Chapter 211: Wealthy and Proud

Finally, the lone man, the woman, and the small snake arrived at their destination: Sangshui City!

This city was quite special. Bordering the East Sea, it was the largest port city-state in the Southern Region and one of the few permanent neutral zones on the border. It did not belong to any imperial power; however, the City Lord's Mansion held immense power within Sangshui City.

To avoid attracting attention, Xu Yang and the Empress changed into more ordinary clothes before entering the city. However, they soon discovered the biggest problem: a Spirit-Sealing Array.

The entire Sangshui City was enveloped by a massive Spirit-Sealing Array. In this city, no matter your status, prestige, or cultivation level elsewhere, everyone would return to a new starting point upon entering. Once inside, no one could use spiritual energy to activate cultivation techniques.

This city-state was quite large, and judging by their attire, people from all walks of life were present. Xu Yang and his companions wanted to go out to sea, so they immediately headed to the docks.

"Come, come, everyone, queue up! Hand over your exclusive Sea Passage Orders; no pushing!" shouted several tall guards from the City Lord's Mansion at the docks.

"Sea Passage Order? What's that? Isn't it just a matter of paying to get on a ship?" Xu Yang and Xue Qinghan exchanged a glance.

"Don't look at me; I spend all my time cultivating in the deep palace. My servants handle all these outside matters."

"Uh... so, Empress, you brought our boss along just to find yourself a servant, huh?"

Xu Yang: "???"

Upon hearing the little snake's words, the Empress's peerless face, usually as cold as ice, couldn't help but curve into a slight smile.

After asking around, Xu Yang and the Empress learned that a Sea Passage Order was an essential token for anyone wishing to enter the East Sea. It could be acquired by completing tasks issued by the City Lord's Mansion within Sangshui City to earn corresponding points. Once a certain score was reached, they could exchange it for a Sea Passage Order of the appropriate quality.

The tokens were divided into five grades: white, yellow, blue, purple, and orange. These corresponded to five different types of sea vessels at the docks. The higher the token's grade, the higher the quality of the ship boarded for sea travel, and naturally, the better the services and safety provided.

"Excuse me, besides completing tasks for the City Lord's Mansion, is there any quicker way to earn points?"

After all, the Empress was an imperial-level being, having grown up pampered and in a high position. The thought of working for the City Lord's Mansion was a psychological hurdle she found somewhat unbearable.

"Yes, there is! Some wealthy and powerful outsiders usually choose to directly sell some of their valuable possessions at pawn shops. You can exchange them for a certain amount of points proportionally. However, I'd like to remind you that the pawn shops here are different from those in typical imperial territories. The currency exchange rate is one to one thousand compared to the outside world. One thousand taels outside are only worth one tael of silver here."

"What!!"

The Empress immediately frowned, but she quickly understood the reason. Sangshui City's approach was a way for the City Lord's Mansion to consolidate its power and, as much as possible, ensure that outsiders and city residents maintained the same starting point.

Simply put, wealthy merchants from outside bringing in one thousand taels of silver could only buy three steamed buns. Meanwhile, an ordinary person working for a day within the city could also earn one tael. This way, the gap between everyone would be infinitely narrowed.

Originally, Xu Yang had planned to diligently complete a few tasks. But seeing the Empress's demeanor, it was clear she had no intention of lowering herself; having her wear coarse linen clothes was already her maximum tolerance.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to pawn these three pieces of jewelry. How much silver are they worth?"

The Empress was indeed extravagant. When she placed the three pieces of jewelry on the pawn shop counter, more than a dozen people nearby instinctively looked over and even gasped in astonishment.

"Ah Xue, these items are far too valuable. Why don't I go to the City Lord's Mansion and take on a few tasks? Even if it takes a few days, I should be able to exchange for two Sea Passage Orders." Xu Yang finally spoke, for he had seen what the Empress had placed on the counter: three Glass Phoenix Hairpins! These were top-tier accessories, with only a few existing throughout the entire Three Thousand Dao States.

However, the Empress didn't even glance at Xu Yang. With a calm expression, she simply uttered one word.

"Pawn."

The shop assistant inside looked deeply at the Empress, then carefully examined the three hairpins.

"Miss, please wait a moment. I'll go get our manager to personally appraise these for you." Saying this, the assistant excitedly scurried into the inner hall, clearly thrilled about such a high-value customer.

"Tsk tsk tsk, boss, she truly is the Empress! These three hairpins are priceless, yet she pawns them so casually? If you miss out on such a top-tier rich woman, you'll be hard-pressed to find another!"

No sooner had the little snake finished speaking than the Empress poked it precisely three inches. Outsiders couldn't see her move, merely assuming she was patting her husband's pocket. Little did they know, the dragon python inside was screaming for mercy as if its lifeline had been seized, only then earning the Empress's forgiveness.

Moments later, the manager personally arrived. The moment he saw the hairpins, his eyes almost popped out, and he couldn't help but gaze deeply at the Empress several times.

"May I ask who you are...?"

"Hmph, since when do pawn shops interfere with the seller's identity? These are my master's ornaments. Appraise them quickly."

As soon as the Empress's cold voice rang out, her powerful mental force and inherently noble, graceful demeanor were simply beyond what these ordinary people could withstand, even though she couldn't release spiritual energy pressure in Sangshui City.

The manager put on his gold-rimmed glasses and examined them for a long time before holding up five fingers.

"Five thousand taels."

"What!! Five thousand taels? Oh my goodness... Has Sangshui City ever seen such a high pawn price in the past year? Five thousand taels here means these hairpins would be worth five million outside! Heavens, what kind of powerful force is behind this young lady?"

The manager didn't hesitate. He immediately took out five one-thousand-tael silver notes, each engraved with a golden seal, and respectfully handed them to the Empress.

"Miss, please inform your master that if you ever come to pawn items again in the future, our humble shop will offer a twenty percent higher price! Yuanbao, quickly escort these esteemed guests!"

"No need."

The Empress quickly snatched the silver notes with a flick of her hand, then immediately pulled Xu Yang's sleeve and rushed out the door. Before the assistant could follow, both had vanished.

"Quick, let's go! I have a feeling this place isn't peaceful. Although the Spirit-Sealing Array makes it seem like city security has greatly improved, in reality, people like us are at the biggest disadvantage. Not being able to use spiritual energy doesn't mean there are no hidden dangers within the city."

Indeed, this time, the Empress had guessed correctly, perhaps due to her keen ruler's intuition.

Before they had even walked three streets away, more than a dozen burly, simply dressed middle-aged men blocked their path.

"Where are you two rushing off to?"