Chapter 328 - 276: Feng City, Spirit Crystal (Double - )
There were even some who spoke in exaggerated seriousness, claiming that the demon army was about to sweep through Yun Province, leading to an outright interstate war with the Human Race!
Song Changming had just arrived, and wasn’t sure how much of these words were alarmist and how much was worth considering.
"Why does it feel like this place isn’t very peaceful, and not a place to stay for long..." Li Jinyu chuckled lightly.
He had evidently heard the rumors circulating around him.
"A lord of the city being killed by demons, these aren’t just idle threats. Young master, if we stay here, we should be cautious." Song Ping’an said seriously.
"I understand, perhaps we don’t need to stay long. Let’s first eat and rest, and then discuss further." Song Changming nodded.
The four of them found an inn and discovered quite a few exotic dishes that couldn’t be found in Da Lai.
"This mulberry wine is sweet and delicious, suitable for ladies like Qingqing, while this strong liquor is bold enough..."
For the novelty of it, several different bottles of wine were ordered in succession. After tasting them one by one, Li Jinyu continuously nodded.
"For you to praise them so much, it seems this wine is indeed remarkable." Song Changming smiled gently.
He knew Li Jinyu was a man fond of good wine, and the usual drinks would not satisfy him.
They indulged in a feast.
"Customer, are you satisfied with the food and drinks?" the waiter stepped forward to ask.
"Not bad." Song Changming nodded.
"Then do come often, this table will be seventy-eight cents for you." The waiter then grinned.
"Seventy-eight cents?" Song Changming was taken aback, and Song Ping’an and Li Jinyu exchanged glances.
The waiter noticed the reaction, his expression slightly changed, thinking the four disliked the price, so he immediately said: "Customer, the dishes and wines you ordered are the finest in our shop, and everything is clearly labeled, we definitely haven’t overcharged you."
"You misunderstood, how much is seventy-eight cents, never mind, is this money bag enough?" Song Changming took out a money bag and placed it on the table.
The currency of Ancient Abyss Country was naturally not the same as Da Lai’s currency.
Therefore, when initially arriving at Ancient Abyss Country, the group was essentially in a state of having no money.
Inside the carriage, Meng Jianli inadvertently learned of this, and immediately expressed his intention.
He originally wanted to give more, but since he didn’t carry much money on this trip, he just directly handed over his money bag to Song Changming.
Which is the same bag now resting on the table.
Through Meng Jianli, Song Changming gained some understanding of the currency system among the human race in Ancient Abyss Country.
In fact, this currency system is based on a class of Spirit Crystals.
Spirit Crystals are a type of rare mineral resource, usually produced in spirit veins or in areas with extremely dense spiritual energy, which form after tens of thousands of years of sedimentation and nurturing.
Their characteristic is that a small crystal contains vast and incredibly pure spiritual energy.
It can be used by martial artists for Qi Refining, greatly accelerating cultivation efficiency and speed.
Because of this, within the Martial Realm, it counts as hard currency, similar to the Mist Gold which circulates in the Martial Realm of Da Lai.
However, compared to the scarce Mist Gold, the production of these Spirit Crystals in the heart of spiritual energy-rich Ancient Abyss Country is still considerably large.
Spirit Crystals initially became the circulating currency among martial artists, and gradually evolved into an important currency within the entire Human Race.
Even now, the Demon Race has gradually accustomed themselves to using these Spirit Crystals as a simple means of currency exchange.
Thus, Spirit Crystals are the most mainstream currency in Ancient Abyss Country.
Earlier, when Meng Shuxuan offered Song Changming ten Spirit Stones filled with spiritual energy, it became clear that they were precisely these Spirit Crystals.
Moreover, they were ten highly valuable middle grade Spirit Crystals.
Meng Jianli’s money bag contained a pile of small Spirit Coins.
These Spirit Coins are mostly made by remelting some fragmented Spirit Crystals using a special process.
If used for cultivation, these Spirit Coins have very little practical use, thus far less valuable than Spirit Crystals.
But as an extension of the Spirit Crystal monetary system, the crafting of Spirit Coins is meant purely for better currency transactions.
Spirit Crystals became a widely used mainstream currency, due in no small part to the role played by these Spirit Coins.
Basically, ten Spirit Coins can be exchanged for one low grade Spirit Crystal.
And ten low grade Spirit Crystals can be exchanged for one middle grade Spirit Crystal.
Further up, one top-grade Spirit Crystal requires a hundred middle grade Spirit Crystals to exchange.
From this conversion rate, it’s clear that top-grade Spirit Crystals are exceedingly rare, thus making them precious.
Meanwhile, middle grade Spirit Crystals as the third tier currency clearly have considerable value as well.
For her mount to have a mouthful to eat, Meng Shuxuan’s generosity was indeed lavish.
Spirit Crystal currency was what Song Changming understood, but this waiter directly mentioned seventy-eight cents, which left Song Changming somewhat puzzled.
Is this the commonly used Spirit Coin unit here?
He was as yet unclear on the purchasing power of Spirit Coins in this place, thus causing the misunderstanding with the waiter.
The money bag fell open on the table, scattering a pure white glow across it.
These were a heap of transparent, exquisite Spirit Coins!
"!" The waiter was startled, quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead, bowed repeatedly, and hastily said:
"Great sir, pardon me, it was my lack of insight that offended you!"
"When did I say you offended us, I only asked if the money in the bag was enough?" Song Ping’an said impatiently.
"Enough, enough, one Spirit Coin is sufficient..." the waiter quickly said.
"Only one is needed, then." Song Changming picked out a Spirit Coin and handed it over.
"Alright then, sir, I’ll get your change, please wait a moment." The waiter took the Spirit Coin and hurried away.
He soon returned with a stack of paper money.
On it were numerous neatly arranged ink characters, along with the four large characters ’Yun Province Tongbao,’ and annotated on the back by the government bank.
Song Changming was curious, he tugged at it, noting that the paper currency had a special texture, thin yet quite strong, not easily damaged.
Observing the paper money of different denominations in his hand, it seemed unmistakably this was the paper currency issued by Yun Province’s government.
After a quick count, it added up to nine hundred and twenty-two.
This was the remaining sum after deducting the cost of dinner and drinks from one Spirit Coin.
Evidently, one Spirit Coin could exchange for a thousand of this paper money!
"The purchasing power of Spirit Coins seems quite substantial then." Song Changming mused inwardly.
With the comparison and reference, the value of the Spirit Coins given by Meng Jianli was different now too.
And the ten middle grade Spirit Crystals given to him by Meng Shuxuan, their value was undoubtedly higher as well.
The paper money should have been the official currency before the widespread use of Spirit Crystal currency.
That Meng Jianli did not mention the paper money might be because it’s seldom used in daily life, possibly forgotten.
Or possibly he assumed that someone with Song Changming’s level of martial skill would mostly deal with Spirit Crystals, as paper money, currently having the lowest purchasing power, is more suitable for lower level expenses, hence he did not mention it.
After the meal, the group found a decently pleasant inn to stay in temporarily.
The paper money not spent earlier could be used now.
A single Spirit Coin, if only used for daily expenses, was enough to cover the four’s living expenses for several days.
At night, in the room.
Song Changming held a middle grade Spirit Crystal, trying to absorb its pure spiritual energy for Innate Realm Gang Qi cultivation.
Immediately, he felt the spiritual energy within the crystal flow like water, slowly entering his body.
This spiritual energy was gentle, highly compatible within his body, allowing him to easily refine it into Innate Qi Aura, incorporating it into the Earth Martial Vein he opened.
Moments later, Song Changming paused his cultivation, his eyes showing delight, looking at the Spirit Crystal in his hand.
"Quite impressive!"
The help the Spirit Crystal provided to his cultivation was even better than he had anticipated.
Just within this short period, he could distinctly feel the growth of the Innate Qi Aura within his body.
Given such beneficial effects, cultivating for a day with this middle grade Spirit Crystal under the state of ’Heaven Rewards Diligence’ could match ten days to half a month of regular cultivation!
"If a middle grade Spirit Crystal is such, then higher-grade Spirit Crystals must be even more extraordinary..."
Reflecting on this, Song Changming fell silent.
He realized that the higher he cultivated, the greater the realm, the demand for cultivation resources hadn’t decreased exceptionally, but rather was rapidly increasing!
For his Innate Realm, cultivating with Spirit Crystals and without Spirit Crystals are two completely different efficiency and progress.
This isn’t even cultivation, it’s clearly cultivating money, cultivating resources.
A martial artist holding the most resources could, despite having poor talent, advance their Martial Tao strength through sheer accumulation.
No wonder most martial artists were keen on finding a sponsor or joining a faction, even Innate Level demons wished to align themselves with prominent Great Demons as bosses.
Much like ordinary individual households competing against larger ones.
Only by joining a side, gaining a stable source of resources, can cultivation progress rapidly with security assured.
"Spirit Crystals..."
Song Changming held the flawless crystal stone in his hand, while thoughts surfaced in his mind.
...