As the group went a few kilometers deep, they started encountering buildings here and there before they finally saw a huge city situated in a vast meadow with two giant mountains behind it.


    There was a massive pce at the center, and other various buildings surrounded it.


    "Wow, it''s bigger than I expected," Erix was surprised. They couldn''t even see the whole of the city from here.


    "I heard it''s 500 square kilometers in area," Maleinamented.


    "Yep, that''s big," Rin nodded. "I suppose it also covers areas behind those two mountains and past that river to the east."


    "Yep. Let''s go," Lilith nodded. "We''ll find a good ce to stay first."


    …


    ording to the n, the group would stay here until Erix bnced his source.


    Lilith also needed resources for Erix''s bloodline awakening, and they were here for those resources.


    Thest resource catalyst for his bloodline awakening, Death Root, was in Pale Hunger Swamp.


    Erix needed his source to be bnced before Lilith attempted to awaken his bloodline, so going there early was no use.


    After finding an excellent ambient courtyard with an open pavilion and a sizable abode with three rooms, one hall, and one kitchen, the group settled in there.


    A small river separated their courtyard from entering the main road that was a hundred meters away and a wooden bridge to cross over it.


    "Great ce," Erix took a deep breath and smiled. The air was fresh and filled with vitality.


    "Alright, what do we do now?" Rin asked as she eagerly looked at Lilith.


    "Let''s go to the areas of Spiritual Nature Pools," Lilith grinned.


    "There will be some elven beauties as well," Lily chuckled, "Erix can use them while giving them his passion ride."


    "I am ready," Erix grinned.


    "Those pools are in those mountains, but let''s go through to the city to check things out," Lilith said.


    The group exited their courtyard and soon arrived in the bustling city.


    There were various types of shops and elves'' residences area-wise.


    One big shop specifically sold this territory''s exclusive resources, and Lilith immediately decided to go there.


    "Let''s finish buying resources Erix needs for his Bloodline awakening first. This shop seems to have all resources avable in the territory."


    …


    On the third floor, Lilith, Rin, Lily, and Malein stood before the big table with items sealed in enchanted ss cases.


    "I''m sorry, dear customer. We have all seven items on your list, even the rare Decaying Life Lotus, but we don''t have Vibrant Virisal Pearl," said the beautiful elfdy with an apologetic smile.


    "Vibrant Virisal Pearl is a must," Lilith muttered. "When will you get the next one?"


    "You seem to know about it, so you surely know that it takes time for that pearl to mature and saturate with its proper growth," the elfdy said before pausing for a second.


    "Minimum of one month to three months."


    Hearing that, everyone frowned.


    *Thak….*


    Suddenly, everyone heard a brief sound deep within this VIP floor where only they were currently shopping, but they ignored it.


    "That''s too long," Lilith said as she shook her head. "Tell me a ce where we can personally go and take one or buy from someone who has it."


    "That…" the leftdy awkwardly smiled, "I would love to help you in that regard, but we only know locations we have under our control, and we can''t possibly let you know about it."


    Lilith nodded.


    "Understandable. Then tell me someone who has it."


    "Actually, these pearls are getting collected by a certain individual to be made into a ne for Princess Runia."


    The staffdy wryly smiled as she continued, "The ne is almostpleted, as he will get thest Vibrant Virisal Pearl soon."


    "Aside from him, nobody has these pearls in the kingdom because he bought every one of them."


    Rin clicked her tongue and turned to Lilith, "What do we do then?"


    "We have no choice but to buy a substitute for that resource, but I''ll have to add another resource to make up for extra properties…" Lilith muttered as she calcted the bnce of ingredients.


    "Cough," the elfdy coughed and attracted everyone''s attention before saying, "There''s a catch, dear customers."


    "The individual who had bought these pearls is the Nightwind Duke family''s heir, but the problem is Princess Runia doesn''t like him, so she will not ept that gift."


    "Whatever that happens, you will have a high chance of acquiring a pearl from that ne."


    "Good." Lilith smiled and said, "When is he going to propose?"


    "It would be in a few days," the elfdy smiled. "Then shall I pack these resources?"


    "Yep."


    "The total cost rounded up is 34,540 Prana Stones of low-quality or 3400 Prana stones of medium-quality."


    "Also, the general price of Vibrant Virisal Pearl is no more than 9,500 Prana stones of low quality," the elfdy informed with a smile.


    ''Wow, I didn''t know these resources were this expensive, and we didn''t even get the most expensive one,'' Rin was speechless. ''We''ve barely earned this amount if we consider all the loot from Royal-order hunters.''


    ''Yep, they are expensive, but this concluded our shopping. Now, I only need that pearl and Death Root to create a crazy catalyst to awaken Erix''s bloodline,'' Lilith replied with a tinge of excitement.


    ''Crazy, eh?'' Rin wryly smiled.


    ''His bloodline will be more powerful than ours due to his unique source, but then we can also evolve our bloodline through his,'' Lilith grinned.


    "Thank you for the purchase," the elfdy finished the trade with Lilith as she took back her hunter card that touched Lilith''s hunter card.


    One could also directly transfer something from the storage of one Hunter to another by physically touching it to initiate a trade.


    "About your malepanion…" the elfdy said as she turned around to look at a specific closed door.


    "It''s fine. We''ll be going first," Lily chuckled.


    …


    Ten minutes after thedies left the shop, Erix exited the room, but one could see an elfdy with sizable melons sleeping in a stupor and a blissful smile on her face.


    "Sir, they left ten minutes ago," the elfdy said as she saw Erix approaching her.


    "Mhmm," Erix smiled and nodded before leaving while humming a song.


    ''If that elf with a life-attributed bloodline had such progress, then someone with a high-quality bloodline will surely have more and faster effect.''


    Erix thought as he exited the shop and called Rin using am card.


    [Rin: We''ve stopped looking around and are already at the left mountain.]


    [Erix: Alright.]


    ''I need a more powerful elf with a high-quality bloodline,'' Erix thought as he sensed his source''s progress nearing 50%.


    But that was only 50%!


    A considerable time had passed, but his source bncing had only reached 50%, which was not good.


    However, Lilith said this would be his blessednd for progress, and he was looking forward to it after sucking dry that elfdy in the shop.


    If not, he would have to stay here for more months, and he didn''t want that.


    ''I wonder how much Earth has changed?'' Erix wondered as he flew towards the mountain. ''Hope everyone is safe and sound.''