Bai li yue thanked him and promised to return soon with a badge. She didn't know why selling beast cores was turning out to be a complex thing. If she wasn't in a hurry to offload the snake beast cores, she would have waited till she reached the capital. Someone pointed out the mercenary guild to her. There was no way to miss it. It towered over all the buildings around it and sported a pair of gigantic tusks thrusting into the sky.

The entrance to the guildhall was busy with people going in and out. The main hall had three distinct areas in it: two crowded wings, the lifeblood of any guild and a central area. She soon realised that the tablets hanging on the walls at the two ends of the hall functioned as notice boards announcing missions. Groups of people jostled each other to get within reach of the walls to find a tablet with an adequate mission. She waited in a queue in front of a large desk in the central area where registration took place. The other area was for turning in missions and collecting rewards. While waiting for her turn, she had seen a few mercenaries and groups walk in carrying or dragging their harvests behind them. They turned in a stone tablet with their mission as well as the objective and received payment. The wait was an informative one for her as she had been thinking of taking a mission or two while in the city.

The queue moved quickly and it finally reached her turn. The young lady receiving her didn't even blink an eye at the faint smell. No doubt, she had met others who smelled worse. She noted Bai li yue's name and cultivation realm and handed a booklet detailing the general rules and regulations governing the guild.

'Please prepare the twenty gold coins or the two spirit stone fee and go down the hallway to your right. You will receive your badge upon payment.'

She said, pointing to a side door where the registration process terminated.

Ten minutes later, bai li yue left the room with her brand new badge. It was the silver badge reserved for new mercenaries and gave her access to only silver tier missions. If she gained more experience and wanted to join the big leagues, she could pay hundred gold coins or ten spirit stones to exchange her silver badge for a gold badge. Later on there was the possibility of getting a jade badge, but it required paying upwards of a thousand gold or forty spirit stones. She strolled through the hall and satisfied her curiosity regarding the stone tablets. She had taken a look at several of them hanging on the wall and already itching to take her first mission. 

'I paid all that money for the badge so i should make good use of it.'

She went back to the treasure pavilion and came across the same shop attendant she met on her first visit. He sneezed again and smiled at her through watery eyes.

'Ah Miss, i see you've returned.'

'Allergies are the worst, aren't they?'

'Aller- what?'

'Never mind!'

She placed the badge on the counter.

'I have a badge now. How much does a beast core go for?'

'I cannot say until we see the beast core in question. Price usually depends on the cultivation level of the beast, but it can also change depending on the type of beast. For example the beast core of a master realm glacier monkey will earn you more than the beast core of let's say, a bloodwood bat of the lord realm because glacier monkey is less common in these parts.'

His precise explanation was welcome. Bai li yue didn't know that trading in beast cores was such an intricate business. Since he wasn't as knowledgeable on all the beast cores that she brought he led her to one of the several backrooms in the shop where an appraiser was waiting.

'Appraiser Hei, here is a client selling beast cores. Please kindly appraise them for me.'

The man drinking tea, sniffed the room and glanced at her with a questioning look before looking away. He waved the attendant to the side and picked up the beast cores lying on the wooden tray. He inspected the beast cores one at a time with an eyeglass hanging on his belt. As he worked three groups of beast cores formed on the table in front of him. He picked up a purple beast core and studied for a minute and asked,

'Miss, you kill all of these savage beasts, yes?'

'Yes, i did.'  

She answered, wondering where he was going with his questions.

'They are mostly snakes, yes?'

'Is there a problem?'

'No, i was mostly curious. Most people who come in here have a mix of different types of beast cores. I rarely see such bounty of snake cores on one tray. One might say you have a ...niche, yes?'

'I see. It isn't intentional, i assure you. Snakes seem to hate me and the feeling is now more than mutual.'

'Ahh, let me guess, the first snake you killed was this one, a purple horned snake, yes? Yes?.' 

He smiled and pointed at the purple core on the table.

'How did you know?'

'The…'

He inhaled deeply.

'The black devil goat's overpowering scent can mask the energy the purple horned snake left on you for a while. But the energy will only grow stronger with time, attracting more and more higher level savage snake beasts to attack you. It will be very dangerous for you especially if you plan on entering the ancient forest.'

'Energy? What is this energy you speak of?' She focused on her body trying to find the energy he was talking of.

'You won't be able to find it. As an appraiser my eyes are trained to see more than an ordinary person.'

Bai li yue was surprised. This was her first time coming into contact with an appraiser in this world. It looked to be a well regarded profession from what she'd seen of appraiser Hei. It could be on the same level as an array master or alchemist. 

'It also helps that i am an alchemist and have a great store of knowledge. 

'Don't alchemists deal with herbs?'

'There are different traditions of alchemy, some rely exclusively on herbs. Other cultures, mostly the northern tribes, use animal parts exclusively to concoct medicinal pastes and soups. A mixture of the two traditions is normal where i come from. Those tribes believe that some savage beasts have the potential to... evolve and become new creatures. These beasts usually unlock an attribute that makes them special.' 

'So the purple horned snake is one of these creatures? What is this energy precisely? Is that why all the snakes i meet attack me as if i killed their mother?'

'More than likely. Most certainly… definitely. The energy around you originated from the purple horned snake. To other snakes, you mostly probably smell like a prey. They are compelled to attack, yes, compelled to attack you.'

This purple horned snake is too cruel. It chased me without provocation. I even begged it numerous times, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. Killing it was a necessity after it poisoned me and now even in death, it continues to haunt me like a water ghost.

The news came as a shock to her. She didn't know what to do to solve her problem or how to even go about it finding a solution. She turned to Appraiser Hei, the one person who seemed to know what was happening to her.

'Is there any way to remove the energy or do i have to live in a city forever?'

'Lucky for you, you didn't sell the beast core before meeting me. If you are able to draw the energy back into the core, you'll be fine.'

'How do i go about doing that? Do you know anybody who can help me?'

'I, Of course, but you'll have to give me the beast core as payment. Deal?' 

He stated his price and waited for her to make up her mind.

Did she even need to think about it? She was positive that this wasn't a trick even if it was, all she had to do was return to the treasure pavilion and ask for an explanation. If he was telling the truth, she'd be free from the constant harassment and the unceasing threat to her life.

'Ok. When do we do it?'

'Just like that?' 

He looked wide eyed at her. Usually people would express a great deal of doubt, not only because they didn't believe him, but because they wanted to beat down the price.

'Yes.'

'You aren't worried that i am trying to trick you out of a beast core?'

'Are you?'

'No, no, no.'

'Then you have your answer.' 

' Good! Great!' 

Hei Kang found himself liking this young lady more and more. If more people were straight forward like her, wouldn't everything be simpler?

'You there, go and get the client's money ready. Five initiate cores for thirty gold each, nine master cores valued at eighty gold each and three lord realm cores. One of them has a bit of damage, but i'll overlook it. One hundred and fifty for each of them. Go at once and transfer the money onto a jade slate.'

The attendant bowed and left with the tray sans the purple horned beast core to do as Appraiser Hei ordered.

'My name is Hei kang. May i know your name, yes?'

'Bai li yue. Nice to meet you, appraiser Hei.'

'Nice to make your acquaintance, Bai li yue.'

He smiled back as he picked up the beast core and focused on an area above her head. She looked up but didn't find any hint of the energy he'd spoken of. 

Hei kang took out a multitude of ingredients from his spatial ring and set them on the floor in front of her. He crushed a few beast cores into a stone bowl and threw in some unidentified herbs. Lastly he added the beast core belonging to the purple horned snake. 

'Let's begin. You'll feel some pain. Do your best to hold on. Can you do that, yes?'

She took a deep breath and nodded. 

 

Hei kang set fire to the bowl. A pungent green smoke slowly rose to surround Bai li yue and revealed the ethereal form of the purple snake coiled around her upper body. It hissed silently when its venomous eyes met his. 

He hadn't been entirely honest with her. The energy he'd alluded to was actually the soul of the purple horned snake. Just before it was killed it had hidden its soul inside its beast core and later found an opportunity to attach itself to Bai li yue. It was feeding on her soul to stay alive. Once it was strong enough, it was likely to kill her before moving on. Other savage beasts attacked her because the parasitic soul was a tantalising feast. Devouring it and Bai li yue as a result would allow their realm to advance at an astronomical speed.

Hei kang scoffed at the unwilling snake and unleashed his aura to attack the snake.

Bai li yue cheeks turned red from the sudden pain. She bit the inside of her lip and swallowed the scream forming on her lips.

Aarghh!

The smoke engulfed the snake and began prying it away from her body. It didn't wish to return to the beast core it had abandoned. Returning would spell doom for it. 

Sweat beaded on her forehead while she tried to stay conscious. It was as if a scalpel was slicing the skin off her muscles.  

Hei kang stepped closer to her with the smoking bowl, eyes glued on the snake. The beast core floated and merged into the snake's head above her head. Its eyes dimmed and it slowly lost its intelligence.

'Hold on. It is almost done.'

Bai li yue heard him say softly. The pain lessened. It was a relief. 

Sighing in relief he pushed the form of the dormant soul into the purple beast core and stowed it inside a small black box that smelled faintly of incense. 

'It is done.'

Bai li yue nodded tiredly. It took several minutes before she could finally speak. 

'Thank you.'

It was strange but she was already feeling a difference. Somehow, she felt lighter. She couldn't put what she felt into words.

Appraiser Hei nodded. He'd been sent to Guangyu city to overhaul the Treasure pavilion branch from the inside out. Who knew he would be so lucky! A mutated savage beast core, and a purple horned snake beast core at that, was a rare find. 

He served Bai li yue a cup of soothing tea while the pain died down. Colour returned to her cheeks the more she sipped the tea. The both remained seated until the attendant returned with a thin jade slate engraved with the Treasure pavilion logo. 

'Miss, your payment.'

She received it and focused on the slate. Her name as well as a figure appeared on the card.

'Appraiser Hei, i have a question before i leave. Do i have to worry about this happening again?

If this is what happened whenever she killed a savage monster, then she didn't think she'd be staying any longer any longer.

'There is no need to worry. These kinds of evolved beasts are very rare. You were simply unlucky to run into one. Fortunately, it was still a youngling or you wouldn't be here talking.'

'Then i guess i have to thank you for saving my life.'

'The beast core you gave me is payment enough.'

In her opinion, a beast core was as valuable as her life.

'I'll remember you, Appraiser Hei. If our paths ever cross again, i'll gladly return the favour. I have more business to take care of. I'll leave you to your business.' 

She bade him goodbye and followed the attendant back to the front of the store. She had skins, fangs and horns amany to sell. He bought everything for a tidy sum of two hundred and thirty gold coins. She left the store with a satisfied smile and found an affordable inn and paid the full price for a room for the five months she planned on staying in the city.