"Hm, an Intermediate Cultivation Room? Are the effects that great?" Apollo muttered, claiming the Spirit Shards from Kayn. In addition to the Spirit Shards he received from the system as well as what he found in the pouch Irauk gave him, he now had 16 of them in his possession.
"Well, in truth, they're lesser rooms but those formations in the ships pale in comparison to the effects of these rooms. The formation coupled with the density of Natural Essence on this island transforms them into an insurmountable benefit," Kayn added while glancing at the line of youths.
Unable to rebut, Apollo nodded. It was true, even if the formation was only on par with the one in the ship, there was no doubt with the state of the Natural Essence here, it was capable of bolstering it to new heights. This was the virtue of being the holy land of cultivation, why all those who wished to make grand strides in their cultivation sought to venture here even if for a meager 3 days.
"Go along, we'll rent normal spaces," Kayn urged once again, prompting others to follow along as he approached a remote corner. Left with no other choice, Apollo stood on an extensive line of youths.
Luckily, it moved quickly as these weren't normal people. As the conversation was curt, no excess words were spared. Soon enough, it was nearly Apollo's turn, however, he caught wind of a familiar face.
Violeta stood two spots before him, approaching the desk with an exaggerated sway of her hips. Furthermore, it seemed she changed her outfit to something more provocative—all of her curves showcased for all to see. Some even bit the bait, ogling at her figure.
Meanwhile, Apollo shook his head derisively, muttering to himself, "I understand why Aunty dislikes these women, they're tasteless. Flaunting their slightly above average bodies, they seek the benefits of men. That type of vain thinking will only limit their growth."
After offering his thoughts, he fell silent, listening to the exchange at the desk. As he was now, he wasn't privy to the differences in lesser cultivation rooms.
"What will you be renting? Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Perfected or Supreme Lesser Cultivation Room?" a beautiful yet cold ivory haired woman asked, her voice lacking in emotion.
"Intermediate," Violeta replied curtly. However, Apollo pondered to himself, determining the difference between the choices shouldn't be small. Based on the way people seldom chose anything above Advanced, the price of them had to be insane.
"1 Spirit Stone per day. Do you want the standard 3 days or are your Spirit Shards insufficient?" the lady asked once again.
"3 days," Violeta succinctly replied. In a flash, a badge appeared on the desk, Violeta wordlessly claiming it and leaving. There was no need for them to tell her where to go as the badge served as a beacon. It released a wisp of essence connected to the room.
Afterward, the next person chose an Advanced Lesser Cultivation Room. Alas, it was Apollo's chance, stepping forward.
Once again the lady repeated her words, but Apollo remained silent. Naturally, his silence irritated the woman, invoking her ire, "Listen, kid, I asked a question, which room will you pick? You had ample time to choose, your decision should've been made before reaching here."
"Ah, my issue is I'm unaware of the other rooms' prices. I've only heard the Advanced and below. Tell me, how much are the Perfected and Supreme rooms?" Apollo replied, ignoring her attitude and remaining calm. If his anger flared in the slightest, he already witnessed the possible consequences.
"Hoh? What is your background?" the lady raised her eyebrow, taking a slight interest in Apollo. The reason no one picked the rooms above Advanced wasn't due to their uselessness but because they weren't cost-effective. Outside of the central areas of continents that bordered Pangea Island and the island itself, nowhere else could be mined from Spirit Shards and its rarer, purer forms.
"Just a typical small noble family. Luckily, I had a miser ancestor who saved all their stones from long before. In exchange, all his hopes and dreams lay in these shards," Apollo winked at the lady, earning her amused chuckle.
At the sight of this, many gasped, an appalled person even gawking, "Oh my god! Is he flirting with the Administrator? He has balls! I wonder how his trial will go in 3 days!"
'Wait...Administrator?' Apollo thought to himself, sizing up the lady before him. In his eyes, he didn't flirt and was just revealing a portion of the truth. However, to the murmurs, the lady cracked a smile in return.
"That pet on your shoulder is abnormal. That alone tells me you must have much to hide but I don't care much about it if you don't want to disclose your origins. The reason no one wanted to use the rooms is that the Great Families and Supreme Families typically reserve them. Seldom are the rooms free and if they are, our prices are exorbitant," the lady smiled thinly.
"That's nice information and all but you still haven't told me the price," Apollo grumbled, almost becoming annoyed. This once again shocked him as these things usually didn't evoke a reaction for him.
"Hoh, impatient boy. You must have a high Fire Affinity and maybe even Dark. Interesting, the Perfected Rooms are 5 Spirit Shards per day whereas the Supreme are 10 Spirit Shards per 12 hours," chuckled the woman, awaiting Apollo's reaction.
Contrary to her expectations, it didn't come. Conversely, Apollo was left in a pensive state, he was trying to determine the combination of rooms he could make use of. After all, it was never mentioned that you couldn't rent multiple types of rooms.
"I'll rent a Supreme Room for 12 hours, 1 Perfected Room for 1 day, and 1 Intermediate for 1 day. The time only begins from the time I enter the room, correct? Oh, I didn't catch your name," Apollo said, retrieving every Spirit Shard in his possession while maintaining eye contact with the administrator.
Due to his actions, nearly all the remaining youth's eyes widened. The number of Spirit Shards he possessed was something a small noble family should be incapable of mustering. The number of Spirit Shards trickling in every continent didn't surpass 1,000 pieces in number.
What's more, every continent possessed countless small noble families. At most, they should only be able to muster 3-6 Spirit Shards. Furthermore, this wasn't in a few months or a year but in a decade! This was the disparity between the items allowed to flow within virtually powerless hands.
They were only supplied with the bare necessity needed to combat the Terrors in their area.
"Hoh? I wonder if I believe your story, and yes, the time begins the moment the badge enters the locks on the rooms, activating their mechanism. As for my name, you may refer to me as Administrator Sapphyr," the lady chuckled, presenting Apollo three distinctly different badges.
Picking each one up, Apollo noticed the difference in material. In comparison, the Intermediate Room Key looked shabby compared to the other two made out of pristine crystal material.
"Make sure to return them before leaving in light of your trial," Administrator Sapphyr reminded. Looking at his departing back, Sapphyr muttered to herself, 'I have a feeling that boy is irregular…'
Unbeknownst to others, she slid her hand under her chair forming a signal. After doing so, a fleeting shadow departed from her body, surveilling Apollo's route. "Xezym, don't interfere with the boy but tell me if he is skilled in the Dark Element. I sense an enigmatic fluctuation from him."
"Roger, my Lady," the shadowy figure replied, melding with Apollo's shadow. However, his actions didn't go unnoticed. Ouroboros' eyes slammed open, hissing.
'Master, I feel someone close. I think you are being watched but I can't tell where. You should be careful,' Ouroboros warned Apollo.
Immediately after, Apollo came to a halt. Examining his surroundings, he failed to notice anything out of place. Unlike Azridan or Ouroboros, Apollo didn't have a matured perception, thus, unable to sense the spirit lurking in his shadow.
Furthermore, the spirit didn't possess any malicious intent so he couldn't perceive its presence. Nevertheless, after ample searching and coming up short, Apollo entered the Intermediate Lesser Cultivation Room, astonished by the environment.
"Wow...not only is this place full of vibrant essence, but the effects of this room also serve to benefit the individual," Apollo marveled, punching the air. Contrary to what he expected, nothing happened.
"This place is perfect, Kayn was correct, this place is incomparable to the independent space of the ship," Apollo smirked, while the doors closed behind him. But, lurking in the shadow, Xezym remained concealed.