The Empire Exchange is open exclusively to citizens of the Shenxia Empire. Lin, having access to the Exchange, only has a low level of permission, level one. To gain higher levels of permission, he must increase his contribution points. But that's a concern for the future and currently irrelevant to him.
Lin briefly browsed the items for sale in the Exchange. There were weapons, armor, jewelry, materials, and more, but none were cheap. With only about a hundred gold coins on him, Lin couldn't even afford the cheapest iron-grade weapon, let alone more expensive bronze or silver-grade items, which were entirely out of his financial reach.
After noting down the value of some low-level materials, Lin began to look at the quests available. The monster levels in the outskirts of the West Sea City ranged from 10 to 20, considered a low-level area. The number of related quests wasn't extensive, mostly involving collecting materials.
"Unlimited collection of Green Sprout Grass, 50 gold coins per batch." "Unlimited collection of Black Wolf Skin, 20 gold coins per batch." "Unlimited collection of Beast Bones, 30 gold coins per batch."
Alchemists, herbalists, blacksmiths, and other lifestyle profession practitioners need a large amount of material for skill training. They process these materials into useful items for sale, earning some income. During skill training, lifestyle profession practitioners can also level up. This creates a good cycle, providing even lifestyle practitioners with decent development space.
"Hmm, this quest... looks interesting."
"Conquer the level 14 West Sea Mine Dungeon, obtain the dungeon boss, the Goblin King's crystal core." "Note: Only bosses from nightmare-level difficulty or higher will drop the item."
The reward for the quest is 100,000 gold coins, indicating the challenge it presents. The West Sea Mine is located south of West Sea City, about fifty kilometers away. Lin doesn't plan to go there; the dungeon is level 14, and he's not yet of sufficient level to enter, as the minimum required level for the dungeon is 10.
Dungeon difficulties are categorized into normal, nightmare, and hell. Lin is unsure about the nightmare difficulty level, but according to descriptions, it's several times harder than the normal level. Without a powerful team, it's nearly impossible to conquer. Hell difficulty is not something ordinary practitioners can attempt.
After looking around, Lin left the Exchange and headed to the city gate.
"Lin, level 7, necromancer?" The city gate guard, checking Lin's exit permit, was puzzled by the school's decision to allow such a young practitioner to leave the city. Outside the city, monsters start at level 10, which could be dangerous given the level gap. However, the permit was authentic, and the guard quickly validated it.
"Your exit permit is now active. Unless there are special circumstances, you can freely enter and exit any of the Shenxia Empire's cities. Be cautious, as there are many monsters outside. If you can't handle it, run back. Losing face doesn't matter; your life does, especially at night when some monsters choose to ambush."
Lin thanked the guard and proceeded out of the city. A cold wind greeted him as he stepped outside, and the atmosphere immediately became more oppressive, as if bloodthirsty. The city and the wilderness felt like two different worlds.
"This wall is extraordinary!" Lin thought, impressed by the boundary that separated two distinct realms. He walked forward, quickly disappearing into the wilderness. The air grew more oppressive, carrying the scent of blood and the distant roars of beasts. Occasionally, he saw people battling monsters, mostly practitioners above level 10.
As Lin walked further from the city wall, which was now out of sight, enveloped by a thin layer of fog, he summoned a skeleton warrior from his summoning space. He currently had 28 skeleton warriors, having summoned four more after recovering his spiritual power through meditation the previous night.
Lin directed a skeleton warrior towards a nearby monster and cast a detection spell.
"Goblin Patrolman, Level: 10, Strength: 120, Agility: 50, Spirit: 50, Constitution: 120, Skills: None."
The level 10 Goblin Patrolman, hideous in appearance and wielding a spiked club, was primarily strong in strength but pitifully low in agility and spirit. Its constitution indicated it was tough, but compared to a skeleton warrior with attributes all reaching 750, it was significantly outmatched.
Goblin tribes, the main inhabitants of this area, occupied a vast territory extending to the West Sea Mine, 50 kilometers away. As the skeleton warrior approached the goblin, it initiated an attack. Despite being hit by the club, the skeleton warrior barely reacted before counterattacking with its decrepit sword.