Chapter 252: Chapter 247: Stone Gambling
From a distance, the outline of Stone City had been fairly clear, but the details remained blurry. Now that Wan Xian’Er and Mu Chen had arrived at its gates, even someone as firm-willed and unflappable as Mu Chen couldn’t help but be moved by the sight of the unique entrance.
The gates of Stone City were vastly different from those of other towns. Where other gates were clearly constructed entrances, Stone City’s was all about the stone. It didn’t have a gate in the traditional sense; the "gate" was simply the gap between two cliffs that Mu Chen was now looking up at. The cliffs showed no sign of artificial construction, yet they had nearly identical silhouettes. To be blunt, they were practically twin cliffs.
It was these two cliffs that formed Stone City’s unique gate, while the rolling mountain ranges served as its walls. The peaks crisscrossed and coiled around the city, enveloping it completely like an impregnable fortress.
"What a spectacular city. It looks completely natural."
Watching this city formed by nature, Mu Chen couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. Wan Xian’Er’s expression, however, remained calm, showing no sign of surprise. Mu Chen just smiled at this, not thinking much of it.
He wasn’t sure if it was a unique feature of Stone City, but Mu Chen saw no guards at the entrance. That was rather unusual, but he was happy for the convenience; it saved him the trouble of being questioned and delayed. After so many days in the wilderness with Wan Xian’Er, he hadn’t had a chance to wash. The only thing Mu Chen wanted to do now was find an inn, clean himself up, and eat a full meal. As for exploring the market, that could wait.
Upon stepping into Stone City, Mu Chen’s first impression was one of returning to nature. Every single building here was constructed from stacked rock. If only one house had been built this way, Mu Chen would have found it strange, or perhaps novel, but certainly not beautiful. Yet, with every building sharing this design, he felt a unique kind of natural beauty well up from deep within him.
Wan Xian’Er couldn’t help but exclaim, "Wow... The houses here are so strange, but they give off a very comfortable feeling."
’She’s right, it is a comfortable feeling.’ But Mu Chen felt like something was missing. A breeze blew past, rustling the leaves on the ground, and he suddenly felt a chill. Frowning, he said, "Why isn’t there a single person around?"
He was right. For such a large town, the complete lack of people was eerie. Just then, however, a deafening cheer erupted from the center of town. Startled by the sound, Mu Chen paused, then looked at Wan Xian’Er. "Let’s go take a look."
Wan Xian’Er nodded and hurried to keep up. In this unfamiliar environment, she had started speaking less. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk, but Mu Chen, worried her naivety might cause her to say the wrong thing, had asked her to be more reserved.
Deliberately picking up their pace, the two soon reached the town’s central area. As they drew near, they heard people shouting.
"Another Spirit Crystal! And it’s an Earth Spirit Crystal! They’ve struck it rich!"
"Truly worthy of the Jiang Family’s Young Patriarch! It looks like Young Master Jiang has learned everything from Old Sir Jiang. Stone City has another genius on its hands!"
"You said it! But don’t underestimate Young Master Song from the Song Family, either. He’s also cut open two Spirit Crystals. They don’t have an Attribute, but he found them in a single Original Stone! Getting two Spirit Crystals at once, that’s a rare sight."
"Exactly, exactly! I, for one, am more optimistic about Young Master Song..."
This was the discussion Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er overheard as they neared the crowd. ’Original Stone? Spirit Crystal? What are those?’
Mu Chen was perplexed, as he had never heard these terms before. Wan Xian’Er, however, thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know what an Original Stone is, but I think I’ve used a Spirit Crystal before. It’s something similar to a Demon Core, but the key difference is that the Primordial Power within this Crystal Stone is pure Natural Elemental Power, not the essence that’s been absorbed and converted by a Magical Beast."
Startled, Mu Chen asked again, "Then what’s the difference between a Demon Core and a Spirit Crystal?"
He didn’t realize he had asked the question rather loudly. Despite the noise from the crowd ahead, a bystander in front of him overheard it. The man turned and saw two strangers in Face Concealing Hats standing behind him. Judging by their figures, he could easily tell the two were a man and a woman.
Showing no suspicion, the bystander gave the pair a simple, honest smile. "You two must be from out of town, right?"
Startled by the sudden question, Wan Xian’Er opened her mouth to speak, but Mu Chen grabbed her arm to stop her. Seemingly infected by the man’s guileless smile, Mu Chen took off his Face Concealing Hat and smiled back. "You’re right. We just arrived in Stone City today. After we entered the gates, we found the streets completely empty. Then we heard the commotion over here and followed the sound. The atmosphere is very lively, but we don’t know what everyone is doing. I just asked out of curiosity."
The bystander was momentarily stunned by the handsome, youthful face Mu Chen revealed, but he quickly recovered and continued with a smile. "You’re quite young, my friend. It’s rare to see someone your age traveling so far. Since you’re so young, I’m guessing this is your first long journey, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know about one of the Fenglan Empire’s specialties. What everyone is gathered here for is something we call ’stone gambling.’ As the name implies, it’s a form of betting."
"’Stone gambling? A form of betting? Could you explain it to us in more detail?’" Mu Chen asked.
"Of course." The friendly man puffed out his chest. "You’ve asked the right person. I’m a native of this city, so I know more than most. See that pile of oddly shaped stones over there? Huh?" He pointed toward a nearby platform, then suddenly stopped when he noticed Mu Chen’s eyes were shut, making him look as if he were blind. "Could it be..." he trailed off, surprised.
Mu Chen explained, "I’m not blind; I can see just fine. What about those stones?"
The man’s expression cleared. "Oh, so that’s how it is. We get plenty of peculiar people here, so it was my mistake to assume. Ahem, to continue my explanation, those are the raw materials for stone gambling. We call them Original Stones. They are stones mined from the mountains that haven’t yet been cut open. This is the foundation of the whole activity."
"These stones are marked with different prices depending on their quality. A high-quality stone is worth a fortune because it’s very likely to contain a Spirit Crystal. Hmm... on that note, you probably don’t know what a Spirit Crystal is, so let me explain. A Spirit Crystal is a crystal that forms inside mountain rock, accumulating and condensing over countless years. Visually, it might not look much different from a Magical Beast’s Demon Core, but fundamentally, a Spirit Crystal is far, far more precious."
"’Then what is the difference?’" Mu Chen repeated the question he had just asked Wan Xian’Er.
"’The difference?’" The man paused to organize his thoughts. "’It’s a huge difference. Let me put it this way: a Magical Beast’s Demon Core absorbs the Primordial Power between heaven and earth. It then condenses this power inside its core, using its own will to compress it into its personal strength. This type of power is generally not absorbed smoothly by humans, it’s not very pure, and the quantity is small. But Spirit Crystals are different. They lie dormant in nature, formed by the constant condensation of the purest Primordial Qi, or even Spiritual Qi. After countless years of settling and accumulating, they transform into this crystalline object. Not only does this crystal possess abundant Primordial Power, but it is also extremely pure. Furthermore, it contains no trace of self-will, making its absorption by humans even more beneficial than some elixirs.’"
"As you can imagine, their value is extraordinary. And stone gambling is all about betting on finding these Spirit Crystals. The rules are that you pick out some Original Stones from those piles, and then a professional cuts them open. If there’s a Spirit Crystal inside, congratulations, you’ve struck it rich! Each Spirit Crystal here can sell for one hundred thousand Purple Elemental Crystals, while a cheap Original Stone might only cost a single Purple Elemental Crystal."
Mu Chen’s mouth fell open in disbelief. "Then couldn’t everyone just get rich?"
The bystander chuckled. "It’s not that simple. If it were that easy to make money from stone gambling, who would bother selling the Original Stones? They’d just cut them open themselves at home. It’s called stone *gambling* for a reason; the emphasis is on the ’gamble.’ Actually, my earlier example was a bit misleading. The Original Stones that cost one Purple Elemental Crystal are almost all Waste Stones. You’ll almost never find a Spirit Crystal in them. So, anyone with any experience won’t pick those, because it’s just a pure waste of money."
"So, in most cases, people are willing to buy the Original Stones that cost tens of thousands, since the probability of finding a Spirit Crystal is much higher. Besides, regular Spirit Crystals are actually the lowest-tier item you can get from an Original Stone. You can also find Attribute Spirit Crystals, which are undoubtedly a much more High Level item. Their formation requires extremely harsh conditions; they only appear in regions where a certain element is exceptionally dense and remains so for long periods. This type of Spirit Crystal is the ultimate treasure for an attribute martial artist. As for the benefits, if you ever get the chance, you should buy one and try it for yourself. However, the price is astronomical. A common Attribute Spirit Crystal costs at least five million Purple Elemental Crystals. If it’s a Rare Attribute, like Wind, Thunder, or Ice, the value is even higher. Unfortunately for me, I’ve never even seen a Rare Attribute Spirit Crystal."
Mu Chen was dumbfounded. A single Spirit Crystal cost 100,000 Purple Elemental Crystals, a price comparable to that of a Fifth-level Demon Core. A Fifth-level Demon Core came from a Sect Beast Level Magical Beast. ’Thinking of the Mercenary Corps who hunt at the risk of their lives, and then looking at these people gambling on stones... it’s like they’re not even living in the same world...’
