The ox cart did not move quickly. Mu Wanwan wore a veiled hat, and through the thin layer of white gauze, she could still clearly see the scenery outside.
The Tyrant’s Residence was surrounded on all sides by high walls. Outside those walls was another layer of barrier. One had to possess a token in order to pass through the barrier and reach the outside world.
The barrier was almost transparent and could hardly be seen. But when passing through it, one could still feel that something was slightly different.
Although Hongye acted as if she were very lively, she did not speak much along the way. Unless Mu Wanwan asked her a question, she would only pick and choose what to answer.
After leaving the Tyrant’s Residence, there were very few households outside. Only after driving the ox cart for more than half an hour could they faintly see people coming and going from the market.
It was still early, so most of the people were entering the market. Mu Wanwan noticed that quite a few people came carrying shoulder poles or baskets, looking as though they had come to trade.
When the ox cart gradually drew closer, Mu Wanwan finally saw that there were many elves guarding the outside of the market. Everyone who wanted to enter stopped briefly in front of those elves.
Mu Wanwan’s heart jumped.
Don’t tell her she had to pay a fee just to enter a market?
Who could bear that?
But before she could recover, Hongye stopped the ox cart and looked up at her with a smile.
“Madam, please go and browse the market. I’ll find a place to feed the ox, then come back and wait for you.”
Mu Wanwan was a little surprised.
“Hongye, you’re not coming with me?”
Hongye held the ox’s rope.
“Madam, I would like to go in with you, but if you bring me and the ox cart into the market, you’ll have to pay five extra silver coins.”
Mu Wanwan: “…The ox costs money too?”
Hongye touched the ox’s head.
“This ox is only an ordinary ox, so it only costs three silver coins. If it were a ranked beast, the price would increase.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
Clearly, in the original owner’s memories, markets did not require any entrance fee. Why did this place charge money too? Wasn’t this too much of a scam?
Perhaps her expression was too amusing, because Hongye couldn’t help laughing.
“Madam, the entrance fee for the elves’ market is already very cheap. Weak first-rank cultivators like us only need to pay one silver coin. Those ant-like ordinary mortals only need two copper coins. But the market jointly run by the dwarves and humans charges us two silver coins.”
Mu Wanwan’s face darkened.
After saying goodbye to Hongye, she walked toward the market entrance.
She was actually a little nervous inside. She herself had only ever seen descriptions of elves on television and in novels. Even in the original owner’s memories, the number of elves she had seen over the years could be counted on one hand.
The number of elves was actually not small, but they were rarely seen.
As for the reason, it was necessary to introduce the distribution of this continent.
The layout of this continent was very strange. It was shaped like a large cat paw. The largest part was the tyrant’s territory, which was also the dragon race’s territory. The four separated little “toe beans” were like four territories, occupied respectively by the demon race, the witch race, the human cultivation world, and the alliance of special lifeforms. Between these five territories, seawater spread throughout, while at the edge of the entire world was an abyss with no visible bottom, a paradise for monsters.
Only the five races with powerful racial strength were worthy of possessing their own territories.
Although the elves were not weak, they were not considered especially powerful either. They had long lifespans, but their numbers were few. Before this largest territory was occupied by the dragon race, the elves had once possessed a life forest that was like paradise, and their Tree of Life had also been very healthy. Later, when war spread and the Tree of Life was threatened, they lost the war and had no choice but to submit under the dragon race’s rule.
Fortunately, it had always been difficult for the dragon race to have offspring. Dragons were individually powerful, did not control their territory too strictly, and also gave the elves a great deal of protection. Only because of this had the elves been able to survive until now.
However, because most elves were exceptionally good-looking, regardless of gender, once they left the elven race and went to slightly more remote places, it was very dangerous. This was also why the original owner had not seen many elves.
As Mu Wanwan thought about this, she arrived at the market entrance. After queuing for a while, she walked up to the elven guard.
“Miss, please place your hand on this testing stone and send in a trace of spiritual power.”
The one receiving her was a very beautiful blonde elf girl. Her voice was ethereal, and her pair of emerald-green, pool-like eyes nearly dazzled Mu Wanwan blind.
She did as instructed and placed her hand on the almost transparent testing stone, sending a trace of spiritual power into it. Very quickly, the stone lit up with a faint green glow, and a small leaf appeared on its surface.
“First-rank cultivator. The entrance fee is one silver coin.”
The elf girl gave Mu Wanwan a professional smile, and a small dimple appeared on her cheek.
She was far too beautiful.
Mu Wanwan silently complained inwardly. How blind was Mr. Dragon in the book to ignore the large number of beautiful elf girls in his own territory and fall for Bai Shuiyao after waking up? Although the original book had not yet finished, and Mr. Dragon had not actually succeeded in winning Bai Shuiyao over.
Still, while the beauty was beautiful, having to pay money made Mu Wanwan’s heart ache terribly. TvT. After all, she had not earned even a single copper coin yet!
With great pain, she took out one silver coin and placed it in the female elf’s hand. The other party handed her a wooden token and informed her that it had to be returned when she left. Otherwise, she would have to pay the entrance fee again.
Mu Wanwan looked at the small wooden token and sighed.
The inside of the market was not too different from the markets in the original owner’s memories. It was only larger in scale, with more pedestrians on the road.
Most of the shop owners were elves, while many of the people trading were humans like her and some dwarves. The scattered stallholders sold melons, fruits, and vegetables grown at home. Mu Wanwan could tell that many of them had no cultivation.
Although there were many cultivators and monsters in this world, that did not mean everyone could step onto the path of cultivation. Someone like the original owner, whose talent was not very good, would never have been able to take precious supplements in childhood and leap directly into becoming a first-rank cultivator if she had not been fortunate enough to have a fourth-rank expert as a father.
Mu Wanwan walked for a short while. When she passed by a small alley, a crisp child’s voice sounded by her ear.
“Senior, are you buying vegetables?”
Mu Wanwan turned her head and met a pair of beautiful large eyes.
However, clashing with those pretty blue eyes was a brown birthmark on the girl’s face, which ruined the beauty of her entire face. Her ears were also pointed.
She was an elf. A somewhat ugly little elf.
Mu Wanwan looked at her standing at the alley entrance and hesitated slightly.
That alley seemed out of place compared to the lively market, as though everyone was deliberately avoiding it. Could there be some sort of ambush inside?
“Senior, my brother and I really are selling vegetables. We’re not lying to you!”
The little elf seemed to see her hesitation and hurriedly explained.
“Lan’er, don’t misbehave.”
Just as Mu Wanwan was about to turn and leave, she saw another elf walk out from a shop beside the alley. More accurately, he came out leaning on crutches.
He had the same beautiful blue eyes as Lan’er, and there was also a brown birthmark on his cheek. His ears were pointed, and his long hair was icy blue. He wore somewhat old clothes, and it could be seen that there seemed to be something wrong with his legs. However, he carried a basket on his back, and inside were some seasonal vegetables.
“Senior, my younger sister is ignorant. Please forget what happened.”
The elf sincerely apologised to Mu Wanwan, one hand leaning on his crutch. He looked a little pitiful.
“Brother.”
The little elf called Lan’er sounded somewhat wronged.
“But we already have no money. If we don’t pay rent, we’ll have nowhere to live.”
“Stop making trouble.”
The male elf scolded her, then couldn’t help coughing softly.
“I’m not making trouble!”
Lan’er’s eyes reddened. Her fists clenched tightly, and she stared at Mu Wanwan with hopeful eyes.
“Senior, buy some vegetables! Our vegetables are very cheap. All of them together are only fifteen copper coins!”
In the end, Mu Wanwan could not quite harden her heart.
Besides, she looked at the vegetables in the basket on the elf’s back. So many vegetables for only fifteen copper coins really was very cheap. More importantly, she wanted to eat vegetables. After transmigrating several days ago, she had only eaten a few bites of pickles.
She had just caught sight of radishes in the basket too. They would be delicious whether stewed in soup or stir-fried.
Mu Wanwan was a little moved.
“Can I take a look at the vegetables?”
She thought this was a very ordinary thing to say, but unexpectedly, the male elf seemed to have heard something extraordinary. He fell silent for a moment before softly saying, “We are elves who are not blessed.”
Mu Wanwan froze for two seconds before she reacted to what he meant.
Elves whose appearances or limbs were not perfect were discriminated against within the elven race. They were also called elves who had not received the blessing of the Tree of Life. Although outsiders would not necessarily discriminate against such elves, they generally would not approach them on their own initiative either.
Mu Wanwan smiled.
“As long as there’s nothing wrong with the vegetables, why wouldn’t they be edible?”
Elves mostly married within their own race and rarely got together with outsiders. If the elves born were imperfect, it could also be due to genetics. How did that make them cursed? As a modern person, she did not really believe in these things.
“My name is Feng.”
The elf suddenly said this and took the vegetables off his back.
Mu Wanwan used spiritual power to examine them. They were about the same as normal vegetables, and perhaps even healthier.
“So many vegetables, and they’re really only fifteen copper coins?”
Worried that she was taking advantage of them, Mu Wanwan asked again.
“Really, really!”
Lan’er revealed a happy smile.
“Brother, now that we have money, we can buy seeds!”
Mu Wanwan heard that and instantly became alert.
“Lan’er, you know where to buy seeds?”
“Mm!”
“Then do you know where I can buy burning grass seeds?” Mu Wanwan asked. “Can you take me there?”
“Yes.”
This time, it was Feng who spoke first. He looked at her with his blue eyes.
“I am willing to take you there.”
Mu Wanwan felt a little embarrassed under the siblings’ gazes. She took out two silver coins and handed them to Feng.
“I don’t have any copper coins on me. The extra five copper coins can count as a guide fee.”
To be honest, with this many vegetables, according to the prices here, she was still the one benefiting even if she paid two silver coins.
**Author’s note:**
Mr. Dragon: “Another day without me appearing. I’m shutting myself in.”
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