Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 226 [Very Different] (8600 words)
Chapter 220 [Very Different] (8600 words)
Xitai City.

Located in the western border region, it is also considered the largest city in the western border region.

Thousands of miles west of here lies Xueya Pass.

Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, this place was a barren desert, a sea of ​​sand. Tens of thousands of years ago, several powerful figures and a group of array masters gathered in Sendai and spent twenty years creating a magic array that connected the east and west of the realm. This array could transport moisture from the Endless Sea at the eastern edge of the realm to the western edge every year…

Since then, there has been no more drought in western Xinjiang, and the vast desert has gradually transformed into what it is today after more than a hundred years of rain irrigation: the wilderness is now lush and green, and the mountains and peaks are covered with verdant greenery.

With the rain, water naturally eroded and created river channels.

Xitai City is located in the central part of the western frontier. Two rivers, like jade belts, flow around the city and meet in the north before flowing away again.

At this moment, beside the northern dock of Xitai City, beneath the majestic city wall, stands a towering city gate, its entrance wide open, revealing a sluice gate through which a channel has been excavated, flowing into Xitai City.

Along the dock, boats gathered in droves, their sails obscuring the sky.

However, they were not cargo ships. The boats were full of barges, some of which even had exquisite pavilions, and the faint sound of string and wind instruments could be heard coming from inside.

Beside the dock, a high arched bridge spans the city's waterway. On both sides of the river, teahouses and wine shops of all kinds stand side by side, with pavilions and banners fluttering like clouds.

At this moment, Chen Yan stood in the center of the high arched bridge, looking at the street scenes on both sides of the river, the endless stream of pedestrians, and the various outfits. The buildings of the shops, with their flying eaves and hanging platforms, were either magnificent or exquisitely crafted, leaving Chen Yan dazzled and momentarily stunned.

He had only been in the city for one day, or to be precise, less than half an hour.

After leaving Xueya Pass, he traveled eastward into the territory of the domain. He traversed thousands of miles of wilderness, passing through some villages and towns, but they were sparsely populated.

In some places, vast fields of medicinal herbs and flowers have been planted, but no one is guarding them. Only puppets are left to work, and the outer perimeter is protected by magic arrays—it does resemble a fully mechanized large farm.

It wasn't until later, after passing by a farm and inquiring about the roads and directions, that he learned the location of Xitai City's hub and finally arrived at this largest city in the western frontier.

Upon entering the city, Chen Yan finally experienced the grandeur of the realm for the first time.

This place is quite different from the Snow Cliff Pass, which was carved out of the mountainside!
The magnificent city wall outside the city is as high as thirty meters, but it is entirely made of large, jade-colored stones. It is so thick that a thin piece of paper can hardly be inserted between the stones, and there are faint flashes of magical arrays.

Chen Yan initially thought it was some kind of defensive formation for city defense, but after getting closer and examining it carefully, he couldn't help but sigh – this formation actually had nothing to do with defense; it was just used to gather the moisture from the surrounding world outside the city.

By using water vapor to nourish the city, the vast city of Xitai, in this scorching western frontier, can have its climate and temperature made more pleasant.

The buildings within the city were definitely not the "ancient style" that Chen Yan had imagined.

Although the building has a distinctly ancient feel, its overall style is definitely not like the historical dramas Chen Yan has watched.

In the real world of ancient times, there were few particularly tall buildings. This was simply because ancient technology was backward and most buildings were made of wood and stone. In reality, they were brick and wood mixed constructions.

In ancient times in China, a building of this standard was extremely rare, even just a few stories high.

Without concrete—cement, and without the steelmaking and metallurgical industry, steel bars cannot be produced.

Without these, a fundamental problem of high-rise buildings cannot be solved: load-bearing capacity.

Although ancient buildings also had beams for load-bearing, they were all made of wood. If the building was too tall, with two or more stories, the lower floors would not be able to support it.

Therefore, for taller and larger buildings, columns were needed to solve the load-bearing problem, which limited the height and structure of ancient buildings.

It was in this great city of the realm that Chen Yan truly witnessed the difference between the so-called "immortal cultivation civilization" and "technological civilization".

Architecturally, these buildings, full of ancient charm and flying eaves, are by no means short and cramped. They are tall, wide, and imposing, with some towers even looking like they are piercing the clouds. Although they are not as tall as the skyscrapers in the real world, it is clear that it is not that the cultivation civilization of the realm cannot build them, but that they do not want to build them.

In terms of materials and appearance, the building is mainly made of wood, supplemented by brick and stone.

But clearly, the wood is not ordinary wood, and the bricks and stones are not ordinary bricks and stones either.

Furthermore, all those tall buildings faintly emanated the radiant light of magic arrays—Chen Yan roughly guessed that this cultivation civilization in the realm had probably used magic arrays to solve many architectural problems, forging a path completely different from that of technological civilizations.

Even this dock, when Chen Yan first arrived here, he thought it was probably the transportation hub of Xitai City, a place for the distribution of goods.

But after looking for a while, he realized that none of the boats docked at the pier were used for hauling cargo!
That makes sense; there is a cultivation civilization in this world.

Storage devices are quite common among cultivators—about as ubiquitous as cell phones are in the real world.

With storage equipment in place, what need is there for waterway freight?
Chen Yan was merely an unofficial member of the Patrol Division, yet he was able to receive a storage jade pendant with a capacity equivalent to two shipping containers.

With such a level of cultivation civilization, why would there be any need to use cargo ships to laboriously transport goods on the river?

Isn't it too slow?

Don't you think it's too little?
There is a type of transportation called "flying boat" in this world. It is a large flying vehicle, similar to a high-speed train or ship that can fly in the sky.

It is said that even ordinary flying boats can travel a thousand miles a day. Some cultivators' private flying boats, modified with magical artifacts, are incredibly fast, making them essential for murder, arson, raids, and escapes.

The boats at the wharf here are actually "tourist boats".

It was rented and chartered by wealthy and leisurely monks for sightseeing.

In your leisure time, take a boat ride on the river, enjoy the scenery on both banks, and experience the comfort of this slow pace—in this world, this is called experiencing "ordinary pleasures."

Just like in the real world, people from China like to go to the countryside to experience farm stays.

Within the realm, the main products of the Western Frontier are various medicinal herbs. Many herbs have specific requirements for climate and temperature during their cultivation and growth. For example, some herbs that prefer heat and are sensitive to cold are cultivated on a large scale in the Western Frontier.

Many large trading companies with branches throughout the region have astonishingly large medicinal fields and pharmacies in the Western Frontier.

However, looking at the leisurely atmosphere on the streets of Xitai City, the various magnificent and exquisite shops, taverns and teahouses, and the cultivators leisurely boating on the river, one can see the "mortal pleasures" of the place.

Chen Yan suddenly felt a sense of melancholy, like "the song of the Rear Courtyard Flower still being sung across the river."

A few days ago at Xueya Pass, I witnessed the fierce fighting and bloodshed. Now, standing at the docks of Xitai City, observing this atmosphere of extravagance and hedonism…

·
Chen Yan walked into a riverside restaurant next to the dock street.

This building is the tallest near the river, with a height of fourteen stories, and the floor height is much greater than the average floor height of three meters or so in the real world.

In terms of height, it is comparable to the height of a 20-story building in the real world.

When he entered the restaurant lobby, he didn't attract any attention. Even the waiter who came to greet him only gave him a polite greeting, casually led Chen Yan to a seat, and then left.

It was simply because Chen Yan at that moment looked rather unremarkable.

After leaving Snow Cliff Pass, he used the inner core of a white fox to change his appearance—after all, he had met quite a few people in Snow Cliff Pass, and as he went deeper into the heart of the domain, he wanted to hide his identity and avoid encountering any more acquaintances.

If you're walking along peacefully and suddenly encounter a "man in his teens," dealing with him will only add to the trouble.

At this moment, Chen Yan's altered appearance looks completely ordinary—not like Principal Gu's.

He has a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. He looks upright but ordinary. He has large bones and a strong build, but he is not very tall.

At first glance, it gives the impression that "the person may not have read many books, but must have done a lot of manual labor."

He also changed his clothes to a set he had taken from the Brotherhood at Snow Cliff Pass.

The short, narrow-sleeved robe wasn't the flowing long robe of ancient times. It looked different from the real world, but the narrow sleeves and tight fit gave it a very neat and tidy appearance.

In reality, the depiction of ancient people in TV dramas, period dramas, and idol dramas, with their wide-sleeved robes and flowing gowns, is pure nonsense. It's just for the sake of visual appeal.

In ancient times, those wide-sleeved robes and flowing gowns were the exclusive domain of the wealthy.

Because those clothes were not meant for manual labor—wealthy people could wear them because they didn't have to do physical work.

Ordinary working-class people were not entitled to wear such clothes—firstly, they were too expensive for them to afford. More importantly, how could they work while wearing such wide-sleeved robes and long gowns that swayed so loosely?

So... that's why the narrow-sleeved short robe didn't earn him the waiter's enthusiastic flattery—his attire didn't make him look like a wealthy person.

However, Chen Yan had experienced a lot and had long since developed a calm and composed demeanor. His original attire and changes were precisely for the purpose of keeping a low profile.

Recalling the old games, asking the waiters in restaurants for information was the best way to gather clues. Chen Yan was unfamiliar with the place and had no other channels, so he simply followed suit.

Chen Yan casually ordered a pot of the restaurant's signature "Azure Sea Nectar" wine, along with two light dishes and a plate of braised purple lilac with pearl rice as his main course. He felt a pang of regret for his wallet.

This place is not cheap; this meal cost more than forty realm jade coins.

Goodness, this is only the result of Chen Yan not ordering any more food than he could have.

If you eat a few more of these, it will be equivalent to the bounty a low-level rogue cultivator would earn if he went out of seclusion, fought the ferocious beast tribe with his sword, and cut off a person's head.

However, looking at the diners in the restaurant, most of them were dressed in fine clothes—Chen Yan knew that he must have entered some high-end restaurant.

However, after calculating the amount of jade money he had left, he wasn't worried.

After Chen Yan and the other waiters served the dishes, Chen Yan took out a string of coins and placed it on the table. There were about thirty coins in total. He then stuffed them into the waiter's hand.

The waiter's polite but somewhat indifferent expression vanished instantly! His expression became several times warmer, and his eyes gleamed as he looked at the jade coin string that Chen Yan had placed on the table.

Taking a deep breath, the waiter bowed respectfully and said to Chen Yan with a smile, "Honorable guest, please feel free to ask me anything!"

Chen Yan nodded—this change in attitude was quite scientific.

Taking advantage of this enthusiasm, Chen Yan quickly questioned the waiter.

·
This waiter was a mortal.

From the waiter, Chen Yan learned a general understanding of the situation in Xitai City and also asked about some information he wanted to know.

Xitai City is the largest city in the western frontier of the domain, but in fact, it doesn't rank among the top cities in the entire domain.

This so-called largest city in the western frontier, if placed in the bustling eastern region, would probably only be considered a medium-sized city.

The exact population of Xitai City is unknown; it's likely that the region doesn't have such a system for population statistics, but there are probably 800,000 households.

These 800,000 households are all ordinary people!

According to the rules of the realm, mortals are considered cattle and horses, and are not qualified to be included in the official registered cultivator population of Sendai.

The 800,000 households of ordinary people and livestock in Xitai City are engaged in low-level jobs; they are the lifeblood and tools that run the city.

Xitai City has 18,000 cultivators.

These are the "official population" of Xitai City.

They are Celestial Dragons, superior beings.

Fortunately, the realm's resources are not scarce, and the cultivation civilization is quite advanced, so there is no situation where the hierarchy is so strict that upper-level cultivators abuse lower-level mortals like pigs and dogs.

Although the ranks are clearly defined, cultivators cannot harm mortals at will.

One reason is that doing so goes against the natural order and involves acts of cruelty, which will increase a cultivator's own karma of killing. Doing too much of this will negatively impact their state of mind and spiritual cultivation.

Secondly, Sendai also has laws that maintain a tolerant attitude towards mortals. If a cultivator harms a mortal, although they may not be executed, they will still receive considerable punishment.

The reason Sendai does this is actually quite simple: cultivators don't engage in production! Mortals are the main labor force!

However, this data also allowed Chen Yan to make a general judgment.

There are 800,000 ordinary people, but only a little over 18,000 cultivators.

If we estimate based on five people per household, then out of four million people, we would only produce about 20,000 cultivators.

In other words, the ratio of mortals to cultivators is roughly one in two hundred.

The proportion isn't too rare, but... although this realm is a cultivation civilization, it's clear that cultivation talent isn't universally available to everyone.

In large cities like Nishidai Castle, there are schools run by the Sendai local government. Any mortal resident of the city who is under sixteen years old can attend these schools for three months of training. Basically, anyone under sixteen can attend; the exact age is up to each individual. In principle, the earlier one begins their studies, the more likely they are to be recognized for their talent for cultivation within the three-month period, and the more attention they will receive.

Three months may not necessarily be enough for someone with less talent to master the basics, but generally speaking, their talent will become apparent.

After the three-month training period, those who have entered the path become cultivators and are registered as cultivators by the administrative center. Whether they continue their cultivation, are recruited and trained by a powerful family, or choose to walk the path of independent cultivation, it all depends on their talent.

The most talented are often recruited by wealthy families—this is often the best future for those who cultivate themselves from humble backgrounds.

Those with average talent were retained by the local government to continue their training in the government-run academies for a few more years. They were given the standardized cultivation techniques compiled by Sendai and a certain amount of cultivation rations. Their future destinations were various positions in the local government or inclusion in the local celestial armies of Sendai's war division. It could be said that their future was stable, but their potential was not necessarily high, because the standard cultivation techniques were conventional. However, their advantage lay in the stable acquisition of status and a fixed income that could meet their basic cultivation resource needs.

Those with the least talent are not valued by powerful families or local governments, and can only become rogue cultivators.

Just look at the hunters who ventured out of Snow Cliff Pass to fight for their lives to see how miserable it is for independent cultivators.

Of course, even for rogue cultivators, the future is much better than that of ordinary people.

Ordinary people can only be beasts of burden and laborers at the bottom of society.

At least independent cultivators are more free and detached. If they don't want to cultivate for immortality and don't pursue higher realms or cultivation levels, they live a much more carefree life than ordinary people.

They also have long lifespans—ordinary people generally live for several decades, and even those who cultivate independently, even with low cultivation levels, can live to at least a hundred years old.

The waiter's change in attitude towards Chen Yan was not only due to the half-string of coins Chen Yan threw out, but also because Chen Yan conjured the coins out of thin air from his storage jade pendant and placed them on the table right in front of him.

The waiter was a mortal, and when he realized that the diner in front of him, who looked like a lowly laborer, was actually a cultivator, his attitude naturally improved.

I initially thought they were some ordinary people from out of town who had wandered into this tavern by mistake.

The waiter may well have been deliberately keeping quiet, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

But it turned out to be a monk, so everything was fine.

The waiter misunderstood Chen Yan, thinking that this monk had come to Xitai City to find a job. After receiving Chen Yan's reward, he even pointed out a way for Chen Yan.

"The Immortal Gathering Platform in the city's administrative center always displays notices recruiting cultivators. Once you enter the Inner Realm, you can find a regular job there and be assigned a residence with two mortal servants to attend to you. Those who obtain a permanent job will receive a small amount of jade coins every ten days as a subsidy. Although it may not be enough for cultivation resources, your life will be worry-free."

If a lord is at the Returning Origin Realm, he can obtain a silver register for the administrative office and wait in line at the Xitai City administrative office. When an official position becomes available, he can fill the vacancy. Before he gets a position, the administrative office is willing to spend money to support him.

You can be allocated a small building with its own courtyard, and there will be a magic array supplying vital energy for four hours every day, allowing cultivators to practice. Of course, the concentration of vital energy provided by the magic array can only be grade B, but it is free.

In addition, there are six mortal servants to attend to you—if you are fond of women, you can choose the young and beautiful ones yourself.

Regarding subsidies, the administrative center would also distribute fifty coins every ten days.

After saying this, Chen Yan immediately realized that he had probably given the waiter too much money as a tip.

A cultivator at the second stage, the Returning Origin Realm, who submits to the government, receives a salary of fifty coins per ten days, which is one hundred and fifty coins per month.

I just tipped this waiter thirty coins, which is equivalent to one-third of a cultivator's monthly salary at the Returning Origin Realm.

Although cultivators certainly don't live off the government's monthly stipends and have other sources of income, thirty coins would still be a considerable sum for ordinary people.

After figuring this out, Chen Yan didn't regret it—hunting the ferocious beast tribe wasn't difficult for him, and if he needed money, he could go to Xueya Pass to travel outside the pass for a few days, which wasn't too difficult either.

The waiter's respectful and open attitude saved Chen Yan a lot of trouble.

"If... I want to get to Southern Xinjiang from here, how do I get there?"

Uh?
The waiter was taken aback and looked at Chen Yan with a strange expression.

"I came down from Xueya Pass," Chen Yan said calmly. "I was originally just a mortal. I had some opportunities at Xueya Pass and became a cultivator. I served outside the pass for many years and this is my first time back. So there are many things I don't understand yet."

The waiter immediately showed a knowing look.

It turns out he's a rogue cultivator who returned from Xueya Pass, risking his life on the front lines to earn money... No wonder this gentleman was so generous with his rewards earlier.

These lowly, struggling cultivators are actually more generous with their money—these people live on the edge, their lives hanging by a thread, so most of them don't really have the concept of saving.

They adhere to a value system of "live for today, for tomorrow we die."

It's like the mentality of a gambler.

“There is no direct flying boat from our Xitai City to the Southern Frontier. If you wish to go to the Southern Frontier, you must take a flying boat from the inner city to Huangjing, which is the eastern hub of our domain. From Huangjing, you can take a flying boat to the Southern Frontier. This is possible, but the flying boat will cost a lot of money and will take more time to travel.”

"All told, it would take several dozen days by official airship from here to Huangjing, the eastern capital. As for the journey from Huangjing to the southern frontier... I am but a humble mortal, having never even been to Huangjing, so I have no idea how far it will take, but I imagine it would still take a month or two."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan couldn't help but frown—what the hell is the difference between this and transferring between a plane and a high-speed train?

Changing trains is the most troublesome thing. The official airships are also relatively slow, so with all these transfers, it can take several months in total.

We wasted so much time on the road.

"Is there any other way?"

"Master, you think it's too slow... No wonder, government-run flying boats aren't very appealing to cultivators anyway. Apart from some rogue cultivators who are short on cash and not in a hurry, most cultivators with a little wealth don't like to ride them..." Seeing Chen Yan's displeasure, the attendant said with a smile, "Another way is to join a powerful family or clan. Some of these families' private flying boats often have more routes than the government-run flying boats in Sendai, and some even go directly from here to the Southern Frontier."

The flying boats of aristocratic families and clans are all crafted by their own weapon refiners, making them much faster than those made by the government. It is said that some clans' flying boats can travel tens of thousands of miles in a day!

"But the flying boats of aristocratic families only serve their own members. If you wish to ride one, sir, you must first find a family to join and offer yourself."

Chen Yan still frowned: "Is there an even faster way? For example... a teleportation array or something. Since Xitai City is the largest city in the Western Frontier, it should have a teleportation array, right?"

The waiter bowed lower, his head drooping even more, and chuckled softly, "Sir, you jest. Our Xitai City certainly has teleportation arrays, but... while I've heard that teleportation arrays can instantly travel over ten thousand miles, activating an array once requires a considerable amount of materials."

Therefore, local administrative offices are only used in times of crisis, and only cultivators with the official rank of administrative office are qualified to use them; others, even cultivators, are not eligible.

As he spoke, he noticed Chen Yan's dissatisfaction and, thinking the time was right, cautiously whispered, "Actually, there are ways..."

If you are interested, sir, you can go to the south of the city. That is where the warehouses and stores of various clans and families are located. Every day, the clans and families transport goods in and out by their own flying boats.

Although nominally they only use family members, if they find an acquaintance and make connections, and spend a little money to bribe the steward on the airship, they can occasionally sneak a ride on a boat—this kind of thing is generally ignored by the authorities unless reported, and the higher-ups tacitly approve it as a way for the stewards to make a little extra money; as long as it's not too outrageous, they'll turn a blind eye.

Chen Yan sighed inwardly. Sure enough, there were many restrictions on traveling between realms!
He traveled from Xueya Pass to Xitai City entirely by himself, climbing mountains and wading through rivers, using shapeshifting magic to transform into a bird.

However, some unexpected events were encountered, and the closer they got to Xitai City, the less "free" they became in the wild.

Some aristocratic families and clans have vast medicinal fields and estates, all of which are enclosed by magical arrays.

I've heard that beyond Xitai City, the further you go into the heart of the domain, the more restrictions there are.

Many scenic and spiritually rich places, especially those with abundant spiritual energy, have been taken over as forbidden areas by powerful families and clans, often isolated by large formations spanning thousands or even tens of thousands of miles.

If you fly there on your own, unless you are a top-tier expert, people will at most respectfully see you off as you pass by.

If you were an ordinary cultivator, daring to do this would be courting death. You would be charged with trespassing on someone's territory or disrupting their sacred grounds, and you would be killed on the spot—a pointless death!

If you think those are all unclaimed wilderness areas that you can just pass by, you're really mistaken.

Whether it's an official flying boat or a flying boat belonging to a powerful sect or a wealthy clan, they all have their own routes. They either have to bypass the territory marked by the grand formations of the powerful families and sects along the way, or they have obtained permission to pass through, which is why they can fly so swaggeringly over their heads.

Chen Yan once obtained a map of the domain from You Suyi. The straight-line distance from the Western Frontier to the Southern Frontier was hundreds of thousands of miles!
It's worth noting that the circumference of the equator in the real world is only about 80,000 miles.

It is evident that the planet in this realm is much, much larger than Earth in the real world.

Such a large planet, yet its gravity didn't crush people to death, probably because the planet's mass density is not high.
Or perhaps, the rules governing certain dimensions of this world are different from those of the real world?
Chen Yan ignored those questions and focused on the waiter's words.

He absolutely had to go to the Southern Frontier—that was his biggest purpose for coming to the Realm this time!

Because... Southern Xinjiang is the territory of the Ghost Clan!

I came to this realm this time at great risk, traveling hundreds of thousands of miles, just to find an opportunity to go to the Ghost Clan's territory and see if I could meet the old lady!
Seeing that Chen Yan remained silent, the waiter deliberately waited a moment before taking a deep breath, leaning closer, and trying to lower his voice, saying, "If you, esteemed guest, wish to try your luck in Kuji in the south of the city, I can introduce you to a relative of mine who makes a living in the south of the city and works for a powerful clan in Kuji. He can help you pull some strings and find the nearest flying boat to the Southern Frontier, and find a way for you to board it."

But... this method of clearing the blockage...

Chen Yan nodded, immediately understanding, and smiled, "Tell me, how much would it cost to smooth things over?"

The waiter quickly calculated in his mind, looked at the dishes the customer had ordered and the tip the customer had just given him, and quoted a price that the customer could probably afford: "Two hundred coins... but I can't guarantee that you can definitely get on the ship."

After all, there might not be a flying boat available immediately to go to southern Xinjiang; it might take several days.

Moreover, the stewards on each clan's flying boat have different temperaments. Some are flexible, while others are old-fashioned and ignorant of worldly affairs—it's useless to try to persuade such people.

However, my relative has a good reputation. Once he takes the money, he'll make you wait five or six days at most, and he'll definitely give you a definite answer—if it works out, he'll take you to see the ship's manager and arrange for you to board.

If that doesn't work, half of the 200 yuan dredging fee can be refunded.

"If that's not acceptable, will you only refund half?" Chen Yan sneered deliberately.

The waiter remained calm and said slowly, "What you say is true, sir—whether it succeeds or not is a matter for later. What needs to be done first is to smooth things over, to inquire about what needs to be inquired about, and to give what needs to be given. Only then can they give us a reply."

If that doesn't work, the esteemed guest must refund the full amount, but how can my relatives go to the sect leader to get the gifts back?
Being able to refund half is already considered very trustworthy. If you don't believe me, you can check the rates elsewhere before coming to me.

Chen Yan nodded; there was some truth to that.

He currently has a little over two thousand coins left.

Two hundred coins is something I can afford.

"Let me make it clear first, the two hundred coins are just for the smooth operation. If you want to take a boat, the manager will still charge you for the boat ticket."

Chen Yan laughed and said casually, "That's a good deal. How much are the boat tickets?"

The waiter bowed his head and said, "I've only introduced people to Huangjing before; the boat ticket costs about three hundred coins."

If you go to southern Xinjiang, I reckon it'll cost double.

That's six hundred coins, plus two hundred coins for the unblocking fee, making a total of eight hundred.

Good heavens, even the heads of three ferocious beast tribes wouldn't cover the cost of a trip to southern Xinjiang—and that's a one-way ticket, for crying out loud.

Chen Yan immediately took out two hundred coins from his storage jade pendant and gave them to the waiter. The waiter was probably used to doing this kind of thing. He placed the money on the plate, covered it with his sleeve, and said with a smile, "Honorable guest, you are very generous. I thank you!"

Please wait five days, sir, and then come back to find me. I will give you a definite answer then—you are a cultivator, sir, while I am but a mortal. You could crush me with a flick of your finger, sir. I would never dare to deceive you.”

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, glanced at Chen Yan, and frowned, saying, "I just heard the master say that you had a fortuitous encounter at Xueya Pass before you began your cultivation. I wonder if you are registered in Xueya Pass?"

Whether it's an official flying boat or a private flying boat belonging to a clan or aristocratic family, you need to be registered and have a valid identity to ride it.

Otherwise, if they accidentally pick up someone with a sensitive or inconvenient identity, a whole host of people could suffer the consequences later.

Got it, it's a real-name registration system for passengers.

This old saying is understandable—that's just how the real world is.

However, I am indeed an unregistered resident.

The waiter, however, smiled calmly and said, "If you are not registered at Xueya Pass, you can register at Naxiantai in Xitai City, which is the same as registering at the administrative office."

Moreover... there's a subsidy for registering every ten days; it's only fair that you take the subsidy from the magistrate's office.

After Chen Yan understood the location of the administrative office and the registration process, he dismissed the servant.

He quickly devoured the food and wine on the table, eating his fill. Then he walked out of the tavern, looked around to determine the direction, and headed towards the inner city of Xitai City.

This realm, this cultivation civilization, is indeed very different from what I had imagined!

·
(This chapter mainly explains some of the world framework and background settings of the realm. The plot doesn't go very far, but these things still need to be explained. Fortunately, this is the only part; there's not much more to explain later.)
·
(End of this chapter)