Yang Kai walked over and stood a short distance from the proprietress, asking, "Is that our destination for this trip?"
The proprietress brushed back the hair near her ear and nodded. "That's right. That's our destination."
"What is that place?" After flying for the better part of a year and crossing several great domains to get here, Yang Kai couldn't help but be curious.
"That's where this domain's Star Market is." Bai Qi sidled over excitedly. "Kid, do you even know what a Star Market is?" He assumed Yang Kai had never even heard of one.
Yang Kai's eyes lit up. "That's a Star Market?" He couldn't help but direct his gaze over there, but the distance was too great to make out any details. Moreover, the entire Spirit Province seemed to be covered by a grand formation, making everything look hazy from afar.
Zhang Ruoxi had told him that if he wanted to gather information about the World Tree, the best place to start was the Star Market. This was where all sorts of people gathered outside the Qiankun — every stripe of society could be found here. With more people came more information and plenty of valuable goods. Perhaps he'd even be able to find the World Tree.
Unfortunately, as soon as Yang Kai had entered the Three Thousand Worlds, he'd been drawn into Qiqiao Land as a menial worker, then spent some time wandering before arriving at the First Inn. He'd simply never had the time to look for a Star Market, nor did he know where to find one. Who would have thought that the proprietress's destination this time would actually be a Star Market? What a coincidence.
"You know about it?" Bai Qi was stunned.
"Heard of it." Yang Kai nodded, then turned to the proprietress. "Are we going to be stationed there permanently?"
The proprietress's First Inn had been destroyed in the conflict, so she'd naturally need to find somewhere else to settle. Spending half a year getting here meant she wasn't just going to buy a few things — there was a high chance she intended to stay.
"For the time being!" The proprietress nodded, noticing Yang Kai's excitement. She turned and smiled. "You're interested in the Star Market?"
Yang Kai said, "I've never seen one before, so naturally I'm a bit curious."
The proprietress smiled. "There's nothing all that special about it. The world you came from must have had bazaar-type places. A Star Market is simply a more advanced version of those bazaars, with more valuable goods."
Yang Kai nodded, gazing in that direction, weighing whether to ask the proprietress about the World Tree. After all, the First Inn dealt in intelligence gathering. If the World Tree truly existed, the proprietress couldn't possibly have never heard of it. But he decided against it for now — he'd do some investigating on his own once they arrived.
Bai Qi, the cook, and the accountant had already huddled together in a corner of the deck, muttering about who knew what, with a sleazy grin plastered on Old Bai's face.
An hour later, the flying ship reached a void dock on the outskirts of the Spirit Province. Groups of warriors guarded the dock, and their leader wore gleaming golden armor with a plumed helmet and a longsword at his waist, looking every bit the imposing general.
The flying ship docked, and the golden-armored general immediately led a group of warriors onto the deck without so much as a by-your-leave. With one hand resting on his sword, he swept his gaze left and right, exuding an air of authority.
Behind him, a young officer in silver armor stepped forward and called out, "Who goes there? Where are your documents?"
The proprietress gestured to Bai Qi, who immediately ran over and handed a jade slip to the young silver-armored officer. The officer took it, swept it with his spiritual sense, and showed a hint of surprise before presenting it to the golden-armored general.
After reading it, the general nodded slightly. "So it's Lady Lan of the First Inn. This general's eyes failed me — I failed to recognize you at first. Please don't take offense, my lady."
The proprietress smiled gracefully. "The general guards this vital Star Market dock, dealing with myriad matters and military affairs every day. It's only natural that you didn't recognize me."
As the two spoke, Bai Qi cheerfully slipped a spatial ring to the young silver-armored officer. The proprietress chimed in at just the right moment, "You've all worked hard. A small token — consider it tea money for the brothers."
The young officer held the spatial ring, unsure what to do, and looked to the golden-armored general for guidance.
The general smiled. "If Lady Lan offers it, then accept it."
Only then did the young officer accept the spatial ring without further hesitation and turn to cup his fists toward the proprietress.
The golden-armored general said, "Just routine procedure, my lady. Don't think anything of it." He raised his hand to return the jade slip to Bai Qi, then led his group off the flying ship with a broad sweep of his arm. "Let them pass!"
Only then did the dock's restrictions slowly open. The proprietress expressed her thanks and guided the flying ship into the Spirit Province.
On the flying ship, Yang Kai watched with admiration. It was easy to see that the proprietress had an extensive network. She might not personally know the golden-armored general they'd just encountered, but the moment her documents were presented, he'd immediately recognized her as Lady Lan of the First Inn — proof of her considerable fame outside the Qiankun.
This was hardly surprising. A Sixth-Order Open Heaven expert was no weakling, and being such a stunning beauty made it all the easier to draw attention.
However, one thing piqued Yang Kai's curiosity. He sidled up to Bai Qi and asked quietly, "Why are there so many troops deployed around the Star Market? Is it not safe, or is there someone who might attack it?"
Bai Qi said, "Not many people would dare. The Star Market here is a venture of the Great Battle Heaven. The golden-armored general and the young officer you just saw are both from the Great Battle Heaven. They guard the dock both to maintain control over the entire Star Market and to guard against void beasts. Have you ever seen void beasts?"
"Would the Myriad-Joint Worms count?" The only time Yang Kai had encountered void beasts was with the Myriad-Joint Worms, which had resulted in his separation from Zhang Ruoxi. He still didn't know where she was.
However, Ruoxi had awakened some of their ancestor's memories and knew far more about the outside of the Qiankun than he did, so there was no need to worry too much. If his guess was correct, Ruoxi would likely head directly to the Langya Blessed Land — after all, that was where her ancestor had originated.