Tie Dun swallowed his saliva, staring eagerly at the skewers of fish that were roasted to a golden brown and dripping with oil.

Lin Feng smiled. "Buy whatever you want to eat. It's my treat today."

Tie Dun cheered and was the first to rush toward the stall. Zhao Hu followed closely behind, while Wang Wu and Arrow Eye looked around curiously.

A Wang and Scarface Liu protected Su Yurou as she picked through items at a stall selling dried goods.

Shadow Snake remained hidden in the crowd, but Lin Feng knew she was nearby.

Liu Ming led Lin Feng slowly through the fish market, introducing things as they walked.

"Although this fish market isn't large, several surrounding territories come here to stock up."

"Salted fish, in particular, can be preserved for a long time and is the most popular. Just selling fish alone brings a significant amount of income to the territory every year."

Lin Feng nodded, observing the busy vendors and the customers buying fish, silently making calculations in his mind.

The group found a small restaurant overlooking the lake and ordered a few grilled fish, a pot of fish soup, and several side dishes.

Tie Dun ate until his mouth was covered in oil, repeatedly praising the food. Zhao Hu was also full of praise, saying this fish tasted much better than the ones back in Beacon Fire Town.

Su Yurou took a sip of the fish soup and said softly, "This soup is truly fresh."

Liu Ming laughed. "Fish from Qinglin Lake, boiled in the lake's own water, doesn't need any seasoning; it's naturally delicious."

After the meal, everyone sat by the lake to rest. The sunlight spilled onto the lake's surface, making the water shimmer.

Occasionally, a fish would leap out of the water, creating a splash. The gentle breeze brushed their faces, carrying the coolness of the lake and making people feel drowsy.

But Lin Feng did not rest for long.

He stood up and looked toward the north.

"Let's go. We still need to go to Heiyan Town this afternoon."

Everyone stood up one after another, remounted their Great-Horned Deer, and continued heading north.

Behind them, Hupan Village gradually receded, though the shimmering light of Qinglin Lake still flickered before their eyes.

Ahead lay the direction of Tianji Mountain, where Heiyan Town was located.

It was also another important resource point in Qingmu County.

Lin Feng patted the Great-Horned Deer beneath him and picked up the pace.

He was somewhat looking forward to seeing what the town built at the foot of Tianji Mountain would look like.

...

After leaving Hupan Village, the team followed the small path at the foot of Tianji Mountain toward the north.

Both sides of the road were gentle slopes with lush vegetation, where herds of wild deer could occasionally be seen grazing.

After traveling about twenty-seven li, scattered stones began to appear ahead. At first, they were the size of a fist, but they gradually grew larger until they became mountain-like piles of stone materials.

The stone materials were stacked neatly; every piece was cut square and regular, almost identical in size.

Some were blue-gray, others slightly brownish, glinting with a cold luster in the sunlight.

Pile after pile of stone materials stretched out along the foot of the mountain as far as the eye could see, looking like rows of small hills.

"My god..." Tie Dun's mouth hung open, his eyes fixed. "Just how much stone is this?"

Zhao Hu was also stunned. "When I was in Qingshi County, I saw stone piles, but never this many..."

Wang Wu remarked with emotion, "Tianji Mountain is rich in high-quality stone materials. Heiyan Town was built on this industry. These stones are enough to build a whole new city."

Lin Feng didn't speak, just silently watched the piles of stone, calculating in his heart what these resources could be used for.

The team continued forward, and the three li were quickly covered.

Heiyan Town appeared before their eyes.

The town wasn't large, with about two or three hundred households. Most of the houses were stone structures with thick walls and blue-tiled roofs, looking much sturdier than the wooden houses in Hupan Village.

The streets were also paved with stone slabs, flat and clean. Walking on them, one could hear the crisp sound of the Great-Horned Deer's hooves clicking against the stone.

The town was quite lively.

People came °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° and went on the streets. Besides the local residents, there were many outsiders dressed in various styles.

Some were driving pack animals pulling carts loaded with bags of goods;

Others were in groups of three or five, haggling in the shops along the street; still others were carrying tools, walking toward the mines in the north of the town.

Liu Ming pointed to a shop by the street. "Lord, look, that is the Salt Market."

The shop's storefront wasn't large, but many people were going in and out. A sign hung at the door with the words 'Heiyan Salt Market' written on it. The faint sound of haggling could be heard from inside.

Lin Feng dismounted his deer, walked to the entrance of the Salt Market, and glanced inside.

Inside the shop were more than a dozen large wooden barrels filled with snowy white salt. There was coarse salt, fine salt, and even ground refined salt packed neatly into cloth bags.

Several people who looked like merchants were haggling with the shopkeeper, clutching bags of crystals in their arms.

Liu Ming leaned in and whispered, "This Salt Market is one of Heiyan Town's sources of wealth. Within a hundred-li radius, this is the only place with a salt mine."

"Those territories without salt all have to come here to buy it."

He pointed to the people passing by on the street. "Lord, look, those with bags on their pack animals are mostly caravans coming to buy salt."

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the caravans.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped on one particular caravan.

That caravan consisted of about a dozen people driving five or six pack animals, which were laden with bags of salt. Their clothing was similar to that of Great Xia, yet somewhat different.

It was more exquisite and refined, with silver embroidery on the collars and cuffs.

The most eye-catching thing was the flag.

A light blue flag hung from the flagpole, embroidered with a silver crescent moon. Below the moonlight were three elegant Great Xia characters.

"Crescent Moon Territory".

Lin Feng's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Crescent Moon Territory. Jiang Zhaoyue's territory.

The woman known as the "Number One Beauty Lord of Great Xia," the former guild leader of the top-tier Zhenyue City guild "Moonlight," and a First Rank War Maiden.

Back on Blue Star, he had also seen her in live streams.

That silver-blue battle armor, that slender yet vigorous figure, and that cold, stunning face were indeed impressive.

"Mr. Liu." Lin Feng pointed at that caravan. "Where is the Crescent Moon Territory located?"

Liu Ming followed his gaze, was stunned for a moment, and then said:

"Crescent Moon Territory... If you follow Tianji Mountain west from Heiyan Town for thirty li, the mountain range turns to extend northwest, with the main direction being north. Crescent Moon Territory is thirty li further north, close to Tianji Mountain."

He paused and continued, "Crescent Moon Territory has no salt mines. They mainly rely on hunting monsters in Tianji Mountain to maintain the territory's operation, so they need to come here to purchase salt. Their Lord seems to be a quite powerful woman..."

"Jiang Zhaoyue," Lin Feng said.

Liu Ming nodded. "Yes, that's the name. You know her, Lord?"

Lin Feng shook his head. "I've heard of her."

Liu Ming added, "Four hundred li further north from the Crescent Moon Territory is the end of Tianji Mountain."

"There lies Osaka Castle—one of the city-level territories of the Sakura Country."

Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully and didn't ask any more questions.