What puzzled Han Li even more was that apart from those shops, there wasn't a single soul in sight.
After a moment of contemplation, he chuckled to himself.
How could he forget!
This wasn't some leisurely island in the Inner Star Sea. Anyone brave enough to come here wasn't just a Foundation Establishment cultivator; at the very least, they were mid to late Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. Plus, considering those scattered on other demonic beast islands, the number wouldn't be large.
The cultivators on this Verdant Jade Island must have gone out to sea to hunt and kill demonic beasts!
With this in mind, Han Li raised his head and looked around.
Only then did he notice that this place was backed by a small earthen hill, built against it.
After a brief thought, Han Li walked towards the miscellaneous shop piled with rubble.
"Do you have any recent sea area maps nearby?" Han Li asked casually.
He already knew that all sea area maps of demonic beast islands were constantly being updated, so naturally, he needed to buy the latest one.
"We do! We have rough ones and detailed ones. Which one would you like, sir?" The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man in the Qi Refinement stage, perked up as soon as he saw Han Li and Qu Hun approaching, immediately explaining.
"The detailed one," Han Li replied without hesitation.
"The detailed sea map costs one hundred spirit stones!" the middle-aged man said with a wide grin, stating the price boldly.
"One hundred?" Han Li felt like his ears were playing tricks on him, mishearing the price.
But immediately, his expression turned cold, revealing a hint of anger.
Although he didn't intend to stir up trouble, he wouldn't tolerate being extorted by a low-level cultivator.
"Sir, please don't misunderstand! This price wasn't set by us; it was directly set from above, and we're just following orders. Besides, when other seniors sell us the latest sea area maps, the price is also quite high!" The shopkeeper saw Han Li's face darken and didn't show any fear; instead, he began to explain his plight.
"Above! Which merchant alliance are you from?" Han Li's anger eased slightly, and he furrowed his brows, asking.
He knew very well that the businesses that could establish themselves on demonic beast islands were definitely not small merchant associations. They might even be shops from the four major merchant alliances!
"Hehe, sir is indeed discerning. I'm just scraping by under the Fengle Merchant Alliance." After a slight startle, the middle-aged man smiled and replied.
"One of the four major merchant alliances, the Fengle Alliance, which operates the Fengle Auction House in Tianxing City?"
"Exactly, sir!"
Upon hearing this, Han Li didn't say anything else. He simply threw out a mid-grade spirit stone.
Immediately, the shopkeeper handed a jade slip to Han Li with a smile.
"The other shops, are they also from your Fengle Merchant Alliance?" Han Li put away the jade slip, looking at the other shops, and asked without much enthusiasm.
"How could that be? Except for the purchasing shop on the west side, the others are opened by other merchant alliances and have nothing to do with our Fengle Alliance." After glancing at the other shops, the middle-aged man said with a hint of hostility.
