Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 599 I am a Rabbit-Eared Clan 17

Only after passing through the cold shadow cast by the heavy city gates does the hustle and bustle and crowds inside Dragon City truly reveal its fangs.

The narrow streets are lined with tall, rough stone houses, their walls covered with dark stains and scratches left by time.

A diverse group of orcs thronged together, their pungent odors mingling: the smells of sweat, cheap alcohol, cooking fumes, and animal excrement, creating a stifling, viscous heat that was almost suffocating.

The enormous body of the creature serves as a natural obstacle to passage here, and also brings an invisible deterrent.

The lower-ranking orc slaves scattered like frightened rats before he could get close, shivering against the cold stone wall.

The middle-ranking orcs bearing the marks of slavery cast complex glances of awe and envy.

Only when armored dragonbeastman patrols pass by will they cast a glance at You, and once they confirm there is no threat, they will swagger away.

You's icy blue vertical pupils sharply scanned his surroundings, and he silently shielded Yun Chu to his side, a little deeper. His steady, mountain-like steps and the heavy "cargo" on his back were silent proof of his identity.

Following the flow of people and the stronger scent of goods, they finally arrived at a slightly more open area—Dragon City's "Bloodclaw Market".

This is not a strictly planned square, but rather a natural trading post formed by the intersection of several streets.

The ground was littered with tattered straw mats or animal hides, and vendors either called out their wares or waited silently behind their respective "stalls".

The goods were varied: rough ironware and farm tools in the corner of the blacksmith's shop, furs drying in the fur trade and smelling fishy, ​​wild fruits, seeds, bone tools in old pottery jars in the pile of miscellaneous goods, and even some dried herbs whose original appearance was no longer recognizable.

The sounds of the transaction formed a cacophony: rough haggling, the clatter of goods, the occasional crack of a whip, and scattered suppressed groans.

There is a raw sense of materialism in the air; the "currency" here is still physical goods.

You's goal was clear—to replenish their vital salt reserves. Longcheng is nestled in the mountains, far from the sea, making high-quality salt blocks a valuable commodity and a crucial resource for their reserves.

You walked toward a grocery stall that looked a bit larger.

The stall owner was a shrewd old ape-beastman with a worn-out metal abacus hanging around his neck.

His stall was filled with various bottles and jars, among which the snow-white salt crystals peeking out from the translucent shells of saltwood fruit caught You's eye.

"Stock up on salt, exchange it." You's voice was deep, with a foreign accent, concise and powerful.

He pointed to the best salt block on the stall, then took out a piece of equally sized, neatly cut dried monitor lizard meat from his back and placed it on the ground.

The dried meat has a dense texture and an enticing oily sheen, making it a truly high-quality meat product.

The old ape-beastman's eyes lit up. He pushed up the crystal lens (a simple lens made from natural crystal) on the bridge of his nose, carefully picked up a small pinch of dried ghost meat and put it in his mouth to chew. He then carefully examined the quality of the salt block that Ghost had taken out.

His little abacus clicked away. "The meat is good meat," he said hoarsely, his voice dry, "The salt is first-layer crystallization of mineral salt. It's uniform."

She stared at him silently, her black scales gleaming faintly in the murky light.

The old ape-beastman felt an invisible pressure, licked his slightly chapped lips, and quickly added, "Add another small piece of the ore on your back. That one... with some blue veins."

He pointed to a corner of a dark blue ore peeking out from the net bag on You's back—a low-level energy stone that You had collected by chance.

Without saying much, You accurately picked out the ore the other party pointed to from the net and silently placed it next to the jerky.

The ape-man stall owner immediately pushed out the best jar of salt, forcing a fawning yet slightly greedy smile: "Deal! My friend knows his stuff and is very generous. Come back next time you need anything, and I promise to save the best for you."

The exchange was completed swiftly and efficiently.

You carefully put away the precious salt blocks and placed them into an inner leather bag.

Yun Chu stood quietly a little behind him, head down, seemingly just a timid follower.

Her eyes appeared lowered, but she was actually using her peripheral vision to keenly observe her surroundings. Her small ears twitched slightly as she tried to distinguish fragments of sound in the noisy environment—this was her talent and the survival instinct cultivated during her two-month arduous journey.

Just as You turned to leave the stall, a rude and excited murmur drifted from a stone staircase nearby where patrolling guards rested.

The voice came from two dragon-beastman guards who had just changed shifts and were drinking from rough earthenware jars to quench their thirst. They were clearly a little tipsy and in the middle of a lively conversation.

"...Hiccup!...You didn't see how smug the young clan leader looked when he came back that day!" A guard with grayish scales gulped down a mouthful of wine, his voice high-pitched, "That little thing was held in his hand like a kitten!"

"Pure! Not a single scale, hair, or tail root! Pure white...it looks so rare!" Another guard with deep black scales chimed in, his voice filled with curious excitement, "Those claws, so delicate...tsk tsk."

"What's most amazing is her skill!" The Grayscale Guard wiped the wine stains from his mouth and lowered his voice, just enough for Yun Chu, who was not far away, to hear clearly. "The young clan leader said she was a goddess he picked up! ...That girl is truly amazing! She just raised her hand in front of everyone!"

Yun Chu unconsciously held her breath.

"Hey! You're right!" The Blackscale Guardian excitedly punched his companion on the shoulder. "Whoosh! The seed sprouted, grew rapidly, and matured."

"Making crops ripen out of thin air!" The Grayscale Guard clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of disbelief and awe. "This ability... even the High Priest in the city probably couldn't do it, right? The young clan leader has really struck gold this time! If this were offered to that..."

"Shh!" The Blackscale Guard suddenly glared at him warily, glancing around. "Don't talk nonsense! How dare you mention that person's name? Watch your tongue and drink! The young clan leader says she's a goddess, so let's treat her like one! Maybe we'll actually be lucky enough to get some benefits later..."

The two guards' voices gradually turned into mutterings filled with jealousy and longing, as they continued to immerse themselves in discussions about alcohol and miracles.

Yun Chu thought to herself: Could it be that this person is also from another world?

***

Unlike the rough and bloody market, this stone chamber located high in Dragon City is a different kind of solidified clamor.

The walls were not made of rough raw stone, but rather of polished stone slabs inlaid with reliefs of huge ivory or unknown animal bones.

A curtain made of gold wire and colored mineral crystals hung from the high dome, its weighty glow flowing under the light of the fat candlesticks burning in the fireplace.

The air was filled with expensive incense, so thick it could almost suppress the smell of blood and flesh, but it couldn't mask a deeper, cold alienation belonging to the den of power.

There are no crowded streets here, only a sense of oppressive emptiness.

Shen Zi—the "goddess" that the guards were talking about—sat on the only giant chair under the high platform in the center of the room.

That chair might be big enough for a burly dragon-beastman to sit in, but against that slender figure, it looked more like a cold, golden cage with a beast's head.

Shen Zi wore an oversized, soft yet strangely styled gorgeous robe. Her pale skin appeared exceptionally fragile in the warm candlelight, like the first snow falling on dark rocks.

The young chieftain of the dragon beastmen, Gorga, stood slightly in front of Shen Zi, his strong body deliberately taut, demonstrating his duty as a guard and also proclaiming his ownership of this "treasure".

His face, covered in deep red scales, struggled to maintain an air of arrogance and a barely perceptible excitement, while his gaze would occasionally dart nervously toward the darkest part of the room—the taller, wider stone seat hidden in a vast shadow.