Chapter 900: Chapter 150 Chu Mi
Jiang Wang had always found it difficult to adapt to the enthusiasm of strangers. However, after experiencing so many things, he wasn’t at a loss for what to do.
He simply nodded and said, "I’ll go and adjust."
"Heh! You should hurry." The man with the slender eyes quickly stepped aside to make way, very considerate of others.
Jiang Wang didn’t say much, and found a spot in the White Stone Plaza to sit cross-legged and begin adapting to the energy of this floating island, adjusting himself.
This process wasn’t difficult, especially since Jiang Wang’s fine control over Path Origin far exceeded that of his peers.
In just four hours, he had regulated the abnormalities in his body.
When he finally concluded his meditation and opened his eyes, he saw someone standing in front of him.
It was the man with the slender eyes from before.
The man had, unexpectedly, not left and was waiting nearby.
Just as Jiang Wang’s brows began to furrow, the man smiled and said, "I see brother you’ve just arrived at the Dingwei Floating Island and might be unfamiliar with this place. I thought I could help answer any questions you might have. No matter what faction you belong to, once you’re in the Lost World, we are all brothers in arms."
He was very enthusiastic, but perhaps a bit too enthusiastic.
The saying goes, "Unsolicited favors are often a prelude to trouble."
If it’s true that once in the Lost World, everyone is brothers in arms, would Jiang Wang really have to worry about finding no one to answer his questions?
Indeed, within the Lost World, the Human Race is considered as brothers in arms, and that’s certainly true.
But supporting each other on the battlefield didn’t mean one had to be solicitous on the floating islands. The term "brothers in arms" couldn’t explain why he waited for four hours and was so eager to help.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I don’t have any questions," Jiang Wang said, shaking his head.
"Ah, young brother, you shouldn’t be so wary of people. It’s quite hurtful. Fighting isn’t permitted on the floating island, what harm could I possibly do to you? I’m just being kind, afraid you might be confused."
He patted his head and sighed, "alas! If you’re really uneasy, you can ask some questions, learn about the situation here, and then give me a few Mi Jing as payment. We’ll consider it a transaction."
"Mi Jing?" Jiang Wang hadn’t had time to learn much about the basics of the Lost World and wasn’t familiar with Mi Jing.
The slender-eyed man sat down with his legs spread out comfortably and complained, "Look at you, how could you come to the Lost World without any preparation? You don’t even know about the fundamental resources here, how will you get by?"
Seeing Jiang Wang’s impatient expression, he quickly explained, "Mi Jing is a fine thing. Our floating island can exist because we have enough Mi Jing. With enough Mi Jing, we can change the rules of the Lost World within a certain range to make this place more akin to the human world. Whether it’s the Human Race building floating islands or the Sea Clan building sea nests, they all need it. In the Lost World, it’s the most solid currency there is!"
Jiang Wang casually asked, "If it’s also a currency, how are Mi Jing exchanged for Dao Yuan stones?"
"It’s just a little money, nobody’s lacking a few of those," the man waved it off with an air of nonchalance, "Ah, right. My name is Chu Mi, I’ve been here for over a year. Brother, what’s your name?"
"Surname Jiang, given name Wang," Jiang Wang pursued, "How much is a little money?"
Chu Mi smiled, "Mi Jing isn’t standardized, it’s calculated by weight. One liang of Mi Jing, that would be around a hundred Prime Stones, it’s nothing much."
The man’s cultivation wasn’t particularly high, yet he spoke with audacity.
Previously, when he asked Jiang Wang for a few qian of Mi Jing, converting that would be several dozens of Prime Stones! One Prime Stone is worth one top-grade Channel-opening Pill, roughly equivalent to an ordinary Storage Box.
It was an amount that an Outer Building Environment cultivator could produce, but it would be a painful sum to part with.
If Jiang Wang had promised to give that amount at that moment, he probably wouldn’t be able to back out graciously by now. Or maybe Chu Mi would have tricked him into signing some sort of contract or similar, making the transaction binding.
"It’s not much," Jiang Wang said with a smile, standing up. "However, I don’t have a single qian of Mi Jing on me. Brother Chu, you’ve waited for the wrong person!"
"What are you talking about," Chu Mi immediately stood up, all smiles, "For just asking a few questions, would I really take your Mi Jing? I was just joking!"
Changing his tone, he added, "However, young Brother Jiang. In the Lost World, you can’t manage without Mi Jing. It’s needed for purchases, and to put it bluntly, if you encounter a member of the Sea Clan that you can’t beat, you could throw the Mi Jing to buy some time to escape, right? Brother, I just happen to know that not far ahead, there’s a shop that exchanges Mi Jing, known for fair pricing and honesty to both young and old! How about I take you there to take a look?"
Jiang Wang looked at him with a half-smile, "Brother Chu, looking at me, which items do you think can be exchanged for a good amount of Mi Jing?"
"How could I possibly know? You’re the one carrying everything!" Chu Mi feigned thoughtfulness and said, "But, Jiang, my dear brother, water-related treasures are quite sought-after in the Lost World and can fetch a good price. After all, there’s a large population of Sea Clan members in the Lost World!"
Jiang Wang suddenly realized that Chu Mi had caught wind of the Yunmu Zun he kept on himself. That explained his enthusiasm!
If one actually went with him to that shop, it would be virtually impossible to avoid being taken advantage of several times over.
"I think it’s better not to." Jiang Wang said.
"It’s okay if you don’t want to exchange it, it’s all voluntary." Chu Mi smiled nonchalantly, looked around, then leaned in mysteriously: "I have a few treasures here, perfect for newcomers like you in the Lost World. They could at least increase your chances of survival by fifty percent! Brother Jiang, would you like to take a look?"
The guy certainly had a lot of tricks up his sleeve; if one didn’t work, he’d try another. As long as he got you talking, there was no way to leave without spending money.
However, it was indeed completely voluntary, simply a matter of falling for the bait if one wished.
That was also the reason why Jiang Wang didn’t immediately turn hostile against him.
But although he didn’t show outright anger, it was still quite annoying.
Just then, a sturdy man wearing a short jacket with a straight collar walked by not far away and glanced over, laughing, "Chu Mi! Are you scamming people again?"
"What kind of talk is that!" Chu Mi was clearly displeased: "It’s a matter of mutual benefit, helping each other! How can you call it scamming?"
He patted Jiang Wang’s arm: "Don’t bother with these naysayers, they’re just jealous! Brother, let’s talk over here."
The sturdy man called out: "Young brother, protect your storage box well! I’ve said all that I can!"
With that, he walked away laughing heartily.
He too was quite a character.
Chu Mi spat twice at his retreating figure: "What a nuisance with his big mouth!"
Then he turned back to Jiang Wang with a beaming face: "My friend just loves to joke around. Amusing, wouldn’t you say?"
Jiang Wang smiled back at him: "Is Brother Chu from Beam Top Building?"
Beam Top Building was a small sect within Qi Country with a not-so-good reputation, usually involved in petty thefts and misdeeds. The sturdy man had specifically reminded him to protect his storage box. In the entire Eastern Region, the only Transcendent sect notorious for thievery was Beam Top Building. After all, such petty acts were disgraceful even among ordinary people, let alone transcendent cultivators.
It so happened that this sect had unique cultivation techniques and no other means of survival.
Su Qiyun had initially pretended to be from Beam Top Building in the Forest Sea Source Realm, and therefore, Jiang Wang had some understanding of the sect.
Chu Mi said he had stayed in the Lost World for over a year; being a person from Qi Country and not knowing the name Jiang Wang was quite normal.
"How could that be?" Chu Mi’s face turned a touch unnatural as he changed the subject: "I, um, I am a person from... well, since you’re from Qi Country, you must know of the Bei County Yan Family, right?"
Gleaning that he was from Qi Territory because he knew of Beam Top Building wasn’t totally wrong.
"Of course!" Jiang Wang nodded, curiously asking, "Brother Chu, are you from the Yan family?"
"No, I’m not!" Chu Mi shook his head and whispered closer: "I’m actually from Fufeng Commandery, a long way from Beam Top Building. How could I belong to that place? Brother Jiang, please don’t misunderstand me."
Seeing that Jiang Wang seemed to know quite a bit about the Yan family, he quickly changed his tune.
This whole scheme of cheating and swindling was executed with practiced ease.
Jiang Wang shook his head. Now that he had fully recovered, he didn’t want to waste any more time and clasped his hands in farewell: "I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."
"Hey, don’t be in such a rush to leave." Chu Mi followed, saying, "It doesn’t have to be about business. Making friends is good too. More friends, more roads, right?"
"Indeed," he said, hustling after him and eagerly asking, "Which team did you come here with? Let me take you to them!"
"Lord Yue Leng!" Jiang Wang didn’t say much more, taking out the green badge and attaching it to his waist, then striding forward.
As he reached the ornamental column and looked back, Chu Mi had already slipped away without a trace.
