After leaving the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, Jared and Vermilion did not hurry back to their inn. They wandered Sandrock City instead, letting its heat, grit, and golden dust seep into their clothes—ducking into cramped stalls and back-alley shops, whispering the same question at every counter: “Jadeheart Marrow, have you seen it?”
Every merchant’s answer was a shrug painted in different words. They had heard of the miracle Jadeheart Marrow, never tasted it, and could not point to so much as a rumor on a map.
“So, the legends were right,” Vermilion sighed, pushing a curtain of rusty hair from his brow. “Even cultivators in level eleven treat Jadeheart Marrow as a bedtime story.”
Jared nodded once. “A treasure formed drop by drop over ten millennia isn’t likely to sit in a corner shop. The real clues live with ancient monsters, or the sort of sects that eat kingdoms for breakfast… and we’re strangers here. Digging out those clues will be anything but easy…”
Their shared frustration was still hanging in the air when a mild, well-polished voice rose behind them. The tone carried no edge, yet it cut straight through the crowd. “Gentlemen, might you be searching for Jadeheart Marrow?”
Both men pivoted, muscles coiled. Vermilion’s cloak flared; Jared’s hand brushed the hilt at his waist.
A scholar in sea-green robes stood a polite ten paces away. His face was ordinary, almost forgettable, but his eyes glittered with the bright calculation of a seasoned broker. His aura, Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Five, rested against the city’s din like calm water. Hands clasped, he offered an amiable smile that never quite reached those quicksilver eyes.
“And you are?” Jared asked, voice cool yet courteous. While he spoke, Jared’s divine sense brushed over the stranger: no poisonous intent, no hidden surge of killing qi. Even so, years of survival kept a taut line of caution strung inside his chest.
“Dustin Rivers, steward of Whisperwind House,” the man announced with a crisp bow. “I happened to hear you questioning an elder outside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Forgive my bold approach… I simply dislike watching opportunity drift past.”
Whisperwind House? Jared sifted his memory and came up empty. The name rang no bells.
Catching the flicker of doubt, Dustin’s smile widened. “We’re a local information guild—small, but well-connected throughout Sandrock City and its deserts. If knowledge has a price, we likely know the numbers.”
“Then you truly possess news of Jadeheart Marrow?” Vermilion could not hide the flare of hope in his voice.
“Fragments, at least,” Dustin allowed, spreading his hands. “This street is ill-suited for business. If you are willing, follow me to Whisperwind House. We’ll talk like merchants, nothing more. Whether we strike a bargain rests entirely on your comfort.”
Jared met Vermilion’s gaze. In that brief silence, they both felt the same tug, thin and electric—a chance too valuable to ignore.
“Lead the way, Mr. Rivers.” Jared inclined his head. “We’ll impose upon your hospitality.”
“Delighted…” Dustin’s grin sharpened. Turning on his heel, he slipped into the afternoon throng, the two visitors pacing close behind.
Whisperwind House occupied a prime corner in the city’s heart, a three-story timbered structure whose unpretentious facade belied the rivers of rumor that flowed beneath its roof. The building was elegantly arranged: the first floor served as a reception hall, the second held private rooms, and the third appeared to be office space. Dustin led the two of them straight to a window-side private room on the second floor.
After instructing a waitress to serve refreshments, he closed the door.
“Please, have a seat…” Dustin gestured for them to sit and took his own seat, getting straight to the point. “Jadeheart Marrow is produced deep within the Jadeheart Vein at the deepest part of the Infernal Lava Abyss in the Blaze Region… It takes ten thousand years for a single drop to form. It has miraculous effects in strengthening one’s foundation, nourishing vitality, and stabilizing the soul. Even in level eleven, it is considered a legendary treasure, and information about it is indeed hard to obtain through ordinary channels.”
“Since you are aware, I assume you have a lead, Mr. Rivers?”
“I do have some leads.” Dustin nodded, then shifted his tone. “However, the value of information this precious… surely the two of you understand.”
“Name your price,” Jared said bluntly.
Dustin raised five fingers. “5,000 top-grade celestial gems or any other magical item with equivalent value.”
5,000 top-grade celestial gems!
Jared’s brow tightened, a single line etching itself above his eyes. That figure was several times more than everything he owned. Whatever savings he had scraped together in level nine and level ten meant little up here; mid-tier celestial gems and ordinary ores were almost pocket change. 5,000 top-grade celestial gems equaled 50,000 high-grade ones—an ocean he could not cross today.
“Too steep,” he said at last, shaking his head. “We’ve only just arrived in level eleven. I can’t pull that many top-grade celestial gems out of thin air.”
Dustin’s eyes glimmered, as though he had been waiting for that answer. “Then pay another way… Whisperwind House is always in need of capable hands. Complete one task for us, and the information is yours.”
Jared’s voice dropped, calm but edged. “What task?”
Inside, his wariness flared brighter than any hearth-fire. This won’t be simple… There were no free meals in any heaven, and any bargain Dustin proposed would carry teeth sharp enough to draw blood.
