15: Chapter 15 An Initial Exploration of the Chamber of Commerce, Forging an Alliance

Walking east to the end of Jubao Street, the view suddenly opened up.

A tower made entirely of ink-colored rock rose from the ground, eighty feet high, with six floors in total.

Bronze wind chimes hung from the upturned eaves, making a dull sound as the wind blew, exuding a heavy sense of age.

Above the main entrance of the tower, a plaque with gold characters on a black background was striking—

“Black Stone Chamber of Commerce,” the four characters written with vigorous brushwork, faintly shimmering with spiritual light, clearly the work of a master.

Unlike other shops in the market, there were no clerks soliciting business at the entrance of the chamber of commerce.

Only four guards dressed in uniform black athletic wear stood on either side.

The two leading ones stood like pines, their Auras as solid as iron, surprisingly at the Peak Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation, only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

The other two, though slightly inferior, were also experts at the Late Stage Qi Refining, their eyes sharp as hawks, scanning the passing crowd.

Anyone who came within thirty feet of the tower would be scrutinized by them.

Lin Yue held the wooden token given by Shopkeeper Liu in his hand and walked slowly toward the main entrance.

Before he could get close, the leading guard on the left stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

“Stop. This is the Chamber of Commerce's restricted area; no entry without an invitation.”

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable pressure; an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator would likely be silenced by this Aura.

Lin Yue calmly released a trace of Early Stage Foundation Establishment spiritual power fluctuation while handing over the wooden token:

“Introduced by Old Liu, looking for Steward Liu.”

Sensing the Aura on Lin Yue, a flash of surprise crossed the guard's eyes.

He took the wooden token, looked at it carefully, then looked up to confirm Lin Yue's appearance, his attitude softening slightly:

“So it's Old Liu's guest.

Please follow me; Steward Liu is receiving guests on the second floor.”

Having said that, he stepped aside to lead Lin Yue inside, while the other three guards remained at the door, their expressions not relaxing in the slightest.

The moment he stepped through the main door, a wave of Spiritual Qi several times denser than outside hit him.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, isolated from the hustle and bustle of the market.

The first-floor hall was extremely spacious, about half the size of a martial arts field, with the floor paved with smooth white jade slabs.

Reflecting the glazed lamps hanging overhead, the light was soft but not dazzling.

Dozens of counters were neatly arranged on both sides of the hall, each with a deacon dressed in a gray long robe, with various items displayed in front of them—

The counters on the left were mostly spiritual Materials and Ores, while the right side focused on Magical Artifacts and Talismans.

There weren't many guests coming and going, but each had a steady Aura, mostly Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Occasionally, there were a few Late Stage Qi Refining ones, all speaking in low voices with respectful expressions, clearly in awe of the chamber of commerce.

Lin Yue's gaze quickly swept over the counters, seeing a few head-sized pieces of spirit iron ore placed in brocade boxes at a counter on the left.

The surface of the Ore shimmered with a faint spiritual light, its quality even better than the High Grade spirit iron ore produced in Sunset Town, but the price marked next to it was “thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones per catty.”

Significantly higher than the purchase price of the Black Stone Merchant Team in Sunset Town.

He understood; it seemed the chamber's pricing was indeed higher than the merchant team's, but the threshold was correspondingly higher as well.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, this way please.”

The guiding guard brought Lin Yue to the stairs and called out to the second floor:

“Steward Liu, the guest introduced by Old Liu has arrived.”

After a moment, a slightly plump middle-aged Cultivator walked down the stairs.

He wore a green robe embroidered with the chamber's emblem, his Face round with a gentle smile; it was Steward Liu.

His gaze fell on Lin Yue, and he was first stunned by Lin Yue's youth, then quickly walked down the stairs and cupped his hands:

“I presume this is Fellow Daoist Lin?

Old Liu sent me a message saying a young and promising Fellow Daoist would be coming; I didn't expect you to arrive so soon.”

“Steward Liu is too kind.”

Lin Yue returned the gesture, “I hope you can forgive the intrusion.”

“You joke, Fellow Daoist; I wouldn't dare neglect Old Liu's Face.”

Steward Liu stepped aside to lead the way, “It's quiet upstairs; let's go up and talk in detail.”

The layout of the second floor was completely different from the first; there were no counters, but instead, it was divided into individual tea rooms.

Bamboo curtains hung at the entrance of each tea room, and conversations could be heard vaguely from inside.

Steward Liu led Lin Yue to the tea room on the far east side, lifted the bamboo curtain, and invited him in:

“Fellow Daoist Lin, please take a seat.

Try our chamber's ‘Green Mist Tea’; it's brewed with spiritual spring water from deep within the Black Wind Forest, which is beneficial for Cultivators to stabilize their spiritual power.”

The tea room wasn't large but was elegantly decorated, with a pearwood table and two grandmaster chairs by the window, and a set of exquisite tea sets on the table.

Steward Liu personally brewed a cup of tea for Lin Yue; the tea was light green, and the rising steam emitted a crisp fragrance that refreshed the mind.

Lin Yue took a sip, feeling a warm Spiritual Qi slide down his throat and disperse slightly in his Dantian, dissipating much of the fatigue from several days of travel.

He put down the teacup and got straight to the point:

“Steward Liu, to be honest, I've come this time to discuss the spirit iron ore business with the chamber.”

“Oh?”

A flash of interest appeared in Steward Liu's eyes, “Fellow Daoist Lin has spirit iron ore for sale? I wonder what the quality is like?”

Lin Yue took out a piece of companion spirit iron ore weighing about five catties from his Storage Pouch and placed it on the table:

“This is the spirit iron ore I have; Steward Liu can take a look.”

As soon as the Ore was placed down, a faint spiritual light surrounded it, and pure Spiritual Qi emanated through the stone, faintly resonating with the Spiritual Qi in the tea room.

Steward Liu's gaze was immediately drawn to it; he picked up the Ore, a trace of spiritual power at his fingertips probing into it, and the smile on his Face grew thicker:

“Good Ore!

The Spiritual Qi purity has reached the upper-tier of Medium Grade, even better than the Medium Grade spirit iron ore circulating on the market.

Fellow Daoist Lin, how much of this spirit iron ore do you have?”

“Currently, I have two hundred catties in stock, and I can stably produce twenty-five catties daily from now on.”

The numbers Lin Yue quoted were consistent with the actual situation of the plane, neither appearing exaggerated nor enough to make the chamber of commerce interested.

Steward Liu's hand holding the teacup paused, and he re-evaluated Lin Yue.

Twenty-five catties of upper-tier Medium Grade companion spirit iron ore daily was no small amount; even for the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce, it was difficult to find such a stable source of high-quality goods.

He pondered for a moment and said seriously: “Fellow Daoist Lin, to be honest, the chamber's purchase price for upper-tier Medium Grade companion spirit iron ore is twenty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones per catty.

If you can provide a long-term supply, the price can be set at twenty-four per catty, and we can settle monthly, so you don't have to deliver every time. How about it?”

This price was two stones higher than the Black Stone Merchant Team's purchase price in Sunset Town, and far higher than that of Low Grade spirit iron ore.

Fortunately, the plane's recent upgrades had also turned the spirit iron ore into Medium Grade. Lin Yue had expected this and nodded:

“The price is fair.

However, I have a condition: for each settlement, I hope to be paid half in Spirit Stones and half in resources.

I need high-tier Spiritual Plant seeds, Cultivation Techniques, Jade Slips, Medicinal Pills, and forging Materials for some low-tier Magical Artifacts; if the chamber has them, they can be calculated at market price.”

Steward Liu laughed upon hearing this:

“Fellow Daoist Lin certainly knows how to plan.

No problem; as long as it's in the chamber's warehouse, it can be calculated at market price. If there are rare items, I can also keep an eye out for you.”

He stood up, “Since the price is settled, if it's convenient for Fellow Daoist Lin, we can go to the warehouse now to hand over those two hundred catties of spirit iron ore, so you can see our chamber's sincerity.”

“Alright.”

Lin Yue stood up in response.

The chamber's warehouse was located on the west side of the first floor, guarded by two Middle Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

A simple defensive Formation was set up at the door, its Spiritual Qi fluctuations subtle but not to be underestimated.

Steward Liu showed his token, and the Formation opened, revealing the spacious storage space inside.

The warehouse was neatly categorized into spiritual Materials, Ores, and Magical Artifacts, each area overseen by a specialized deacon with extremely detailed records.

Lin Yue took out the two hundred catties of spirit iron ore from his Storage Pouch, and the warehouse deacon immediately stepped forward to count and weigh them.

After confirming everything was correct, he nodded to Steward Liu.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, two hundred catties of spirit iron ore at twenty-four stones per catty totals four thousand eight hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.”

Steward Liu handed Lin Yue a Storage Pouch.

“In here are two thousand four hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones; for the remaining two thousand four hundred, you can go upstairs to pick out equivalent resources. I'll have someone take you.”

Lin Yue took the Storage Pouch, sensed the number of Spirit Stones inside, and nodded: “Thank you, Steward Liu.”

“You're welcome.”

Steward Liu smiled and said to a young deacon nearby:

“Xiao Zhou, take Fellow Daoist Lin to the spiritual Materials area on the third floor and the Cultivation Techniques area on the fourth floor to pick some things, calculate them at market price, and charge it to my account.”

“Yes, Steward Liu.”

The young deacon responded respectfully, turned, and made a “please” gesture to Lin Yue.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, this way please.”

The spiritual Materials area on the third floor was much richer than the counters on the first floor, with not only various high-tier Spiritual Plants but also many rare Spiritual Plant seeds.

Lin Yue's gaze was soon drawn to a jade box labeled “Fifth-Tier purple leaf orchid.” He had seen this Spiritual Plant recorded in Li Shan's Jade Slip.

Once mature, it could be used to refine Purple Leaf Pills, which helped Foundation Establishment Cultivators push for the Middle Stage, with an effect several times better than the spirit nurturing flower.

“How much are these purple leaf orchid seeds?”

Lin Yue asked, pointing to the jade box.

The deacon in charge of the spiritual Materials area was a white-haired old man who stroked his beard upon hearing this:

“The purple leaf orchid is a fifth-tier Spiritual Plant; the seeds are delicate and require spiritual spring water to survive. Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones per seed.”

Lin Yue did not hesitate: “Give me thirty seeds.”

A flash of surprise crossed the old man's eyes, but he still took out thirty seeds and packed them.

Lin Yue also picked some fourth-tier “qi condensing grass” seeds that could help Qi Refining Cultivators break through, as well as some spirit soil for improving the earth, totaling exactly one thousand two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

The Cultivation Techniques area on the fourth floor was even more spectacular, with bookshelves filled with densely packed Jade Slips.

Ranging from first to third tier, there was also a dedicated reading area where several Cultivators sat with their eyes closed, studying.

Lin Yue selected three second-tier techniques suitable for Early Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation and two first-tier techniques for Qi Refining.

He also found several basic Jade Slips on Ore identification, artifact forging, pill refining, and spiritual medicine cultivation—

These would be of great benefit to the Family's strength, and they also totaled one thousand two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

After picking out the resources, the young deacon checked the accounts and said to Lin Yue:

“Fellow Daoist Lin, all items total two thousand four hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, which have been deducted from the spirit iron ore payment.

Here is the list; you can check it.”

Lin Yue looked at the list and, after confirming it was correct, nodded: “No need to check.”

When he returned to the second-floor tea room, Steward Liu was sitting there waiting. Seeing Lin Yue return, he asked with a smile:

“Did Fellow Daoist Lin pick out anything satisfactory?”

“Thank you, Steward Liu; the items are all very good.”

Lin Yue said.

“That's good.”

Steward Liu took out a black token from his robe and handed it to Lin Yue, “This is the chamber's ‘Supplier Token’.”}, entry fee is only five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and you'll get a ten percent discount on any items you win.”

“With this token, you can come directly to the chamber to find me in the future without needing to be announced.

At the beginning of each month, I'll have someone go to your place of residence to settle the previous month's payment. If you have any urgent needs for resources, you can also contact me anytime using the token.”

Lin Yue took the token and saw it was made of an unknown black wood, with the words “Black Stone” carved on the front.

On the back was the character “Supply.” It was cool to the touch and had faint Formation fluctuations, clearly not just a symbol of status but also usable for transmitting information.

He cupped his hands and said, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Steward Liu.”

“As it should be.”

Steward Liu picked up his teacup and, as if suddenly remembering something, said:

“By the way, Fellow Daoist Lin, in seven days, the chamber will hold a small auction.

At that time, there will be many high-tier spiritual Materials, Cultivation Technique Jade Slips, and possibly even low-tier Medicinal Pills for sale.

If you're interested, I can save an invitation for you. The entry fee is only five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and you'll get a ten percent discount on any items you win.”

Lin Yue's heart stirred.

An auction? This was a good opportunity to obtain scarce resources.

He currently needed Medicinal Pills to help break through to the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage; if there were any at the auction, he could try to get them.

He nodded and said, “Thank you for letting me know, Steward Liu. I'm interested, so please save an invitation for me.”

“No problem.”

Steward Liu agreed with a smile, “I'll have the invitation sent to the inn where you're staying. Where are you staying, Fellow Daoist?”

“Yingke Tower, third floor.”

“Noted.”

Steward Liu stood up, “If Fellow Daoist Lin has nothing else, I won't disturb you.

In seven days at the Hour of the Rabbit, the auction will be held on the fifth floor of the chamber. You can enter with the invitation.”

“Thank you, Steward Liu.”

Lin Yue cupped his hands in farewell and turned to leave the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce.

When he walked out of the chamber's main door, it was nearly noon, and the flow of people on Jubao Street was even greater than in the morning.

Lin Yue looked back at the towering Black Stone Tower, deep in thought.

This transaction with the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce went more smoothly than expected; he not only got a fair price but also established a foundation for long-term cooperation.

He even got news of an auction, making the trip worthwhile.

He didn't rush back to the inn but circled near the Spiritual Item Pavilion, wanting to see if there were any missed high-tier Spiritual Plant seeds.

Just as he reached the street corner, he saw the same black-clothed men from the Iron Fist Gang from yesterday surrounding a Cultivator and arguing. Looking at the Cultivator's clothes, he was actually from Green Robe Hall.

“That mineral vein was clearly discovered by us first. Why is your Green Robe Hall snatching it?”

A black-clothed man roared, the steel saber in his hand faintly unsheathed, revealing a cold glint.

“The mineral vein is on the edge of the Black Wind Forest, a masterless land; naturally, it's first come, first served.”

The Green Robe Hall Cultivator was not to be outdone, his spiritual power surging.

“If you have the ability, let's see who's really capable and see who's qualified to occupy that mineral vein!”

The two were at each other's throats, and nearby pedestrians avoided them, fearing they'd be caught in the crossfire.

Lin Yue frowned; these Gang fights were indeed as frequent as the innkeeper had said. It seemed the waters of Black Stone City were much deeper than those of Sunset Town.

He didn't stay and quickened his pace to leave Jubao Street.

When he returned to Yingke Tower, Lin Hu and the others were wiping their weapons in the room.

Seeing Lin Yue return, Lin Hu hurried to meet him: “Clan Chief, you're back.

I just went to the market to exchange Spirit Stones and heard people say the Iron Fist Gang and Green Robe Hall are about to fight over a mineral vein in the Black Wind Forest. Should we avoid that area?”

“No need.”

Lin Yue shook his head, “We're just here to do business; we won't get involved in their struggles.”

He handed the Storage Pouch containing the Spirit Stones and resources to Lin Hu.

“These are the Spirit Stones, seeds, and techniques from this transaction; keep them safe.

Additionally, there's an auction at the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce in seven days. I plan to go. Be careful when you go out these few days; your main purpose is to gather intelligence and find out about the situation of the forces in Black Stone City and around the Family.”

“An auction?”

A flash of curiosity appeared in Lin Hu's eyes, but he still nodded, “Don't worry, Clan Chief; we will definitely be careful and won't cause trouble.”

Lin Yue nodded and walked to the window to look out.

The sunlight in Black Stone City was just right, with pedestrians coming and going on the streets, a scene of prosperity, but beneath this prosperity was the cruel Law of the jungle.

He gripped the Supplier Token in his hand, feeling the faint fluctuations coming from inside.

To establish a foothold in Black Stone City and even find a broader path for the Lin Family, caution alone was not enough; sufficient strength and resources were also needed.

And the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce might be the key to obtaining these.

He was looking forward to the auction in seven days.