yang Ze walked towards the first inn that came into his sight.
"Hello, dear customer. How can I help you?"
On the counter, a beautiful young woman was sitting with a smile. Her smile which seemed to be pure gave others a feeling of ease and comfort.
"I need a room."
"What kind of room dear customer? Luxury? Semi-Luxury? Ordinary?"
"Ordinary."
"That would be one silver piece per night, sir."
"What about food?"
"The meals will be provided to you two times a day. In the morning and the evening."
"Okay."
Giving out a piece of silver, Yang Ze picked up the wooden token before making his way toward the first floor of the building.
...
"Not too shabby."
The room was as simple as it could have been. There was a small bed, a table, and a chair.
Throwing down his bag on the floor, Yang Ze took off the mask and took a deep breath. Walking around the town with a cloth on his face was a feeling he didn't enjoy much. Looking at the remaining money, he smiled for a short time before shaking his head.
Since coming out of the family, he had been using the personal money that he saved over the course of years. Yet, the money that he painstakingly saved was already depleted by two-thirds. With his strength, there won't be a problem earning some gold and silver. The real challenge that lay ahead him was of gathering the spirit stones. He didn't forget the main purpose of his visit here.
Looking at the sky that was slowly getting darker, he decided to rest for the day before accepting any quest tomorrow.
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{Name: Yang Ze}
{Realm: Middle Stage Qi Guiding}
{XP: 200}
{Technique: Seaheart Art Third Layer}
*Reached the limit of knowledge. (Can be Derived further from Yang Yuanzhen) (Spirit stones 0/1)
{Efficiency: 100 XP/day}
{Level: 1} (0/10 spirit stones needed to upgrade)
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Waking up in the morning, Yang Ze looked at the screen before making his way towards the central area of the town. He needed to find ways to earn the spirit stones.
On the road, Yang Ze bought a much-needed black mask and then headed toward his destination.
...
In the middle of the city, there was an enormous pavilion built up from evergreen woods and white marble. The most striking thing about the pavilion was the large notice board in front of it. Other than that, what attracted his attention were the exquisitely carved doors that were filled with murals of beasts he hadn't seen before.
Taking his time to admire them, he finally made his way inside. Standing there, Yang Ze saw more than twenty booths with receptionists in them. Most of them looked normal without any martial arts or cultivation.
"Your badge please."
Walking to a booth, the receptionist looked at him for a moment before asking for his badge.
"Huh."
'Another bumpkin.'
Snorting in displeasure, the receptionist pointed toward the other people who were carrying the entry badge they got before entering the city.
"Oh!"
With an embarrassed smile, Yang Ze handed his token over.
"Here, take it. Now you can accept the quest. But let me remind you; do not choose the quest that is out of your reach. We will not be responsible if something happens to you."
"Hmm."
Nodding, Yang Ze walked towards the notice board and started looking at the quests. There was no particular order of the quests posted on the board. One needs to look for a long time to search for a suitable quest for themselves.
[Bring ten soul-clearing grass. Reward - 5 Gold]
[Bring five conjoined flowers. Reward - 8 Gold]
[Wipe out the bandit group in the western region of the mountains. Reward - 20 Gold]
Looking at the quests whose only reward was gold, Yang Ze frowned for a moment. Even though he had spent a lot of money, he wasn't in dire need of it. Right now, what he needed the most were the spirit stones. And, sure enough, he found the quests giving out spirit stones.
[Bring the complete body of a withering snake. Reward - 3 spirit stones]
[Looking for a Qi Guiding Expert to escort the carriage. Reward - 3 spirit stones]
[Looking for a guide expert in traversing the swamps. Reward - 1 spirit stone per day.]
Looking at the long list of tasks, Yang Ze was overwhelmed. There were many tasks that he was able to do. But after thinking for a while he chose one of the tasks that looked relatively simple and easy.
[Looking for a Qi Guiding Expert to escort the carriage. Reward - 3 spirit stones]
This was the task that was posted multiple times, each by a different person.
After making up his mind, he picked up the task and went back to the receptionist once again. Looking at the familiar person with black mask who didn't seem to know the most basic knowledge, the receptionist was annoyed at first. For him it was a waste of time and effort to even talk with people like him. But the minute he saw the mission slip on his hand, he was stunned for a moment before his expression turned into one of extreme respect.
"Here sir, I have registered you for the mission, you can go to the Hua family of the eastern district with this token. I wish you a safe journey."
Placing the token back into his pocket, Yang Ze nodded and took his leave. This was going to be his first adventure since coming to this world, Needless to say, he was filled with excitement and hope.