On one occasion, Noe became so angry that he left Doanh Thành for several months. He explored everywhere, from treacherous high mountains ?? to gloomy swamps ??. Once, he discovered a peculiar mountain: it was easy to get lost entering it, and one would eventually be led to the back of the mountain. Noe tried to climb to the summit but failed many times. The mountain was covered in mist; in some places, the fog was so dense that Noe couldn't even see his own hands, a sense of coldness and obscurity ?? enveloping him. He read many books and knew that this area had been enchanted by someone highly skilled, preventing anyone from ascending. It might be an Immortal Sanctuary (Tiên c?nh) created deliberately for personal use. Realizing this, Noe gave up his curiosity and explored elsewhere, hoping to find something interesting in this land.
One day, Noe accidentally heard a rumor about an Immortal City ??? located right atop this mysterious mountain. The memory of the hidden mountain resurfaced, urging him on. Noe decided to go there. He waited at the foot of the mountain for many days, hoping to find someone going up to ask for directions. He waited for 10 days but saw no one.
On the 11th day, a young man in blue clothes ??, with a graceful demeanor, lightly stepped onto the mountain. Before Noe could speak, the man asked first, his voice calm:
Hàn Th??ng: "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" ??
Noe: (Politely, his voice firm) "Before asking others, one should introduce oneself, shouldn't they? I am Noe, and you?"
Hàn Th??ng: (Smiling, slowly replying) "I am Hàn Th??ng, a member of the surveillance team for this area. I saw you've been here for many days, so I came to check."
Noe: "I heard there is an Immortal City here and wanted to see it."
Hàn Th??ng: (His tone slightly stern) "Where is your identification token?" ??
Noe: (Shaking his head) "I don't have one."
Hàn Th??ng: "Have you ever been to any Immortal City before?"
Noe: "I've only been to Doanh Thành. I've visited some other cities a few times."
Hàn Th??ng: "Then do you know Hàn Kh?ng B?o?" Noe: (Nodding) "I know him; he knows me too."
Hàn Th??ng took a clear crystal ball ?? out of his pocket. Hàn Kh?ng B?o's face appeared. After a short, noisy conversation, Hàn Th??ng put the Crystal Ball away, returning to his initial gentle expression, and said: "Follow me; I will lead the way for you. Stay close, beware of getting lost." ??
They slowly ascended the mountain. The mist grew thicker and thicker, so dense that vision was severely obscured ???. Hàn Th??ng walked only about three steps ahead when he suddenly vanished ??, leaving no trace or remaining breath. Noe was startled and immediately went into a defensive stance, fearing a trick.
While looking around anxiously, a hand was placed on Noe's shoulder ??, pulling him into another space. Noe was instantly overwhelmed by the sight: a vast area with many people walking and trading, including Beastkin ?? and Immortals ??. They mingled harmoniously, without any reserve. On both sides of the road were large, glowing trees ?? used as streetlights, emitting a soft glow ?. Every so often, some Immortal Herbs glowed beneath or next to the stalls as a symbol. The shops were adorned with multi-colored crystals, glittering like a rainbow ??. Inside this space, there was no sun; overhead was only dark space, illuminated by a pale blue crystal floating in the sky ?? right above the Central Tower, radiating a mystical light.
As Noe was still dazed by the sudden change of scenery, Hàn Th??ng said: "You go ahead and look around. I will find someone to verify and issue you a Token ??, so you can freely enter and exit from now on. If you lose it, go to Hàn Kh?ng B?o; he will issue you another one." Hàn Th??ng left without waiting for Noe's reply.
Noe started walking everywhere, chatting with many people. He soon found what he loved most: books, many books ??. History books, geography books, books on plants, animals, and strange beasts, books about the Divine Beasts and Forest Gods of the area. He wanted to buy everything, but he didn't have any Spirit Crystals (Linh Th?ch) or Elixirs (?an d??c), which were used as currency; everyone desired them.
After some time of listening around, Noe gradually understood more about this city. This was a land co-developed by the Jewel Great National Capital ?? and an Immortal Sect named 'Profound Ice' (Huy?n B?ng). The city was divided into three zones:
- The first zone, where he was standing, was the lowest and open to everyone: humans, beastkin, and Immortals. There were many ways to enter, usually through teleportation gates ?? or shortcuts in nearby cities.
- The second and third zones are restricted areas, only accessible to those with great merit to the city, Jewel Kingdom officials, or Immortals of the 'Profound Ice Sect'. The means of entry were unclear, hidden with many secrets ??. There were also six similar cities across the Jewel Kingdom, forming a powerful network ???.
While strolling, Noe was suddenly pulled on his clothes ??. Looking closely, he saw they were the Halflings ???♂? he had once rescued. But he remembered having erased their memories; how did they know him? One Halfling looked pitiable, bowing down and begging for a small amount of money, his eyes pleading ??. At that moment, another Halfling from behind stole Noe's bag ?? and ran away. The remaining Halflings also fled in different directions; Noe didn't know whom to chase.
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Noe shook his head, helpless, his face showing resignation ??. "There are thieves here too?" he thought. After walking a while, Noe lost track of them completely. Where did they disappear to?
A moment later, a Halfling walked up and returned the bag to Noe:
Halfling: "I didn't expect someone to be even poorer than us." ?? After saying that, he handed Noe a piece of fruit ?? and disappeared. Noe sat down at the base of a tree, his heart heavy ?? with thought. "Could it be that I harmed them? Did erasing their memory affect them, leading them to steal to survive?"
Noe was lost in thought, not knowing what to do, when Hàn Th??ng arrived:
Hàn Th??ng: "Finally found you. Here is your Token ??; you can enter and exit freely now. If you lose it, go to Hàn Kh?ng B?o; he will issue you another one." Noe took the token, thanked him, and asked: "Do you know those little people, about 1m to 1.5m tall?"
Hàn Th??ng: "You met them? They are very mischievous. Should I go punish them?" ??
Noe stopped him and recounted his first journey in the kingdom, meeting the hairless Ratfolk, and rescuing the Halfling group. He also told him how the Ratfolk tortured them and how he had to use memory-erasing magic to help them forget. Hearing this, Hàn Th??ng no longer disliked the petty thieves.
He led Noe to a housing area tucked away in a corner of the mountain. This was the residence for these short people. They had sufficient food and water, but no employment, leading to a dull, aimless life ??. Noe visited and met the village elder of the Halflings. The elder also remembered Noe, so the three sat and chatted over a pleasant meal. Noe saw their situation: although they were provided for, it was only enough for survival. The main issue was the lack of work, which easily led to bad habits like stealing.
From then on, Noe often visited the Immortal Mountain, thinking of ways to improve the lives of these small people. But no clear solution emerged. Noe discovered the three easiest and most sought-after ways to make money here:
- Creating Magic Artifacts, drawing Talismans, or enchanting objects: This was within Noe's ability but too difficult to teach the Halflings, requiring many years of cultivation.
- Concocting Elixirs: Noe was more familiar with concocting Elixir Water (Th?y d??c) than standard Elixirs, but this was a potential field.
- Hunting Monsters: This was too risky and over the capabilities of the Halflings.
Since the quickest ways to get rich were impossible, Noe and Hàn Th??ng considered a slower, safer way to earn a living:
- Working for the Immortal City (such as mining low-grade Spirit Stones, picking herbs, transporting goods, delivering messages): But the Halflings had a very low reputation; no one trusted them with tasks. Furthermore, they were forbidden from leaving their designated area, making most of these jobs impossible.
- Opening a small shop for handicrafts, basic repairs, cultivating spirit herbs, or raising spirit beasts: These required capital to rent a space or a medium level of skill. Halflings were skilled in farming and ranching, but they needed an area rich in Spirit Qi (Linh khí), known as a Spirit Land.
- Offering services like cleaning houses, scrubbing, and caring for household items: This was something the Halflings could do because of their small, nimble, and skillful hands ??, perfectly suited for meticulous tasks.
Once they finalized their ideas, the two went to meet Hàn Th??ng's manager, Hàn Trung, to present their plan. After hearing the plan and the feasible options, Hàn Trung said:
Hàn Trung: "The options are all reasonable, but the reputation of these Halflings is quite poor. No one wants to work with them, and they are forbidden from leaving their area, so most of those jobs are undoable."
Hàn Trung paused, then looked at Noe and said: "However, there is one fairly good job: cultivating Spirit Herbs ??. Many common herbs are constantly in short supply, yet no one supplies them. The Immortal City has some surplus farmlands; the Spirit Qi is quite low, perfectly suitable for growing these basic Spirit Herbs. Given my connections, the rental price for that Spirit Land can be halved. Whenever you need to rent land, come see me."
Hàn Th??ng and Noe left Hàn Trung's office.
Hàn Th??ng: "Even with the discount, the rental fee is not small. The cheapest plot still costs 1,000 Spirit Crystals (Linh Th?ch)." ??
Noe (Who had been deep in thought) finally spoke: "1,000 mid-grade Spirit Crystals is not cheap, but it's reasonable. Those lands all have Energy Gathering Formations (Tr?n pháp h?i t? n?ng l??ng), suitable soil, and moderate energy—good for plant growth. Plus, they provide seeds and saplings. There are guides on how to care for them, what to irrigate, what to fertilize, and when. Furthermore, there is a Protection Formation (Tr?n pháp b?o v?) ??? to prevent theft and a Spirit Beast Guard ?? for the garden. It is completely comprehensive and detailed."
Hàn Th??ng: (Sighs) "Since you are a new Immortal and lack reputation, you cannot borrow Spirit Crystals. When you can, things will be much easier, not as troublesome as they are now." ??
Noe pondered for a moment, then took out a bottle of Elixir Water ?? and handed it to Hàn Th??ng: Noe: "Here is some Elixir Water, a favorite item of people in Atlantis. Try it." Hàn Th??ng looked at the unlabeled bottle of Elixir Water. Inside was a clear, pale blue liquid with tiny gold sparkling particles, beautiful and ethereal ?.
Hàn Th??ng raised it to his nose, smelled a pleasant aroma, and took a small sip. Instantly, energy surged within him; the effect of the Elixir Water was fast and highly effective. His whole body became alert, full of energy, a sense of refreshment spreading ??.
Hàn Th??ng: (Voice filled with surprise) "This is absolutely delicious! Full of Spirit Qi! It's excellent medicine! It even has a hint of Dragon Immortal Grass. Does this medicine have any drawbacks?"
Noe: "The preservation time is short, about one year before the quality starts to decline."
Hàn Th??ng: "Make more! This can be sold! Let's go back and see Hàn Trung, register a shop, and sell this. It will fetch a good price. Although the preservation time is short—standard elixirs last over three years, and high-grade ones can last hundreds of years—this medicine has a fast effect, making it perfect for combat, saving lives in critical moments. Give me a few bottles; I will ask Hàn Trung to verify and issue a license to sell this new type of medicinal material." ??
Hàn Trung verified it and immediately issued a license and a small stall on the busiest Immortal path, free for the first month, and subsequent months at the price of one mid-grade crystal. Noe agreed and began his entrepreneurial journey ??.