Bai Rouyun was not in a hurry to enter the city. She did not know what treasures were most suitable to use as payment for entry, but after deliberating over her options, she took out some herbs that had been growing in the first layer of the paG.o.da.
Although these herbs were not considered priceless, they were still useful. Due to the benefits of the first floor, their growth had also been increased many times over, so the herbs would also be well received here on the Wushi Continent.
As for Xiao Bao's suggestion of using the rare gems, she was not willing to do so, as it might not solve their problem but could bring them danger instead.
Bai Rouyun had chosen a different variety of herbs and found enough so that she could hand over one stalk for each of the children and herself. Even if Xiao Mao and Xiao Hua would not be considered equals to the other children, Bai Rouyun did not differentiate between them. Since the city had requested that everyone entering pay an entrance fee, she naturally had to ensure that all of them were entering legally.
As she made sure that the herbs she had picked were all of decent quality and should be enough to ensure their entrance but not bring much attention to themselves, she straightened her back.
"We are all new to the Wushi Continent. Although some cultivators here are arrogant, every person is different and many are intelligent. This place is also a ruthless world, and we need to not show any weakness when advancing.
"This is why I already informed Young Master Zhao of our ascent from the lower realms. Those who are intelligent will have already guessed this fact, and if we try to hide it, it will only be used against us at some point.
"Instead of waiting for disaster to strike, it is much better to be proactive. Now we might even be able to use this as an explanation for why we do not have the currency they use, and thus be able to enter with the herbs instead."
Bai Rouyun knew that to stay alive, she had to consider every option they had at their disposal. She was also clearly aware that their current backing in the Wushi Continent were Li Moyun, Xiao Long, and Yun Mingshen, but all three were far away from them now, and they could not depend on the three to save them if they encountered any problems here.
They had to depend on themselves for now.
"Halt!"
As they arrived at the gates, the guards stopped them as expected. The guard in front of them seemed to have served at the city gates for a long time, and his expression was very casual and calm.
He was a middle-aged man, but his cultivation had only reached the seventh rank of the Core Construction. For cultivators at the Wushi Continent, this strength alone was not enough to become anything outstanding, and he could only be a gatekeeper for life.
Even so, he did not seem bitter or unhappy as he allowed the various guests to enter the city. He seemed mature and stable, so although his cultivation base was on the lower end, Bai Rouyun still felt great respect for him. For many, facing life was much more difficult if the talent they possessed was lacking, as they would constantly be reminded of their failure in a world like this.
"Sir, we are new to the Wushi Continent and when we ascended we arrived at the Forgotten Forest. We are still uncertain about many things, but I realized that to enter the city a entrance fee is needed.
"We do not know about the riches used on this continent, and we have not managed to find any treasures yet, but we did find a few herbs within the Forgotten Forest. I was wondering if these can be used to pay for our entry fee instead?"
The guard was quite surprised as he noticed how calm the woman's voice was when mentioning her heritage. He was born and raised on the Wushi Continent in the Forgotten City, where they were now, but due to his low talent for cultivation, he had never looked down on those who came from the realms below.
Even so, he had noticed that many seemed to suffer from low self-esteem and would often get aggressive when their background was mentioned, as if it was a stain on their ident.i.ty that they could never wash off.
Meeting someone who easily accepted her background as a part of herself without complaining made him appreciate her deeply.
"Let me see the herbs." He did not pick up the herbs, but looked at them as Bai Rouyun spread them out in front of him. The herbs were of good quality and a very impressive age. Although their various types were rather common, these were still among the best you could get, so their value was naturally better than the most.
"To enter, one has to pay spirit coins, but since you do not have any, why don't I take your Purple Jade Dandelion and the Strangling Spirit Rose? I can pay your entrance fee in return."
The guard was aware that these herbs could pay their entrance more than twice, so he did not accept them all but merely wanted enough to cover his expenditure and the time he would need to exchange the herbs for money. To him, there was no need to earn anything extra, as he merely wished to help, but Bai Rouyun was truly relieved, and gave him a Flame Core Tulip as an extra gift of grat.i.tude.