Urban Peerless Expert
Chapter 2500 - 2520: Economic Zone of the Land of Exile

Chapter 2500: Chapter 2520: Economic Zone of the Land of Exile

Bitter Sea Marketplace has arrived.

When the group arrived, the sky was dark and the tides chaotic, giving them the sensation of moving forward in the top stream of a sandstorm.

Scattered lights shimmered over Bitter Sea, brightening everyone’s eyes amidst the gloomy weather.

"We’ve reached Marketplace Island!"

"There are lights!"

The group was overjoyed, descending towards Marketplace Island, and when they set foot on the ground, they all felt a moment of disorientation.

Stuck in this oppressive environment where the light of day was obscured by the tides of spiritual Qi, not to mention the near-depressive state, there was an overwhelming sense of despondency as if wondering, "When will this ever end?"

Rushing towards the source of light, they discovered that the island was dotted with buildings—all of them were types of Magical Treasures with the radiance of Array Formations shining above, forming Barriers that protected against the chaotic spiritual energy tides from the outside.

The light was emanating from these Barrier-protected houses, some buzzing with noises, some in utter silence, but in any case, they all offered an extreme sense of safety.

Indeed there are safe houses!

Lin Chen sighed to himself, yet he was not surprised.

If a Barrier could block the tides of spiritual Qi, then naturally it was possible to establish safe dwellings, as long as there were enough people channeling spiritual power to maintain the operation of the Array Formation.

Could Shangguan Wenyin be inside one of these houses?

Being the Holy Son of the Sea God Sect, his status was revered; once here, presumably no one would dare give him trouble in the open, they would only flatter him, right?

The group eagerly made their way to a large, bustling building but were stopped by guards at the entrance.

"Bitter Sea Restaurant, if you want to dine, pay first."

A restaurant?

No wonder it was so noisy.

"Can’t we just go in to sit and order our dishes? What kind of place makes customers wait outside to order?"

The guard sneered, "You must be new arrivals, huh? All places here have this rule: pay first, enjoy later. If you’ve got the money, you’re the boss; if not, get lost!"

"Hurry and bring the menu!"

The menu came quickly and was quite simple.

Basic Meal: 50,000 Spirit Stones, one meat dish, one vegetable dish, one soup (Single serving, time limit: half an hour)

Lavish Meal: 200,000 Spirit Stones, three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, two cold dishes, one soup (Double serving, time limit: one hour)

Extravagant Meal: One million Spirit Stones, deluxe meal set for a table (eight people or less, time limit: six hours)

Note: We buy Clam Pearls, five million Spirit Stones each.

One meat, one vegetable, and one soup for 50,000 Spirit Stones?

This is even faster than robbery!

What really mattered was the note about the time limit, which gave Lin Chen a hint that what the restaurant was truly selling wasn’t the food—it was the time limit. After all, cultivators with their medicinal pills could go for a hundred years without eating.

They were selling the time limit for safety from the tides of spiritual Qi.

As long as you had money, you were the boss, and you could stay here all day without suffering from the tides.

Inside the doors, heaven; outside, hell—the dividing line depended on whether you had enough Spirit Stones.

Once they looked at the menu, the group was in an uproar.

"This is way too expensive!"

"Spending so many Spirit Stones on a meal and we can only stay for such a short time? Even with an abundance of Spirit Stones, we couldn’t afford this."

"Exactly, this has got to be a scam, right? It’s like a robbery, possibly a thousand times more expensive than outside, or even more!"

The guard looked at them with a sneer, frowning, "If you’re going in, pay. If not, step aside. Don’t block the entrance. If you want to bear the outside conditions, then do so but stop your wailing."

As newcomers, how could the group stand such treatment?

"Let’s check out other places. I don’t believe they’re all this expensive!"

"Right, let’s look around first, no rush. Besides, hiding inside for a while won’t solve anything. If it comes down to it, we’ll find a spot on the island, continue to band together, and take turns channeling magic power, just like we did at sea, right?"

"Yes, if worse comes to worst, we won’t go in. We can make do on our own!"

Lin Chen looked at the guard who was sneering at the people’s discussion, observed his disdainful and mocking expression, then turned to look at the layout of the island. There were many sturdy houses arranged in an orderly fashion, but there were hardly any people gathering outside. He suspected there might be something more that his group didn’t know about.

Lin Chen bowed to the group, "I’m a bit tired and would like to rest, so I’ll be parting ways with everyone for the time being!"

Lin Chen had only accompanied the group to the marketplace to avoid any trouble. Now that they had reached their destination, he naturally wouldn’t continue to mix with them. He was planning to deploy the Linglong Tower and wanted to keep a low profile.

The restaurant was bustling; clearly, there was something attracting the crowd. He intended to go in and have a look while also gathering information.

Lin Chen stepped forward and paid for a Basic Meal set, receiving a Token in return.

"Enter the restaurant with the Token. Your time starts the moment you enter, and once the time is up, the Array Formation will pull and eject you. Please be mindful of the time."

After purchasing the meal set, even if it was just a Basic Meal, the guard’s attitude improved significantly.

Money does make you the boss, after all!

This forsaken place seemed to have formed its own economic circle!