SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

Chapter 146: A Dome???

[Silver Veined Marsh Grass]

[Rank: Common]

[Details: A low value marsh herb that sometimes grows near cold water channels. It carries faint silver lines when dried improperly. Effect: Mild cooling property. Can be used to reduce tongue swelling after eating spicy aquatic food.]

Zich looked at the system prompt in front of him and remained silent for a full three seconds.

Helen stood beside him. She had originally thought he had discovered something truly valuable, but when she also read those few lines of description, the expression on her face instantly became difficult to describe.

"Zich."

"Mm."

"You just spent thirty gold coins on a bundle of... grass that treats a swollen tongue?"

Zich did not answer immediately. He lowered his head and looked at the medicinal herb in his hand, then looked at the system prompt again. The calmness on his face finally showed a very slight crack.

This thing was indeed not ordinary Water Lung Grass.

But it was also not the hidden material he had imagined.

It had merely turned silver along its leaf veins because it had been dried improperly. It looked like a precious medicinal herb, but its actual effect was not even as good as an ordinary healing potion.

Helen reached out and took the bundle of grass from his hand. She examined it carefully for a moment, then slowly raised her hand to cover her face.

"We almost got into a conflict with Verhari just now... for this?"

Zich glanced toward Keth’s stall. It was still there, but the Keth merchant had already disappeared.

The water jars, medicinal herbs, and transparent bottles were all still there. Only the stall owner had disappeared completely, along with the soul stones he had just received.

His eyes gradually turned cold.

"He ran pretty fast."

Helen lowered her hand and could not help sighing.

"Keth merchants are best at pretending to be clueless while selling things, especially in a place like Central City. They may not necessarily sell fake goods, but they will definitely make you misunderstand things on your own."

Zich glanced at the bundle of Silver Veined Marsh Grass and finally stored it in his storage bag, making a mental note not to easily trust these short, wet skinned merchants in the future.

Although that bundle of grass had no value whatsoever and could even be called a very failed purchase, at least this incident allowed Helen to see one of Zich’s rare mistakes. This person normally always seemed to calculate everything clearly. Occasionally seeing him get tricked by a Keth merchant instead made Helen feel surprisingly good.

Of course, Zich did not feel the same.

He remembered this matter because the act of being tricked itself made him furious.

Afterward, the two continued walking around the Trade District for some time, but Zich was obviously much more cautious than before and had even lost interest.

The first day in Central City did not immediately enter the competition.

For most candidates, this day was more like a settling in day before the official tournament began.

Originally, Zich had thought they would start fighting that very day.

Instead, he had only walked around Central City and bought a bundle of completely useless grass.

This gave him a rather poor impression of the first day.

Early the next morning, the atmosphere of Central City was much livelier.

If yesterday had been about arrival and settling in, then today was the true competition day.

From the human residential district to the main venue, the roads were filled with people heading to watch or participate in the competition. Candidates from every race appeared one after another, the guard squads maintained order, and the enormous tournament light screen lit up in midair, continuously scrolling today’s first round schedule.

When Zich walked out of the hotel, which was the Association’s candidate tower assigned to the participants, he had already changed into a clean black coat.

As soon as he walked into the lobby, he saw Mira sitting in the corner.

She was still wearing that farmer’s hat and holding the cloth wrapped sickle in her arms. She looked no different from yesterday, just like an ordinary girl who had come to the market to buy seeds.

Mira looked up when she saw him and gently nodded.

"Morning."

"Morning."

After two seconds of silence, Mira looked at him and said, "I heard you bought a bundle of useless grass yesterday."

Zich’s eyes moved slightly in surprise.

"Who said that?"

"The Trade District is very small. I happened to be nearby and saw you."

Mira continued, "Keth merchants are very good at making others misunderstand things on their own. The next time you buy herbs, you can look at the roots first instead of only looking at the leaf veins."

Zich glanced at her and remembered that she was a farmer. If there was anyone who had knowledge about herbs, then it was her.

"The next time I buy herbs, I’ll consider asking you or bringing you along."

"Sure, I’m glad to help."

At that moment, Helen also walked down from upstairs.

Today she was wearing formal light combat gear. Her hair was neatly tied back, and she looked full of energy. When she saw Zich and Mira standing together, her gaze moved back and forth between the two of them.

Not far away, Jaden was standing on the other side of the lobby.

He was also fully prepared, wearing a neat combat uniform with his sword hanging at his waist. When he saw Zich and Helen standing together, his expression remained cold, but unlike before, he did not walk over to provoke them.

Zich glanced at him and quickly withdrew his gaze.

Soon, the Association staff arrived in the lobby and informed the representatives from the First Shelter to head to today’s first round competition venue.

Zich had originally thought they would be going to the enormous arena they had seen yesterday.

However, after following the guides through several streets, what appeared before them was not an ordinary open air arena.

It was an enormous hemispherical building.

The entire structure was silver gray in color, with very few decorations on its surface, yet it was covered with complex glowing patterns. It looked less like a traditional arena and more like a technological facility.

Zich stopped walking and looked up at the building with confusion in his eyes. He was not the only one. The others were equally confused.

As if noticing their confusion, an Association staff member turned around and explained,

"This is Central City’s Simulation Battle Dome. The first round of the official tournament will not be held in ordinary arenas. The others are already inside. If you want to learn more, follow me."