Chapter 354 353: Celestial Star Shop

The streets of Oasis City were lined with all sorts of stalls. Many of the people coming and going were natives in coarse cloth robes—the Desert Human Clan.

They were often wrapped in just a crude layer of gray cloth to shield them from the wind and sand. Many were as thin as skeletons, with no flesh on their bones.

Natives who were relatively healthy, like the grandfather and grandchild, were a rare minority. And while these people lived in hardship, the vendors were no better off; they were all just as poor.

The only exceptions were the occasional nobles from a strange race that looked like Kobolds, clad in fine silks and strolling the streets surrounded by their servants.

Their servants, however, were robust. They were at least the size of normal adult men, who had clearly eaten well. But such people were also extremely rare, and they looked powerful and menacing.

But to the nobles, these servants were more of a status symbol than anything else. They didn't have much real significance, for here, the nobles were Cultivators!

"Sir, if you wish to travel to the Celestial Star Great Oasis, you can go to the Central Square. That's where the City Lord's Mansion is. With your strength, you'll definitely be able to meet the City Lord himself. He'll tell you how to get to the Celestial Star Great Oasis quickly."

Old Tu Tou was Ni'Er's grandfather. His name was as shabby as his hunched back, possessing the distinct flavor of the Desolate Realm.

He had brought Jiang Qiu to his destination and, recognizing the vast gap between them, knew he was no longer qualified to be a guide. He took his leave with Ni'Er.

In fact, that was Jiang Qiu's plan as well. Now that he had reached a settlement, he could buy a map and something like a compass.

He arrived at the Central Square. Here, the flow of merchants was endless. The number of nobles was far greater than on the streets near the city entrance; their figures could be seen in every tall shop and building.

These nobles were, in fact, Cultivators, but their cultivation levels varied wildly. With a subtle scan, he sensed that the strongest in the entire city was perhaps only at the Spirit Body Realm, equivalent to someone who had just reached the Martial Artist Realm.

And there was only one. He was in the City Lord's Mansion, which was picturesquely situated by a mountain and water. He was an ugly Kobold, frolicking with a group of other ugly Kobolds, still vigorous in his old age.

'To me, this Oasis City is too small. There are no secrets worth uncovering.' This only strengthened Jiang Qiu's resolve to get to a bigger place quickly.

TING—

As he crossed the threshold of a general store, a Sand Bell on the doorframe chimed with a unique, crisp sound, alerting the shop assistant to a customer's arrival. "Hello, esteemed noble. How may I help you?"

The one providing the service was a Human Race girl. She was blonde with blue eyes and dressed provocatively, showing off the plump and delicate parts of her body as much as possible. Her thin dress fluttered in the breeze, and the pink gauze veiling her face hinted at a world of beauty.

It was clear her boss had good taste, unlike the aesthetic sensibilities of the Kobolds.

"Do you have any information communication devices here?" Jiang Qiu glanced around. The shop was filled with a dazzling array of treasures, all with high price tags, easily costing thousands or tens of thousands of Desolate Coins.

Desolate Coins were the currency, forged from Sand Mines. On the way here, he had heard from Old Tu Tou that it took dozens of pounds of Sand Mine ore to create a single Desolate Coin.

One Desolate Coin could buy a serving of Oasis Fruit, which was enough food for a native's single meal.

A few thousand Desolate Coins were equivalent to a year's worth of food money, yet in this general store, it could only buy the cheapest item. And almost everyone browsing inside was a noble.

This was the largest store in the Central Square of the entire Little Oasis City No. 777—the Celestial Star Shop.

"Esteemed noble, are you looking for a Virtual Projection Device?" The blonde, blue-eyed girl smiled, her lips pursed, and gracefully led Jiang Qiu deeper into the shop. She pointed to a watch-like object. "This projector is the latest Celestial Star model, developed by Celestial Star Great Oasis City. It can project an image anywhere within the jurisdiction of Celestial Star Oasis City."

Glancing at the price tag, Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "10,000 Desolate Coins. Can it connect to the internet? What I mean is, can it..."

"Esteemed noble, I understand what you mean. It's similar to the communicators from most other Great Realms. It has functions like adding friends, creating group chats, and an open search engine. You can use this device to search for any public information you want."

The girl answered earnestly and meticulously, having seemingly treated him as a wealthy noble from the moment he walked in.

This was despite the fact that she couldn't see through his Realm with her own eyes, and even the Spirit Charm Detector she carried didn't sense any noble aura from him.

'Compared to wasting my breath, the punishment for providing poor service is far scarier. If this person really can't afford it, that's the boss's problem. I just need to do my job and provide the service.'

"Oh, not bad. It should have a map, right? The coordinates for other Oasis Cities?"

"It does."

"Good." Jiang Qiu nodded. He now understood the projector's value. It was basically a smartwatch, just with a ridiculously exorbitant price. "But I don't have that many Desolate Coins..."

In fact, he didn't have a single one.

The girl paused for a moment, but the smile remained on her face. She made a welcoming gesture. "Then, perhaps the esteemed noble could go and retrieve enough Desolate Coins and then return?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Qiu hesitated. He was just about to ask if currency from other Great Realms could be exchanged when he suddenly heard a "Tsk." "He looks human enough, but does he really think he's a noble?"

Frowning, Jiang Qiu turned to see a Kobold walking in with a woman on each arm. The women in his embrace were also Kobolds. One couldn't say they were ugly, only that to the Human Race, they were incredibly hard on the eyes. Lipstick on a dog's snout—it was just bizarre.

The Kobold in the center was dressed lavishly in silk clothes, wearing a gold watch. He even had gold studs in his black, canine ears, giving him a distinct nouveau riche vibe.

The moment he appeared, a curvaceous female Kobold attendant hurried over. "Young Master Ah Si, what are you looking to buy today?"

"Heh, not planning on buying anything. Just here for the entertainment." Ah Si smirked, the mockery in his eyes unconcealed. "Your Celestial Star Shop really doesn't care about the quality of its clientele. It really cheapens the experience for a true noble like myself."

He could tell at a glance that the fellow before him was just a native of the Human Race wearing a mask and putting on airs. After all, he didn't have a shred of Kun Earth Spirit Charm, nor did he exude the unique aura of a Cultivator.

'He's undoubtedly a native who put on a mask to act tough and get a look inside a grand shop like the Celestial Star Shop, a place they could never enter in their entire lives.'

'Shopping in the same store as someone like this really lowers my status as the City Lord's direct grandson.'