Downstairs.

The first “expert” Yang Zicang had ever encountered, Bai Yuan… was now at the entrance of the deserted Maritime Bureau’s “Fishermen’s Supply and Abnormal Maritime Incident Registration Office,” observing the scene inside.

Within the roughly sixty-square-meter room, a man and a woman, both looking quite uneasy about their current situation, carried small wooden buckets as they browsed before shelves of dried fish and fruit. Two uniformed Crossing People were stationed behind a desk near the entrance; one was already snoring thunderously in his sleep.

“You…“

Bai Yuan followed the voice and lowered his gaze to the awake Crossing Person. On the desk before him, he placed a silver coin stamped with a seabird clutching a flower vine.

The gaunt native’s eyes lit up with delight. “You want to know what’s happening upstairs?“

Bai Yuan, leaning against the doorframe without any apparent surprise, swiftly pressed a fingertip onto the silver coin the Crossing Person was about to snatch away.

“Haven’t you already seen it?” the all-white-clad Bai Yuan said.

The Crossing Person sheepishly withdrew his hands.

“Heh, though I can always know something about matters concerning me at least a few dozen seconds in advance, it’s not something that’s bound to happen—just a relatively high possibility.“

Bai Yuan remained silent, as if waiting for this prescient Crossing Person to continue speaking of things that interested him.

The Crossing Person eyed the silver coin pinned under Bai Yuan’s finger covetously and made an effort:

“If you want to know where those merchants upstairs come from, eh, their routes are quite complex, but they generally don’t cause trouble. They’re called the ‘Weiting Travelers’ Guild.’“

“A Travelers’ Guild—they also acquire event experiences, correct?“

“You just heard about that, didn’t you? I suppose so. They do engage in that sort of thing, but… heh, forgive my loose tongue, but don’t you go spreading what I say.“

The man in the white suit leaned down slightly, adopting a listening posture.

This Crossing Person guard glanced at the two people at the other end of the supply station, who were quietly commenting on the prices of goods, before whispering:

“That whole ‘acquiring interesting experiences’ thing—though it exists, it’s different from those proper auctioneers who genuinely acquire ‘experiences’…” At this point, the Crossing Person immediately changed tack, “Ah, so you, sir, already know about the existence of distributors… Well then, I have little else to tell. That’s all I know.“

“You perceived a scenario where I explained the existence of distributors to you?“

“Yes, yes.“

Just a mere impulse in his heart to interrupt the explanation of the distributors’ existence, and this Crossing Person, as if glimpsing an alternate possibility, immediately shifted his words.

Bai Yuan turned from a sideways stance to face forward, laying out a row of ten silver coins on the table.

“Then can you help me see a future further ahead? About the future of those few traveling merchants upstairs.“

This was already enough to sustain a lower-class family in this world for two or three months. Yet this Crossing Person, who had eyed even a single silver coin so hungrily, refused without hesitation.

“So many silver horses… However, guest, I fear you’ve misunderstood us Crossing People. The price to glimpse a more distant future isn’t something a mere ten horses can accomplish.“

Bai Yuan pulled out a money pouch.

“One hundred coins.“

“One hundred coins, deal!“

After taking the pouch and glancing inside, the Crossing Person immediately pulled a small statue, about the size of a teacup, from his bosom and placed it on the table.

Licking his dark, parched lips, this Crossing Person pressed his palms together and murmured lowly toward the small statue.

“…Great Source of the Holy Gods… please shelter me in my predicament, illuminate the path ahead for me…“

A few breaths later, the Crossing Person raised his head in confusion, staring at Bai Yuan in disbelief. Only after a long moment did words burst forth: “I actually can’t see!“

“Are there too many images, too chaotic, or is a Radiance blocking you?“

“No, no!” the Crossing Person said with a trace of panic. “I haven’t even received a response from the statue!“

Bai Yuan smiled with satisfaction.

He reached out and snatched back the gray cloth money pouch.

The Crossing Person’s face instantly changed color. “You’re playing me!“

“Don’t accuse me falsely.“

“You knew from the very start that this would happen to me!“

“Farewell.“

……

At that moment, within the fourth-floor room rented by the guild.

“So, in other words, your Tingwei Travelers’ Guild also has no possibility of extracting ‘Radiance’ or ‘Flashes’ born from the previous Track of Fate, correct?“

“It’s Weiting.“

The guild’s Vice President, who looked akin to a yellow-skinned person, was named Wapi. Seated behind a dark, glossy wooden desk, he smiled warmly.

“Forget about ‘Radiance.’ If Brother Buchen suspects you might have previously participated in events that birthed a ‘Flash,’ you could seek out certain distributors who possess special Moon Realm treasures. For a small fee, they can extract it across the Track of Fate for you.“

“Not every distributor has one?” Xue Qi asked curiously.

“That’s a Moon Realm treasure! Getting your hands on one of those is hardly easier than winning the lottery.“

The crowd at the door behind them watched on.

Beside Wapi, a man with casually long hair, built like Tarzan, bared his teeth and added, “Though it’s not quite as difficult as hitting the jackpot either.“

“Heh heh, Xingya is right.” Wapi turned his head and had Kim Tae-cheol fetch two sheets of straw-yellow paper. “I heard there’s a distributor in White Violet City who has a Moon Realm treasure that can extract ‘Flashes’ from the old Track of Fate. You can go take a look after you reach shore.“

Having said that, Wapi tapped his fingertips on an unfolded sheet of straw paper and pushed it over. It had some text printed on it.

“Young Brother Yang is quite confident in himself. From now on, our Weiting Travelers’ Guild will be your backing, brother. Come, write down what just happened, won’t you?“

Xue Qi spoke up on Yang Zicang’s behalf:

“We are, of course, very glad to make the acquaintance of the Vice President of the Weiting Travelers’ Guild. However, we are still unclear about the matter of pricing.“

“This guild has already prepared.“

People nearby brought forward two weapons with simple designs but clearly exquisite craftsmanship, a sword and a saber.

“These are two Century Weapons!” Wapi leaned forward from across the desk, speaking in a hushed, solemnly mysterious tone. “Two at once, plus one hundred thousand strands of first- or second-layer Moonlight!“

-｛Distributor February. Di’an wants to know my current situation through the “Sharkfin Zuma Guard Belt.“｝

“Just the first or second layer?“

Yang Zicang registered the telepathic message. That distributor could actually directly learn of his current situation through this guard belt? Sure enough, the gift he’d been given wasn’t free.

“Uh, the third layer is also possible, but for the third layer, we can only pay fifty… eighty thousand strands.“

Glancing at Xue Qi, whose breathing rhythm had become erratic, Yang Zicang had no time to dwell too much on the guard belt and said:

“Vice President, I wonder if you have a five-hundred-year temporal-sequence weapon here?“

Before Wapi could even speak, the large crowd gathered enviously at the doorway erupted in an uproar.

“What! Five hundred years!“

“No, wait, Yang Buchen, what are you saying?“

“You all saw what happened earlier, right? That flying carpet that could transform—that was a Saint-level item. Anyone who possesses such a fine thing must know some uncommon secrets.“

“Does he know things about the second Track of Fate?“

Amidst the crowd’s unguarded chatter, the expressions of the Travelers’ Guild members around them all became somewhat grim and awkward.

-｛Distributor February. Di’an wants to know my current situation through the “Sharkfin Zuma Guard Belt.“｝

-｛Distributor Di’an looks forward to me trading at the Mist Ocean Trading Company’s Maritime Bureau Armor Four Supply Station at any time.｝

Seeing this scene, how could the newcomers at the door—their hair plastered to their foreheads and faces—not realize? The Century Weapons, temporal-sequence weapons regarded as ultimate treasures in the old Track of Fate, were probably not considered the best temporal-sequence weapons here.

“Profiteers! They want to swap trash for a ‘Flash’?“

“What do you know!” Wapi slammed the table and roared, “You bunch of bumpkins, do you think Century Weapons are some common street goods in this Track of Fate?! Get out!“

The Travelers’ Guild members also started shouting along: “Lest we be laughed at by you all, most of the people here probably couldn’t afford a single Century Weapon even after another ten years.“

“So they are available for purchase, huh?“

“This…“

“Back in our countryside, Century Weapons are something only Thousand-Year Masters get to use, hey!“

The crowd, being pushed out by four guards, yelled even louder. Indignant at being called bumpkins, they shoved back inward instead.

“That’s not what we meant, everyone.“

Kim Tae-cheol had just stepped out to explain when several people pushing in shoved him aside.

“You profiteers, just learned a new word and using it all wrong, huh? Stop calling people bumpkins all the time. Let me teach you another one: bent-legged poles!“

“What does that mean?“

“Hey, you Guild folks, don’t just focus on explaining to us. Isn’t this Mr. Buchen here asking you a question?“

Yang Zicang, feeling helpless, prepared to get up and temporarily step aside. However, the man beside Wapi, Xingya, whose skin looked almost primal, walked over and spread his arms, ostensibly protectively, but actually blocking the young man from easily leaving his chair.

“Mr. Buchen, surely you can understand me,” Wapi said, rising and scratching his medium-length hair in apparent exasperation.

“My apologies, I truly wish to acquire your experience. Look, I meant well bringing out two of our shop’s treasures, only to be scorned by everyone who knows nothing. How about this: in a moment, we’ll go to the storeroom and pick out some more things you like. For our first ‘Flash’ transaction, let’s prioritize success—forget about making a big or small profit, how’s that?“

“Just be honest with everyone: are five-hundred-year temporal-sequence weapons real? Are there even better ones?” the crowd asked.

“This…” Wapi looked left and right. Although these people were all newcomers to this new Track of Fate, they weren’t easy to fool.

“Five-hundred-year temporal-sequence weapons do exist,” he said helplessly.

“What! They really exist!“