Chapter 7: Cloud City and the Merchant Guild
Spiritual Core Replacement... Complete!
Spiritual Contract... Complete!
Acquisition of a Divine Body... Complete!
...
[Niveish · Year 1166 Since the Unification]
Whoosh...
"It's been a long time since I ran this fast... this feeling of the wind is refreshing. Once you reach the level of an 8-star Mage, you naturally begin to float!"
'Sayro', who had just left the cave, sprinted through the mountain slopes at incredible speed.
The wind brushing against his body reminded him of the early days of his life as a Mage.
To others, it might seem like only a year had passed, but for Sayro, it had been more than 100,000 years.
As he reached the forest near the city, Sayro decided to slow down.
That level of speed couldn't be reached even by a peak 3-star Mage, even one with an Air-attribute spiritual root.
And since Sayro was currently only a 1-star Mage in the first stage, anyone seeing him would either try to recruit him—or kill him.
Though they wouldn't succeed, Sayro preferred not to draw attention.
On his way out of the forest, Sayro noticed a group of people hunting demonic beasts near a small lake.
"Finally! We got a core from a level-one beast."
"Yeah, the hunt was really tough. If it hadn't been three of us against one, we wouldn't have made it."
"Of course! We're just novice Mages in the early stages with only one star. Killing that beast with three people means we're stronger than most at our level!"
The loud conversation of the three novice Mages caught Sayro's attention.
But after hearing what they said, he lost interest—until one of them mentioned something else.
"By the way, did you hear about the auction happening at the Merchant Guild?"
That sparked Sayro's interest.
"Oh yeah, I heard they're putting up a Royal-grade treasure created by a Sorcerer.
They say whoever buys it will get to request a personal favor from that Sorcerer.
Apparently, he's a 3-star Sorcerer!"
Sayro thought to himself:
If there's an auction happening, I should join and earn some money too.
He didn't care about the Royal treasure or the Sorcerer—only the money.
"Heh, looks like the Merchant Guild is going bankrupt today."
Sayro muttered as he walked off.
Meanwhile, back at the lake...
"Ah... we barely survived. Who was that expert who released his aura and vanished?"
"I thought we were dead. What was someone that strong doing here? Did he go to the Death Mountains?"
"If someone like him is heading to Cloud City, he's probably here for the auction.
Let's get out of here—I'm still shaking from that pressure!"
What they didn't know was that Sayro had only released his aura for a moment to scare off nearby level-one beasts.
Even then, it was just a fraction of his true aura.
Minutes passed...
[Niveish · Cloud City]
Sayro finally arrived at Cloud City.
Upon arrival, he saw a massive wall and a huge gate above which was carved a single word: "Cloud."
The great wall encircling the city was etched with countless tier-one magical runes, forming a large defensive array known as the level-two Mist Array.
Looking around the gate, Sayro saw a line of mortals (non-Mages).
There was also an empty path beside it, which he tried to take.
"Stop! Please present your identification, Sir Martial Artist," said a middle-aged guard.
"I didn't know I needed an ID to return to my own city. Are you mocking me?"
Damn it—I totally forgot about my ID. I'm now a 1-star Mage, not a 5-star anymore...
Sayro's calm tone alone caused the guards to tremble in fear, due to the massive mana he radiated.
There's a big difference between mana, aura, and light qi.
If mana is energy, then aura is the engine it powers, while light qi is something else entirely.
"A-Apologies for the trouble, Sir Martial Artist, but we've received orders to tighten security around and inside Cloud City."
This person… who is he?!
He has so much mana I can't even sense his level. Could he be a 6-star Arcane Martial Artist?
No, impossible—if he were, even the city lord would come out to greet him!
While the guard speculated, Sayro was caught in his own internal dilemma.
Hmph... I'm over 130 years old, but with the Divine Elemental Body, I now look like I'm in my twenties.
Even if they try to estimate my age from my bones—they won't succeed.
Maybe starting over like this... is for the best.
"I lost my ID while hunting beasts in the forest."
Sayro had planned to start fresh, since no one in this city knew him.
Eventually, he decided to register a new identity—as a young, talented Mage in his twenties.
"If you wish, Sir, I can issue you a temporary ID so you can move freely in the city. What do you say?"
"Fine. Lead the way."
Sayro walked over to a desk near the gate.
The guard picked up a piece of paper and a low-grade magical pen, then asked:
"May I ask your name, age, and cultivation level?"
Sayro calmly replied:
"Ai Sayro. 26 years old. First-stage, 1-star Arcane Martial Artist."
As Sayro finished, he noticed the guard's stunned expression.
Amazing...
I mean, the amount of mana he has is enough to make a 2-star Martial Artist like me tremble—yet he's only 1-star?!
Maybe he's hiding his true strength... but that doesn't add up with his age.
Whatever—maybe he just has a rare treasure.
Sayro knew what the guard was thinking, and wasn't surprised. That's how people like him usually thought.
"Here you go. This is your temporary ID.
Have a great day, Sir Martial Artist!"
Sayro entered through the massive gates.
The city was bustling with life.
It couldn't match the beauty of the Magic Capital, but it was still one of the empire's commercial pillars.
"Alright, now where's the Merchant Guild?
If I remember correctly, it's a large tower in the city center..."
The Merchant Guild was one of the largest commercial factions in the empire, with branches inside and beyond its borders.
They could be considered a super-wealthy entity.
"Heh, my goal is money.
Taking over something like the Merchant Guild is the fastest route!"
Sayro headed straight for the tower entrance.
"Stop! Show us your invitation!"
Once again, two guards stopped him, demanding an invitation. Sayro grew annoyed.
"What is it with today—everywhere I go, someone stops me.
Learn your place!"
With that final word, Sayro released his aura, causing both guards to faint instantly.
This forced the tower master to rush out in fear and confusion, wondering which expert they had offended.
"Mercy, please!
Might I ask what the great expert desires from our humble tower?"
Sayro gave a devilish grin—he had expected this.
"You're not worthy to know who I am.
But perhaps you are worthy of fulfilling my wish."
His tone shifted, now more condescending and dominant.
"What wish can we fulfill for the great expert?"
The tower master, both terrified and awestruck, noticed how young Sayro looked—he hadn't expected that.
"I heard there's an auction or something happening.
So I've got this level-eight core to sell."
When Sayro took out the core from his spatial ring, it seemed like nothing happened...
But to everyone around him, the core's aura overwhelmed the entire area.
It was a truly awe-inspiring sight.
...
Treasure Tiers:
Common → Royal → Celestial → Spiritual
Each tier is divided into three phases:
Lesser (Low) – Greater (High) – Perfected