Elven cultivators

After leaving Silvermoon Forest, Anton habitually activated the Thousand Faces Technique, giving himself a different appearance.

Out of caution, he did not use Canglan's old identity, but instead created a completely new one.

After all, Canglan had a history of dealings with the Ring of Annihilation, and might already be being secretly targeted by the latter.

Hunting in the Thousand Rock Hills is one thing, but it's best to be cautious when venturing into a place like Azure Water Harbor, where all sorts of people mingle.

Using his full speed and the power of his Star Shift technique, Anton arrived at Biyue Harbor in less than an hour.

The towering city walls, over thirty meters high, reveal a weathered gray-brown color under the sunlight. They are constructed of massive granite blocks, their surfaces covered with mottled marks of time's erosion.

The city gates were wide open, with two iron-clad oak doors sloping inwards. The archway was deep, and sunlight could only illuminate the front half, while the back half was hidden in shadow, like the slightly open mouth of a giant beast.

The queue of people waiting to enter the city snaked like a snake, stretching four or five hundred meters away from the city gate.

Anton arrived at the end of the line and looked around with great interest.

Having spent decades in the Silvermoon Forest, accustomed to its lush vegetation and dappled sunlight, I felt a strange sense of disorientation upon arriving in this bustling place, as if I had stepped from a tranquil oil painting into a noisy urban landscape.

The procession moved slowly forward, and after about ten minutes, Anton finally arrived at the city gate.

Two guards in leather armor stood watch at the entrance. One of them, a burly man with a rough face, stopped him and looked him up and down: "Entrance fee, two copper coins."

Anton took out two copper coins from his waist and handed them over.

The burly man took it, casually tossed it into the wooden crate beside him, and waved his hand, saying, "Go inside."

Anton stepped through the doorway, the shadows receded and then disappeared, revealing a bright and open space before him.

A wave of heat, a mixture of the smells of the sea, spices, sweat, and food, swept over us, contrasting sharply with the cool breeze outside the city.

Shops line both sides of the street, their signs jutting out from the eaves of the second floor, each adorned with a variety of designs, including wine glasses, ears of wheat, anvils, and herbs, creating a dazzling array of visual appeal.

Human merchants were loudly hawking their wares in front of their stalls.

Orc porters, carrying heavy crates, squeezed through the crowd, their fanged faces glistening with sweat, and the veins on their thick necks bulging.

Several dwarves squatted at the entrance of the blacksmith's shop, eating dark bread with ale, their scarred arms waving occasionally as they talked, accompanied by rough laughter.

Not far away, a tall, pale blue fish-man emerged from the alleyway, with faint traces of gill slits visible on either side of his neck. He carried a string of shimmering silver fish and hurriedly disappeared into the crowd at the street corner.

Despite belonging to different races, everyone gets along well in this city.

The scene before him reminded Anton of his adventures in the game in his previous life, and he couldn't help but sigh.

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

Tide Street is the most bustling commercial street in Bishui Port, and many chambers of commerce headquarters are located here.

Anton slowed his pace, his gaze sweeping over the signs on both sides.

He quickly found his target.

It was a three-story stone building with a tulip relief inlaid on the lintel, the petals layered and unfolding, lifelike.

Below the relief hangs a bronze plaque inscribed with the words "Tulip Merchants Association".

According to Harvey, the Tulip Merchant Guild is one of the top large merchant guilds in Bluewater Harbor, and only the Blazing Fire Merchant Guild can rival it.

However, compared to the latter, the Tulip Merchant Guild has a better reputation among adventurers, is more meticulous in its business dealings, and is honest and fair to all.

Two guards stood at the entrance of the building, clad in chainmail and with long swords at their waists, their sharp eyes scanning the passersby.

Anton straightened his clothes and stepped up the stairs.

The guard on the left glanced at him and reminded him neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Sir, this is the headquarters of the Tulip Merchant Guild. We only handle large transactions of 100 gold coins or more. If you just want to buy ordinary goods, you can go to other shops of the guild in the city."

"I know," Anton said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the guard said no more and stepped aside, saying, "Please come in."

Anton pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped into the Chamber of Commerce building.

What comes into view is an extremely spacious hall with a polished marble floor that reflects the light of the crystal chandelier overhead.

Directly opposite the main entrance was a long counter made of dark walnut wood, its surface so shiny it reflected the light. Behind the counter stood several young apprentices, dressed in uniform gray uniforms with tulip emblems embroidered on their chests.

Anton walked to the counter, and an apprentice immediately approached him with a professional smile: "Hello sir, how can I help you?"

"Do you buy Scaled Rock Lizard skins here?" Anton asked bluntly.

"Of course." The shopkeeper's smile remained unchanged. "How many copies would you like to sell?"

"Two thousand."

The apprentice's smile froze for a moment.

He blinked, as if he didn't believe he'd heard correctly: "Sir, you mean...two thousand?"

Seeing Anton nod, the apprentice finally realized what was happening and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Please wait a moment, sir, I'll go and fetch the manager."

After saying that, he turned around hurriedly and went behind the curtain at the counter.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in his forties came out from behind the curtain.

He was slightly overweight and wore a well-tailored dark gray wool vest over a pristine white linen shirt, with black armbands cinching the cuffs.

There are no exaggerated decorations on the body, but it exudes cleanliness and rigor in every aspect.

"Sir, my name is Harold, and I am the manager of this merchant guild." He smiled warmly. "I heard you are selling Scaled Lizard skins?"

"That's right." Anton simply nodded, without revealing his name.

Harold didn't mind and turned to the side, making an inviting gesture.

"Please come in, sir. Let's sit down and talk things over."

Led by Harold, Anton walked through the corridor behind the counter to a tastefully furnished reception room.

Harold poured two cups of tea himself, pushed one of them in front of Anton, and sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Sir, could I take a look at the goods first?"

Anton did not refuse. He stroked the table with his palm and secretly injected a wisp of spiritual energy into the storage talisman hidden in his sleeve. Instantly, a pile of scaled rock lizard skins appeared out of thin air on the table, neatly stacked.

Storage items!

Harold's eyes flickered.

Storage items are at least micro-level magical items; anyone who can afford such a thing must be someone of considerable importance.

Thinking of this, his attitude towards the person in front of him became even warmer.

Harold nodded to Anton, then picked up the top scale and examined it closely.

His fingers caressed the surface of the scales, then he turned them over to examine the underlying skin texture. Finally, he brought the scales to his nose, sniffed them, and nodded slightly.

"The quality is excellent, and the skin is in very good condition. The person who killed the Scaled Rock Lizard was a master; he barely damaged the lizard's skin." He praised it and then picked up the second and third sheets, examining them one by one.

Before long, Harold finished examining the twenty scaled rock lizard skins, and his smile grew even brighter.

"Sir, if all the Scaled Rock Lizard skins you have are of this quality, I can buy them for 10 silver coins each. What do you think?"