Wisteria Castle was packed with people.
The castle's main entrance was a full hundred meters wide, and the bustling crowd poured through it. One could easily imagine just how thriving Wisteria Castle's business was.
Lin Lei and his group watched from a distance amid the crowd.
"Oh, the Wisteria Guard?" Lin Lei immediately noticed over a dozen warriors flanking the main entrance. They wore purple fitted garments beneath long purple robes, with distinctive purple markings between their eyebrows—the Wisteria Guard!
Deborah, standing nearby, laughed. "This Wisteria Castle chain spans the entire Wisteria Continent. The master behind it is the great Chief God, the 'Wisteria Sovereign.' Naturally, the Wisteria Guard is here for protection. In truth, they're mostly just for show—after all, who would dare cause trouble inside Emperor Wing City? They'd have to be tired of living."
"Huh? That steward Edmund—why are they heading toward the back?" Bei Bei's eyes were sharp. He noticed Edmund leading a group toward the rear of Wisteria Castle rather than entering through the front gate.
Lin Lei noticed too.
In truth, while plenty of people were entering through the main gate, just as many seemed to be heading toward the back of the castle—no fewer than those going through the front.
"Lin Lei, Wisteria Castle has a front entrance and a rear entrance," Deborah, the blue-haired young man, explained with a smile. "Those who go through the front entrance are there to buy items. Those who go through the rear entrance are there to sell their items to Wisteria Castle."
Lin Lei understood.
Wisteria Castle not only sold goods—it also purchased them.
"Let's hurry," Deborah urged.
Lin Lei took Dilia's hand, and the three of them followed the crowd toward the back of Wisteria Castle. After walking several li, they finally arrived at the rear entrance.
Sure enough...
The rear entrance was also a full hundred meters wide, and the bustling crowd poured through it just the same.
Dilia smiled. "Most of those coming to sell things are from the tribes and families outside Emperor Wing City. There really are a lot of them. Wisteria Castle buys at seventy percent and sells at full price—that's a thirty percent margin right there. This Wisteria Castle is practically a gold-devouring den."
"A business like this isn't one anyone else could run," Lin Lei chuckled. Behind this Wisteria Castle stood a great Chief God!
The group then entered Wisteria Castle along with the rest of the Black Dragon Tribe. Although the Black Dragon Tribe numbered nearly two hundred people, once inside the castle, they made up only a tiny fraction of the total visitors.
"This place is enormous!" Lin Lei exclaimed.
On the first floor of Wisteria Castle, Lin Lei and his companions found that the main hall was easily one to two kilometers in length and width. That was a staggering figure—even tens of thousands of people wouldn't feel the slightest bit cramped.
"The deities coming here to sell things really are numerous," Bei Bei remarked excitedly.
"This first-floor hall is where they purchase lower godheads, lower divine artifacts, and other items valued under one hundred Inkstones," Deborah explained, thoroughly familiar with the place. "For example, I'm here to sell an intermediate divine artifact, so I'll be heading to the second-floor hall. The second floor handles intermediate divine artifacts, intermediate godheads, and similar items worth around ten thousand Inkstones. As for the third floor—that's where they purchase highgod divine artifacts, highgod godheads, and other precious items worth a million Inkstones or more."
Lin Lei and his companions followed the Black Dragon Tribe up the stairs to the second-floor hall.
Of course, more than half of the Black Dragon Tribe had stayed behind on the first floor. Those were clearly the ones there to sell relatively cheap items.
"Lin Lei, look—you can see counters lining the walls, with people sitting inside them. Those are Wisteria Castle's purchasing agents. Ha, take a look for yourselves; I'm going to sell my stuff." Deborah gave them a wave and headed straight for the counters on the second floor.
After Deborah left, Lin Lei and the other two exchanged glances.
"Let's go to the third floor," Lin Lei said.
They still had several treasures on them—two highgod divine artifacts and a highgod godhead, all extremely valuable items.
The stairs from the first floor to the second were wide, but the stairs from the second floor to the third were much narrower. Even the entrance was a full size smaller, and there were noticeably fewer people.
Those who came to sell precious items obviously couldn't compare in number to the crowds on the first and second floors.
"Edmund!" Lin Lei spotted Edmund at the top of the stairs, leading three subordinates to the entrance of the third floor. Staff in purple robes stood at the doorway and appeared to be speaking with Edmund, who produced a godhead for them to inspect.
"Why is Edmund taking out a godhead?" Lin Lei wondered.
The purple-robed staff then stepped aside, and Edmund led his three men through into the third floor. When Lin Lei and his companions reached the entrance, one of the purple-robed attendants extended a hand to block them.
"Oh?" Lin Lei and the others looked at him in puzzlement.
"What are you here to sell? Take it out and show us," a purple-robed attendant said. Seeing their confused expressions, he smiled calmly. "Is this your first time here? The third floor is different from the floors below. Everyone who enters must present some merchandise—otherwise, you're not allowed in."
Lin Lei recalled Edmund's earlier actions and understood completely.
Just then, two young men walked right past Lin Lei without sparing a glance at the purple-robed attendants and entered the third floor directly.
"Huh? Why don't they have to show anything?" Bei Bei asked, puzzled.
The attendant's patience held. "Didn't you notice? They have Devil Medals on their chests. They're Devils. For Devils, we trust their credibility—if they come, they certainly have items of sufficient value. No inspection needed."
Lin Lei sighed inwardly. "Devils—no entry fee for the city, no inspection to enter the third floor of Wisteria Castle. Their status really is different."
Even as he thought this, he flipped his hand, and a black dagger appeared. This black dagger was a highgod divine artifact left behind when Adkins' dark highgod clone had been killed.
"Go on in," the attendant nodded.