Dragonscale Bank.
The group entered the establishment.
Perhaps due to the unique terrain of this location, the Dragonscale Bank here was far larger than the one in Riverside City or even Lake City.
It was also much more luxurious.
When Daniel and his party of more than ten entered, they caused hardly any disturbance.
The interior was vast, allowing numerous people to browse and make purchases.
The variety of items was immense, divided into two distinct sections: one for goods transported from elsewhere to Sunken City, and the other for local products.
Moreover, it wasn’t uncommon to encounter individuals with peculiar appearances in the Dragonscale Bank.
Some people even bore features resembling those of Winter Realm bloodline warriors.
Their bodies retained only partial human traits, with the rest being spell beast limbs, creating a jarring contrast.
However, the surrounding crowd seemed accustomed to such figures, bargaining with them without displaying any surprise.
This likely represented a similar class system.
At least in Sarra’s perception, these individuals didn’t belong to the bloodline warrior category.
The class system in the Winter Realm seemed to have external counterparts, albeit with significant differences.
“This place… is fascinating,” Reed remarked as he observed the surroundings.
In the western cities he’d been to, sights like these were nowhere to be found. Sunken City had truly broadened his horizons.
“Perhaps this is due to Sunken City’s unique geography,” someone replied.
This city partially relied on the energy from a massive sinkhole for its development, using a magic array to periodically absorb the energy within the pit to sustain its operations.
The sinkhole itself was anything but simple.
From Daniel’s perception, the pit contained at least one secret realm. As for the rest, further exploration would be needed to uncover its mysteries.
…
Daniel walked straight to the first-floor counter and requested an inventory list.
This was provided for customers with specific purchasing goals.
Every branch of the Dragonscale Bank had such a feature.
Scanning the first-floor items, Daniel found that apart from a few unfamiliar things, most of the goods weren’t of interest to him.
For the most part, they were no different from what other branches of the Dragonscale Bank offered.
Daniel called over an attendant.
“What is a fire stone?” he asked.
The attendant replied calmly, “This must be your first visit to our Sunken City, correct? Fire stones are a special product of our city and are extremely rare across the entire continent.”
“Oh?” Daniel’s interest was piqued. “Do you have any here?”
“Please wait a moment; I’ll bring one over immediately.”
Shortly after, the attendant returned with a dark red stone, placing it in front of Daniel.
“Sir, this is a fire stone.”
Daniel picked up the fire stone and examined it.
His mind power quickly probed the stone, revealing its secrets.
The fire stone contained the power of subterranean flames, likely mined from the bottomless pit.
Its dense underground aura made that clear.
It was a decent choice for tempering mind power and the physical body.
However…
Daniel frowned.
The fire stone exuded a turbulent energy, far from pure. Overuse in a short time could result in harmful side effects due to the chaotic and mixed energy within.
For Rose, however, this stone would be perfect.
Daniel looked back at the attendant.
“Do you have higher-quality fire stones?”
“Of course. Our fire stones are categorized into four grades: inferior, intermediate, superior, and pure. The one you’re holding is inferior. The price, naturally, varies with the quality,” the attendant explained with a smile.
“Bring me the pure one,” Daniel instructed.
He had no intention of wasting time on intermediate or superior stones.
The inferior fire stone in his hand had already provided enough information.
The classification seemed to be based on purity. The inferior fire stone contained too much chaotic energy, making it potentially dangerous for training.
The pure version, on the other hand, likely had much higher energy purity.
“Please follow me,” the attendant said, leading Daniel to another room.
“Please wait here. A pure fire stone requires approval from our general manager. I don’t have the authority. Thank you for your understanding.”
“No problem,” Daniel replied, sitting down.
…
Shortly after, the general manager entered the room.
Just as he was about to speak, Daniel cut him off.
“Let’s skip the formalities. Show me the item. If it’s suitable, I’ll buy it.”
The general manager paused, then nodded. “Understood. Here it is.”
He retrieved a box from his pocket.
Inside was a crimson crystal-like stone, radiating heat that seemed to raise the room’s temperature.
“Sir, please be cautious. The fire energy within is extremely volatile and could—”
Before the general manager could finish, Daniel picked up the pure fire stone.
What should have been a volatile energy source felt like an ordinary rock in Daniel’s hand, devoid of any reaction.
The general manager, observing this, immediately realized that Daniel was no ordinary customer.
Anyone who could request a pure fire stone outright and handle it as if it were nothing must be immensely powerful.
Daniel analyzed the stone. Its energy was indeed far superior to that of the inferior version, pure enough to incite fierce competition among others.
But…
For Daniel, it still wasn’t enough.
This level was more suited for cooking with Sif.
“Do you have a higher grade?” Daniel asked the general manager.
Typically, if a pure stone was this easily accessible, there must be something even more valuable hidden away.
“You’re… not satisfied with this?” the general manager asked, surprised.
“I asked if you have it,” Daniel replied flatly.
“Well… we do, but the price…” The manager hesitated.
“Price is not an issue. Do you understand?”
Daniel released a surge of powerful energy, causing the manager to hurriedly apologize and leave, promising to retrieve the item immediately.
…
When the manager returned, he carried a black box.
“Sir, due to the immense energy within the fire crystal, it’s sealed in tungsten iron to contain it,” he explained as he placed the box on the table.
“Also, please be cautious when opening—”
Before the manager could finish, Daniel opened the box.
A surge of pure heat swept through the room, nearly overwhelming.
From within the box, a fiery bird formed of flame energy shot toward Daniel with a sharp cry. Continue your saga on empire
Daniel casually swatted it back into the box and closed the lid.
“Just name the price,” he said.