Chapter 85: News of the Wind Hunters!

“Cold Obsidian is produced in a secret realm known as the Lost Mines. It's said that a foreign race once mined there, leaving behind many abandoned shafts,” Manager Liu explained with a smile. “Although these mines are deserted, the mineral veins are not yet exhausted. That's why people are still willing to dig for rare ores there and sell them at the exchange for a handsome sum.”

“Come to think of it, the profession of mineral hunter arose because of the Lost Mines,” Manager Liu continued, his eyes sparkling. He then shared various secrets about mineral hunters before changing the subject: “But about a month or two ago, unknown ferocious beasts appeared in the Lost Mines.”

“These beasts seem to possess some intelligence and hide in the dark tunnels. Mineral hunters who are attacked either die on the spot or, because the tunnels are deep and winding, perish on the way back for lack of timely rescue.”

Manager Liu sighed. “Over time, people lost their enthusiasm for the Lost Mines—after all, mineral hunters have other secret realms to choose from.”

Wang Chen nodded slightly. “I see. That does make things difficult... What about the rarity of the Celestial Star Pine core?”

“For a similar reason—the secret realm that produces it ran into trouble,” Manager Liu replied. “For some unknown reason, a few days ago the secret realm where the Celestial Star Pine grows—Soughing Wind Plain—became overrun with vicious beasts. Adventuring teams suffered heavy casualties and had to withdraw for now.”

“The situation in Soughing Wind Plain isn’t as clear as in the Lost Mines. Perhaps, once the beasts’ weaknesses are discovered and an effective method to slay them is found, production will resume as before.”

“But for now,” Manager Liu lifted his teacup, blew gently, and took a deep sip to moisten his throat, “I’m afraid there’s nothing to be done except to look for whatever is still in circulation.”

“Well, Cold Obsidian is one thing, but the Soughing Wind Plain only had trouble a few days ago. Shouldn’t there be plenty of Celestial Star Pine cores left on the market? Are they hard to find too?” Wang Chen inquired.

Manager Liu was briefly surprised by the question, then smiled and asked, “Are you perhaps seeking the Celestial Star Pine core at a friend’s request, Mr. Wang?”

Wang Chen shook his head. “Why do you say that?”

“Forgive my impertinence, but it seems you’re not familiar with the value of the Celestial Star Pine core,” Manager Liu said, seeking Wang Chen’s approval with his eyes.

“I must admit, I don’t know much about it,” Wang Chen replied candidly. “Please enlighten me, Manager Liu—I will listen carefully.”

“I wouldn’t dare call it enlightenment. As traders, it’s our duty to let our clients know the value of what they’re buying. Otherwise, if the price is steep, you might blame us,” Manager Liu joked, then explained, “The Celestial Star Pine grows only in the Soughing Wind Plain and nowhere else. Soughing Wind is so named because of the piercing winds that blow year-round, making the climate cold and inhospitable to most plant and animal life.”

“In such a barren environment, the Celestial Star Pine grows only a few centimeters each year, and there are very few of them. Moreover, you can extract only about one-fifth of the diameter’s worth of core from each tree, making it exceedingly rare.”

“So even before trouble struck Soughing Wind Plain, the pine core was already scarce.”

At this, Wang Chen frowned in confusion. “But earlier you said the Celestial Star Pine core isn’t all that rare. How do you mean?”

“Apologies, I wasn’t clear and caused you confusion,” Manager Liu replied with a smile. “The Celestial Star Pine core isn’t considered rare simply because almost no one buys it. The small amount produced is enough to meet demand.”

“No one buys it? Doesn’t that mean it should be easy to acquire?”

“Almost no one, but occasionally someone does. Usually, it happens once every decade or so, and each time the purchase is in bulk.”

“Oh? Who’s buying the Celestial Star Pine core?” Wang Chen asked curiously.

“It’s usually the same group, rumored to be a family,” Manager Liu lowered his voice. “This is just hearsay, Mr. Wang—take it as an amusing story and don’t treat it as gospel.”

Wang Chen nodded in agreement.

“People say the family is of mixed foreign blood, extremely tall and strong, skilled in archery and hunting.”

“Are such hunting clans uncommon among the foreign races?” Wang Chen thought of the fae, who also had a hunting tradition.

“You may not know—what this family hunts is no ordinary game. They pursue birds that soar at the very top of the skies. The fiercer and rarer the prey, the more they crave the hunt.”

Manager Liu’s tone grew solemn. “They are known as the Windhunters.”

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Wang Chen’s mind. Wasn’t this the very clan mentioned in his mission? The connection was unexpected.

But on second thought, it made sense: he was tasked with acquiring the Celestial Star Pine core, and the Windhunters also sought it. Learning this was hardly a coincidence.

He wanted more information, so he pressed on: “Why are they called the Windhunters? Shouldn’t they be called the Falcon or Bird Hunters?”

Manager Liu shook his head. “That I cannot say. In fact, what I’ve told you is all I know about the Windhunters.”

Wang Chen sighed inwardly. Obtaining early intelligence about his mission was indeed no simple matter. “Thank you for your insights, Manager Liu. In that case, please keep an eye out for Cold Obsidian and Celestial Star Pine core for me.”

“If the price skyrockets or you can’t find any, don’t worry. I’ll think of another way.”

Manager Liu readily agreed, “Of course.”

They chatted a while longer until the appraiser finally finished pricing Wang Chen’s goods. “All these materials come from silver-ranked or higher beasts. There are also two pieces of silver gear with additional abilities, plus a gold-ranked inner armor with a skill attached.”

“We can offer you this amount.” The appraiser showed him the figure on the calculator.

Wang Chen glanced at it—just over ten million Tianlong coins. That was about what he expected, so he agreed and had the money transferred to his account.

Then he rose, took his leave, and exited the United Exchange.

…

“This is tricky. I didn’t expect to be stuck on two materials. What now?” Wang Chen pondered as he walked home.

“I can’t just wait for news from the exchange. I need to find another way. Since the Celestial Star Pine core is connected to the Windhunters mentioned in my quest, perhaps I should look into how to obtain it.”

With these thoughts swirling in his head, Wang Chen soon found himself back at home.

He ate a simple dinner as usual, then sat cross-legged on his bed, habitually reviewing his journey through the Isle of Mist, reflecting on what he’d learned.

He hoped to discover areas for improvement and ways to do better next time.

“First of all, when fighting the Canopy Fire Python, I was far too reckless. There were clearly safer methods of attack…”