Kapitel 11: Trading Area (Edited)

Noxtis and Ember arrived at the trading area, Noxtis leading them towards the setup of various tents and stalls set up outside of the village. Everything was bustling and many of the villager's stalls were doing their utmost to promote their wares to the wandering Crimson Scale merchant disciples.

All the stalls and the general trading area were brightly lit with torchlight and decorations to bring a fun and interesting flair to the usual bland and to-the-point architecture that he usually saw on a regular day to day.

As the two beastkin cultivators walked around at a steady pace, occasionally looking at a few stalls that caught Ember's eye, they could easily tell when one of the Merchant disciples was around. Excited advertisements of their wares and boasting to the dragonkin who could make them a lot of coin in a short amount of time. Catching sight of the white-robed dragonkin who was studiously looking at the wares they came across who had a respectful crowd of turtlekin around them.

Compared to the white-robed disciples, even more, attention was given to the four higher-ranked disciples as they dutifully looked over the wares of each stall. Contrary to what Noxtis expected, the red-robed disciples did not look down upon the villager's wares, even the ones that were clearly not worth much.

Asking for what reason the merchant disciples were being humble, Ember shrugged. "Unlike a lot of tribes that are in a position of strength, dragonkin are known to be very astute when it comes to money. Believe it or not, the Merchant quarter of the Crimson Scale tribe is actually larger and more influential than that of the Martial quarter.

Much of that comes from the strict teachings and natural affinity for treasure that all dragonkin, regardless of what path they choose, are taught from the moment they are hatchlings. But especially those of the merchant quarter are known to never miss out on a potential deal or treasure that many other merchant guilds or individuals might miss.

Of course, that is not to say that they are gullible or buy every single bauble they come across, but rather that they do not think themselves higher than others and ignore the item in question just because the source is considered 'lesser' by others.

While of course, many dragonkin are born with a naturally strong body, their desire to attain riches borders on the level of greed so their desire to actually train their body are fewer than those that want to amass wealth. I had heard from my grandfather that long ago most dragonkin tribes were thugs and raiders that hoarded any and all riches they could lay their claws upon, much to the ire of all those they attacked.

And when the other tribes decided to forgo their differences and band together, the dragonkin tribes were beaten back and almost killed to extinction. It wasn't till a deal was struck by the various tribe leaders to avoid wiping out the dragon tribes entirely that the bloodshed stopped for the most part. The ancient dragon tribes would swear a blood oath that bound every member of their bloodlines to reign in their greedy and prideful nature.

While the desire for riches never entirely went away, a few generations had allowed the dragon tribes to replenish their brood to decent levels but not nearly to their peak of old. And over time their status as insightful and trustworthy merchants and bankers has led our continent of Sol to become closer together and the overall coin system we have now.

The blood oath is still within the bloodline of every dragonkin, but the power it holds has weakened over time. But the traditions are still told and heavily respected to this day so that future generations won't repeat the same mistakes.

Plus new and mysterious creatures, herbs, and treasures of all types can be found anywhere. There have been many times when a seemingly useless item has turned out to be incredibly useful or powerful and made a merchant rich overnight. While that hasn't happened for a few years now, every merchant hopes to find the next new discovery."

Awed by the history of the dragonkin, Noxtis had always heard they were an incredibly powerful tribe but to think that even at their peak that other tribes had managed to almost wipe them out. "So are you part of the merchant quarter then?"

"Hmmm? No, I am technically part of the Martial quarter. I just tagged along with this caravan because I was bored and hoped to find more sword cultivation outside the city."

Smiling, Ember kissed Noxtis on the cheek unabashedly. "Unfortunately I found you."

"Hey! You're lucky to have found me!" Blushing deeply and pawing the ground lightly, Noxtis hurried his pace towards Grandma Reah's stall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A hunched older lady rocked in her comfy chair. "See, they are just fine. I told you not to worry your little head so much Gundlach."

The tall Crimson Scale Elder sighed as he rubbed his temples. "She's still the tribe leader's granddaughter, who knows what that rascal might have done to her!"

"Oh please, you need to relax. Children have to make their own decisions in life and grow. It's no wonder she became so rambunctious with you and Flint hovering over her every move in the tribe."

Narrowing her vision at her adoptive grandson, Reah smiled. "She is in good hands now."

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Elder Gundlach stopped trying to argue with the old turtle. "I hope you're right..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Noxtis soon found himself arriving at Grandma Reah's stall. Surprisingly, Noxtis saw that the stall was already baren of all their goods. While their wares were only food-related, there was still a decent amount that was left after distributing shares to the other villagers. (it's not called giant earthworm for nothin you know >_<)

Pondering if he should take down the stall now, Noxtis decided against it in the end since Grandma Reah might want to sell something else and had no intention of getting on her bad side.

Finally reaching Noxtis, Embervesent tapped his shoulder. Jumping up in fright, Noxtis clutched his chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that Ember, you almost gave me a heart attack."

Staring at Noxtis with a confused look, Ember questioned and thought.

'Are you sure he's a cultivator?'

"Are you sure that you're a cultivator? Where is your sense of adventure? Don't you want to explore Sol and other parts of our world? To see what other places have to offer, the beastkin that live across the lands and to sharpen your sword skills."

*Sigh* 'Yes, Noxtis is a cultivator. But he hasn't wandered the world outside this small village and part of the forest. One of the other reasons why I wished for him to journey outside and gather some much-needed life and death experiences.

Anyway, I expended a lot of spirit qi so I'll have to rest for a while to recover. You have your cultivation technique and are already building your Qi Core, just make sure to temper your core to leave no impurities or you'll regret it later. Lastly, Noxtis knows all the basic sword forms of my sect and you both would benefit greatly from a real sparring partner.'

"So what's your plan Noxtis? I heard you need to go to Crimson Scale city right?"

Walking over to one of the empty chairs, Noxtis sat down and relaxed. "Yeah, that's the plan anyway. I'm close to the point where I can forge my Sword Spirit so all I need is to find the last few items needed which could take a while from what our master has told me. So during that time, I figured that I would be able to forge my Sword Spirit by then. What stage are you at by the way? I'm at the initial bone stage."

Sitting down in the other chair, Ember was pleasantly surprised at how soft the simple-looking chair was. "I just reached the initial uscle stage before leaving the city. But I'll have to focus all my efforts on forming my Qi seed which is a pain in the ass by the way."

"Alright." Getting up from his chair despite wanting to relax the day away, Noxtis' body was getting that telltale itch to train even with his muscles a bit sore from all the activities from yesterday. "I'm going to go train in the meantime. Care to join me?"

Nodding in agreement, they both slipped away from the busy trading area and walked back towards Noxtis' hidden hut in the forest.

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