Chapter 315: Gathering Resources

Chapter 315

Gathering Resources

"Please don’t misunderstand. Those potions you have are only of low grade. While everyone here can use them, the ingredients aren’t high quality. Even if they contain high-level herbs, they lack spiritual properties, rendering them less effective."

"The rare items that fetches a good price here are items with spiritual power. I’m not talking about impure spirits, like weapons you have, they are created by imbuing the spirits of the tainted. Those don’t fetch high prices. What we need are items with generative-power spirit."

"You may not understand fully. You use magic power in your training these days, right? I don’t know your methods, but that power isn’t pure. After staying here for a while, you’ll see what I mean. If you knew how to harness primordial power, you’d have limitless strength and wouldn’t encounter “bottlenecks” in your training."

"Using these low-level potions is fine, but they can act like poison too. Some ingredients can interfere with your power cultivation. You probably know that the highest level your race can reach is level 9, and even reaching that is extremely difficult. But with the correct training, surpassing that level wouldn’t be so hard."

"So, it’s better to use items that have the sources from the spirits. They aren’t easy to find, even here...which is why they are so expensive."

"But don’t worry too much. Even if your items are low-grade, they still sell for 1 tol each. 1 tol is a significant amount. With 1 tol, you can buy many goods. The tol coin is a standard exchange currency, but each race has its own coins too."

"Some items are valuable to specific races and fetch high prices within those races. For instance...if you have a beast core that enhances fire magic power, selling it to the Fire clan will get you a good price. But if you sell it to the Water clan, which uses water magic for minor tasks, it will be cheaper. We, the central service, offer a standard price for everything."

"Sometimes...you can trade your items for more coins from other races, then buy cheaper items from those races to sell at a profit here. Just be careful. Exploiting other races might cause resentment. Some races that did this in the past have disappeared."

The central service staff spoke again, providing some useful warnings. For those thinking they could outsmart and exploit others, it was clear that such tactics wouldn’t work here. This place was unlike their homeland, and if they wanted to take on challenges, they had better measure their own strength first!!!

"Potions can only be sold at low prices. Weapons are also cheap. What else...even rare spiritual weapons are sold cheaply. So, what can we sell!?" Aman voiced his extreme frustration. It seemed living on the 7th floor of the tower would be difficult. It might be better to fight beasts to seize a city like before.

But Aman could only think this. Observing those walking around, it was clear they had lived here for a long time. Some had faces and heads like fish, yet their strength and the pressure they exuded were immense. It made sense that they belonged to races that could live on the 7th floor of the tower!!

"May I ask, after we arrive on the 7th floor, how do we find resources?"

"Oh, it’s not difficult. It’s just like before. The 7th floor is merely a central hub for living. If you need to hunt for resources, simply go through the various numbered doors." The staff pointed out the numerous special teleportation platforms in the grand hall.

"Yes, there are many teleportation gates on the 7th floor. If you wish to move to your original resource locations, ah...perhaps you don’t understand that well. But I believe you must have conquered small cities that have resource for cultivation before passing many tests, right? Those places will be your resource bases in the future, which are very necessary for the early stages of living here."

"As I mentioned, even though your resources are cheap, hard work is better than not knowing your own skills and challenging the central hunting areas. If you are not truly prepared, I fear those places will be where you end up losing your lives."

"The central hunting areas have no rules. If you enter, any race can kill you. Just like before, you killed many beasts. In other races’ tests, you are just another part of their trials. Therefore, the familiarity with killing is still there. You should always be cautious and ready."

"The teleportation will only allow you to return to the floors you once owned. If there are any cities on these floors that the human race hasn’t taken over, you won’t be able to return once the designated time passes. In other words...the benefits provided to assist you have ended."

"If you no longer require the resources from your previous cities, you can sell the rights back to the central authority. They certainly fetch a good price, or you could also sell them to other races. We purchase them at a high price, and if you want to buy from other races, you can do that as well. Just come to the central building to transfer ownership."

Listening to this, the complexity of their situation became clearer. It turned out that they had so many limitations. Not only could they not return to their homeland, but they were also restricted to returning only to the cities they already owned on floors 1-6. They couldn’t conquer any additional cities.

Thus, in the next 10 years, they should seize as many cities as possible. This was the thought running through the minds of the Setter family members.

"So, what should we sell first?" The staff member rubbed his hands together. He had given a lot of information and hints; now it was time for trade negotiations.

"We have about 20,000 bottles of level 1 potions, around 5,000 bottles of level 2 potions, and we can sell about 1,000 level 1 weapons. We also have stratagems, magic scrolls, ................" The family elder took charge of gathering all the resources. They couldn’t return empty-handed; at the very least, they needed to exchange their goods for money to secure a place on the 7th floor. Otherwise, they would have to face the tests again, and there was no guarantee the tests would be the same next time.

The staff handled everything efficiently, from organizing the items to calculating the money. Eventually, all the resources the Setter family brought with them were sold, but they only received 140,000 tols. This left everyone feeling quite disheartened.

"This is excellent. Many of the items sold for a good price. It seems you have no shortage of supplies. Perhaps once other races learn of your valuable resources, they might offer high prices to buy your cities," the staff member smiled. Despite the large pile of resources, they sold for only 140,000 tols, leaving the Setter family members feeling somewhat hurt. They felt as if they had been taken advantage of, but this was their choice, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Come, let’s see what kind of city you can purchase with 140,000 tols. This amount should be enough to buy a place on the outskirts. The location should be around here, in the 27th row, which is at the very edge. It doesn’t have water, mountains, forests, or soil suitable for farming, but it can still serve as a decent place to live."

The staff pointed out the location on a map and showed a visual representation of the area. After seeing it...one of the Setter family hunters became furious. The location had nothing good about it and was very far from the central area. It might take 1 full day to travel to the central area to use the teleportation gate, and this didn’t include another day to return to the city.

Not only was the distance inconvenient, but the condition of the area was also problematic. Each city’s area seemed to be separated into different dimensions, and this one was a barren wasteland with only white, dusty soil. It posed a danger to the residents. There was no water, and the soil was practically non-existent. Worse still, the sky was perpetually overcast without any sunlight, but this darkness was not due to impending rain at all.

Who could live in such conditions?!!

"Hmm? It seems you are not satisfied. But as I mentioned...if you want a better area, you will need more money," the staff member laughed happily.

"In fact, the area you don’t want costs around 300,000 tols. You have a special right to buy it for 140,000 tols as a first-time buyer. Ah...but for the next area that has sunlight as its advantage, the price is 170,000 tols, which is usually 350,000 tols. If you don’t buy it now, it will be more difficult next time."

The staff member smiled as if he had rehearsed this speech. This made the Setter family members feel like fainting. Seeing their reaction, the surrounding races couldn’t help but laugh.

"That’s how it always is the first time. In the end, it’s just a trap to make you spend more money."

"Even though they say there’s a discount for new races, what’s the point of that discount if everything they have can’t reach those exorbitant prices?"

"I’ve seen many races who eventually had to earn money to buy better areas. It took them hundreds of years to settle. Some races couldn’t survive and disappeared altogether."

"Yeah, no race has escaped hardship. They thought being on the 7th floor would make them strong, but...there’s always a higher sky."

"Let’s hope they’re not foolish enough to sell the cities they previously owned. That might be their better refuge, even if it seems like running away."

"That’s right. Getting past this point, the cities they owned on floors 1-6 become excellent shelters instead." Ellie heard their words and felt like she finally got an answer to a question she had long pondered. She wondered why high-level species had to stay in the tower. Didn’t the elves have their kingdoms outside the tower? In the end, the tower was just a place to seek strength. Why did they have to struggle so much?

Now she understood the truth: this was perhaps the reason why they stayed in cities they owned without being able to expand to every city...

“Damn it!! Could our decision have been a mistake?”

“Right. If we hadn’t come to the 7th floor, maybe we’d have grown stronger by now.”

“We thought the 7th floor would provide more resources, but is this how it ends? Are we seeking our own hell?”

“After going back, instead of being strong hunters, we might become demons to humanity.”

“Heh, heh, heh, they might kill us in return.” The Setter family hunters cursed in frustration. They were bringing trouble to the entire human race. Just thinking about it hurt deeply.

“Oh, don’t think that way...” The smile of the faceless staff member sent chills down their spines. Who would have thought that the other party would respond to their complaints?

The staff member checked some information before pulling out a piece of paper. The hunters of the Setter family didn’t understand what he was about to do until they heard his words.

“The human race, established 2,496 years ago, current population: 172,347,688...” After speaking, he clapped his hands for nearly 5 seconds. But when the applause stopped, the hunters of the Setter family heard others talking about this information.

“This is crazy!! Isn’t this extremely lucky?”

“A race that has been around for almost to its deadline just passed the test. That was close.”

“Ha!! They were just complaining that coming to the 7th floor was a disaster. Haha, this is too funny.”

“Indeed. Do they realize what would have happened if they hadn’t passed the test before 2,500 years?!!”

“The creator must be disappointed. Almost got free labor without any cost, but they passed just in time.”

“They actually only had 4 years left to survive. Who would have thought they’d make it just in time? And...the creator’s rule is to give new races 2,500 years, right? So, with only 4 years left to collapse, if they passed the 7th floor, does that mean they get an additional 10 years like before?”

The surrounding people’s discussions left the Setter family members very confused, but some started to grasp the gravity of the situation. The staff member didn’t let them stay confused for long and continued speaking.

“Congratulations to the human race for making it to the 7th floor before the test period ended. Otherwise, you would have all been erased, with some becoming laborers without any freedom to make decisions. So, if you’re not happy about passing this test, do you want me to report to the central authority to revoke your successful clearance?”

The staff member spoke with a hint of envy before that feeling was erased. After all, they were one of the spirits forced to work eternally, never to rest or reincarnate. This was all because their race never knew about such tests and forbade their people from entering the tower due to the dangers.Thinking that avoiding danger meant staying safe ultimately branded them as weak and unworthy of existence. Now, regretting it was too late...