The Elven Cultivator

After leaving the Silver Moon Forest, Anton habitually activated his Thousand Faces Skill to give himself a new face.

Out of caution, he decided not to use his old identity as Canglan, instead creating an entirely new face for himself.

After all, Canglan had dealings with the Ring of Annihilation, so it was possible he was already being secretly watched by them.

Hunting in the Thousand Rock Hills was one thing, but it was better to be cautious when entering a place like Bishui Port, which was teeming with all sorts of people.

Sprinting at full speed with the Star Shifting Step, Anton reached Bishui Port in less than an hour.

The towering city walls, more than thirty meters high, glowed a weather-beaten gray-brown in the sun, built from massive granite blocks and covered with the mottled scars of time.

The city gate was wide open, its two iron-bound oak doors swung inward. The gateway was deep, and the sunlight only illuminated the first half, leaving the rest shrouded in shadow, resembling the gaping maw of a giant beast.

The line of people waiting to enter the city snaked back from the gate for four or five hundred meters.

Anton walked to the end of the line and looked around with great interest.

After spending decades in the Silver Moon Forest, he was accustomed to lush greenery and dappled light. To suddenly arrive in such a bustling, crowded place gave him a strange sense of unreality, as if he had just stepped out of a serene oil painting and into a clamorous, sprawling mural of city life.

The line moved slowly, and after more than ten minutes, Anton finally reached the city gate.

Two guards in leather armor stood at the entrance. One of them, a burly man with a rugged face, held out a hand to stop him, looking him up and down. "City entrance fee, two Copper Coins."

Anton took two Copper Coins from his pouch and handed them over.

The burly man took the coins, casually tossed them into a wooden box beside him, and waved him through. "Go on in."

Anton stepped through the gateway. The shadows enveloped him and then receded, and the scene before him opened up dramatically.

A wave of warm air, thick with the mingled scents of sea salt, spices, sweat, and cooking food, washed over him—a sharp contrast to the cool breeze outside the city walls.

Shops lined both sides of the street, with signs jutting out from the eaves of the second floors. They were painted with a dizzying variety of images—wine goblets, wheat stalks, anvils, and medicinal herbs.

Human Race merchants shouted loudly, hawking their wares from their stalls.

Beastman porters, shouldering heavy crates, pushed their way through the crowd. Sweat dripped from their tusked faces, and veins bulged on their thick necks.

A few Dwarves squatted at the entrance to a blacksmith shop, gnawing on black bread and drinking ale. Their scar-crossed arms gestured animatedly as they talked, letting out bursts of gruff laughter.

Not far away, a tall Fishman with pale blue skin emerged from an alleyway, faint gill slits visible on his neck. He carried a string of shimmering silver fish and hurried off, disappearing into the crowd at the corner.

Despite belonging to completely different races, everyone seemed to coexist harmoniously in the city.

The scene reminded Anton of his adventuring days in the game from his past life, and he couldn't help but sigh with nostalgia.

Fortunately, he wasn't the sentimental type. He quickly composed himself, asked a passerby for directions, and headed toward Tide Street.

Tide Street was the most prosperous commercial street in Bishui Port, and the headquarters of many commerce associations were located there.

Anton slowed his pace, his gaze scanning the signs on either side of the street.

Soon, he found his target.

It was a three-story stone building. Above the door, a relief carving of a tulip was set into the lintel, its layered, unfurling petals rendered with lifelike detail.

Beneath the carving hung a bronze plaque engraved with the words 'Tulip Commerce Association'.

According to Harvey, the Tulip Commerce Association was one of the largest in Bishui Port; only the Flame Trade Association could be considered its rival.

However, compared to the latter, the Tulip Commerce Association had a better reputation among Adventurers. Their business practices were more scrupulous, and they were known for being fair to everyone, young and old alike.

Two guards stood at the building's entrance. They wore Chain Armor with Long Swords at their waists, their sharp gazes sweeping over the passersby.

Anton straightened his clothes and walked up the steps.

The guard on the left glanced at him and said, his tone neither servile nor haughty, "Sir, this is the headquarters of the Tulip Commerce Association. We only handle large transactions of 100 Gold Coins or more. If you simply wish to purchase common goods, you can visit the association's other shops in the city."

"I know," Anton replied, his expression calm.

Hearing this, the guard said no more and stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Anton pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped into the association's main building.

He was greeted by the sight of an exceptionally spacious hall. The floor was paved with polished marble that reflected the light from the crystal chandeliers hanging overhead.

Directly opposite the entrance stood a long counter made of dark walnut, its surface polished to a mirror shine. Behind it, several young apprentices in matching gray uniforms, with the tulip emblem embroidered on their chests, stood ready.

Anton walked up to the counter, and an apprentice immediately approached him, wearing a professional smile. "Good day, sir. How may I help you?"

"Do you purchase Scale Rock Lizard hides here?" Anton got straight to the point.

"Of course," the apprentice replied, his smile unwavering. "How many hides are you looking to sell?"

"Two thousand."

The apprentice's smile froze for a moment.

He blinked, as if he'd misheard. "Sir, did you say... two thousand?"

When Anton nodded, the apprentice finally snapped back to reality and bowed hastily. "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go get the manager."

With that, he turned and hurried through a curtained doorway behind the counter.

Before long, a middle-aged man in his forties emerged from behind the curtain.

He was slightly heavyset and wore a well-tailored, dark gray, fine-wool vest over a pristine white linen shirt, his cuffs held up with black armbands.

His attire was free of any extravagant decorations, yet every detail conveyed an air of neatness and precision.

"Sir, I am Harold, the manager of this association," he said, his face breaking into a warm smile. "I heard you wish to sell some Scale Rock Lizard hides?"

"That's right." Anton merely gave a slight nod, not offering his name.

Harold didn't seem to mind. He turned to the side and made an inviting gesture.

"This way, sir. We can sit and discuss things."

Led by Harold, Anton walked down a corridor behind the counter and into an elegantly furnished reception room.

Harold personally poured two cups of tea. He slid one across to Anton before seating himself in the chair opposite.

"Sir, if you don't mind, may I inspect the merchandise first?"

Anton didn't object. He swept his palm over the tabletop, secretly infusing a trace of Spiritual Qi into a storage talisman hidden up his sleeve. In an instant, a neatly stacked pile of Scale Rock Lizard hides appeared out of thin air on the table.

'A Storage Item!'

Harold's eyes flashed.

'Even the most basic Storage Items are at least Micro-Light Level Magic items. Anyone who can afford one must have a significant background.'

At this thought, his attitude toward the man before him grew even warmer.

After giving Anton an appreciative nod, Harold picked up the topmost hide and examined it closely.

His fingers traced the surface of the hide before he turned it over to inspect the texture of the underside. Finally, he brought it to his nose for a sniff and gave a slight nod.

"The quality is superb, and it's almost perfectly intact. Whoever killed this Scale Rock Lizard was an expert; they barely damaged the hide," he praised. He then picked up the second and third hides, inspecting each in turn.

A short while later, Harold had finished inspecting twenty of the Scale Rock Lizard hides, the smile on his face growing ever wider.

"Sir, if all the Scale Rock Lizard hides you have are of this quality, I can offer to purchase them at a price of 10 Silver Coins per hide. What do you say?"

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