Free Web NovelChapter 7: Chapter 7: Aurelis Divine City
The moment Kai and Luna stepped beyond the portal platform, they were swallowed by the crowd.
Thousands of people moved through the streets.
Gods.
Mortals.
Merchants.
Adventurers.
Representatives of countless races.
The noise alone was overwhelming.
Conversations echoed from every direction while merchants shouted advertisements for their goods.
The scent of food drifted through the air.
Above them, airships sailed between floating islands suspended high above the city.
Kai stopped walking.
For several moments, he simply stared.
Everything felt enormous.
The streets alone were wider than the entirety of Silverleaf Village.
Massive towers rose toward the heavens.
Some appeared to be made of crystal.
Others of metal.
A few seemed to be grown from living trees.
"This place is unbelievable."
Luna nodded slowly.
Even she appeared stunned.
For the first time since awakening, Kai truly understood how small his civilization was.
Silverleaf Village had felt impressive within the realm.
Here?
It was insignificant.
Yet strangely, the realization didn’t discourage him.
Instead, it motivated him.
One day, his civilization would possess cities like this.
Perhaps even greater ones.
A golden map suddenly appeared before them.
A welcome interface.
Welcome to Aurelis Divine City
Population: 87,000,000+
Registered Gods: 1,200,000+
Available Districts:
• Merchant District
• Explorer District
• Auction District
• Residential District
• Divine Library District
• Adventurer District
• Realm Services District
Kai stared at the population number.
Eighty-seven million.
That was more people than entire kingdoms back in the mortal world.
Luna looked equally shocked.
"There are that many people here?"
Kai laughed.
"Apparently."
The scale of the divine world was rapidly becoming clear.
This city wasn’t the center of civilization.
It was merely one divine city among countless others.
The thought was almost absurd.
As they continued walking, Kai noticed something interesting.
Most gods wore special badges.
The badges displayed various symbols.
Stars.
Ranks.
Guild emblems.
Merchant affiliations.
Apparently status mattered even here.
Luna pointed toward a nearby group. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"My Lord."
Kai followed her gaze.
Several gods stood beside a stall.
Each had different races accompanying them.
One possessed armored dwarves.
Another traveled with elves.
A third had winged warriors.
For the first time, Kai was seeing the races of other gods.
And surprisingly, nobody seemed particularly interested in Luna.
That made sense.
Fox races weren’t uncommon.
The true value of the Nine-Tailed Fox Maidens remained hidden.
Exactly as Kai preferred.
After another hour of wandering, they entered the Merchant District.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
The streets became even busier.
Stores lined both sides of every road.
Merchants displayed exotic goods.
Magical fruits.
Rare metals.
Strange artifacts.
Monster materials.
Resources from countless worlds.
Kai felt as though he had entered an entirely different civilization.
One stall sold glowing crystals.
Another sold enchanted weapons.
One merchant was even selling seeds from various realms.
That immediately caught Kai’s attention.
Agriculture was one of Silverleaf Village’s priorities.
Improving crop production would greatly accelerate development.
Kai approached the stall.
The merchant was a short elderly dwarf with a magnificent beard.
"First visit?"
Kai blinked.
"Is it that obvious?"
The dwarf laughed.
"You’ve spent the last ten minutes looking at everything."
Fair enough.
The merchant picked up a small pouch.
"Spirit Wheat Seeds."
"Excellent beginner crop."
Kai examined them.
The seeds glowed faintly.
A notification appeared.
Spirit Wheat
Grade: Common
Growth Speed: Fast
Yield: High
Suitable for Beginner Realms
Kai immediately became interested.
This was exactly the type of resource he needed.
"How much?"
The dwarf smiled.
"Five Divine Coins."
Kai’s enthusiasm vanished.
The problem was simple.
He didn’t possess any Divine Coins.
Not a single one.
The merchant quickly understood.
"New god?"
Kai nodded.
The dwarf laughed again.
"Thought so."
Embarrassing.
Kai thanked him and stepped away.
Luna looked thoughtful.
"We need money."
Kai sighed.
"Very observant."
The fox maiden ignored his sarcasm.
"How do gods earn Divine Coins?"
A fair question.
Fortunately, the answer wasn’t difficult to find.
A nearby information board provided details.
Common Sources of Divine Income
• Resource Sales
• Monster Materials
• Trade Contracts
• Merchant Businesses
• Exploration Rewards
• Realm Production
Kai stared at the list.
His eyes immediately landed on resource sales.
Silverleaf Village possessed several resources.
Wood.
Animal products.
Fish.
Wild herbs.
Perhaps not valuable resources.
But resources nonetheless.
Maybe enough to start.
Just as he was considering possibilities, a commotion erupted nearby.
A crowd quickly formed around a large display board.
Curious, Kai approached.
The board contained dozens of notices.
Exploration missions.
Trade requests.
Resource purchases.
And one particular posting caught his attention.
Wanted: Spirit Herbs
Purchaser: Greenleaf Alchemy Company
Quantity: Any
Reward: Divine Coins
Kai immediately looked toward Luna.
The fox maiden’s eyes widened.
Silverleaf Village had spirit herbs.
Quite a few, actually.
The hunters regularly collected them from nearby forests.
Until now, they hadn’t possessed any use for them.
But here?
They had value.
Real value.
For the first time since arriving in Aurelis Divine City, Kai saw a clear opportunity.
His realm wasn’t rich.
Not yet.
But it produced resources.
Resources that other people wanted.
And if those resources could be converted into Divine Coins...
Then Silverleaf Village could begin participating in the city’s economy.
A smile slowly appeared on Kai’s face.
He had arrived expecting adventure.
Instead, he had discovered business.
And somehow, that excited him even more.
Beside him, Luna smiled as well.
It seemed she had reached the same conclusion.
The Nine-Tailed Divine Empire had taken its first step into the wider world.
And this time, the reward wouldn’t come from battle.
It would come from trade.
