505: Chapter 498 Settling Down 505: Chapter 498 Settling Down On deck and inside the cabin, more than three thousand people from Liuyuan County were herded off the ship.
The Spirit Ship soared into the sky once more and then slowly made its way toward the central area of Jinshan City.
This area, already in ruins, was littered with broken bricks and tiles, various types of trash, and feces from humans and animals almost everywhere.
The potential of humans is boundless, especially when pushed into a corner, it is even truer.
Those with rudimentary tents set them up and thus found themselves a place to take shelter.
However, such items were not considered everyday necessities.
Few among those who came from Liuyuan County had brought rudimentary tents in their luggage.
The remaining people from Liuyuan County looked at each other, not knowing what to do next.
Clenching their teeth, everyone rolled up their sleeves.
Some started to level the ground, some started to clear away the broken bricks and rubble, trying to find materials that could be used to construct houses.
“Chen Hai, what should we do?”
“We didn’t prepare a simple tent either.”
“Should we also find a place here to build a house for ourselves?”
After staying there briefly, Ye Qingqing glanced around and asked Chen Hai.
“Build what house?
It’s already dusk, and it will soon be dark,” Chen Hai said.
“Come on, let’s leave this place and go directly to the busier parts of the city.”
After a short contemplation, Chen Hai smiled and called out to Ye Qingqing.
Jinshan City was divided into the inner and outer cities.
The inner city was very small, just that central piece of land, but it was home to high-ranking officials and some influential figures in the city.
As for the outer city, it was divided into four large districts: east, south, west, and north.
The area where Chen Hai and his companions were located was part of the West District of Jinshan City.
Although Jinshan City was merely one of the Twelve Small Cities under the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, the term ‘small’ was only relative.
A city with a population of over a million, placed on the former Blue Star, could barely be considered the standard of a main urban district of an Earth-level city.
Smoke Willow Street, one of the busiest streets in the West District.
On this street lined with restaurants and inns, there was an endless stream of pedestrians despite it being dusk.
“Candied fruit skewers, tasty candied fruit skewers…”
“A man dies for those who appreciate him, a woman beautifies herself for the one who cherishes her, top-quality rouge and face powder, come and take a look…”
“Delicious beef soup, fresh lamb spine, don’t miss out as you pass by…”
…
Dragging two large suitcases, Chen Hai and Ye Qingqing walked along Smoke Willow Street.
The cries of vendors from the roadside stalls intermittently reached their ears.
Whether it was members of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect or the locals of Jinshan City, their speech undoubtedly was in Yanhuang language.
However, the Yanhuang language they spoke seemed to carry a bit of a regional accent.
Walking on such streets, Chen Hai and his companion felt as if they had returned to a city of ancient times.
Had it not been for the appearance of those from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, they might have thought they had travelled back in time to the ancient days upon first arriving near Jinshan City from Liuyuan.
The pouch they had found on Zhang Yushan contained objects similar to coins, which Chen Hai and Ye Qingqing had previously guessed might be Spirit Coins.
After walking down the street for a while and intentionally taking note, both had confirmed this fact.
Spirit Coins of different colors also had different values.
White represented one Spirit Coin, silver was ten Spirit Coins, and gold was one hundred Spirit Coins.
As for the most valuable purple Spirit Coins, one was worth a thousand Spirit Coins.
This was the information Chen Hai and his companion learned from the owner of a tailor shop when they pretended to shop for clothes.
After learning this, Chen Hai specially took out the pouch from his Storage Pouch and examined it closely.
In that palm-sized pouch, too many Spirit Coins could not fit.
It contained about twenty to thirty coins of various colors, but the most numerous were the most valuable purple Spirit Coins.
Just this small bag of Spirit Coins was worth over ten thousand.
In Jinshan City, a waiter in a restaurant works hard for a month and earns about ten Spirit Coins.
Normally, ten Spirit Coins could buy about five bushels of rice.
Converted into modern measurement units, sixty-some jin of rice would be enough to feed a family of three.
Clothes, on the other hand, counted as relatively pricey.
At the tailor shop, both Chen Hai and Ye Qingqing bought a set of Hanfu-like clothes and only spent about ten to twenty Spirit Coins each.
With money in the pouch, one’s heart stays calm.
Even Ye Qingqing, after knowing the value of the Spirit Coins in Chen Hai’s pouch, seemed much more at ease.
Considering it was getting late, they did not continue to linger on the streets.
They found a decent-looking inn on Smoke Willow Street to stay temporarily.
For the next few days, they were extremely busy.
Living in an inn was clearly not a long-term solution, so through the Agency, they inspected several houses.
They finally settled on a Mansion with a garden, a pond, pavilions, and towers, covering an area of two to three acres.
Buying this courtyard cost Chen Hai a total of eight thousand Spirit Coins.
However, he did not grudge the money that had come by chance.
He could see that Ye Qingqing was very satisfied with the environment of the Mansion.
One cannot put a price on happiness.
Although the Mansion introduced by the Agency was the most expensive among those inspected, buying this place was indeed worth every penny.
Three days later, they had finally finished dealing with the house.
Sadly, even though they had the deed to the house in hand, their troubles were not yet over.
In the West District, at the northwest corner, there was a large market.
“Master Chen, if you want to buy house slaves or maids, this is the place.”
“See those people with straw stuck in their hair?
They all wish to sell themselves into slavery.”
“When choosing house slaves, you want to pick the strong and robust ones, as for maids, you want young and pretty ones.”
“Of course, such people might cost a bit more to buy.
However, with my assistance, unless it’s a Martial Artist, even if it’s expensive, it’s still within reason.”
…
Dressed in Hanfu, Chen Hai with his hands behind his back, wandered through the large market.
A half-step behind him, an Agency servant with a small melon hat followed closely, continuing to explain to Chen Hai.
The business of the Agency was akin to the real estate industry on Blue Star.
They were well-informed and broadly connected.
Just arrived in Jinshan City, and unfamiliar with the place, Chen Hai found it most fitting to have the Agency’s help in getting things done.
The newly purchased Mansion was slightly large, and it seemed too quiet and difficult to manage for just him and Ye Qingqing to live in.
Truth be told, had the Agency not informed him that he could buy some maids and house slaves to take care of the Mansion and serve them, he would possibly still be hesitating about purchasing the property.
“There are Martial Artists for sale here?
How strong are those practitioners?”
Somewhat curious, Chen Hai interrupted the servant and asked.
“Strong Martial Artists can hunt ordinary fierce beasts outside the city on their own.”
“However, such capable Martial Artists usually don’t lack money, and it’s unlikely that they would sell themselves into slavery.”
“In this market, buying a Martial Artist is up to chance; don’t get your hopes up too high…”
Startled, the servant quickly explained.
“What about Cultivators, then?
Are they available for purchase?” Chen Hai asked on impulse, after a moment’s thought.
“How could that be possible?” The Agency servant’s expression changed, and he shook his head like a rattle.
After a short pause, he explained, “It’s easy for anyone to dabble in martial arts, but advancing further is difficult.”
“Anyone willing to spend time learning and training can pick up a few skills.”
“But as for Cultivation, that depends on one’s talent.
Those who can cultivate Immortal Techniques are one in ten thousand, the favored children of heaven.”
“Even if a Martial Artist reaches the Grandmaster Level and can deal with ordinary fierce beasts outside the city, in the face of a Cultivator who can unleash sword light, they would still be instantly defeated.”
“Master Chen, you must be careful not to speak carelessly about such matters.
If a Cultivator happens to overhear and takes offense, be wary of attracting a fatal disaster.”
With a nervous face, the Agency servant glanced around.
He was calm discussing Martial Artists, but upon mentioning Cultivators, he immediately looked terrified, as if deeply apprehensive.
Seeing his reaction, Chen Hai quickly dropped the subject and didn’t continue further.
His gaze swept over those nearby wanting to sell themselves into slavery.
“Fang Jun…” Suddenly, he seemed to recognize a familiar face and then, he stood frozen.