Dark Moon Era

Chapter 411: The Strange Changes Of The Little Seed (2 in 1)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Around evening at Darkness Port, Tang Ling took a stroll down the commercial district.

As for Han Xing, he was simply brushed off after Tang Ling lent him 20 Black Sea coins.

Otherwise, Tang Ling bet that even if he headed out shopping for materials, Han Xing would tag along closely to him. How would it feel like when two guys shopped together?

Whenever Tang Ling thought of Han Xing clutching his hand shamelessly, he could not help but shiver. The image was strange and he dared not further paint out the picture in his mind. He decided to calm himself down and concentrate on his hunt for materials

Since Darkness Port was a free city, the commercial district was exceptionally lively. There were also a variety of products sold at retail stores.

It had been over a month since Tang Ling arrived in Darkness Port, and unfortunately, he never had the time to properly roam around the place. After simply walking around, Tang Ling knew the commercial district was mostly divided into four blocks of streets.

The first block sold mainly meat and all kinds of self-enhancing materials, but the quality of the goods was only average at most. The best vicious beast meat they could offer was Level 3 vicious beast meat. There may be more choices in self-enhancing materials than the former such as plants and technological stuff, but the quality was less than the vicious beast meat.

The second block was mainly selling materials, and by materials, there were all kinds of materials. The Purple Moon era gave birth to supermen that would have been considered impossible in the old civilization, so it was natural for all kinds of materials to be made available to suit their needs.

The materials included equipment, machinery, medicine, super-advanced technological gadgets, all kinds of formations and array, and so on. However, similar to the first block, the quality of goods remained average.

Even though there was something that Tang Ling wanted, the quality was not up to his expectations.

The third block was known as the miscellaneous street. All kinds of strange and unusual things were on sale there. There was also a trader providing conversion for all major currencies of the world and all kinds of services were also available. There was simply a mish-mash of everything in this street.

Many preferred to treasure hunt in this miscellaneous street since it had almost everything in various qualities like broken weapons, medicines with unknown effects, potions. Sometimes, there were rumors about someone buying treasure with a small amount of money.

Tang Ling was not interested in treasure hunting, at least, not at his current stage. He believed he was not that insightful yet, and he did not want to believe in vague and weightless luck.

“I guess as a teenager, I’m a little too boring,” he mocked himself when he saw a long line in front of a window of the third street.

What was the store selling? Tang Ling was familiar with the product on sale—Dori Dark Box, also known as the Dori box.

It was said that opening a Dori box was the most interesting game in Darkness Port, and nothing could beat its level of entertainment. The box was completely sealed and had first appeared as a way to get rid of illegal goods. After all, illegal goods from stealing and robbing were a little tougher to sell in the market. One day, a genius thought of the idea of putting the illegal goods into a completely sealed box. He told his customers that the boxes were holding something good but what they got was entirely up to luck.

With clever packaging, the illegal goods were transformed into boxes with a gambling nature, and if the boxes were not opened, no one could prove that they were illegal goods. Even if someone got those by luck, they would not disclose it as well.

As time went by, the Dori Dark Box gained popularity and became one of the three famous boxes of Darkness Port.

In short, it lowered the price of getting something good but its nature of gambling skyrocketed.

Some of the boxes still held illegal goods, but most of them contained junk and there were times when kind souls put in something good as entertainment.

Tang Ling was impressed by Quark’s luck. The cunning merchant really got something good out of a Dori box. It was a piece of the Horror Lullaby List, also known as the List of Seeds.

Tang Ling would never forget the signature on the box—’There is no treasure that the great Quark Rockwell can’t steal.’

They were illegal, after all. But is that Quark Rockwell the Quark that I know?

Tang Ling was thinking of an old acquaintance as he sauntered ahead. It had not been that long but some matters felt like forever ago.

“Hey, do you wanna try your luck with a Dori Dark Box? It’s better to spend your money on this than the Lady Luck’s Box from the auction or the Pierrot Game Box from the arena! It’s just 1 Black Sea coin and you might be able to see your future in it!” The promoter at the window was giving his best sales pitch.

Even Tang Ling had the urge to go and buy one, but on second thought, his stinginess got the best of him, so he did not even want to spend 1 Black Wind coin on it.

“I’ll pass.” Tang Ling reluctantly parted from the liveliest window in the miscellaneous street. As a matter of fact, he was a gambling addict, but at the same time, he had high self-discipline.

After going through the first three blocks, Tang Ling placed his attention on the fourth block. Compared to the first three, the fourth street was rather quiet because all the major factions opened their high-class trading companies on this particular street.

‘Want high quality? Buy from the fourth. Otherwise, try your luck at the third.’ It was a common saying around the district.

Tang Ling’s goal was clear. He would never save on things that he could use on himself. Even if it cost him a great sum of money, he would get it if he could become stronger.

His goal was to visit the trading company of the major factions like the trading company from the True Capital or the local powerhouse of Darkness Port since they were all decent choices.

As he sauntered around, he finally got hold of three trading companies that matched his expectations, including the ones from the True Capital and Darkness Port.

After some thought, Tang Ling decided to visit the local trading company first, the Dragon Palace. The building was as grand as it could get and precious coral was used as the main construction material. The red corals from the old civilization were considered jewels of the sea, yet a great amount of them was used to build the walls and pillars of this structure.

Did the red corals change a lot in the Purple Moon era? Tang Ling was not sure.

The building also used precious corals of the Purple Moon era as construction materials such as the multi-colored lucky corals and the rainbow corals. The amount used was by no means scarce either.

Should I steal some?

Tang Ling was thinking about breaking the corals as he stepped into the Dragon Palace.

Right after he stepped past the entrance, he saw a row of promoters standing at the door. One of them came out to welcome Tang Ling warmly, “O respectful guest, is there anything that I can do for you?”

Major trading companies usually spent a lot of effort into the details. Since Tang Ling was a guy, a female promoter came over to serve him even though there were both male and female promoters.

The female promoter was beautiful and her voice was soft. Her actions were not overly intimate, but they also did not feel distant and dull like a machine. Nevertheless, Tang Ling was not moved by her looks and actions as Higan was far more beautiful.

He maintained his composure and did not even respond to the promoter’s service as he wandered around the Dragon Palace all by himself.

Natural crystals were used for flooring while glass crystal cabinets reflected a colorful light, making everything inside look classy and grand. Of course, the price of the products was relatively high as well. After a quick round, Tang Ling realized that the products on sale were at least a fifth more expensive than the products outside. Was it the price to pay to buy oneself a sense of wealth?

Suddenly, Tang Ling remembered that there was a promoter following him around. He spoke to her for the first time, “Why does he get something to eat but not me?!”

“Huh?!” The promoter was caught off-guard by Tang Ling’s first question. In fact, she already recognized Tang Ling, the most popular teenager in Darkness Port at that moment, but was he this shameless?

The ‘he’ that Tang Ling was referring to was a VIP customer of the Dragon Palace. As a matter of fact, the VIP had just finished shopping and was taking a rest at the lounge area on the first floor. As a powerhouse not only in product variety but also in services, the Dragon Palace provided its guests with the most intricate selection of snacks since the price for the snacks compared to the profit from sales was nothing.

Nevertheless…

“Should I get some for you?” asked the beautiful promoter politely. Her services were top-notch, but deep down, she criticized Tang Ling’s shamelessness.

“Sure, go get me some.” Tang Ling was bothered by the unjust treatment. He would not simply give up on shopping in the Dragon Palace just to save money since quality was always his priority. However, since the price of the products was higher than the market price and the Dragon Palace could provide snacks to their customers, he ought to have some, if not a lot, to make it worth his time.

Maybe because of Tang Ling’s popularity, the promoter did not have any trouble getting him some snacks before he started buying.

Without showing any courtesy, Tang Ling gobbled down the whole plate of pastries and even drained two bottles of fruit juices dry. The taste was decent, but compared to quality food like the meals in Dvesha Moha, it was not as filling.

“I’m looking for around 1.5 kg of Level 4 vicious beast bone. I want the main bones, not the fragmented ones,” Tang Ling voiced his first demand while his mouth was full of pastries.

The so-called main bones were actually the bigger bones like the femur or spine, and not the smaller ones such as the finger bones or whatnot.

“I’m also looking for Level 2 vicious plant sap. I don’t want the ones with talent attributes, but it has to be beneficial to the human body. If you have those that can nourish the brain or spirit, that would be better. I need around 250 ml.

“Lastly, I also need the antennas of Level 5 mutated insects. I don’t have any specific requirements for this, but the antennas must be intact, and I need two of them.”

The gorgeous promoter was slightly dumbstruck. Tang Ling’s demands were not exactly picky since the Dragon Palace served a lot of wealthy customers, but as everyone knew, Tang Ling was not even a Purple Moon Warrior, so why would he need this many high-tier materials?

However, prying into the customer’s privacy was a significant taboo in the service line, and on top of that, the materials that Tang Ling was looking for were not available on the first floor which only retailed normal materials.

“Sir, the materials you seek can be bought on our second floor, but according to our policy, you have to have at least 500 Black Sea coins to go up…” The promoter trailed off.

A lot of customers found this particular policy disrespectful, but Tang Ling did not mind.

Boasting his wealth was something fresh and delightful to him. He calmly took the crystal card out and handed it over.

He had a total of 1,480 Black Sea coins in the card and even though Black Sea coins were not as powerful as True Capital coins in terms of purchasing power, it was still widely used.

Unfortunately, Tang Ling did not get the gaze of admiration and shock he expected from the beautiful promoter. She calmly checked the credit and passed the card back to Tang Ling before guiding him to the second floor.

Tang Ling felt that it was strange.

Am I not rich enough?

Compared to the bold and grand first floor, the design on the second floor focused more on elegance. A tinge of iron-blooded rigidity was mixed into the soothing elegance of the area.

How should Tang Ling describe it? It looked like an artistic captain’s cabin. It seemed like Darkness Port really liked their oceanic theme and was persistent with it.

After reaching the second floor, Tang Ling was brought to a VIP room. A customer’s privacy was the most important priority in the service line.

Maybe because of his astonishing appetite, the promoter with a sharp insight brought three more plates of pastries and a dozen cans of different fruit juices out for Tang Ling. The attention to detail made him content and it lowered his grievance from the unfair treatment by a mile.

“Sir, please wait here for a while. I’ll contact the customer service manager about the items you’ve demanded and he’ll be here in ten minutes.” The promoter’s voice was sweet as though Tang Ling’s appetite did not shock her at all.

“Great.” Tang Ling sat down on the couch comfortably, munching on his pastries and waiting for the items he asked for. The experience was something else. Being rich really felt different.

Ten minutes went by in the blink of an eye.

As informed, the promoter came back right on time with an elder. The elder brought a rather large box to the room.

Then, the elder sat down in front of Tang Ling and opened the box quietly. Four trays covered in red cloth were taken out from the first level of the box.

“Respectful Sir, this is the first item that you asked for. We’ve checked our existing inventory and selected four suitable pieces for your viewing pleasure.” The elder was sharp and prompt with his introduction whilst he lifted up the first red cloth.

“Quadorian Primal Mammoth. It’s a Level 4 vicious beast, and this here is half of its spine. It’s been procured carefully, and since its bone marrow that contains a large amount of life energy wasn’t drained in the process, some of the bone marrow has fused with the bone. Therefore, the quality is higher than usual.” The elder’s explanation was precise and detailed.

Tang Ling picked up the bone for quick scrutiny using his spirit visualization method. He put it down without any comment.

As a matter of fact, this section of the spine was great and matched his requirements for the bone. It was countless times better than the fragmented bones of Level 4 vicious beast on sale on the second street.

As expected of a major trading company, the product quality stood out from the rest. Nevertheless, Tang Ling was not in a hurry to take a stand. After spending so much time with Boss Huang, he had adapted the boss’s sleazy way of handling things.

The elder did not receive a response from Tang Ling, but he was in no rush either. He lifted the second cloth.

“The tailbone of the North-West Emperor Tiger. As you can see, it’s also been procured carefully and the whole tail is kept intact. Even though a North-West Emperor Tiger is just a Level 4 vicious beast, its tail possesses outstanding offensive capabilities, comparable even to a Level 5 vicious beast. You can simply imagine how tough its bone must be to support its tail-sweeping abilities. On top of that, the tiger’s tail has medicinal values, and I believe you don’t require more explanation on that, dear Sir.” The elder smiled.

As a matter of fact, among their existing stocks, this tailbone of the North-West Emperor Tiger was considered the highest quality among all the bones of Level 4 vicious beast bones.

Tang Ling was slightly moved by it. In fact, he knew by listening that this tailbone was better than the previous and suited his requirement even more.

The first layer of formation required him to grind the bone into powder and add many other materials. It was better to choose a bone that benefitted his body and had medicinal values, was it not?

Tang Ling was not sure. He simply held the tailbone for a while and waited for the next introduction.

Despite having such a great appetite, this kid is still this steady?

The elder started to suspect something in his heart. Even a Rank 3 Purple Moon Warrior would be slightly moved by this tailbone. With such thoughts in mind, he lifted the third red cloth.

“This is the wing bone of a Mardova Thunder-winged Bird and it’s as intact as you can see. It might be light, but this section is at least 1.5 kg. More importantly, it still has a tinge of lightning inside and it makes a great ancillary material to produce talent equipment.” The elder’s description of this wing bone was relatively simple, but the lightning attribute inside was precious enough as it could stand on its own and no extra explanation would be needed.

It would be the most expensive Level 4 vicious beast bone and those who understood it would appreciate its value.

Could Tang Ling appreciate it? Of course, he could and was even envious of it. It was considered extremely rare for a Level 4 vicious beast bone to contain talent ability. Furthermore, since it was just a Level 4 vicious beast bone, its price was relatively acceptable.

Only Kun, that sick psycho, could simply throw bones with talent abilities away and call them trash.

Tang Ling would never forget the scene in his first dream entry when Kun had boasted of his wealth in front of him, “Trash! Trash! All trash!”

Tang Ling wanted to try it, but his wealth was nothing compared to Kun as it was like a drop of water against a vast ocean.

While some unrelated thoughts flashed across his mind, Tang Ling rejected the wing bone. It had a lightning attribute, so if he used it on the body array, he might have to be electrocuted every day.

Therefore, Tang Ling remained calm although it raised suspicion in the elder’s heart.

Is this kid here to cause trouble? Three great items didn’t even catch his attention. If he’s an experienced buyer that has seen the world, he wouldn’t come here to buy these anyway.

However, in regard to Tang Ling’s identity, the elder suppressed his suspicion and kept his emotions away. He then lifted the last red cloth. For the first time, the elder did not explain anything after he lifted the cloth. Instead, he waited for Tang Ling to look at it first.

On the tray was a tooth which was the size of half a palm and there was still red at the roots which appeared to be threads of blood.

“What’s this?”

Tang Ling was already holding the tooth when he asked his question. He slightly furrowed his brow before he was shocked for a moment and put it back down after that. Despite appearing natural in the process, in fact, the slumbering little seed reacted when he picked the tooth up.

The reaction was not a proactive one like when it had called Tang Ling its father. It was more of an instinctive desire as though even when it was unconscious, it desired food.

What the hell did Boss Huang do to me? What happened to the little seed? Is it trying to eat a tooth now?

Tang Ling got upset all of a sudden, but he decided to buy this tooth back even it cost him a little more. It could not be helped. Even if the little seed requested something strange, Tang Ling was still a loving ‘father’. How could he not satisfy his own child’s desire to have a little something to eat?

Tang Ling believed he would be the father of the year. However, what was it exactly? He was waiting for the elder’s answer.

At the same time, the elder was also paying close attention to Tang Ling. If he noticed even the slightest microexpression, he would name a reasonably high price for the tooth that had insignificant use. Unfortunately, the elder was disappointed.

Tang Ling was only curious and shocked because he did not know what the tooth was or where it was from.

The elder took a deep breath and said, “This tooth is from beyond Iron-Blooded City. You should know that living beings beyond Iron-Blooded City are stranger than around here and there are a lot of other different species. Truth be told, we haven’t identified which animal the tooth is from. We checked it using some special equipment and its general data matches the bone integrity of a Level 4 vicious beast, but its structural density is unusual. A small tooth like this weighs 2 kg. You must know that the higher the bone density is, the better its quality.

“Besides, a tooth that weighs 2 kg is absurd! How heavy would the mouth full of this kind of teeth be? What kind of living beings have this kind of heavy tooth? The living being might even be stronger than a Level 4 vicious beast!”

Tang Ling had to give it to the elder for his enchanting use of words. The elder was able to package the seemingly worthless and strange tooth into something tempting in a few words. The elder even hinted at Tang Ling that he could spend the money for a Level 4 vicious beast bone to buy something of a higher level.

However, under Tang Ling’s youthful and delicate expression, he had the heart of a cunning slick. He pouted and argued, “What? It’s all uneducated guesses.”

Truth be told, he had serious doubts about the background of the tooth. What was Iron-Blooded City? What was beyond the city? However, he should not display his ignorant side in front of the trading company, especially the elder in front of him. All the doubts in his heart must remain hidden.

“That’s it? Is there something else?” asked Tang Ling without concern after his complaint. He looked like he was not interested in the goods displayed before him.

The elder felt slightly sorry as well for bringing out the tooth, but as a customer service manager, he had the duty to sell some insignificant items. After all, Tang Ling was a teenager, and teenagers were usually easier to swindle and were more curious, so the elder was just testing his luck.

“There are others but the qualities are more or less the same. If you are not interested in the best we offer, I don’t think you will find interest in other products as well,” said the elder. Indeed, they had better items to offer, but they were not in a hurry to sell off the good stuff.

Tang Ling was just a small fry with a little bit more than a thousand Black Sea coins. He was not worthy of the better items, especially this time in Darkness Port. There were a lot of geniuses from all around the world and there were many wealthy ones among them.

Tang Ling could not read the elder’s thoughts, but even if he could, he did not care because the items the elder offered fulfilled his requests. Nevertheless, he feigned a sigh and said, “If that’s the case, I’m too lazy to browse everything at once. Just state the price of the items here.”

“The first mammoth bone: 580 Black Sea coins.

“The second tiger tailbone: 620 Black Sea coins.

“The third bird wing bone: 800 Black Sea coins.

“The fourth tooth: 300 Black Sea coins,” the elder listed out all the prices for each of the displayed items.

“Isn’t that a little too expensive?” Tang Ling frowned. He knew nothing good would happen after he had wolfed down a few plates of high-class pastries. If he bought everything on the table, what should he do with the rest of the items on the list?

Would he have to be broke again?