Immortal Path Space

Chapter 279: Puppets

"It's you! Take us to find accommodation first," Luo Zhongjie said to the Qi Cultivation practitioner with thick eyebrows and large eyes.

With over a hundred people and more than ten carriages, they needed to find a place to settle down first. Ordinary inns couldn't accommodate so many people and horses. Since they were newcomers to Qianqiao City and knew nothing about it, they had to find a place to stay first and then gather information.

"I am Pei Jian, thank you for your guidance, senior! Senior, please follow me."

After Pei Jian spoke, he turned and led the way. Pei Jian, the Qi Cultivation practitioner, had a reserved personality. He only spoke when Luo Zhongjie asked him something, and he was not very suitable for the role of a guide. His fee for a day's guidance was one Spirit Stone, and additional services like running errands and gathering information came at an extra cost.

Pei Jian introduced more than ten possible accommodations to Luo Zhongjie, and they eventually settled on a relatively large independent courtyard. They rented it for a year, and when Pei Jian left, Luo Zhongjie gave him two Spirit Stones, instructing him to come back as their guide tomorrow.

Pei Jian left with excitement. From him, Luo Zhongjie learned that there was a marketplace called the Wantoong Square within Qianqiao City. This marketplace was specifically for the trading of various goods by major shops and merchant caravans. It wasn't open to individuals, and merchant caravans needed to register and pass an audit to enter.

The next day, Wang Hong didn't rush to enter Wantoong Square. Instead, he wanted to gather information about various aspects of Qianqiao City, starting with understanding the local prices. They split into several groups and wandered around Qianqiao City. Sometimes, this kind of exploration was the best way to learn about local customs.

Wang Hong walked alone on the streets and occasionally entered some shops to look around. He noticed that there were many shops in Qianqiao City that specialized in refining tools. Some of these shops were established by the Thousand Crafts Pavilion, while others were owned by refining tool masters associated with the Thousand Crafts Pavilion. In any case, most of the refining tool shops had some connection to the Thousand Crafts Pavilion.

Pill shops affiliated with the Thousand Crafts Pavilion were rare in Qianqiao City. Wang Hong entered a few of them and found that there weren't many Spiritual Objects available, but the prices were significantly higher than in Azure Void City.

On the other hand, there was a good supply of Spiritual Weapons and Magical Weapons, and their prices were somewhat lower than in Azure Void City.

Wang Hong also noticed that many shops in the city had puppets for sale. He entered a few puppet shops and was impressed. Azure Void City had only a limited number of puppets for sale, and he hadn't paid much attention to them before.

These puppets came in various shapes, including humanoid, animal-like, and insect-like designs.

At that moment, he entered a shop called the "Qianji Puppet Pavilion," one of the larger puppet shops in the vicinity. As soon as he entered, a puppet that resembled a maid walked up to him.

"Hello, sir! Welcome!"

To Wang Hong's surprise, this puppet not only moved but also spoke fluently!

Wang Hong was amazed by this and wondered how it was done. He had heard of puppets before but had never had such a close encounter with one.

He carefully observed the puppet in front of him. Its size and shape were identical to a real person, with delicate facial features and smooth, rosy skin. Wang Hong couldn't resist lightly poking it, and the skin felt soft and elastic, just like a real person's.

"Giggle! Sir, please behave yourself!"

Unexpectedly, after he poked the female puppet, it changed its expression, giggling while playfully evading him.

This sudden reaction from the puppet startled Wang Hong, who wasn't sure if he had accidentally damaged it. He felt a bit at a loss for words.

"An impressive display of craftsmanship, my friend," a shopkeeper-looking cultivator approached Wang Hong, deftly diffusing his awkward moment.

"You're too kind. I was indeed impolite," Wang Hong replied sincerely, genuinely amazed at the intricacy of puppetry. These puppets were so lifelike, almost indistinguishable from real humans.

"I am Chao Ming, the proprietor of this establishment. Are you interested in purchasing a puppet?"

"Yes, I'm considering it, but I don't know much about them, so I came in to take a look," Wang Hong explained.

"No problem! Since you have some time, I'd be happy to provide some information," Chao Ming replied warmly.

"Thank you, Chao friend," Wang Hong expressed his gratitude with a nod.

"The art of puppetry is a branch of refining tools, but it's more complex and intricate, making puppets relatively expensive. Puppets are powered by Spirit Stones. You simply insert a Spirit Stone, and the puppet will run until the Spiritual Energy is depleted, then you can replace it. The control methods for puppets can generally be divided into two categories: one is direct control using Divine Sense, similar to controlling a Spiritual Weapon. The other is issuing commands directly, and the puppet will follow those commands. Puppets can be categorized by their forms, such as humanoid, animal-like, or insect-like. They can also be categorized by their functions, such as combat puppets and utility puppets."

Chao Ming continued by pointing out various types of puppets in the shop to Wang Hong.

"What category does this particular puppet belong to?" Wang Hong pointed at the maid-like puppet he had poked earlier.

"This puppet took me several years to create, and it should be considered a servant puppet," Chao Ming proudly stated. Then, he added with a hint of mystery, "This puppet has endless uses; you'll discover its benefits once you bring it home."

Wang Hong wondered if there were secrets hidden within this puppet. Perhaps Chao Ming was intentionally being mysterious to raise its price.

"I'd like to see combat puppets and Spirit Plant puppets, if possible," Wang Hong said, showing particular interest in these two categories after Chao Ming's explanation.

"Of course, not a problem. Please follow me. On this shelf, you'll find all the combat puppets."

Following Chao Ming's guidance, Wang Hong observed a variety of puppets on the shelf, each with different shapes and sizes.

"These are close-combat puppets, all with the strength of Qi Cultivation initial stage. Then there are these bow-wielding puppets, reaching the Qi Cultivation middle stage, and these tiger-shaped puppets, also at the Qi Cultivation middle stage," Chao Ming introduced several types, noticing Wang Hong's limited enthusiasm.

He then walked to two bow-wielding puppets and emphasized, "These two puppets are rare Qi Cultivation late-stage models in our shop, capable of shooting targets within fifty yards."

After Chao Ming's introduction, Wang Hong inquired, "Are there no puppets with Foundation Building stage capabilities?"

Wang Hong thought that after all the introductions about Qi Cultivation stage puppets, he might as well inquire about Foundation Building stage ones, as they would be more useful to him.

"Hehe, it seems you're looking for Foundation Building stage puppets. I'll be frank, no shop in Qianqiao City sells Foundation Building stage puppets privately."

In response to Wang Hong's question, Chao Ming smiled.

"Why is that? These Qi Cultivation stage combat puppets won't be of much help to a Foundation Building cultivator in battle," Wang Hong asked with some confusion, especially since he mentioned that they couldn't be sold privately, suggesting there was more to the story.

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