Chapter 35: Building A Foundation

"Is there some kind of service here that can save me the trouble?"

Gerald’s smile widened. He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a palm-sized, square black stone before handing it to Ryan.

"Here. This is a Record Stone. It contains a complete record of all the goods sold by the Winters Trading Company, along with their prices. The information is updated every month. Take a look and see if there’s anything you need."

Gerald was in an exceptionally good mood.

When Ryan and his family had first arrived, he had assumed they were nothing more than a group of poor wanderers who had somehow found their way into Winters Manor.

He never imagined that the situation would be completely reversed.

Not only had Ryan turned out to be a distinguished guest of the Winters Family, but Gerald had personally handled the sale of a luxurious manor to him.

The commission alone was enough to make Gerald’s heart race.

Selling a manor worth 2,200 Low-Grade Origin Stones would earn him a commission of at least three percent.

Even after applying the 8.8% discount, his commission would still amount to roughly 58 Low-Grade Origin Stones.

That was more than he could earn from his regular salary as a guard manager in several months.

"Alright." Ryan nodded and accepted the unremarkable black stone before tossing it into his spatial ring.

He knew a little about Record Stones.

A Record Stone possessed both storage and imprinting functions and was also commonly known as a Memory Stone. It was an extremely rare and special type of stone.

Not only was it resistant to both water and fire, but it was also exceptionally tough. Unless subjected to overwhelming brute force, it was extremely difficult to destroy, making it ideal for storing information over long periods.

Record Stones could also be refined into various shapes depending on their intended use—flat slabs, squares, circles, triangles, tokens, and more.

Origin Spirit Realm warriors and those above who possessed Mental Awareness could imprint vast amounts of graphical information and Mental Awareness into a blank Record Stone.

Once the information had been recorded, the user only needed to inject a trace of Origin Sea Bloodline into the stone.

The information stored within would then instantly imprint itself into their mind.

Afterward, the Record Stone would return to its blank state, allowing it to be used again to store new information.

It was an incredibly convenient tool for Bloodline Fighters, effectively replacing cumbersome graphic scrolls and bamboo slips.

"If you need anything else, feel free to come find me," Gerald said with a grin.

Hearing this, Ryan suddenly seemed to remember something.

He reached into his spatial ring, retrieved two Low-Grade Origin Stones, and discreetly slipped them into Gerald’s hand.

"We prefer peace and quiet and don’t want to be disturbed unnecessarily. Is there any way to erase all records of our entry into Winters Manor?"

Ryan didn’t know how long it would take the Sterling Family to discover his whereabouts.

He couldn’t afford to take any chances.

Until he became strong enough to protect himself and his family, he needed to eliminate every possible avenue through which their location could be exposed.

Gerald’s expression immediately became serious.

"I understand."

He quietly accepted the Origin Stones and lowered his voice.

"Please rest assured, Senior Cole. Anyone possessing a Winters Token is considered a distinguished guest of the Winters Family. Your whereabouts are treated as highly confidential, and no one would dare disclose them without authorization."

A trace of excitement flashed through Gerald’s eyes.

He had never expected such a distinguished guest to be so generous, casually giving him a tip for something that required almost no effort on his part.

Winters Manor placed great importance on the security and privacy of its residents. Protecting the whereabouts of its distinguished guests was one of its highest priorities.

Furthermore, Ryan possessed a Winters Token.

As a distinguished guest of the Winters Family, no one would dare neglect him, let alone casually reveal his whereabouts.

"Aside from me and a few high-ranking officials of the Winters Family, no one else will know the location of your manor," Gerald continued. "Since I personally handled the transfer of this manor to you, you can come directly to me if you require any after-sales assistance."

"Alright. I understand. Thank you for your help today." Ryan nodded with a smile.

The Winters Token truly offered far more benefits than he had expected.

More importantly, Gerald’s assurance finally put his mind at ease.

As long as Gerald wasn’t foolish, he would never dare recklessly expose the whereabouts of a distinguished guest of the Winters Family.

"Goodbye." Ryan waved toward Gerald before turning around.

He took out the refined access plate and pressed it against the entrance formation.

A small section of the Maze Battle Array immediately rippled.

The intricate formation patterns shifted, creating a narrow opening in the otherwise impenetrable barrier.

Ryan led his family through the opening.

Under Gerald’s surprised gaze, they disappeared into their newly purchased residence—Cole Manor.

The moment the last person stepped through, the opening closed.

The Maze Battle Array returned to its fully defensive state, its intricate patterns once again blending seamlessly into the surroundings.

Gerald waved goodbye as he watched them disappear.

Then, after standing there for a moment, a trace of envy appeared in his eyes.

He genuinely liked the manors in Winters Manor.

Unfortunately, his monthly salary was only ten Low-Grade Origin Stones.

That amounted to just 120 Low-Grade Origin Stones a year.

A luxurious residence like this cost a staggering 2,200 Low-Grade Origin Stones.

Even if he saved every single Origin Stone he earned and didn’t spend a single one, he would need nearly twenty years to afford one.

And that was assuming he never had to eat, drink, cultivate, or spend money on anything else.

Working hard for an entire year might not even be enough to afford a single latrine in Winters Manor.

What was even more depressing was the monthly management fee.

Fifty Low-Grade Origin Stones. Gerald’s entire monthly salary wasn’t even enough to cover it.

"Sigh... Forget it."

Gerald shook his head with a bitter smile. "Different people really do have different fates."

A flash of white light suddenly enveloped his body.

The teleportation formation beneath his feet activated.

In the next moment, Gerald disappeared from the spot.

...

After a while, Ryan finally finished visiting several major trading firms and purchased most of the things he needed.

He stocked up on all kinds of daily necessities, including firewood, rice, cooking oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, tea, and other household supplies. He also bought plenty of clothes, shoes, socks, pillows, quilts, towels, and other essentials, making sure there would be enough for the entire family.

Food was another major part of his purchases.

He bought large quantities of rice, noodles, meat, fruits, vegetables, pastries, and other long-lasting food supplies.

Considering the uncertain future ahead, Ryan had no intention of letting his family worry about basic necessities anytime soon.

He also purchased a wide variety of miscellaneous items, including numerous porcelain bottles, jars, containers, and other vessels.

These would be useful for storing the various products produced by the Boundless Creation Furnace.

However, the items Ryan valued most weren’t the everyday necessities.

He also spent a considerable amount of money purchasing dozens of knowledge-based Record Stones.

Among them were:

"Secrets of Bloodline Fighters"

"Records of Wonders and Anomalies"

"Miscellaneous Talks on Ten Thousand Strange Items"

"Exploration of Major Renowned Families and Great Sects"

"Secrets of the Crimson Expanse"

"Great Power Games"

"World History"

"World Map"

These Record Stones contained information that would be extremely difficult to obtain through ordinary means.

Ryan’s knowledge of the Crimson Expanse was still severely limited. Although he had studied the basics at the Bloodline Institute, what he had learned there was only an introduction.

If he wanted to survive and grow stronger in this world, he needed to understand far more than strength alone.

He needed to know about the major forces, powerful families, great sects, dangerous regions, rare treasures, strange creatures, historical events, and even the broader structure of the world itself.

Knowledge could sometimes be more valuable than treasures.

And Ryan had no intention of entering the future completely blind.

These were precisely the areas of knowledge he urgently needed to catch up on.

Now that he had stepped onto the path of a Bloodline Fighter—a path where the strong preyed upon the weak—he understood that raw strength alone wasn’t enough.

To survive, and eventually stand at the top, he needed a comprehensive understanding of the world around him.

Only after purchasing everything he considered essential did Ryan finally spend a large sum on the precious treasures he had been eyeing for some time.

Originally, he had also planned to purchase a Second-Tier Top-Grade Limb Restoration Pill for Ethan, who desperately needed one.

Unfortunately, the Winters Trading Company had very limited stock of Top-Grade pills. The few they had were either already sold out or simply unavailable.

Ryan could only postpone the purchase for now.

After such a massive shopping spree, Ryan finally realized something.

He had completely exhausted the Winters Token’s 3,000 Low-Grade Origin Stone pre-consumption limit.

He couldn’t help but admit that the Winters Token Elena had given him had been an enormous help.

Without it, he would never have been able to purchase so many things today.

Ryan silently made a note of the favor. ’I owe Elena for this. If I obtain anything good in the future, I’ll make sure she gets priority.’

Originally, Ryan had thought he could save some money by using ordinary gold coins for his daily necessities.

He had been wrong. Within Winters Manor, Origin Stones were the only accepted currency.

Even the most basic necessities, such as food and clothing, had to be purchased with Origin Stones.

Gold coins were practically worthless here.

Ryan couldn’t help but regret not having prepared more Origin Stones before coming.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it now.

There had simply been too many things to buy.

His spatial ring had only one cubic meter of storage space, which was nowhere near enough to hold everything he had purchased.

In the end, Ryan had no choice but to carry several large packages himself.

By the time he finally returned to Cole Manor, he was breathing heavily.

Today had truly been exhausting.

The battle earlier had consumed a tremendous amount of his Origin Sea, and he hadn’t had a chance to properly rest afterward. Instead, he had immediately rushed around the city purchasing a mountain of miscellaneous supplies.

Even after awakening his Bloodline and undergoing a significant physical enhancement, Ryan still felt thoroughly fatigued.