Elven cultivators

Chapter 80 Taking a shortcut isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Bishui Harbor, city gate.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the flags above the city walls hung limply in the breeze, occasionally being lifted by a corner to reveal a turquoise sail emblem.

A long queue formed in front of the city gate.

The flow of people entering the city snaked like a snake, stretching more than a hundred meters from the city gate. Most of them were merchants carrying bags, traveling merchants leading mules and horses, and adventurers who came in twos and threes.

Unlike in the past, the checks at the city gates were much stricter than before.

Two squads of fully armed city guards stood on either side, short swords hanging at their waists, hands on the hilts, their sharp eyes scanning every passerby.

In the center of the city gate stood a long table, behind which sat a clerk, who was engrossed in writing furiously in a thick register, the quill pen scratching across the paper.

The line moved slowly forward, with whispers rising and falling among the crowd.

"Another check is needed to enter the city today? Sigh, when will this ever end?"

"I heard that something happened at the port a couple of days ago. A patrol of dragonborn was ambushed and several of them died. This time, the martial law will probably not be over for another two or three months."

"Is it that...Meteor Dragon Society again?"

"Who else could it be? I wonder what the Fallen Dragon Society is all about, that they would dare to lay a hand on a dragon descendant."

"Hmph, those dragonborn always do evil deeds and don't treat us like human beings at all. If you ask me, the Fallen Dragon Society did a good job and should kill more of them..."

A young man who looked like an adventurer couldn't help but interrupt, but before he could finish speaking, his mouth was covered by his companion.

The latter's face turned pale. He glared at him fiercely and whispered, "Are you out of your mind? If the Dragonborn hears this, we'll both be in the dungeon!"

His companion realized his slip of the tongue, shrank back, and glanced instinctively towards the city gate. Seeing that the soldiers weren't paying attention, he breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his voice, saying, "I was just saying it offhand..."

"You can't just say it offhand!" his companion hissed. "Watch your mouth, I don't want to be dragged down with you!"

The adventurer sheepishly shut his mouth and said no more.

The line moved forward a little further.

The clerk looked up, his gaze sweeping over the young man before him, then looked down at the register in front of him, and spoke in a flat tone.

"Name, occupation, where you come from, and what you came to the city for."

"Garl, an adventurer, came from the south to buy supplies in the city."

The clerk made a few strokes in the register, then, without looking up, continued, "Did you bring your adventurer's identification?"

The young man was slightly taken aback.

The clerk, not hearing the voice, looked up and glanced at him impatiently, frowning as he said, "Adventurers must possess identification issued by the Azurewater Harbor Adventurers' Association, or be jointly guaranteed by three certified adventurers, to enter the city. If you do not meet the requirements, leave quickly and don't delay the people behind you."

"How could that be?" The young man smiled faintly, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Here, this is my identification."

As he spoke, he opened his palm and handed it to the clerk; in his palm was a small piece of parchment.

It was just a blank piece of parchment, with jagged edges, no words or markings on it, looking like a scrap of paper torn from a book.

However, both the scribe and the soldiers around him momentarily lost their composure when their eyes fell on the parchment, their gazes becoming empty and blank, but they returned to normal the next second.

The clerk blinked, glanced down at the parchment in Anton's palm, and nodded.

"No problem, go in."

He casually waved towards the city gate, then looked down and scribbled in the register.

The young man retrieved the parchment, calmly walked through the city gate, and disappeared into its shadow.

On the bustling street, Anton blended into the crowd, calmly observing his surroundings.

Bishui Port remained bustling with people, but the difference was that there were significantly more soldiers patrolling the streets.

Clearly, the frequent attacks by the Meteor Dragon Society have put a lot of pressure on the Azure Water Council, which has not only increased patrols but also strictly checked the flow of people entering and leaving Azure Water Port.

So much so that he had to use the Water Moon Technique—a technique that uses divine sense to disrupt the perception of others—to slip through the checkpoint and enter the city.

Without lingering on the streets, Anton crossed several streets, turned into Tide Street, and soon arrived at the Tulip Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

Although he didn't have high hopes that the Tulip Merchant Guild could find the materials he needed, Anton still decided to make the trip himself.

What if?

If he's lucky enough to get the materials or a clue about them, it will save him a lot of trouble.

As soon as Anton entered the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, the staff recognized him at a glance and quickly ushered him into the reception room at the back.

A short while later, Harold arrived.

He wore a well-tailored dark gray wool vest over a crisp white linen shirt, as neat and tidy as ever.

Compared to when we first met thirty years ago, the manager of the Tulip Chamber of Commerce headquarters had aged considerably, his hair was completely white, and his face had many more fine lines.

Time waits for no one.

Harold, however, looked at Anton's youthful face, which was no different from what it had been thirty years ago, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He didn't think much of it. Most human powerhouses aged much slower than ordinary people, so he assumed that Anton was one of them.

"Sir, it's been a long time." Harold's face was beaming with a warm smile. "Are you here again to sell Scaled Lizard skins, or to purchase materials?"

"Purchase materials."

Without wasting any words, Anton took out a list from his pocket and pushed it in front of Harold.

The list is densely packed with the names of hundreds of materials.

These were all items that he had selected after searching through a large number of books in the Root Library, and that met the requirements of the Fire, Earth, and Metal main materials for the Condensation Elixir.

Harold took the list and carefully glanced through it.

His brows furrowed, and the smile on his face faded somewhat.

After a moment of silence, he raised his head, looking somewhat troubled.

"Sir, I'm sorry, our chamber of commerce currently has none of the materials on your list in stock."

Anton wasn't surprised and asked, "What if we entrust you with the search?"

Harold carefully chose his words: "These materials are all very rare, and none of them are easy to obtain. We need enough time to search for them, and even then, we may not be able to find them."

Anton picked up his black tea, took a sip, and remained calm.

He had expected this answer, so he wasn't disappointed.

Although the Tulip Merchant Guild is one of the top large merchant guilds in Azurewater Harbor, it is ultimately just a local force in the Eldron Plains, with limited channels and connections.

The materials he was looking for were all rare treasures that alchemy masters and potion masters would flock to, and they were considered rare items throughout the entire Dawn Continent, not easy to obtain.

"Let's do our best," Anton said, putting down his teacup. "We'll find as much as we can."

"Of course." Harold nodded quickly. "Rest assured, sir, the Tulip Merchant Guild will do its utmost to search for you."

He paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and said hesitantly, "Speaking of which, sir, I do know where to find this Void Silver Crystal on your list."

Anton's eyes lit up.

Void Silver Crystal is a silver crystal formed at the confluence of underground rivers and special mineral veins, through long-term erosion by water flow and the combined action of minerals.

Light as a feather, yet capable of withstanding a large influx of energy without being damaged, it is a top-quality material for crafting high-quality magical items.

It is the perfect metal for refining the Condensed Elixir.

"Where?" Anton asked.

"The Blazing Fire Merchant Guild," Harold said. "About three months ago, the Blazing Fire Merchant Guild acquired a batch of rare materials, including several pieces of Void Silver Crystal. This is not a secret within our guild circle; many people know about it."

He paused, then added, "But I don't know if there are any left now. Given the way the Blazing Fire Merchant Guild operates, they would most likely hoard these things and wouldn't sell them easily."

Anton remained silent for a moment, his expression turning somewhat strange.

Besides purchasing materials, he also planned to settle old scores with the Liu Huo Chamber of Commerce during his trip to Bishui Port.

It was quite a coincidence that the Liuhuo Merchant Guild happened to have Void Silver Crystals.

A thought instantly popped into my head.

Since we're after revenge, why not steal something along the way?

Anton lowered his eyes, concealing the sharp glint that flashed in them.

"I understand." His tone was calm as usual. "I'll figure out a way to deal with the Void Silver Crystal myself."

Harold didn't ask any further questions, simply nodded, and carefully put the list away.

Anton didn't linger and got up to leave.

After leaving Tide Street, Anton did not rush to deal with the affairs of the Blazing Fire Merchant Guild. Instead, he turned onto another side road and headed towards White Sail Wharf.

When they arrived, they found that Baifan Wharf was under martial law and closed off.

Looking into the distance, all the merchant ships were quietly moored at their berths, their sails folded and their bare masts pointing towards the sky, like a withered forest that had lost its leaves.

There wasn't a soul in sight on the dock, except for a squad of dragonborn soldiers standing on the outermost perimeter, their cold gazes sweeping over the passing crowd.

Anton stood in the shadows at the alley entrance, watching this scene from afar.

Clearly, because of the recent attack, the Dragonborn directly sealed off White Sail Wharf, both to prevent another sneak attack by the Meteor Dragon Society and to put pressure on the Azure Water Council.

Baifan Wharf is the core area of ​​Bishui Port, with countless goods passing through every day. If the wharf is closed for a day, the lost taxes, freight, and trade profits will amount to an astronomical figure.

The members of the Bishui Council must be worried sick by now.

Anton withdrew his gaze, turned and left, heading to the Misty Tavern.

The wanted poster for Cang Lan was no longer on the notice board at the entrance.

It seems the Ring of Annihilation has finally given up on hunting him down.

Indeed, more than sixty years have passed, and Canglan has never shown his face again, nor has there been any news of him. They may have thought that Canglan had died long ago, so it is not surprising that they gave up.

Anton withdrew his gaze, pushed open the tavern door, and went inside.

A moment later, when he came out again, he had a roll of parchment in his hand.

The above is information about the headquarters of the Blazing Fire Merchant Guild.