Chapter 267: Magical Barley Seeds, Golden Sunflower (6000)

The Shadow Cloak could only conceal Cao Xing's aura; it would still be seen through by some powerful existences.

Cao Xing glanced at the other party's attribute panel without changing his expression.

He discovered that this Marita truly could not be judged by her appearance.

When he scanned over now, it was actually still a bunch of question marks!

What did this indicate? It indicated that Marita possessed at least Tier 6 strength, exceeding Cao Xing by 20 levels!

She was the strongest existence Cao Xing had ever seen besides Qinong!

However, he did not show the shock in his heart, instead still wearing a faint smile as he said, "I must thank the kind and beautiful Lady Marita for the help she provided me. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to grow stronger so quickly."

Cao Xing wasn't being hypocritical about this point.

After all, her [Devourer's Box] had truly given him a lot of help.

"You have such a sweet mouth~"

A trace of a smile appeared on the noble lady's rather serious face.

"I have already heard that Lord Cao Xing and your subordinates won the championship and runner-up of this fishing competition, is that right?"

Cao Xing nodded, "That's right."

"Then, according to the rules, you will choose the competition rewards."

"Will you choose the laborers or the crowns?"

After pondering for a moment, Cao Xing said, "For the first-place reward, I want those 125 goblin laborers, and for the second-place reward, I choose 300,000 crowns."

For Cao Xing, the improvement from three Tier 2 elite knights wasn't large.

300,000 crowns were much more practical.

Upon hearing this, Marita's long eyelashes fluttered.

Then she chuckled and said, "Alright, then I will take Lord Cao Xing to claim your rewards."

"Alright."

To be honest, Cao Xing was also a bit curious where Marita had hidden these more than one hundred goblin laborers.

As her words fell, Marita lifted her skirt hem with both hands and walked gracefully towards the doorway.

Everyone followed behind her and entered the courtyard.

As she extended a pair of white hands and clapped them together.

"Clap clap!"

The next moment, in the courtyard behind, several guards from the Luna Chamber of Commerce walked out.

Behind them, over a hundred short figures were also following.

So many people quickly filled up this small courtyard.

"Lord Cao Xing, these are the rewards you wanted."

Finished speaking, Marita turned around gracefully, the skirt hem on her body unfolding like a blue rose.

Not only that, Cao Xing also smelled a faint, refreshing fragrance.

However, his gaze was quickly attracted by the group of creatures behind Marita.

Their height was about 1.2 meters, their skin was dark yellow, and they had pointed ears and curved nasal bridges.

Their eyes carried some cringing and caution, their bodies were tense, and they seemed extremely nervous.

These were the goblin laborers.

Upon seeing Marita, these short goblin laborers respectfully knelt and prostrated on the ground, "Greetings, Master Marita."

Supporting her right elbow with her left hand, Marita still said gracefully, "Lord Cao Xing, this batch of goblin laborers was bought by us from the Giant Chamber of Commerce."

"This is a group of creatures skilled at working in caves and underground, especially when excavating gemstone veins; their efficiency is lightning fast."

"Of course, you must be careful that these goblins will hide gemstones privately; this group of greedy fellows can't help hiding gems away themselves when they see them, and they have many methods."

Cao Xing was also stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and then laughed.

Those goblin laborers looked around with guilty expressions.

Marita continued, "However, they have undergone a long period of training and are still quite obedient."

"After you take them away and train them further, they can still give you a lot of help."

Cao Xing slightly nodded, his gaze sweeping over the attributes of that group of goblin laborers.

[Goblin Laborer]

[Race: Goblin]

[Level: Level 7 (Tier 1 Ordinary Creature)]

[Health Points: 560 / 560]

[Attack Power: 37 ~ 41]

[Attributes: Strength 14, Agility 12, Spirit 9, Constitution 17]

[Skills: Primary Mining Mastery (Increases mining efficiency by 10%), Cringe (When the goblin laborer is frightened, it enters a cringing state, all attributes decrease by 30%, and it stops working)]

[Talent: Laborer (A diligent and uncomplaining laborer, possessing more enduring stamina)]

…

Just like the introduction, this group of goblins was very suitable for mining.

Of course, arranging them to build territory structures was also possible.

Besides this, goblin laborers had another shortcoming, which was that they were too cowardly.

If they were frightened, they would hide and stop working.

Marita turned around, looked at that group of goblin laborers, and said, "Starting today, you belong to this Lord Cao Xing. Work hard for him and obey his commands unconditionally, understand?"

That group of goblin laborers knelt on both knees towards Cao Xing one after another, then respectfully said.

"Respected Lord, please treat us well…"

Cao Xing nodded, "In my territory, as long as you obey commands, you will all receive favorable treatment."

Upon hearing this, the goblin laborers looked at each other.

"We will work hard for you, merciful Lord, may the God of Caves bless you…"

At the same time, a guard from the Luna Chamber of Commerce carried over a large box.

Inside it clinked and clanged, packed full of crowns.

This was the reward for second place, a total of 300,000 crowns.

Cao Xing directly took it over as well.

System prompt appeared.

[This fishing competition has ended.]

[Obtained rewards: Tier 1 Goblin Laborer 125 members, currency * 300,000…]

…

With the rewards in hand, Cao Xing's mood was also very good.

Coming to Annor River Village this time, it could be said that all three matters were successfully completed.

"Thank you very much, beautiful Lady Marita."

"This is what you deserve."

Marita gazed at him, then softly said, "Lord Cao Xing, I wonder if it's convenient for you, shall we talk alone?"

Cao Xing saw her gaze and understood Marita's meaning.

So he looked at Braum and the others beside him and said, "Braum, Renice, you guys take this group of workers and wait for me at the village entrance."

"Also bring along the villagers purchased previously."

"We will return to the territory shortly."

Braum respectfully said, "As you command, Lord!"

Then, he blew on his mustache and said loudly, "Goblins, all follow me over!"

"Take you to meet our other territory members."

That group of goblin laborers looked at Braum with astonished expressions.

"As you command, this strong warrior!"

"Oh! This warrior's palms are so big, I feel like a single slap from him could shatter my bones."

"That's right, that's right… In our tribe, those hobgoblins aren't as strong as this warrior!"

"No, hobgoblins are the strongest…"

Amidst the chattering voices of the goblins.

Braum, that big guy, led them out of the courtyard.

Including those few Luna Chamber of Commerce guards, they also left this place.

Soon, only the two of them, he and Marita, were left in this courtyard.

The noble lady in front of him said, "Lord Cao Xing, let's go inside to talk."

"Alright." Cao Xing also readily agreed.

Soon, they returned to the room.

Marita picked up a kettle and gracefully poured tea for Cao Xing.

Then the two of them sat down respectively.

Marita still maintained an upright sitting posture and said directly, "Lord Cao Xing, I heard that this time you actually fished up the Legendary Emerald Bream?"

"That's right."

Upon hearing this, a trace of joy surfaced in Marita's mature-looking eyes.

She went straight to the point again and said, "I wonder if Lord Cao Xing could part with one and sell it to our Luna Chamber of Commerce?"

Cao Xing had actually anticipated this result.

This time, the Luna Chamber of Commerce spent a huge sum of money to hold this fishing competition, and their main purpose was presumably for the Emerald Bream.

It's just that Cao Xing didn't know what use this magical creature had for her.

So Cao Xing asked directly.

"Lady Marita, I will naturally agree to your request."

"However, what I want to know is, is the Emerald Bream very important to you?"

Upon hearing this, the noble lady in front of him let out a slow, soft sigh…

"To tell you the truth, our Princess Fulan was making a breakthrough to the Archmage realm some time ago."

"Although she succeeded, at a critical moment, she was interfered with by an extremely powerful assassin and passed out on the spot."

"We paid many prices to wake Princess Fulan up, but because of that interference, she suffered severe spell backlash."

"Now, not only can she not display the strength of an Archmage, but because of her severe injuries, her aura is weakening every day…"

Speaking of this, a look of worry appeared on Marita's mature and capable face, along with a trace of hidden anger.

"Princess Fulan… is the hope of the Orchid Kingdom, and she is also the existence with the highest hope of breaking through above the Archmage in nearly a hundred years…"

"None of us are willing to let anything happen to her."

"During this period, the Orchid royal family has been worried to death, and we have all been looking for a way to cure Princess Fulan."

"Until I inadvertently heard that in the Annor River of the Gale Snowfield, there lives a magical type of bream that can heal damage caused by spell backlash."

"But because this Legendary bream is extremely rare, fishing it up is even more extremely difficult, and even those fishing masters have no certainty."

"So, I held this fishing competition, hoping to try my luck."

"As a result, I didn't expect that Lord Cao Xing would also participate in the competition, and not only that, you even fished up this Legendary bream. It's really so surprising to me!"

In Marita's beautiful eyes, there was a look of admiration.

And Cao Xing finally understood the cause and effect.

He nodded, "No problem, Lady Marita, I can sell you an Emerald Salmon."

His readily agreeing also made a gentle smile appear on Marita's face once again.

She gratefully said, "Thank you, Lord Cao Xing."

"Then, for one Emerald Bream, how about a price of 4 million crowns for you?"

To be honest, according to the valuation of the goateed middle-aged man at that time, Marita's price was already almost double!

But some things could not be acquired just by having money.

Just like this time's Emerald Bream.

Even though the Luna Chamber of Commerce possessed massive influence and financial resources, they still had to use the fishing competition, setting up a large number of prizes, to attract some talents over.

To try their luck at whether they could fish up an Emerald Bream.

However, how could such a rare creature be so easily fished up?

If it weren't for Cao Xing this time, none of the contestants on the field would have been able to catch even a Snowflake Snapper, let alone an Emerald Snapper.

Therefore, Marita's price can still be considered fair.

Hearing this, Cao Xing said, "Ms. Marita, this price is naturally fine."

"However, compared to crowns, I prefer bartering."

"I wonder if the Luna Chamber of Commerce brought any goods out this time?"

Cao Xing also stated his demands very directly.

In the goods list of the Luna Chamber of Commerce last time, there were still quite a few things that made his heart flutter.

Hearing this, a look of contemplation appeared on Marita's delicate face, and then she nodded.

"That's fine, Lord Cao Xing."

"Coincidentally, this time I brought in a batch of new things from the Southern Continent, and I think you will be interested."

Cao Xing asked, "Oh? What is it?"

"A batch of magical seeds."

Hearing this, Cao Xing's eyes instantly lit up.

"Ms. Marita, you are right, I am indeed very interested."

A beautiful arc curled at the corner of the noblewoman's mouth.

Then, a system prompt appeared.

[Marita of the Luna Chamber of Commerce is opening the goods list to you. Do you accept?]

['Yes.']

The next moment, a dazzling array of goods appeared in front of Cao Xing.

[Life Secret Potion (Medium)]: Priced at 4000 crowns

[Cold Dew Rice Seed (Green)]: Priced at 50 crowns per piece

[Kulin Barley Seed (Green)]: Priced at 150 crowns per piece

[Ice Thorn Convolvulus Seed (Blue)]: Priced at 120,000 crowns per piece

[Golden Sunflower Seed (Gold)]: Priced at 1.5 million crowns

[Twilight Vine Seed (Gold)]: Priced at 1.5 million crowns

[Primary Fertile Farmland Construction Blueprint]: Priced at 50,000 crowns

[Ancient Weapon · Frost Launcher]: Priced at 320,000 crowns

[Damaged Tiger King Hide]: Priced at 420,000 crowns

[Snowy White Trace Boots (Gold)]: Priced at 2.8 million crowns

[Legion Rapier…]

…

Looking at the long list of goods, Cao Xing's breathing stagnated for a moment.

"Good fellow, so many plant seeds, and judging by their names, they are no ordinary plants!"

Seeming to notice his gaze, Marita chuckled and said, "Lord Cao Xing, is there anything you want to buy?"

After pondering for a moment, Cao Xing said, "Beautiful Ms. Marita, I wonder if you can let me observe the seeds first?"

To be honest, he was indeed very interested in this batch of seeds.

After all, among them, he saw the seeds of rice and barley.

But their attributes are not yet known, and the growth conditions of some magical plants are quite harsh.

If possible, it is best to use the system's built-in function to take a look at the attributes of these seeds first.

Marita chuckled, "Alright."

"Sorry to trouble you, Ms. Marita."

The noblewoman turned her head and chuckled at him.

Then she gracefully stood up, walked into the small room behind her, brought back three bags and two boxes, and placed them all on a small wooden table.

She first gracefully untied the three bags, then took out a round and plump seed from each bag and placed them on the table.

"Please take a look, Lord Cao Xing."

And Cao Xing also leaned closer to take a look.

[Cold Dew Rice Seed (Green): Magical Plant]

[Item Effect: Planted in the soil and regularly cultivated, it can grow a batch of Cold Dew Rice. The rice has a sweet taste, and long-term consumption can increase a certain amount of physique.]

(Note: Cold Dew Rice is a crop suitable for growing in winter, but overly cold weather will also cause it to lose its life. It is best to set up a greenhouse before planting.)

…

[Kulin Barley Seed (Green): Magical Plant]

[Item Effect: Planted in high-quality soil, it can grow a batch of Kulin Barley. Long-term consumption can increase a weak amount of strength.]

(Note: Kulin Barley is a mutated barley carefully cultivated by Kulin Farm, which can be used to make high-grade maltose and high-grade barley wine.)

(Due to its unique taste, many local wine merchants will travel thousands of miles to buy it, but because the growth conditions have strict requirements for the land, Kulin Barley is difficult to transplant.)

[Ice Thorn Convolvulus Seed (Blue): Magical Plant]

[Item Effect: Planted in the land, it can quickly grow an Ice Thorn Convolvulus. When an enemy approaches, it will rotate at high speed, spraying a large number of ice thorns with freezing aura, freezing the enemy in place for 1 to 5 seconds.]

(Note: Because of its own strong icy aura, Ice Thorn Convolvulus is also a raw material for certain potions.)

After reading these three types of magical plant seeds.

Cao Xing decided on the spot to buy them all!

Just kidding, let alone the Ice Thorn Convolvulus below, he was already eager to bring the [Cold Dew Rice Seed] above back to his territory to plant.

He had never tasted rice with a magical aura before!

And according to the system introduction, long-term consumption of this rice can also increase physique. Compared to bread, it is more suitable for Cao Xing's territory residents.

Eat rice, you are all going to eat rice!

As for the other [Kulin Barley], it can be used to make high-grade maltose and high-grade barley wine. This crop has very high commercial value.

It just so happens that there is a brewery in his territory, which can be made and traded with merchants.

In this way, in addition to the milk of the Cloud Yak, he had a new thing that could steadily produce resources.

"Ms. Marita, I want all three of these magical plant seeds."

Hearing this, the noblewoman in front of him covered her mouth and chuckled again.

"No problem, Lord Cao Xing."

"There are a total of 5,494 Cold Dew Rice seeds. I'll count it as 5,400, which is 270,000 crowns."

"There are a total of 3,066 Kulin Barley seeds. I'll similarly count it as 3,000, which is 450,000 crowns."

"As for the Ice Thorn Convolvulus… this Epic-grade one is relatively rare, with only 64 pieces. I'll count it as 500,000 crowns, how about that?"

Cao Xing did the math.

Good fellow, just these three kinds of plant seeds cost 1.22 million crowns!

For ordinary crop seeds such as rice and barley, 10,000 crowns could buy hundreds of thousands of them!

But this was also a normal thing.

After all, these were magical plants, plants that had undergone various researches and mutations and could grow in some extreme environments.

The resulting rice and barley both had special effects.

Moreover, for Cao Xing, this was a business that wouldn't incur a loss.

Not for anything else, just because there was a magical [Pale Tree] in his territory.

This tree had already grown and changed the soil environment of the territory; almost any plant or crop could be planted in it.

And it also greatly accelerated the growth rate.

After these crops grew, new seeds would appear.

Then planting the new seeds again, it wouldn't be long before he could have his own Cold Dew Rice field and Kulin Barley farm!

Cao Xing thought happily.

Then he replied directly, "No problem, Ms. Marita, let's go with this price."

"However, I also want to see the other two golden magical plant seeds."

Marita nodded slightly, then pushed the redwood box in her hand.

"Lord Cao Xing, please take a look. Because these two golden seeds are too rare, there is only one of each."

"That Golden Sunflower seed has been extinct for many years, and it was recently excavated from an ancient ruin."

After the noblewoman finished speaking.

Cao Xing nodded, then uncovered the two boxes.

In an instant, a strong wave of magic power came from inside.

Cao Xing saw a flash of golden light in one of the boxes.

As for the other box, it was shrouded in a hazy mist.

When the fluctuations subsided, two seeds were quietly lying inside.

One of them looked like a sunflower seed, but its surface was golden, like a golden melon seed.

The other one was a finger-sized, flat seed, and it was still emitting a slight mist and white light.

Cao Xing glanced at the attributes.

[Golden Sunflower Seed (Gold): Magical Plant]

[Seed Effect: Planted in the territory, after 6 years of cultivation, it will grow a Golden Sunflower. Afterwards, it takes 2 years to bear fruit, producing 7 to 10 gold ancient coins and 3 to 5 Golden Sunflower seeds.]

(Note: Golden Sunflower is an ancient magical plant dating back to ancient times. Its seeds are very fragile, but they can be preserved for a long time.)

Seeing the system prompt above, Cao Xing's pupils instantly constricted!

What did he see?

gold ancient coin!

This thing was something used to exchange for high-tier ancient treasure chests!

Up until now, the total number of gold ancient coins in Cao Xing's hands was only 24.

And this kind of sunflower could produce at least 7 gold ancient coins per round, plus a Golden Sunflower seed.

Although the growth cycle was very long.

However, he had the Pale Tree!

Moreover, in the Witch Forest, he also obtained a large number of Face Tree hearts, and these things were all used to accelerate plant growth.

As long as these two things were present.

Even with only one seed, Cao Xing could throw a bunch of resources at it and quickly have a large number of seeds.

By then, he could mass-produce a large number of gold ancient coins!

Cao Xing seemed to see a large number of high-grade ancient treasure chests smashing towards him.

Suppressing his excited mood.

Cao Xing began to check the other seed.

[Twilight Vine Seed (Gold): Magical Plant]

[Seed Effect: Plant it near a water source, and after several years of growth, it can grow a Twilight Vine, improving the water source into a Twilight Spring, possessing a slight purification function, which can cause damage to the undead.]

(Note: A section of vine from the Legendary plant Twilight Root possesses magical effects.)

…

Twilight Spring Water!

Isn't this the main material used to make holy water?

Although he didn't need to make holy water at present, there was nothing wrong with preparing this thing in advance. What if it could be used one day!

…

(PS: The 7,000-word second chapter is under review, book friends please wait until tomorrow morning!)

…