The burly man paused, his voice suddenly lowering a bit.
“When they came back, the people had changed.”
A young mercenary nearby immediately laughed. “Here he goes again. Are you going to tell that story again?”
The burly man glared at him. “Believe it or not. Anyway, I saw it myself. There was a squad last year. Five people went out, and five people came back. But the captain insisted that they had always been four people.”
The surroundings instantly fell quiet for a moment. Then, many of the mercenaries burst into hearty laughter.
“You've had too much to drink!”
“Hahaha!”
“How can a person just vanish into thin air?”
The burly man didn't argue. He simply drained his cup in one gulp. “Anyway, you'll find out eventually.”
With that, he leaned back against the wooden barrel again and stopped talking.
Matthew was lost in thought. Five people came back, yet they believed there had only ever been four...
This no longer sounded like a simple urban legend. It felt more like... their memories had been altered?
Of course, it could also just be drunken boasting. Mercenaries loved to exaggerate their experiences. One couldn't believe them entirely, but they couldn't be completely dismissed either.
He silently noted this in his heart. If he had the chance in the future, he would verify it.
Just then, the burly man spoke up again. “Right, there's one more thing. If you have nothing to do at night, avoid running off to the Noble District.”
Matthew looked up. “Why?”
The burly man grinned. “Because we're poor.”
A burst of laughter instantly erupted around them.
“Hahaha!”
“Well said!”
“If you crash into a noble's carriage, you'll have worked a whole year for nothing.”
“If you're unlucky enough to run into some young master or young lady, you won't even be able to afford the compensation.”
The burly man waved his hand. “Don't think I'm joking. There's a saying in the Royal Capital: The day belongs to everyone, but the night belongs to the nobles. Especially after the sun goes down, ordinary people should head home as early as possible.”
He spoke very casually, as if stating a fact that every resident of the Royal Capital knew.
But Matthew memorized the phrase once again.
“The day belongs to everyone. The night belongs to the nobles.”
This was the fourth time someone had mentioned "the night" today. Once could be a coincidence. Twice could be a fluke. Four times... was worth paying attention to.
He didn't press further. Instead, he gave a polite nod. “Thank you for the warning.”
The burly man waved his hand. “No need. Once you've stayed in the Royal Capital long enough, you'll naturally get to know these things.”
Matthew smiled and said nothing more, turning to leave the Class Holder Plaza with Aidan.
In his mind, however, he was already slowly connecting all the pieces of information he had gathered today. The day in the Royal Capital was bustling and orderly. But when night fell, this city seemed to have another face.
After leaving the Class Holder Plaza, the surrounding noise didn't diminish much. On the contrary, it became even livelier as the crowd gathered.
The Class Holder Plaza was more like the central hub of the Royal Capital. Several wide avenues extended outward from here in all directions. Pedestrians constantly converged from all directions and dispersed in different ways.
Aidan looked around. “Brother Matthew, where are we going next?”
Matthew didn't answer immediately, instead looking up at the widest street next to the plaza. The innkeeper had introduced it yesterday. Over there was the most prosperous commercial street in the Royal Capital. It was also where the vast majority of foreign merchant caravans, noble firms, and large shops gathered.
“Let's go to the commercial street to take a look.”
“Yes, sir.”
...
The two of them walked slowly along the main street. After walking only a few dozen paces, the architectural style on both sides of the street began to change.
If the vicinity of the Class Holder Plaza was mostly taverns, mercenary guilds, weapon shops, and armor stores, then here was entirely a commercial kingdom.
Exquisitely crafted wooden signs hung on the exteriors of the buildings.
《Silver Deer Chamber of Commerce》
《Dawn Fabric Shop》
《Golden Hammer Jewelry》
《White Rose Spice Shop》
《Morning Star Distillery》
All kinds of shops stretched as far as the eye could see. Many buildings were even built up to four stories high. Their outer walls were made of solid white stone, and their window frames were inlaid with brass decorations, looking exceptionally grand under the sunlight.
In the middle of the street, carriages flowed in an endless stream. Some transported grain, some carried fabrics, and others were heavy freight wagons specifically escorting valuable cargo.
Around several of the carriages, a dozen fully armed guards followed. Everyone looked solemn, keeping their hands near their weapons at all times. Clearly, the cargo being transported was of immense value.
Matthew slowed his pace, carefully observing his surroundings. He discovered that Class holders stood at the entrance of almost every large-scale shop. Some were Black Iron Rank, and some were Bronze Rank.
Although they were only responsible for guarding, it was already enough to demonstrate the wealth of this place.
In the county seat, Black Iron Rank Class holders often had to actively look for work. But in the Royal Capital, they could even become permanent guards for a shop. This was the demand generated by the concentration of wealth.
...
By the roadside, a shop selling clocks caught Matthew's attention. Over a dozen mechanical table clocks of different styles were displayed in the shop window.
Their bronze gears slowly turned, and their hands ticked forward steadily. On top of a few clocks, thumb-sized magic crystals were embedded. Along with the movement of the gears, the magic crystals continuously emitted a soft glow.
Aidan couldn't help but stop in his tracks. “How beautiful.”
The shop owner introduced with a smile, “Sir, this is a new model crafted by dwarven artisans. It uses magic crystals to assist in calibration, and the error will not exceed one minute in a year.”
Aidan instinctively looked at the price. In the next second, the corner of his mouth twitched violently. “One... one thousand eight hundred gold coins?”
The owner's face was still full of smiles. “Sir, this is the noble model. The ordinary model only costs three hundred gold coins.”
Aidan instantly fell silent. Three hundred gold coins... To him, it was still an unimaginable figure.
Matthew, however, didn't react much. He merely swept a glance over it and continued forward.
In his previous life, he had seen countless machines far more precise than this. What truly caught his interest was not the clocks, but the manufacturing capability.
A world dominated by cold weapons and possessing extraordinary power was actually able to manufacture such precise mechanical structures. Although it was still far from comparable to modern industry, it was definitely not something an ordinary medieval society could achieve.
At this thought, Matthew sighed with emotion in his heart once more. The developmental direction of this world was not the same as what he had originally understood.
Magic had not slowed down civilization; instead, it had allowed certain fields to develop far beyond expectations.
...
Continuing forward, the fragrance in the air gradually grew richer. Almost an entire street was filled with restaurants.
Roast meat, smoked fish, cheese, desserts, fruit wine...
All kinds of spices blended together, constantly stimulating the taste buds of the pedestrians. Long queues had already formed in front of many shops.
There were also musicians sitting at the entrances playing harps. Cheerful and melodious tunes drifted across the entire street.
A few children hopped and danced around a musician. A passing noble lady gently tossed down a silver coin. The musician immediately took off his hat and bowed.
The entire scene was filled with a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere of life.
Matthew watched all this quietly, then suddenly spoke in a soft voice, “Aidan.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don't you think the people of the Royal Capital rarely show sorrow on their faces?”
Aidan was taken aback. He looked closely at the street, and after a moment, he nodded. “Indeed. Everyone is very busy, but unlike in the county seat, they don't always worry about what they'll eat tomorrow.”
Matthew didn't reply, simply withdrawing his gaze silently.
That the Royal Capital could maintain such prosperity was not because everyone was wealthy. Rather, it was because the empire continuously concentrated the wealth of the entire nation here.
Therefore, the people here could see the most beautiful clothes, eat the freshest food, and buy the most expensive goods. They also possessed the most opportunities for development.
Yet at the same time, where did that wealth come from...
Matthew didn't let his thoughts wander further down that path. The prosperity of any massive empire could never arise out of thin air.
He merely smiled faintly, continuing toward the deeper parts of the commercial street. And up ahead, a massive stone tablet engraved with the words “Royal Capital Materials Market” slowly came into their view.
The two of them continued along the street. The crowd gradually began to disperse, and the smell in the air quietly changed as well.
It was no longer the aroma of bread and roast meat. Instead, it was replaced by a mixture of herbs, resins, mineral powders, and all sorts of indescribable, strange odors.
A massive black stone tablet stood at the intersection. On it, several lines of eye-catching characters were carved:
【Royal Capital Materials Market】
Below that was a line of slightly smaller text:
【Fighting is strictly prohibited. Violators will be handed over to the Royal Capital Patrol Corps.】
Behind the stone tablet was a long street even wider than the commercial street. Shops were neatly lined up on both sides of the street.
Almost all of them had display cases set up at their entrances, inside of which lay all kinds of bizarre materials.
There were fist-sized ores glittering with a faint silver light, palm-sized magical beast scales, and purple flowers sealed inside transparent crystal bottles. There was even a massive eyeball of some unknown creature quietly soaking in a pale green medicinal liquid, swaying gently with the fluid.
Aidan couldn't help but swallow hard. “This place... how does it look even more terrifying than Weapon Street?”
Matthew smiled. “Because what they sell here are not finished products, but raw materials.”
Compared to weapons, what truly determined the quality of a piece of equipment was always the materials. The more precious the material, the easier it was to forge high-quality equipment.
This was also one of the areas where Class holders were most willing to spend their money.
The two of them slowly walked into the market. The people coming and going around them were even more unique than those on the commercial street.
There were adventurers covered in dust who had just returned from the wild, merchants carrying large bags and bundles, and quite a few elderly folk in robes holding magnifying glasses, carefully inspecting the veins of ores.
Although they didn't possess any aura of Class holders, the people around them were extremely polite. Clearly, those who could identify materials were equally respected here.
Matthew looked around as he walked. He couldn't name many of the items, but his panel would occasionally display simple prompts.
【Red Copper Ore】
【Quality: Common】
【Can be used to forge Black Iron Rank weapons.】
...
【Greystone Giant Lizard Scales】
【Quality: Common】
【Can be used to craft light armor.】
...
【Moonlight Vine】
【Quality: Fine】
【A common alchemical material.】
Looking at the information constantly popping up, Matthew nodded to himself.
After coming to the Royal Capital, the areas where his panel could be useful had clearly multiplied. The resources here were incredibly abundant.
If his luck was good enough, it wasn't impossible for him to pick up another bargain.
Thinking of that Blood-Veined Rapier from yesterday, his gaze became even more serious. Every time he passed a shop, he would stop to take a few looks.
Although most of the items were only of common or fine quality, occasionally, Blue-quality materials would also appear. But the prices...
Matthew glanced at a price tag.
【Frost Wolf King Fangs】
Price: 3,200 gold coins.
Matthew silently averted his eyes. He couldn't afford it.
To be precise, it wasn't that he absolutely couldn't afford it, but rather that he couldn't bring himself to spend the money.
Over three thousand gold coins was already enough to purchase a decent Blue-quality piece of equipment. Using it to buy a single material was truly too extravagant.
Continuing forward, they came across another large shop specializing in magical beast materials.
At the entrance, a complete giant bear skeleton was suspended, standing a full three stories high. Its pale white bones gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Quite a few passersby couldn't help but stop and stare. A shop assistant stood nearby, loudly introducing it,
“A Tier 4 Earth-Splitting Violent Bear!”
“The skeleton is completely intact!”
“An exquisite material for crafting heavy armor, shields, and two-handed weapons!”
His voice was resonant, drawing quite a few Class holders to gather around.
Aidan watched, dumbfounded. “Such a massive magical beast... who on earth killed it?”
A middle-aged merchant nearby smiled and chimed in, “Who else could it be? Of course, it's those large mercenary groups in the Royal Capital. Ordinary mercenaries don't have that kind of ability.”
Saying that, he lowered his voice further, “I heard that in order to kill this Earth-Splitting Violent Bear, seven or eight people died. But the profit is truly massive. This skeleton alone is worth at least over a hundred thousand gold coins.”
Aidan sucked in a breath of cold air. Over a hundred thousand gold coins. This figure had completely exceeded his imagination.
Although Matthew's expression remained calm, his heart shook slightly as well.
Over a hundred thousand gold coins. No wonder everyone wanted to become a high-level Class holder. The greater the danger, the more astonishing the gains.
But those who could actually make this kind of money were ultimately a minority.
He continued to walk forward, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire materials street.
Suddenly, he noticed an interesting phenomenon. Most of the materials sold here were related to Class holders.
Magical beasts, ores, herbs, equipment, alchemy...
Yet there was almost nothing directly related to wizards.
No staves, no magic scrolls, and no mysterious ritual supplies. There were not even any shops labeled with "wizardry materials."
The entire market seemed to have deliberately avoided this group.
Matthew's eyes flickered slightly. It wasn't that there weren't any, but rather that they weren't here.
Transactions truly belonging to wizards were clearly in another circle that ordinary people couldn't access at all.
At this thought, his anticipation for that world hidden in the shadows of the Royal Capital grew even stronger.
...
...
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