books44 Chapter 300 Strange Stones
Chapter 300 Strange Stones
Chapter 300 Strange Stones
"This only means that the two of them were probably targeted by a somewhat powerful organization, not just ordinary robbers. Perhaps they also really wanted that bottle of Gold-Eating Turtle Bile, but were unlucky enough not to win the auction, so they wanted to get it through robbery. Although this is a bit of a problem, it's still quite normal!"
Mo Yuming said that such situations are quite common in the Tianxuan Continent.
"But considering what happened next, it's not that simple!" Jiang Yuheng continued.
Shortly after Gan Ran and his companion acquired the Bile of the Golden-Eating Turtle, Dugu Xian in Qianhao City of Liang Kingdom also purchased a portion of Earth Flame Crystals. Like Gan Ran, he was also targeted shortly after the transaction. However, Old Master Dugu didn't take it seriously. On his return journey, instead of stealthily following Gan Ran's lead, he traveled from city to city, continuing his search for refining materials as he made his way back. After all, there were probably very few people in this world capable of harming him; at his level of strength, numbers alone couldn't give him an advantage. Therefore, Dugu Xian was completely unconcerned about being watched.
Just like before, after leaving Qianhao City, Dugu Xian was stopped on the post road about thirty miles away from the city by four bandits who were all at the peak of the Earth Rank.
However, the four Earth-rank bandits didn't interest the old man at all. He casually crippled their cultivation and left without caring whether they lived or died. But the matter didn't end there. The next day, while traveling along the post road, the old man encountered bandits again, this time ten bandits: eight at the peak of the Earth rank and two at the early stage of the Heaven rank…
Jiang Yuheng continued to explain the situation.
“Robbers of similar strength, the same method of robbery, different locations, and almost the same time—this is indeed a bit strange.” Tieqiao nodded in thought.
"What's even stranger is that this morning Li Mubai and Ji Xianlin also sent messages saying they were being watched as well. Shortly after Li Mubai left the Li family in Liantian City, four peak Earth Rank bandits set their sights on him. It would be one thing for others, but Li Mubai is a member of the Li family in Liantian City. Being followed on his own territory is very puzzling for him. Could it be that his own clansmen are colluding with bandits? But upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem right. If someone in his family were to collude with bandits, his cultivation level should also be known to the bandits. They shouldn't have only sent four Earth Rank bandits to their deaths."
The same was true for Ji Xianlin. Four people, four places, two continents, separated by countless miles, yet they encountered almost identical situations. We analyzed that if these robbers weren't from the same organization, it was too much of a coincidence; if they were from the same group, then this organization was terrifying!
Jiang Yuheng continued.
"What about the others? Is there any news about Shi Potian and the others?" Mo Yuming asked.
"No, they haven't found the materials yet, so they're not being followed. This only happens to people who have already purchased the treasure."
"If that's the case, there's one plausible explanation: the rare and precious materials necessary for refining meteorite iron treasures are being targeted. Their goal isn't these valuable auxiliary materials, but rather the meteorite iron itself. They're after the meteorite iron, or perhaps they don't want anyone to be able to forge a meteorite iron treasure."
Iron Bridge guessed.
“This is indeed a good method. It’s incredibly difficult to find someone who possesses meteorite iron in the vast sea of people. It would be much simpler to monitor the auxiliary materials necessary for refining meteorite iron treasures. As long as someone buys these materials, they may possess meteorite iron gems. We can intercept and kill those who buy these refining materials and potentially seize the meteorite iron. At the very least, we can prevent the birth of meteorite iron treasures,” Ji Jiahe said.
"This is just our speculation. It's very likely that many people are eyeing these treasures. Even if they aren't used to refine meteorite iron spirit treasures, they still have many uses. Moreover, they are extremely valuable, beyond the reach of ordinary people. The sellers are all powerful families or influential merchants, so the robbers dare not touch them. But the buyers are different; they are usually outsiders, and often outnumbered and vulnerable, making them easy targets. So the robbers lie in wait to rob these buyers. But the problem is that these treasures have been traded before, but we've never heard of anyone robbing them so blatantly!" Huo Chengde stated his thoughts.
"It doesn't matter how many people covet these treasures, and I'm not worried about them being robbed by bandits. Even if I were, it would be too late. What I need to be concerned about is that the bandits, having failed, will relentlessly pursue us all the way to Great Xia. In that case, Great Xia will become the target of everyone's attention. Perhaps one person buying one type of material isn't enough, but if materials purchased by multiple people are concentrated in one place, it will be very obvious, and we won't be able to hide it anymore. The entire Tianxuan Continent will know that someone is refining meteorite iron spiritual treasures in Great Xia."
Jiang Yuheng asked worriedly. This was also the reason why they rushed to Jian'an City to discuss things with Mo Yuming.
“That is a problem. The Great Xia is currently in a period of great need for reconstruction and should not be given too much attention. Moreover, meteorite iron treasures are extremely sensitive items, and the fewer people who know about them, the better, to avoid unnecessary trouble. Also, are these bandits a group? If they are, then it's even more terrifying!” Su Ce said.
"That's easy. We'll find out whether these robbers are chasing treasure or people with one test. Then we can make a decision based on the situation. Let's first tell the four of them not to head back for the time being, but to stay in the area for a few more days. At the same time, let's notify the other old men who are looking for materials. Tell them what happened, and that those in Yingzhou should go to the Li family, and those in Yuzhou should gather at the location of Gan Ran and the other man."
Gan Ran and his companion left the treasure at the hotel and then tried venturing out to see if they would encounter the robbers again. If they did, they would lead them in circles, playing a game of hide-and-seek to see how they managed to track them. The purchased treasure was secretly brought back by Old Master Dugu. The number of people in the Tianxuan Continent who could track Old Master Dugu could probably be counted on one hand, so with him bringing the treasure back, virtually no one would know his whereabouts.
The others secretly went to meet Gan Ran and his companion, hoping to catch the robbers in one fell swoop, like the mantis stalking the cicada unaware of the oriole behind.
Li Mubai will take all the treasures of Yingzhou back to Daxia. Similarly, Ji Xianlin will lead the people of Yingzhou to deal with the bandits, take them around the mountains and rivers of Yingzhou, and then leave them there forever.
Hopefully, this incident was the work of some reckless petty thieves, rather than an organized premeditated act. If it is, then we should prepare for the worst. Anyone capable of extending their reach across the entire continent is no benevolent person.
"That's all we can do. We can also ask around at hotels in different places to see if there's been a recent surge in banditry. That way we can be on guard. The old men who go shopping in different places should try to stagger their return dates and be as discreet as possible. They shouldn't be followed all the way to Great Xia."
"The arsenal can quickly produce a batch of Xuan Iron artifacts, which will be secretly delivered by the Falcon Guard to restaurants in the capitals of various countries. This will help the old men complete their transactions as soon as possible," Mo Yuming said.
"Young Master, why must we use Xuan Iron artifacts to exchange for it? Wouldn't it be simpler and faster to just buy it with gold coins?" Huo Chengde was somewhat puzzled. This kind of physical exchange was both troublesome and uneconomical.
"Heh, let me ask you, besides us, who else on the Tianxuan Continent can sell Xuan Iron treasures in bulk?"
"Besides us, the biggest sellers on the surface are only the Refiners Association, Zhangjiabao, the Sword Family, and the Knife Family. Although others also sell Xuan Iron Treasures, their production quantities are limited and cannot reach the scale of mass production," Huo Chengde said.
"If a buyer can offer a large quantity of Xuan Iron artifacts as exchange items, what will others think first?" Mo Yuming asked.
"The seller's first thought is that the other party is either the Refiner Association or one of the three major families. Even if it's neither, it's still a powerful hidden family with comparable strength, so a lot of trouble can be avoided!"
……
After discussing their strategy in the restaurant, the six immediately divided the work and communicated with the elders in various locations, informing them of the agreed-upon plan and requesting their cooperation. They also asked the elders to gather as much useful information about the bandits as possible and share it with others in the network, keeping everyone on alert. Because the group was scattered, although communicating with Soul Jade was much more convenient than using talismans, they still worked through the night, not finishing their exchanges until the early hours of the next morning.
After Jiang Yuheng and the others returned to Shangyuan City, Mo Yuming and Tieqiao also returned to She Shen Cliff. While resting at Wushuang Restaurant, they suddenly had a whim and dragged Tieqiao to the underground mall next door to take a look at what items the merchants in the underground mall sold.
Since the opening of the Peerless Hotel, the number of merchants traveling between the two continents has increased significantly. All three hundred shops in the underground tunnel mall are rented out, mainly dealing in local specialty products and fresh furs, with a few shops selling weapons, materials, and elixirs. These transactions are primarily between local hunters and small vendors. While business is relatively brisk, it mainly involves ordinary goods.
Although Mo Yuming planned and built this underground shopping mall himself, it has been more than two years since it opened, and this is the first time he has come to visit it.
"Sir, what would you like to buy? We have all kinds of game meat. This is a freshly hunted grouper, with tender meat and an excellent flavor!"
As soon as Mo Yuming entered the underground tunnel, a vendor at the entrance approached him, trying to sell his wares. The shop was filled with various animal hides and meat products, including fresh meat and dried, cured meat. Mo Yuming glanced at them, shook his head, and continued walking.
Three hundred stone cave shops lined both sides of the tunnel, one after another. Although they were caves, the interior space was no smaller than the shops outside. The tunnel was also brightly lit by fluorescent crystals, and its spacious interior was quite pleasant. The shops offered a wide variety of goods, but everything was very ordinary and failed to interest Mo Yuming. The iron bridge was even less appealing. Soon, the two walked from one end of the tunnel to the other, arriving at the She Shen Cliff Pass.
In front of the pass is a small square, with the Wushuang Restaurant on one side and the city gate tower opposite.
The two walked across the square and out of the city gate. Outside was the winding road between the towering mountains. Since it was still more than a hundred miles from the cliff of self-sacrifice to the nearest town after leaving the Monster Mountain Range, the people on the road were in a hurry. On the contrary, those whose destinations were the Valley of Heartbreak or the Corner Continent were already close to their destinations and no longer needed to rush, so they were leisurely.
On the open ground outside the city gate, several middle-aged people dressed as commoners were selling some mountain products, including freshly picked wild fruits, wild herbs, and smoked and dried meat. These were hunters or woodcutters living nearby who were selling their surplus goods to earn some extra money. Because they had little stock and were unwilling to sell cheaply to the merchants inside the city, they set up a stall outside the city gate.
After strolling around Huilong Road outside the city for a short while, on his way back, a hunter who had set up a stall at the foot of the city wall caught Mo Yuming's attention.
Dressed in coarse linen clothes, with an animal hide around his waist and a felt hat, he had dark skin and was of medium height. Although only around forty years old, his cultivation level was not high, and like ordinary commoners, he looked somewhat haggard due to years of hard work. The reason this ordinary hunter aroused Mo Yuming's interest was mainly because the goods he sold were different from others: a small piece of animal hide with only a few grayish stones on it.
These stones were extremely ordinary; apart from some blurry red spots on their surface, there was nothing special about them. Several curious merchants picked up the stones to examine them closely, but ultimately left disappointed.
"Where did this stone come from? How much does it cost?"
Mo Yuming squatted down and picked up a stone at random.
"I found these stones in the Monster Mountain Range. At the time, I was being chased by a level two serpent monster. While fleeing, I accidentally escaped into a stone cave. The serpent actually avoided me from a distance and didn't chase after me."
After the serpent demon beast left, I carefully examined the cave. Aside from red spots on the stone walls, I found nothing. These stones were knocked off from that cave, and I felt they must be special.
The middle-aged hunter explained.
"Why do you think this stone is special? Is it just because it has red spots? There are plenty of stones with red spots."
"Because I tested it, even my dog Ah Huang doesn't dare to go near these rocks!"
"Ah Huang?"
“Oh, Ah Huang is my family’s guard dog. That day, I brought Shi Tou home, and before I even entered the door, it barked at me and hid far away, not daring to come close. It’s not usually like this. It wasn’t until I put Shi Tou in the box in the inner room and hid it well that it dared to come near me.”
"Really? That's amazing! How much are you planning to sell this stone for?"
"Ten silver coins per piece! If you buy all seven, it'll be fifty silver coins."
"This is way too expensive! These stones have no spiritual energy and nothing special about them! A single elemental ore costs less than a silver coin!"
"How much are you offering? I went through so much trouble to find these stones deep in the Monster Mountain Range! It's too cheap for me... I won't sell them!"
"The hunter said anxiously."