On the streets of Black Rock City, Yan Qingshan composed his mind.
After circling several times to ensure he wasn’t being followed, he headed toward another bustling area in the city center.
Black Rock City was not his destination this time, but rather a transit station.
He had gone to the Miteer Auction House because a branch in a large city like Black Rock City would certainly have higher authority and more resources, but he had still returned disappointed.
In a large city like Black Rock City, the empire provided civilian flight transport teams.
This was the best way for long-distance travel in remote regions like the Jia Ma Empire.
In places like the Central Plains, one would travel directly through Space Wormholes, which were far faster than this.
The flight transport center in the city center was an official organization, with its office located on a spacious square.
On the vast square, over a dozen birds and beasts of considerable size were stationed.
These birds were known as Thick-Winged Birds.
They were not Magical Beasts but a type of giant avian with an extremely gentle temperament, making them the easiest to be tamed by humans.
However, due to their small numbers, generally only the empire had the strength to build such a flight transport team.
These Thick-Winged Birds were military-controlled resources.
During times of imperial war, they would be forcibly reclaimed by the Imperial Military Department until the war ceased, at which point they would return to the civilian sector.
Consequently, many of them had experienced brutal wars.
Yan Qingshan walked all the way to the front desk, where a woman met him with a smile.
“Sir, where are you headed?”
“Tager Desert, Rock Desert City!”
Yan Qingshan took out a purchased map of the Tager Desert.
He had marked a location on it: Rock Desert City, a small city within the Tager Desert that wasn’t particularly special or prosperous.
The receptionist’s smile stiffened slightly after looking at the map, but she maintained a calm tone as she pointed to another landmark.
“Sir, our Thick-Winged Birds generally follow fixed routes.
For the Tager Desert, we can only reach Desert City.
Perhaps you could head to Desert City first and then transfer?”
“I will charter a Thick-Winged Bird for a private trip to Rock Desert City.
Is ten thousand gold coins enough?”
Yan Qingshan didn’t waste words and directly used money to pave the way.
Having inherited the entire legacy from the grotto, he was now a wealthy man.
Problems that could be solved with money were not problems at all.
No matter the world, wealth always brought certain privileges.
After he brought out the gold coins, the receptionist immediately beamed with smiles again, leading him into a VIP room to wait for the dispatch of his exclusive flight mount.
Along the way, the somewhat attractive receptionist walked in front, intentionally or unintentionally revealing her fiery figure and sexy curves.
She even hinted that dispatching the mount would take some time and that there were VIP rooms where he could rest.
…
The distance from Black Rock City to the Tager Desert was significant.
Even at the speed of a 1st Rank flying creature, it would take at least three days to arrive.
Rock Desert City, where Yan Qingshan specifically wanted to go, was not on the original route.
This required a path adjustment, bringing the total flight time to at least five days.
The flight mount spread its wings steadily across the sky.
Specialized wooden cabins were built on the giant bird’s back for long-distance passengers and staff to rest—the otherworld version of an airplane.
Yan Qingshan watched the blue sky and white clouds outside the window gradually darken until a crescent moon appeared on the horizon.
Under the light of a Moonstone, Yan Qingshan shook his head, his eyelids feeling a bit heavy.
“Sir, this is today’s dinner.
A sexy and beautiful otherworld version of a “flight attendant” came before Yan Qingshan, dressed boldly and suggestively, even carrying an air of intentional seduction.
Among them was actually the receptionist from earlier that day.
“No need.
I’m going to cultivate and require a quiet environment.
You may leave!
If I need anything, I will call you.”
Yan Qingshan wasn’t particularly interested in such matters.
It wasn’t that he had become a saint; it was that his current body hadn’t even reached its fifteenth birthday yet.
In his past life, he would have been a middle school student.
Breaking his “pure body” this early was a bit too soon.
Furthermore, regarding such things, while he didn’t have exceptionally high standards, he felt the first time should at least be meaningful.
Wasn’t Xiao Yixian wonderful?
There was no need to be so desperate for lust at this moment.
His refusal naturally disappointed the waitresses, but after seeing the tips Yan Qingshan casually left, they all beamed with smiles again.
Having received benefits, they would naturally keep the gold master satisfied; they filed out one by one and even took shifts guarding the door for him.
Since he had chartered the entire flight mount, everyone on board served him alone.
Naturally, no one blind enough would come to stir up trouble, making the journey of over five days quite peaceful.
…
Six days later, in the eastern part of the Jia Ma Empire, within the Tager Desert.
Rock Desert City was only a small city, even smaller than Wu Tan City.
The entire city was built from a type of black stone quarried nearby, providing a unique sight in the Tager Desert, which was mostly composed of yellow earth and sand.
In an open area five hundred meters outside the eastern gate of Rock Desert City, a giant flying bird slowly landed.
The bird carried a wooden cabin on its back—a sight rarely seen in Rock Desert City.
A young youth leaped down from the room on the bird’s back.
The feeling of feet hitting solid ground was quite nice.
After the youth walked about ten meters away, the flying bird ascended again and departed into the distance.
Yan Qingshan frowned slightly as he pulled up the hood on his back.
It was noon, and the desert weather was quite dry and hot.
The scorching sunlight poured down from the sky, baking the earth beneath his feet until it continuously emitted stifling heat.
The heat rose up, and the excessive temperature even made the sight before him appear blurry and distorted.
The environment was nearly eighty percent composed of Fire and Earth-attribute dou qi.
Aside from Earth and Fire-attribute Dou Qi practitioners, people of other attributes and constitutions would not find it comfortable.
Just as the soil and water nourish its people, the local residents of the Tager Desert were mostly of the Fire and Earth attributes.
Such an environment naturally exerted a massive suppression on the Wood attribute.
Of course, the most heavily suppressed was the Water attribute; in such a place, it was nearly impossible for a local Water-attribute powerhouse to rise up.
Yan Qingshan pulled his robe closer; it was sun-shielding yet ventilated, making it comfortable rather than hot.
He had purchased this the previous night when the mount stopped at Desert City.
Flight mounts did not fly indefinitely without stopping; they always needed supplies along the way.
…
Rock Desert City wasn’t large.
The entire city was constructed from locally quarried black stone.
The desert wasn’t entirely made of yellow sand; there were also mountain ranges and rocks.
Many rocks and mountains were hidden beneath the sand.
Mountains like those near Rock Desert City, where black rock could be directly quarried, were rare.
Rock Desert City was inconspicuous among the many cities of the Tager Desert in the Jia Ma Empire.
The overall strength of the city was far inferior to Wu Tan City.
The layout of Rock Desert City was similar to Qingshan Town.
Aside from the City Lord’s lineage, there were no major families.
Outside the City Lord’s office, the various territories of the city were ruled by mercenary groups of all sizes, the strongest of which was the Sand Mercenary Group.
The leader of the Sand Mercenary Group, Sha Luo, dominated Rock Desert City with his Da Dou Shi cultivation, an individual whom even the City Lord viewed with wariness.
However, this information wasn’t of much use to Yan Qingshan, as he wasn’t there to dominate or cause trouble.
As long as he was slightly careful, he wouldn’t stir up any trouble.
Cities in the desert were essentially built near water; the surroundings were either oases or underground rivers.
Rock Desert City was naturally no exception.
Beneath the Black Stone Mountain Range next to the city—the source of the black stone used for the city’s construction—there was an underground river that had flowed silently through the mountains for countless years, nourishing everything nearby.
The ancestors of Rock Desert City had found the underground river here and built the city with stone, leading the water to flow through the city and creating a man-made desert oasis.
Furthermore, they managed the water source wisely without wasting it, allowing this city territory to take root and grow in the Tager Desert.
The northern side of Rock Desert City was the exit point for the canals that ran through the entire city.
It was also the area where the city’s laundry was done.
Some laundry women struggling to survive here relied on washing clothes for mercenaries to earn money for their livelihood.
Naturally, where there is light, there are dark corners.
This place was also a venue for some men to seek pleasure, and some laundry women also conducted “street-walker” business.
In the northeastern corner, where the canal water was at its lowest, a thin and small figure was silently washing a pile of clothes.
Men and women passing by instinctively quickened their steps upon seeing her, their eyes carrying a hint of disgust.
Even the mercenaries who came whistling to look for girls were the same; occasionally, a few fresh faces would also change their expressions after inquiring about the young girl.
Likely fatigued from long hours of labor, the girl grew a bit tired.
She instinctively pulled up her sleeves to reveal her snow-white wrists.
However, upon those white wrists, there were some fine green scales shimmering with light.
Once she exposed her arms, the smiles of the people chatting nearby gradually cooled.
Some people’s eyes even faintly contained a trace of loathing.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and those who were already walking quickened their pace.
The girl was sitting on the cool black stone, taking out a handkerchief to wipe away her sweat.
A smile was still rippling on her lips under the sunlight, but when she noticed the situation around her, the smile instantly vanished, and her entire being became exceptionally lonely.
On her exquisite and lovely face, strands of tears slid down.
The young girl silently pulled down her sleeves and resumed her work.
This time, even though her sleeves were soaked by the river water, she did not pull them up again, and her movements grew faster.
Clearly, she wanted to finish her work quickly and leave this place as soon as possible.
Although the eyes here were familiar, she still couldn’t accept those looks of rejection.
The pitiable and rejected thin girl silently finished her work.
She didn’t notice that, at some unknown point, a figure had appeared behind her.
After the girl washed and wrung out each piece of clothing, she stacked them neatly in a basin.
Lowering her head and carrying the wooden basin, she stood up and turned around, preparing to leave.
(End of Chapter)