Nordic: I Created a Forbidden Land for the Gods

The air suddenly became quiet. Even though they were all spiritual beings, everyone present could feel that they were holding their breath.

It was clear that they were unable to fully process or understand the scene before them at that moment.

"How could he get the guards to help him willingly?"

"No, it's more like actively currying favor, but how can someone with absolutely no imposing presence do that?"

"He has connections, and...high-ranking ones?"

Although they were individual spiritual entities, they gradually became aware of something, and at this moment, their pupils seemed to contract.

Most of them are gods, or at least they are affiliated or allied races or forces, and their status is not low, otherwise they would not be qualified to possess high-level runes.

Even so, the guards of the market would not tolerate them.

They even dare to make demands to a certain extent, because as a neutral platform, it has a powerful backer: a god who holds a very high position even among the Asgardians. His reputation is enough to intimidate everyone, forcing many arrogant beings who come here to abide by the rules.

The rules were set by that being.

Although domineering, the guards outwardly prioritized order and balance. So even if customers broke the rules, they would at most be imprisoned, not harmed. This was the way of operating the business. But the guards disregarded all of this and actively tried to curry favor with Neil.

This speaks volumes.

"That sir? He's talking about Slud... No, that can't be it."

"Although the Valkyrie's status is not low, it is not high enough to make the market bow down, otherwise she would not have given up and left the spot to me."

Neil was also stunned by the compensation, but his mind was decisive and calm, and his pupils quickly returned to their senses.

He immediately looked down at his right hand. The guard had looked in that direction before suddenly reacting like that.

As the sole physical entity with authority here, they are able to see things that the spiritual entity cannot.

It was only then that he noticed a white mark that had appeared on the back of his hand.

Like a spark, it was very ordinary, not as conspicuous as the overwhelming pressure emanating from a god, but it was enough as proof.

After examining it for a long time, Neil still couldn't find anything unusual, so he decided to give up for the time being.

After a moment's hesitation, he took the cloth bag handed to him by the guard and examined it in front of him.

This is also an object that can carry a mental space. It contains a lot of supplies, and just one glance at it made Neil's heart flutter.

It was indeed a generous gift, just as the guard had said, but the guard knew the weight of the contents even before opening it.

Considering that the figure had mentioned the guard's name, the two must have known each other before.

"But even so, they still showed no mercy. So who exactly is the owner of the white mark? Could someone be so ruthless as to disregard even their closest friends and family?"

Neil thought to himself with a strange expression.

A thought struck him, and he suddenly noticed something placed in the center of the bag.

Although it appears small now, by comparing it with the surrounding structures, it is clearly a stone fortress about 100 meters high and occupying the same area.

The sheer size of the item occupied most of the space in the bag, clearly making up the majority of the bribes.

Neil examined it closely and could see many broken parts, but even so, he could feel that it was filled with a mysterious feeling. In fact, if the pocket was left open for a while, that feeling would spread out and be clearly felt by the people around him.

Suddenly, a series of spiritual entities stirred, unable to resist taking steps forward and approaching Neil.

But the next second, Neil immediately closed his pocket, and the mysterious feeling dissipated.

The guards also immediately stood up, their cold gazes sweeping across the surroundings beneath their helmets, their powerful auras emanating from the long spears they wielded. Only then did those figures remember where they were.

As if afraid of being seen as overstepping their bounds, they all stopped in their tracks and immediately returned to their original positions.

Neil breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and immediately put the bag away, but thinking about his gains, his heart still couldn't help but pound faster.

"This is the 'entry fee,' which, strictly speaking, is not much compared to the normal assets of a god-level being, only worth a few hundred mithril coins, but it is still much more than what Slud can afford."

"The main value lies in that stone fortress. Its true value is far more than that. It's probably because it's damaged and can't perform much, which is why that person who cut in line was willing to give it up."

"But if it can be repaired, that's a different story, and if it can really be restored, it should be able to provide me with a major blueprint..."

Neil tried his best to suppress his emotions and not get too excited, so as not to hinder his subsequent thinking.

He took a deep breath and nodded to the guard, indicating that the matter was over. Only then did the guard feel relieved and his expression completely calmed down.

Although he was supposed to be the one handling the problem, the guy who cut in line damn well said his name, and he knew their relationship was exposed.

And he wasn't the first to deal with the situation when it happened.

Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but that white mark was clearly the mark that the lord had taken a liking to. If things really got out of hand, even the market owner might not be able to protect him.

Even if they don't say he was "excessively negligent," they'll just give him some excuse, like he went in with his left foot first, and punish him severely.

Taking a deep breath, the guard dared not delay any longer. He loudly ordered the figures to continue queuing and then went through the process to grant Neil access to the market.

This process was very short, only a few minutes, which was much shorter than what other figures had done, making the people queuing behind them feel excited.

Neil nodded his thanks and stepped into the market.

He came with a mission, and there were three objectives in total.

Collect usable runes.

Gather information on future naval battles.

There are also medicines that can heal Slud's wounds.

The first point is of utmost importance: as long as the runes are powerful enough, he can resolve the danger of the evil dragon, and that way, even if Slud's injuries cannot be healed in a short time, it won't be a problem.

Furthermore, the Valkyrie herself is the best source of information, and once she recovers, the second request is not necessarily fulfilled.

"Besides, with my current level of cheating, even if the runes are too high-level, I can't copy them, so the actual difficulty of this trip shouldn't be too high."

Thinking about these things, he felt much more relaxed and began to stroll around the market.

then.

Half an hour passed.

He lay in the corner of a building, looking dazed and rather unsightly.

"These are all unscrupulous businessmen. Taking advantage of the anonymity, they're fabricating stories and causing all sorts of trouble!"

Neil couldn't help but clench his fists at the thought of the attitudes he received from the stall owners and shopkeepers.

There's not much to say about the matter itself; the gods treat people differently based on their status, and what happened outside the door is enough to illustrate this point.

Neil's mental level seems low. Although he won't be deliberately killed like Slud, most people will take advantage of him because he doesn't know how to distinguish goods and try to fool him with inferior stuff.

It is true that the market has established rules, but these rules only require that there be no forced conflicts and that transactions can be completed to a certain extent; they are not very comprehensive.

If the product doesn't match the specifications after delivery, the market won't take any action. It's your own fault for not checking it beforehand.

Neil's soul level is low, so there's really no clue to be found.

But having lived through a previous life, he was aware of the various deceptive tactics employed by online merchants.

They tested the waters and discovered the clues, then turned and left, leaving those who wanted to make a quick buck bewildered, wondering where the flaw had gone wrong.

After wandering around for a while, Neil was really annoyed that everyone he met was a cunning businessman.

"Is this how you want to play?"

"Alright, then I'll go for something even tougher!"