The moment Li Yan and his companion approached the front of the shop, a young cultivator, a shrewd and clever-looking youth, immediately came up to greet them. His face was all smiles, yet it gave no sense of servility, but rather a very enthusiastic feeling.
"Do you deal in information here?" Li Yan said faintly. Upon hearing this, the host looked Li Yan up and down before replying.
"Patron, as long as it's not a secret concerning the Tingyun Kingdom and the Tianlan Prairie, our shop is very well-informed on all matters, and the reliability is extremely high!"
Li Yan immediately understood what he meant. This branch, being in such a sensitive location, would certainly not take the initiative to stir up trouble. However, if it were in a place far from here, as long as the price was right, they might just sell all the information about the Tianlan Prairie and the Tingyun Kingdom without reservation.
"I just want to find some information about other continents!"
"Hehehe, so you wish to inquire about information on other continents. You've come to the right place. I can't speak for others, but as long as you've been to other markets, you'll know that our shops have branches everywhere. We naturally have a great deal of information on other continents. Alright, you two will know more after you inquire in a moment. Attendant Bing-zi, a guest for you!"
After hearing Li Yan's request, a confident smile appeared on the young cultivator's face. He then turned his head and shouted into the shop. Soon, a young clerk ran out from the shop. "You two patrons, please follow me!" With that, the young clerk had already turned sideways, slightly bowing as he led the way.
Li Yan didn't know if the young host was deliberately concealing the fact that they had branches on other continents or if he truly didn't know. The other party hadn't taken the opportunity of his request to boast about how "Gui Qu Lai Xi" was on other continents, to express the extraordinariness and vast reach of their faction.
At this time, there were many customers in the shop. Many people were coming and going on the first floor, or stopping to talk with the clerks. As Li Yan and Zhao Min followed the young clerk into the shop, they exchanged a glance after scanning the interior. Both understood that the other was even more certain in their heart.
The first floor of the shop was divided into several areas. There were counters for selling medicinal pills, an area for selling spiritual artifacts, and a separate place for selling raw medicinal herbs. There was also a section for selling the bones and fur of demonic beasts, and in one area, several small rooms were partitioned off. Li Yan knew that those small rooms were for conducting private transactions of valuable items with some customers or for discussing some private matters.
The layout here was also exactly the same as what Li Yan had seen in the Peiyang Market back then. "It looks just like this!" Zhao Min's cool voice sounded in Li Yan's mind.
"Patrons, you'll have to take a few more steps. We're on the second floor!" As the clerk in front spoke, he walked toward the staircase in the corner of the hall at a steady pace, leading them upstairs.
The number of people on the second floor was significantly less than on the first. The clerk quickly led the two to the door of a private room. Then, he bowed slightly and said softly to the inside of the door, "Elder Feng, there are two patrons who would like to inquire about some matters. I'd like to ask you to answer them!"
Then, a slightly hoarse voice came from within. "Please have the guests come in!"
Upon hearing this, the clerk then reached out and pushed open the door. "Please!"
Li Yan and Zhao Min did not hesitate. They walked in one after the other. The moment they stood still in the room, the small door behind them had already closed silently on its own. This made Li Yan feel that the scene before him was so similar once again.
The room was not large. In the center of the ceiling was a night-luminescent pearl the size of a bowl, emitting a soft white light that calmed the mind. A large desk was placed directly opposite the small door. Behind the desk, a middle-aged man in a gray robe was looking at the two with a smile on his face. This was so similar to the scene in the Peiyang Market back then.
"You two fellow daoists, please sit down and talk!"
Li Yan also gave a slight scan with his Divine Sense. The middle-aged man in the gray robe was also a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. His aura was calm and long, and it seemed he had been immersed in this realm for many years. That person was, of course, also observing them. The man was at the Initial-stage Golden Core cultivation, while the ordinary-looking woman was surprisingly at the same realm as him. At the same time, both of them gave him a very dangerous feeling. He was also a person who had seen his share of life and death, and it had been a long time since a cultivator of the same rank had given him this feeling.
This made him a little surprised in his heart. This meant that the man and woman opposite him had the strength to threaten his life. He didn't know how many battles he had gone through. It was only later, when he grew tired of it, that he had settled down to be a deacon in "Gui Qu Lai Xi." But his face still wore a warm and amiable smile.
Li Yan and Zhao Min did not stand on ceremony and sat down directly opposite him. "Is this the first time you two fellow daoists have come to our shop? Have you ever inquired about information like this before?"
After hearing this, Li Yan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "What? Is Fellow Daoist inquiring about our origins? You shouldn't get it backward!"
"Hehehe, this fellow daoist has misunderstood. What I mean is, if you have consulted for information in our shop before, then I won't have to explain the rules again, to avoid wasting your time. Otherwise, these things must be explained clearly, so that everyone has a clear understanding. After all, we are conducting a transaction, don't you think?"
Only then did Li Yan remember that he had been thinking about the "Gui Qu Lai Xi" shop, and for a moment, he had actually forgotten that they hadn't actually discussed the transaction rules with the other party. As for Zhao Min, she had not said a word, just sitting there with a cool gaze.
The gray-robed middle-aged man, in just that short time, had already seen that between the two people opposite him, the young man was the leader. This judgment was truly astute.
Li Yan collected his thoughts. "Oh, it was indeed our oversight. We have only traded for some items in your esteemed shop before. This is indeed the first time we are consulting for information. What are the rules?"
"Hehehe, no matter, no matter. The rules are very simple. You ask a question, and I will give a price based on the situation. Of course, there will be no issue of adding to the price later. Your questions will surely have simple ones and very difficult ones, and may even involve some confidential things. It is also easy or difficult for us to obtain this information. For easy information, the manpower cost is much less. For information that is difficult to obtain, not only does it cost more manpower, but it may even be obtained at the cost of life. Therefore, the fee can only be calculated based on the difficulty of obtaining the information. If it is suitable, you can agree. If not, we can discuss it further. What do you two think of this?"
The gray-robed middle-aged man still smiled. Then he added, "Also, I cannot provide confidential information concerning the Tingyun Kingdom and the Tianlan Prairie here!"
"Then aren't you afraid that after the customer gets the information, they will turn around and sell it to others? Wouldn't you lose your value?"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. If you get information from me, you can tell others. I only guarantee that the information is true for you. If there is any mistake, you can come to us at any time. Once the information is in your hands, you can do whatever you want with it, whether you keep it to yourself or tell others, it has nothing to do with our shop. As for whether it loses its value? Hehehe, information is as precious as a treasure to some people, but worthless to others. And most information is time-sensitive. After a certain period, it is completely worthless. Even if you give it to others, they won't want it. Besides, to put it bluntly, would you really be willing to give away for free the information you spent a large amount of spirit stones to buy? Even if you resell it, I believe your target audience will be only a few people. The impact on us is very limited."
The gray-robed middle-aged man still had an unhurried look, but what he said did indeed make sense to Li Yan.
"Alright then, I want to know if there is a direct route from the Verdant Continent to the Desolate Moon Continent. If so, from where and by what means can one reach the Desolate Moon Continent? If not, are there other routes to the Desolate Moon Continent? Oh, I mean the fastest ones!"
Since Li Yan agreed with the other party's opinion, he immediately got straight to the point and asked his question. His ultimate goal was to know the answer, so why beat around the bush?
After hearing Li Yan's question, the gray-robed middle-aged man's gaze sharpened, and he swept his eyes over Li Yan's face again. "So it's about the Desolate Moon Continent. Fellow Daoist, this can be considered two questions. The first question, if you are willing to inquire, is not a big secret, but it still requires you two to verify it one by one, which will take a lot of time. So the fee is two hundred low-grade spirit stones. As for the second question… I dare say, not many people know, or rather, not many people can be sure they know this information. This question will require eight thousand low-grade spirit stones!"
"Oh, the second question is so expensive. Does Fellow Daoist think my spirit stones come easily?" Li Yan had not expected that inquiring about information would be so expensive. Although eight thousand spirit stones was nothing to him, that was only for him. An ordinary Golden Core cultivator might not even be able to produce ten thousand spirit stones. This might just cost them more than half their fortune. He began to feel that this person was deliberately asking for an exorbitant price.
Hearing the coldness in Li Yan's voice, the gray-robed middle-aged man's smile did not diminish in the slightest. "Fellow Daoist, as I said just now, the simple question is cheap. The second question already involves cross-realm matters. If others tell you it's possible or not, you've only heard it, haven't you? As for whether the information is true or false, don't you have to verify it with the other party one by one? Even if you hear that there might be a cross-realm teleportation formation somewhere, you at least have to personally go and confirm it, right? The spirit stones spent in the process will also be considerable. And the information I give you will be absolutely true. You don't have to have the slightest doubt. If you find any discrepancy, our shop will refund five times the transaction fee!"
The gray-robed middle-aged man laid out his reasons one by one. Li Yan actually understood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked the first question. He and Zhao Min both knew that nine times out of ten, there was no cross-realm teleportation formation on the Desolate Moon Continent leading to other planes. They had heard that many Nascent Soul cultivators had passed through the two-realm barrier at the "Sea of the Northern Abyss" and then went to other planes. However, thinking of how he had come to the Verdant Continent, he still asked the first question. Everyone has a bit of hope.
"You may speak!" Suddenly, Zhao Min, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up. Li Yan couldn't help but raise a hand to rub the space between his eyebrows, thinking to himself, 'Senior Sister, this is a transaction. How can one not bargain when doing business? You have never had to worry about food and clothing since you were young, but my little fortune was accumulated piece by piece. This is not how life is lived!' Li Yan had originally wanted to find some more reasons to push the price down, but now, he could only complain in his heart.
Upon hearing this, the gray-robed middle-aged man's smile grew even wider. "This fellow daoist seems to be very familiar with our shop and knows that our reputation is very reliable. The first question is that there is no cross-realm teleportation formation leading to the Desolate Moon Continent. The second question is that there is no shortcut on the Verdant Continent to quickly reach the Desolate Moon Continent. The fastest way is to teleport from the Verdant Continent to the 'Qingguang Minor Realm,' then teleport from the 'Qingguang Minor Realm' to the 'Tongsha Minor Realm.' Then teleport to the 'Jiajing Minor Realm.' At this point, there are no more cross-realm teleportation formations. You will need to tear through the void to go to the nearest 'Daishan Minor Realm.' The travel time in the chaotic flow space between these two minor realms, with the protection of a Nascent Soul cultivator, will take about two to three years, depending on the situation. After that, you will have to teleport from the 'Daishan Minor Realm'… …After reaching the 'Wind God Continent,' as long as you break through the two-realm barrier of the 'Nanzhu Sea Region,' you can enter the 'Sea of the Northern Abyss' of the Desolate Moon Continent!"