Chapter 414: 念

## Chapter 415: Thought

Ning Ruyu had specifically mentioned before they left that the "Golden Society," which had been rumored about for years, already wielded significant influence in the main city. It certainly seemed to be the case now.

Just a randomly encountered third-tier elder and a wealthy young lady seemed to be aware of the "Golden Society" rumors, and their reactions clearly showed deep reverence.

Chen Ling did not answer directly because there were some things he still needed to confirm.

Seeing Chen Ling's demeanor, the two dared not ask further. They obediently followed him, heading straight towards Red Dust Main City.

After walking a few steps, the figure in red suddenly stopped.

"Wh-what's wrong?" the girl tentatively asked.

"You lead the way," Chen Ling paused, "I don't know which direction Red Dust Main City is in."

The girl and the elder froze simultaneously.

"Ah?! Alright!!" The girl was the first to snap back to reality and immediately walked to the front, leading the way for Chen Ling.

Chen Ling was quite helpless at the moment. He wasn't familiar with the Red Dust Realm. If he hadn't coincidentally met these two "locals," he probably would have had to walk all the way to a town to ask for directions. He couldn't help but think how convenient it would be to have an ability that could point the way by simply tossing a few branches.

As Chen Ling pulled the small mountain beside him, the wheels left deep imprints in the mud. The elder beside him, witnessing this, became even more convinced of his earlier judgment.

How heavy must the contents be to leave such long marks? And the person in red was pulling it by hand... he was simply a monster.

"Envoy, are you heading to the auction house again this time?" Seizing the opportunity to lead the way, the elder cautiously tried to befriend him. "It's like this, our young lady is from the Huang family. The year before last, when your female envoy visited, we even bought a golden Buddha statue for over four million..."

The year before last... was that when Second Senior Sister came?

Chen Ling hadn't expected that the two people he'd randomly encountered would turn out to be old patrons of the Ancient Repository of Theatre Arts. Thinking he should be more polite, he glanced at the elder and calmly asked:

"This time, planning to buy more?"

"..." The elder's expression became somewhat awkward. "It's like this, Envoy, the Huang family has had some issues these past two years, and our financial situation isn't great... However, while we can't afford large items, we can still buy some smaller ones."

Without a word, Chen Ling casually swept his hand across the black cloth covering the small mountain. One by one, smaller gold artifacts, ranging from tiny gold bracelets and necklaces to weighty gold bricks, appeared as if by magic, neatly displayed before the two.

"Large items are eighty, small items are forty," Chen Ling mused, then added, "Since you're old patrons, I'll give you a ten percent discount."

The elder: ...

The girl's jaw dropped in surprise at Chen Ling's "trick." She fumbled in her pocket, but it was empty... her face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

"Lord Envoy... we didn't bring much money with us this time. Would it be alright to complete the transaction after we enter the main city?" the girl carefully asked.

"No problem."

With a casual wave of his hand, Chen Ling made the gold disappear, leaving no trace behind.

Although there would be an auction house in the Red Dust Realm where he could consign items, most of the items consigned there were valuable large pieces, like the four-million-gold Buddha statue the elder mentioned earlier. Items like gold bricks and bracelets were unlikely to be accepted by the auction house, or at best, would be bundled and consigned as accessories to larger items.

Chen Ling speculated that this was also why his senior brothers and sisters hadn't managed to sell items at high prices in previous attempts. After all, they were usually devoted to theatrical arts and stayed within the Ancient Repository of Theatre Arts; they naturally wouldn't understand the ways of business.

As they continued along the main road, various merchants passed by. Upon seeing Chen Ling pulling the small mountain by hand, their eyes widened in shock!

"Brother, what kind of business are you in?"

"Yeah... so tall, so heavy... are you selling rockeries?"

"What rockeries? Didn't you hear something rattling inside? He's probably a junk collector..."

"Brother, I'm also in the steel business. Why don't you lift the cover and let us take a look?"

"If the goods are suitable, how about I buy the whole thing from you directly?"

Both the clanging black mountain and Chen Ling, who was pulling it by hand, attracted a great deal of attention. Some people even reached out, secretly trying to touch the black cloth...

"Scram!"

As Chen Ling spoke in a low voice, a single syllable boomed in their ears like thunder!

Although it was a simple word, Chen Ling had used a vocalization method he had vaguely grasped while learning with his Third Senior Brother, Wen Renyou. This method allowed him to gather power within his voice and release it with immense explosive force, even capable of affecting a person's spirit.

Of course, Chen Ling was still experimenting with this method and hadn't told Wen Renyou about it. However, he felt that he was very close to mastering the Secret Art of Thought Cultivation.

The moment the word "Scram" resounded, the bodies of the laughing crowd surrounding him stiffened simultaneously. They stood frozen in place, as if their souls had been scared out of them, their faces pale as paper.

"They..." Seeing these pale, statue-like figures, the girl still didn't understand what had happened.

"Let's go."

Chen Ling's emotionless voice sounded, and the figure in the large red theatrical robe slowly walked past the statue-like crowd, with no one daring to block his path.

The elder followed at the very end, his gaze on the surrounding people filled with doubt and astonishment. He remembered very clearly that when the female envoy had visited years ago, she had also used just one word to immobilize hundreds of people in the auction house.

Indeed... all Golden Society envoys were equally powerful!

The three walked for several hours until the girl's stomach began to rumble. Only then did the faint outline of a tall city wall appear in the distance.

"We're here so soon?" Chen Ling asked, puzzled.

Chen Ling had expected Red Dust Main City to be quite far away. After all, when he traveled from District Three to Aurora City, it took several hours by train. He had even prepared himself for several days of walking.

"That's right," the girl replied matter-of-factly. "The place we came back from wasn't far to begin with... Plus, the main city's area is larger than all the small towns combined. To get from the easternmost part to the westernmost part of the main city, you'd have to take a train."

Hearing this, Chen Ling finally understood. It wasn't that they were too close to the main city, but that the main city itself was enormous. By that calculation, Red Dust Main City should be several times the size of Aurora City.

The closer they got to the main city, the more merchant caravans they encountered. Chen Ling, pulling the small mountain by himself through the crowd, immediately drew countless curious stares.

Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, and a thought suddenly came to him. He turned back and asked the elder:

"You said you participated in previous auctions held by the envoys?"

The elder paused, slightly surprised. "Yes, we did."

"Tell me about the major events that happened back then... Or, who their enemies are within Red Dust Main City."