He chose a low-profile consignor on the shadow side of the market—no loud banners, just clean counters and a quiet, honest bookkeeper. From his ring, he produced a handful of lesser treasures: two Thunder Essence shards, several Heavenroot Moss samples, a cracked Ironhide plate, and a small bottle of Vermilion Fruit juice.
He kept the truly rare items—the Molten Behemoth scales and the Frost-wing feather—hidden.
The bookkeeper, a thin man with sharp eyes, meticulously inspected the wares. "Good harvest, Young Master."
"I expect a fair price," Karma replied simply.
They haggled softly, Karma demonstrating just enough market knowledge to prevent being cheated. He walked out with a pouch of mid-grade spirit stones, a sealed letter of introduction to a reputable pill shop, and—tucked under his arm—a simple, high-quality cloak that subtly blurred his outline when his qi touched it.
He spent the afternoon visiting three apothecaries. He watched what was scarce, what was held behind the counter, and what was whispered about.
In each shop, the same stabilizing herbs sat on a "held for order" shelf: Mindcalm Orchid, Soul-Nurturing Dew, Silvernight Lotus. In one shop, a careful clerk wrapped a sprig of Dream-Spine Rue in silk and slid it into a lockbox.
The shop ledgers bore a familiar sigil: a stylized snow-crane—the Su Clan's mark.
As Karma continued his tour around the markets, he heard Mira's tense voice, "Master,They're sweeping the market. Coordinated buying. The available stock is almost depleted. "
"Seems like we found the reason She didn't recognize me. Her spiritual sea may be badly shaken by the shockwave."
Or gently unmoored. It explains the exhaustion, the drifting focus. They need the key ingredient to anchor it again.
He exhaled slowly. "Then we acquire what they can't, where they won't go."
The Shrine at Eastgate
Later that evening, As dusk pooled between the terraces, melancholic bells tolled from the east. White paper lanterns floated up from a shrine where survivors lit incense for those who hadn't returned. Su Clan pendants glowed weakly in bowls, symbols of the clan's shattered state.
Karma stood beneath a shadowed eave and watched the prayers rise. He didn't step forward.
When he turned to go, two Su Clan retainers, their robes marked with the snow-crane, hurried past. They spoke in urgent, low voices that weren't meant to be heard.
"—soul mist at dawn again. If the episodes prolong—"
"Master's order was clear: Silvernight Lotus is non-negotiable. Without it, the Mindcalm will only flatten waves, not anchor the sea."
"The stock's empty citywide. We checked the mid-terraces."
"Then try the Whisper Net. Pay whatever they ask."
They disappeared into the crowd.
Karma leaned against the post and shut his eyes for a breath, remembering what he knew about it.
Whisper Net—unofficial exchange, rumor, and contraband. I can't interface with it.
"Lucky for me, I don't need to worry about it," he murmured, pushing off the wall. "I know where the Silvernight grows."
You do? It's a rare, yin-aligned spring flower. Its location isn't on the maps Master.
He opened his eyes, his gaze cutting east where the city lights bled into the horizon. "Its not much difficult to guess. Where the lightning veins touch moon-fed springs in Shadowed valleys. The Corridor's rim will have it in its mouth, dragged up from beneath by the Calamity. The same chaos that broke her sea will give us the cure."
Statement flagged as highly poetic and extremely reckless. The Corridor rim is a high-risk calamity zone. At your level, you absolutely must not go there.
Karma smiled without humor. "This is the perfect place to get stronger."
A Room, a Resolve
He took a small room at an inn built into a crescent-shaped terrace overlooking the lower markets. The walls were thick with sound-dampening inscriptions.
He sat cross-legged on the floor and let the city's hum fade behind the rhythm of his breath. The green light in his chest pulsed once, then settled into a smooth, quiet flow.
Inventory check before you proceed with something potentially suicidal.
"List it," he requested.
— Molten Behemoth scales (5 large, 12 small)— Thunder Essence Crystals (12 high-grade, 3 mid)— Heavenroot Moss (3 clumps)— Vermilion Fruit essence (2 vials)— Frost-wing Feather (fragment)— Assorted lesser beast cores (Foundation to early Core)— Maps and guild briefs— Cloak of Softened Gaze (minor concealment)— Stones: 74 mid-grade, 300 low-grade
He nodded. "Enough to move quickly. Not enough to be stupid."
Should I add it as a New objective?
Karma confirmed.
"Acquire Silvernight Lotus," There was a pause, then Mira's tone softened by a hair.
"Sub-objectives: 'Don't die.' 'Don't reveal lotus-heart.' And 'Avoid unnecessary contact with the Whisper Net's representatives.'"
Add one more: 'Bring it back before she forgets my face entirely.'
Karma rose and crossed to the window. Veinspire's tiers drifted like an archipelago of light.
He rested his palm against the glass. "Tomorrow we start at first light. We'll need a route that skirts patrols, avoids demon nests, and hits shadowed water. The Corridor's veins still spit lightning—I can use that."
I'll weave a path. Expect detours. The Wild Expanse is fractal chaos right now.
"Good," he said, turning back toward the center of the room. "Chaos likes me."
He let the city's energy rise and fall with his breath until the pulse of it matched the steady beat of the lotus in his chest. When he finally lay down, sleep came fast and clean.
Outside, Veinspire sang in circuits and bells. Inside, a single resolve settled like a blade back in its sheath: Find the flower. Anchor the sea.
At the edge of hearing, the faintest whisper stirred.
Route ready by dawn, Host. Try not to dream of lightning.
He smiled into the dark. "Only of lotuses then."