The Elven Cultivator

"Alright."

Anton nodded.

The price they offered was fair. 'The Tulip Commerce Association really does things by the book.'

"Would you like to be paid in cash, or with Gemstones?"

Anton shook his head and placed a list on the table. "Fifty Gold Coins in cash. Use the rest to get me the materials on this list."

Harold paused for a moment, then picked up the list and scanned it quickly.

It mostly listed high-value materials, the kind a Caster would use for refining potions.

Maintaining his professional demeanor, Harold didn't ask any questions. He simply smiled, agreed, and turned to instruct a subordinate to prepare the materials immediately.

While he waited, Anton took out the remaining Scale Rock Lizard hides one by one and handed them to the association's staff for inspection.

By the time all the hides had been counted, the materials he wanted were also ready.

Anton stored the materials in a blank storage talisman he had prepared in advance, then stood up to leave.

Harold personally saw him to the door and handed him a card engraved with an exquisite pattern. It was finely crafted, its edges shimmering with a faint magical glow.

"This is a Tulip Commerce Association VIP card. The holder is entitled to a twenty-percent discount at all shops under the Tulip Commerce Association. It also comes with a series of other benefits, such as commissioning the association to procure items and access to custom services. Please, accept it."

Scale Rock Lizards, a Black Iron Tier Dragon Beast, were not easy to hunt. In the past, even when Adventurers came to sell their hides, it was usually just one or two at most.

In all his years working for the Tulip Commerce Association, this was the first time Harold had ever seen someone sell two thousand Scale Rock Lizard hides at once.

Regardless of how he had obtained the Scale Rock Lizard hides, it was proof enough of the immense power the man before him wielded.

Naturally, the Tulip Commerce Association would do its utmost to curry favor with such a distinguished guest.

Anton didn't refuse and accepted the card.

In truth, he had far more than two thousand Scale Rock Lizard hides on hand—over twelve thousand, in fact.

This was the culmination of nearly forty years of hunting, and that was after discarding the damaged ones.

But he knew that selling them all at once would be too sensational. Plus, this was his first transaction, and he didn't yet have enough trust in the Tulip Commerce Association. That was why he had only taken out a portion to test the waters.

Watching Anton's figure disappear at the end of the street, Harold returned to the hall with a broad smile and walked down the corridor behind the counter.

A supervisor approached him. "Manager, what should we do with this batch of Scale Rock Lizard hides?"

"Turn them all into leather armor," Harold said without hesitation. "The association has been competing with the Flame Trade Association for the leather armor market recently. With this batch of Scale Rock Lizard hides, our advantage will surely grow."

"Yes, Manager."

...

After leaving the Tulip Commerce Association, Anton went to a blacksmith's shop marked with a Dwarven sigil. He took out the design for an Alchemy Cauldron and asked the Dwarven blacksmith to forge it according to the blueprint.

The Dwarven blacksmith had never seen a cauldron with such a strange structure, but tempted by the generous payment, he readily agreed, patting his chest and promising it would be ready for pickup in three days.

'Alchemy Cauldron level... Right now, I can only have a common one made.'

With his two main tasks completed, Anton finally had the leisure to wander around the city.

It was a rare trip to Bishui Port, so he naturally had to explore it thoroughly and gather some information along the way.

Strolling along, Anton soon arrived at White Sail Pier.

This was the heart of Bishui Port. Dozens of merchant ships and fishing boats were moored here year-round. A glance revealed a forest of masts and a sea of sails like clouds—a truly magnificent sight.

It was worth noting that in Bishui Port, any ship wishing to set sail had to be supervised by an accompanying Dragon Descendant.

For this reason, a troop of Dragon Descendants was permanently stationed at White Sail Pier.

Anton blended into the crowd, his gaze sweeping around, and soon spotted a small squad of Dragon Descendant soldiers along the shore.

They were patrolling the waterfront. Everywhere they went, the crowd scrambled to get out of their way. Anyone who was a few steps too slow would be sent flying with a slap. They were utterly domineering and arrogant.

The onlookers watched this scene, all furious but not daring to speak out.

This was the daily practice of the Dragon Descendants in their treatment of other races.

In their eyes, the Dragon Race was the noblest race in the world, and all other races were merely their vassals.

Anton's gaze swept over the Dragon Descendants' vertical pupils, sharp claws, and the scaly patterns on their skin, and understanding dawned on him.

'Low-blooded Dragon Descendants, I see.'

Legend had it that the first batch of Dragon Descendants were the offspring of the Dragon Race and other intelligent races. They were forcibly created by the Dragon Race using a bloodline Secret Technique and were known as the First Generation Species.

Although the First Generation Species possessed power far surpassing their parent races, most were mentally incomplete, had short lifespans, and were almost completely infertile.

Only after several millennia of evolution did they gradually become capable of natural reproduction, their bloodlines stabilizing, until they became a massive race spread across the continent.

Unlike the lesser dragons and Dragon Beasts with their diluted bloodlines and bestial forms, Dragon Descendants possessed humanoid or near-humanoid bodies, complete with intelligence and civilization. They were the Dragon Race's most direct tool for ruling over the Ten Thousand Races.

Within their own kind, a Dragon Descendant's strength and status were determined by the concentration and purity of the Dragon Race blood within them.

Those with a Dragon Race bloodline concentration of sixty percent or more were called Pure-blooded Dragon Descendants, the nobility among their kind.

They often retained many draconic features, such as horns, vertical pupils, scaly skin, and an extra joint in their fingers. They were born with the power of the Black Iron or even Silver Tiers, were almost guaranteed to reach the Golden Tier upon adulthood, and a few exceptional individuals could even awaken exclusive Dragon Race abilities like Dragon Breath.

Pure-blooded Dragon Descendants existed only within the core echelons of Dragon City, holding important positions such as city administrators and legion commanders.

Dragon Descendants with a bloodline concentration between thirty and sixty percent were known as high-blooded Dragon Descendants.

They were the backbone of the Dragon Descendants, their appearance more closely resembling humans, retaining only a few draconic features like vertical pupils and scales. They mostly served as military officers and administrative officials in Dragon City.

Further down were the lowest-ranking, low-blooded Dragon Descendants, whose bloodline concentration was often less than thirty percent.

Low-blooded Dragon Descendants were nearly indistinguishable from ordinary humans, save for their vertical pupils, hard claws, and scaly patterns. They formed the main component of the Dragon Descendant armies.

The Dragon Descendant soldiers he had seen were clearly low-blooded.

However, even the lowest-ranking low-blooded Dragon Descendant possessed, at a minimum, the power of the Black Iron Tier.

On the Dawn Continent today, the Dragon Race's Dragon Descendant Legion was the only formally established, large-scale army of the Black Iron Tier.

Watching the Dragon Descendant soldiers disappear into the crowd, Anton withdrew his gaze and continued to wander through the port, soon finding a tavern.

The Foggy Tavern.

This tavern, located in the port district, was a gathering place for sailors and Adventurers. One could overhear a great deal of gossip and anecdotes here over a mug of ale, including some valuable information.

The tavern even had its own business of selling information.

As long as you could afford the price, you could buy any news you wanted.

Anton stood at the tavern entrance. Just as he was about to push the door open, his eyes caught sight of a notice board standing to the side, and he suddenly froze.

It was a notice board made of an oak frame and a cork panel, its surface covered with overlapping sheets of sheepskin paper. There were bounty notices, missing person posters, and recruitment announcements, as well as a few pieces of sheepskin paper with yellowed, curled edges that had clearly been posted for some years.

Anton's gaze fell on one of the yellowed sheets of sheepskin paper.

It was a wanted poster.

He instantly recognized the unremarkable human face depicted on it, as well as the name 'Canglan' written below.

'Canglan, human male. Murdered a Flame Trade Association guard. Bounty: One hundred Gold Coins. Wanted alive.'

Anton stared at the wanted poster, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He had heard of the Flame Trade Association. Like the Tulip Commerce Association, it was one of the largest merchant associations in Bishui Port.

The difference was that the Flame Trade Association was rumored to be very close with the Dragon Descendants, and its president was the spokesperson for Kresol Dragon City in the Bishui Council.

'But I've never had any dealings with the Flame Trade Association, let alone killed one of their guards.'

'Is someone impersonating me?'

'Unlikely.'

'Ever since I finished off Casius, I haven't appeared as Canglan again.'

'The only ones who knew the name Canglan were the members of the Harvey Squad.'

'And they don't seem like the type to impersonate me and commit murder.'

'Then someone must be framing me.'

'Who could it be?'

'Real mystery, that one.'

Anton's lips twitched. Since coming to this world, he had only ever made one enemy. The answer was practically screaming at him.

He calmly averted his gaze and pushed open the tavern door, walking inside.

'The one on the poster is Canglan. What does that have to do with me?'

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