Chapter 56 Choosing A Plot Of Land



"I would like to join EGCC," 

Logan was not surprised by this.

While many considered them to be blood-sucking worms, it was undeniable that without EGCC's involvement, most people who do business would have fallen to bankruptcy unable to get the needed resources.

Although the city seemed safe, that safety was limited to its boundaries.

Outside those borders where the resources are found, chaos reigned.

Despite, the continental array set up in the arcane continent it's still dangerous outside city boundaries.

In fact, the danger in the wilderness outside the city is magnified by the top three factions, Order of the Arcane, Knight of Order, and Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce.

They divided wilderness sites into different categories and cultivate rich and rare resources.

Anyone can get these resources as long as they had the strength to do so.

However, the divided site has different requirements and restrictions.

For example, tier 3 nascent mage can only go to tier 3 wilderness sites. of course, the stronger and the weaker one is not allowed to go.

To ensure this works, the continental array can pinpoint and detect any change in mana and spiritual signature of the individual attempting to disguise themselves in order to access a lower tier of wilderness and loot its resources.

This is also why, before entering Lothmire City, Maximus detected that he was under array surveillance when attempting to disguise himself as a Tier 5 mystic mage.

The end of monopolization also occurred because of this system, as it significantly restricted powerful factions from hoarding resources that were inaccessible to the weaker ones.

In the past, having a powerful individual in your group allowed you to monopolize low-tier resources, as the weak were unable to challenge you and the strong had no interest in such resources.

However, with the division of wilderness sites into different tiers, the resources obtainable are limited to the corresponding tier.

For instance, if you are a Tier 5 mystic mage, you can only access Tier 5 wilderness sites.

This system provided advantages to the mage, knight, and commerce factions because they trained talents across all tiers, thereby ensuring a share of resources from each wilderness site.

EGCC, being a commerce faction, fully exploited this advantage by utilizing various rare resources to expand its alliance.

That's why even though many called EGCC a bloodsucking worm many still flock to join it.

After all not anyone can get resources, and fight others for resources in the same tier.

...

Back to the conversation.

"Then I welcome you to join our big family," Logan replied with a smile, pleased with Maximus's decision.

He took out a store token and began typing something into it.

After a brief wait, Maximus' personal token vibrated, signaling a notification.

[CONGRATULATIONS ON JOINING ETHERIUM GOLD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE]

Fireworks erupted in the display, showcasing the significance of Maximus's membership.

"It seems that the Faction has deeper control over personal tokens than I had realized," Maxis thought in his heart.

"Now, let's discuss your store establishment. First, where would you like your store to be located?" Logan inquired, steering the conversation back to Maximus's request for assistance in building his own store.

"I'm not sure. Do you have a map or something?" Maximus asked, feeling slightly embarrassed by his lack of knowledge.

The Basic Knowledge of the Etherium Realm he bought from the system only provided rudimentary information about the world and didn't even include a complete map or detailed information about specific locations.

"Sure," Logan swiftly retrieved a different token from one of the cabinets.

Injecting his mana into the token, a map titled SILVERLEAF DOMAIN appeared.

It projected a holographic representation of the entire domain, complete with mountains, rivers, and buildings, though devoid of people.

The lifelike display resembled a miniature world.

"Silverleaf Domain?" Maximus questioned, his skepticism evident since he was unfamiliar with the division of the Arcane Continent, having only known about the Origin Domain, which served as the continent's center.

"The Silverleaf Domain is where we currently reside. It was ruled by Eldris Silverleaf when he attained the status of a Primordial Mage ten thousand years ago," Logan explained.

"What about the division of domains within the Arcane Continent?" Maximus pressed further, his curiosity was unsatisfied with Logan's initial response.

Logan smiled and replied, "Normally, information like this is classified and requires a significant sum of money to obtain. However, since you're a newly added VIP under my jurisdiction, I can share a few details with you."

"The Arcane Continent consists of over a thousand domains, each governed by a Primordial Mage or a Cosmic Knight. The rulers tend to be older the closer their domain is to the Origin Domain. Now, as for why this information comes, you needed to buy it at a cost," Logan continued.

It meant that the closer to the origin domain the earlier they were promoted to Tier 9.

The farther they were, the later they were promoted.

Maximus couldn't help but be curious about how newly promoted mages and knights managed to establish themselves amidst the existing domain rulers.

He asked Logan, "How much would it cost for the follow-up information?"

Logan playfully responded, "Well, let's just say it's around a billion low-grade magic crystals." He knew that Maximus couldn't afford such a price.

Disappointed, Maximus confessed, "I don't have that kind of money."

He shifted his attention back to the map projection of the Silverleaf Domain.

Scanning the topography, Maximus skipped over the wilderness areas as they were unsuitable for setting up a store.

He focused on various cities, searching for a suitable location.

After a few minutes, he found a place that satified him.

In the center of the map, was the floating city where the ruler of the Silverleaf domain resided.

First, it had a teleportation portal connecting to other domains.

Second, it was populated by the powerful and wealthy.

The only drawback was that with so many influential beings present, there was a risk of his disguised using Tier 5 Mask of Grimoire being discovered.

Noticing that the city was divided into outer, inner, and core areas, Maximus turned to Logan for more information.

"Why is this place divided into three areas? What are they for?"

"Silverleaf Floating City, or Sylvanspire, is at the core of the Silverleaf Domain, where the ruling Silverleaf family resides," Logan introduced.

"The core area is strictly for the Silverleaf family and is considered a forbidden place for outsiders."

"The inner area is where most of the powerful forces within the Silverleaf Domain gather."

"And the outer area is the most lively and largest section of the floating city," Logan explained.

Listening to Logan's explanation, Maximus concluded that Silverleaf Floating City was indeed a suitable choice for him.

Maximus wanted to be certain, so he asked, "Who is the strongest individual in the outer city?"

"Don't worry, sir. There is no danger within the city premises," Logan reassured him, understanding Maximus's concern for his safety.

"But if you'd like to know, the outer city is primarily inhabited by civilians or those without influential backers. The strongest mostly consists of Tier 6 mages or knights," Logan explained.

"As for Tier 7 and higher individuals, they tend to spend their time meditating and training in the inner city. They rarely venture into the outer city," he added.

Maximus nodded, feeling reassured.

Upgrading his Mask of Grimoire to Tier 6 would provide him with adequate protection. And in the rare event that a Tier 7 or above individual appeared, he could simply hide.

"In that case, I would like my store to be located in the outer city," Maximus declared, firm in his decision.

"Very well. You can now select the specific location for your store," Logan said, operating the token to display all the available plots of land within the outer city.

Maximus examined the options and eventually chose a small plot of land that was relatively close to the teleportation portal.

It suited his needs, especially since the teleportation portal would be his primary means of escape if necessary.

The teleportation portal was the key element he desired, as he had heard that it could transport individuals anywhere with enough mana, which in this case meant magic crystals.

With the ability to escape at any time, Maximus felt a sense of security in his chosen location.

"What about the interior design, do you have any specific requests?" Logan asked.

"Not much just build it according to a tier 5 building, I mainly want to sell alchemy potion." Maximus didn't need much.

He could certainly request that they reinforce it to withstand Tier 7 or above.

However, considering he only has tens of millions now, he decided to focus on earning money first and think about it later.

"Standard design of a mystic tier 5 potioneering alchemist store..." Logan mutter as he operated his token

After a while, the original Silverleaf domain projection disappeared and was replaced by a list of designs for his store.

"You can choose from this list. If you need further customization, feel free to let us know anytime," Logan assured him.

Glancing at the designs, Maximus felt too lazy to deliberate and randomly selected one that he found pleasing enough.

"Here," he clicked.