Chapter 80

Taking a deep breath, Du Qian nodded: "Alright, I'll take the item. Do you have any leads?"

Liu Yan shook his head with a bitter smile: "No, the True Spirit Talisman is too troublesome. As long as someone makes it, it will definitely go to auction. I've seen it once, but it can only be used as a study prop; you can't take it away."

"Does Piaoxue not have auctions?" Du Qian knew that Piaoxue was the largest commercial enterprise in the empire, so it naturally wouldn't lack auctions.

"Yes, but they don't auction True Spirit Talismans. They are strategic resources, and Piaoxue Auction House doesn't auction strategic resources, so they don't have them."

Not auctioning strategic resources? Du Qian nodded thoughtfully. Actually, the most profitable part of an auction house is scarce resources. Many so-called treasures look good, but apart from being displayed at home, they have little practical value. Even if the price is high, what's the point? Or, if you consider it from the perspective of preserving value, it might be useful, but in terms of practicality, it's not worth mentioning.

Spirit Talismans have practical value, and they are usually of strategic importance.

Du Qian naturally didn't know the background of Piaoxue, but from this point, he could guess a few things. For the benefit of the entire empire, Piaoxue gave up the most profitable business.

"I plan to go to Changping. The Piaoxue branch there..."

Liu Yan said bitterly: "We've only been out of school for a little over a month. How much ability can you expect? Not to mention a first-tier city like Changping, even in Pingchuan City, you have little influence."

That makes sense. On the surface, it seems like everything is going well, but Du Qian knew in his heart that it was just luck. Earning a living in the Flying Tiger Team, the five hundred spirit coins he got before were what he truly earned. The things in the watermelon were just a lucky find, and he didn't dare to use them.

Fortunately, as a pirate, the bald man couldn't be seen in public, so the money in the watermelon was an anonymous stored value slip. If it were registered, no matter how much money there was, Du Qian could only stare at it, unable to use it.

Liu Yan took out a letter from his small bag: "If you encounter big trouble, open this letter. If everything is fine, it's best not to use it."

"A secret plan?" Du Qian took the envelope, which had no writing on it. What was Liu Yan up to?

"Of course not. This is something Yu Wuxia entrusted someone to send. I don't know what's inside." Liu Yan shook his head.

"Yu Wuxia? You're still in touch with her?" Well, all three beauties of their class were accounted for. To be honest, their relationship in the orphanage was just ordinary. Yao Jing's injury actually moved the other two, which surprised Du Qian.

Actually, this was quite normal. Just out of school, feeling the difficulty of survival in society, the relationship between classmates became extremely close, like a family.

This was also because the three beauties of their class all had very good jobs and a bright future. If it were ordinary classmates, they might not even know about Yao Jing's injury, and even if they did, they would be helpless, struggling to feed themselves, let alone help.

If it were ten or twenty years later, everyone would have their own lives, with stable families and careers, the relationship of being classmates would gradually fade. At that time, even if they were willing to help, it wouldn't be as all-out as now.

"Do you know what she's doing?"

"No, I only know she joined the military, the regular army. The person who brought this letter said that in a few days, Yu Wuxia will also leave. Don't ask me where she's going; it's a military secret. The person who brought the letter doesn't know, let alone me."

"I see..." Du Qian felt a bit disheartened. They had only graduated a month ago, and they were already going their separate ways. The world is so big, once you go out to see it, you might never come back. Who knows how many classmates will part ways after graduation and never see each other again.

"Alright, I've finished my business. In a while, I might also leave Pingchuan City. I don't know when I'll have the chance to come back."

"Where are you going?"

"Piaoxue headquarters."

"Shangjing." Du Qian's eyes became a bit distant. As an imperial citizen, how could he not yearn for the capital, Shangjing?

"Yep." Liu Yan stood up and walked out, his face showing no joy, but more sadness. This departure might mean he would never have the chance to return in his lifetime.

Liu Yan left, and Du Qian carefully opened the watermelon, putting away the Star-Upgrading Talisman, the name card, and the letter. He wasn't curious about the content of the letter, but he believed that the contents of the letter were very important.

This was a habit of war orphans. From a young age, they knew the term "military secret" and would never ask about things they shouldn't.

Polishing a Spirit Weapon is a meticulous task. Even with enough spirit energy in the Spirit Pool, one must be cautious. Once it's formed, it's hard to change. In the past few days, Du Qian had learned many things.

For example, when designing and polishing a Spirit Weapon, one must consider not only basic issues like wind resistance, center of gravity, usage habits, and comfort, but also the potential for enhancement.

Enhancement means incorporating auxiliary Spirit Talismans. A Spirit Weapon can use five Spirit-Upgrading Talismans, seven Star-Chasing Talismans, and nine Star-Upgrading Talismans.

Of course, this refers to the ideal situation. In reality, the success rate is not high, and the more Spirit Talismans used, the lower the success rate. If all can be used, the Spirit Weapon can almost be called a divine artifact.

Du Qian didn't know if anyone had ever succeeded completely, but he did learn some of the basic functions and usage methods of Spirit Talismans.

Basic Spirit Talismans are directly used on Spirit Weapons. Each talisman occupies a position, so when polishing a Spirit Weapon, many factors need to be considered.

When designing a Spirit Weapon, the positions of the Spirit Talismans must be taken into account. Of course, many people don't consider these factors when designing Spirit Weapons, as they might never use a few Spirit Talismans in their lifetime. Thinking too much would sacrifice the shape, size, and other factors, making it less convenient to use.

Understanding these concepts, Du Qian looked back at the Spirit Gun designed for him by Xingyun. At first, he couldn't understand many of the designs, but the more he learned, the more he admired the design. It not only considered Du Qian's current practicality and the combat power of the Spirit Gun itself but also future usage of Spirit Talismans. Even if Du Qian could upgrade all the Spirit Talismans, it would still meet all his needs.

As Du Qian's combat power improved, the gun's head was almost complete. This weapon could already be used in actual combat, though it might not be very convenient. However, having a weapon greatly increased his combat ability, making him much stronger than relying on his fists alone.

Before becoming a Martial Cultivator, it was a comprehensive improvement in physical fitness. In real combat, the role of firearms was more significant. After becoming a Martial Cultivator and possessing a Spirit Weapon, the role of firearms immediately decreased. When the complete set of Spirit Weapons was finished, firearms could almost be ignored.

On his first day at work, a very ordinary Martial Cultivator could easily block Du Qian's bullets. Of course, Du Qian used a low-power police gun. If he had used a military firearm, the Martial Cultivator wouldn't have been so relaxed.

However, this was enough to make Du Qian understand a principle: the combat methods of ordinary people and Martial Cultivators are completely different.

For example, when the bald man ambushed the Flying Tiger Team, the包围圈已经形成，轻重武器一大堆，但对光头几乎没有影响，真正能让他受伤的，只有同阶的武修士。

杜千知道，自己走的路是对的。当初在孤儿学校的时候，无论进展有多慢，他都没有放弃修行，如今终于有了回报。

武修士的世界，时间永远都是不够用的。吸收了几枚灵角，打磨一阵灵枪，似乎一转眼的时间，外面的天已经大亮了。

拎起磨得有些发白的背包，杜 Qian 走出房门，如果没什么意外的话，短时间内都不会回到这里，希望灵蛇信息公司的能力足够强，杜 Qian 不想再等下去了，姚静等不起。

杜 Qian 的这张单子，在整个灵蛇信息总公司中，只能算是中等，但平川是个小城，这单子就不算小了，连分公司的总管都惊动了。

这一晚上，杜 Qian 忙着修炼，灵蛇那边忙着交流各种信息，为杜 Qian 安排行程。

接待杜 Qian 的还是那位年轻人，眼里满是血丝，带着浓重的鼻音，递给杜 Qian 一沓纸：“先生请看一下，资料都在这里。”

“谢谢。”杜 Qian 接过资料看了起来。

灵蛇信息公司给出的资料分为两部分，一部分是去长平市的行程，这年头出门可不容易，野外是灵兽的世界，人类只能据守在城市之中。

人类曾经花费巨大的资源，为各城市之间开辟道路，最后都失败了。原因很简单，野外几乎无法长时间驻守人员。想要护路，需要的人手非常多而且极度分散。

这就造成了人类远不是灵兽的对手，驻守人员大量伤亡，单是抚恤金，就能让帝国破产。除了灵兽之外，植物的生长能力太强，无论你路修得多好，要不了多久，又会长满半人多高的野草，顽强的野草，能将最坚固的路基摧毁，这些野草甚至可以在石头中生长。

在损失了大量人员和资金之后，各国不得不放弃了筑路计划，将精力放在改良交通工具上。

通常来说，城市周边数百到一千公里范围，都是城市的资源区，灵兽、灵植、矿产都是保证城市存在和发展的基础。一千公里之外，才是灵兽的天下。

远程交通，指的就是距离城市一千公里之外，到达另一座城市的路程。

根据距离的远近，地理环境，使用的交通工具种类繁杂。杜 Qian 想要从平川到达长平，就需要分成十几个路段，才能到达。

第二部分的信息就简单多了，价目表，一份极为详细，又让杜 Qian 无比蛋疼的价目表。

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The information provided by Ling She Information Company was divided into two parts. The first part was the itinerary to Changping City. These days, traveling was not easy; the wilderness was the domain of spirit beasts, and humans could only hold their ground in cities.

Humans had once spent enormous resources to build roads between cities, but all attempts failed. The reason was simple: it was almost impossible to station personnel in the wilderness for long periods. To protect the roads, a large number of people were needed, and they had to be extremely dispersed.

This made humans no match for spirit beasts, leading to massive casualties among the guards. The compensation alone could bankrupt the empire. Besides spirit beasts, the growth of plants was too strong. No matter how well the roads were built, they would soon be overgrown with tall grass, which could destroy even the most solid road foundations. These grasses could even grow through rocks.

After losing a large number of personnel and funds, countries had to abandon their road-building plans and focus on improving transportation.

Typically, the area within a few hundred to a thousand kilometers around a city was the city's resource zone, where spirit beasts, spirit plants, and minerals were essential for the city's existence and development. Beyond a thousand kilometers, the wilderness was dominated by spirit beasts.

Long-distance travel referred to the journey from one city to another, more than a thousand kilometers away. Depending on the distance, geographical conditions, and the type of transportation, the options were varied. For Du Qian to travel from Pingchuan to Changping, he would need to divide the journey into several segments.

The second part of the information was much simpler: a price list, a detailed and extremely frustrating price list for Du Qian.

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