Chapter 500: Chapter 438: Earth Element Sky Control Array

"We at the Imperial Boat Pavilion do have a few Spiritual Vessels suitable for transporting goods. Please, follow me."

After hearing Zhao Lin’s request, the attendant led the three of them through a corridor and into a spacious courtyard.

In the middle of the courtyard was an open space where three Spiritual Vessels were parked. They were about the same size as the one the Golden Core Hall used to have, but the materials were clearly much better.

"Sirs, please take a look. This is our featured Spiritual Vessel, produced by the Taiyin Sect from the New Origin Realm."

The attendant pointed to a silver-white Spiritual Vessel on the left and said, "The hull is made entirely of high-grade Sunken Ironwood, and the keel is forged from refined gold. It can travel a thousand li in an hour, and its defensive capabilities are also quite impressive."

Gu Dezhao eyed it covetously for a moment before asking, "This Spiritual Vessel isn’t cheap, is it?"

The attendant smiled slightly. "Not exactly. Five hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Coins!"

Gu Dezhao’s expression changed. This price was far beyond their budget.

Reading his expression, the attendant quickly added, "It’s a bit more expensive than an ordinary Spiritual Vessel, but it’s absolutely worth the price."

Zhao Lin circled the Spiritual Vessel and noticed there were no Array Patterns on the bottom of the hull. He asked, "Can this Spiritual Vessel travel on water?"

A Spiritual Vessel’s flight Array was usually located on the upper half of the hull, while a Water Manipulation Array was typically on the bottom. Since Zhao Lin didn’t see any Array Patterns on the bottom, he had to ask.

The attendant replied, "Not at the moment, but a Water Manipulation Array can be installed."

Zhao Lin was taken aback. "You can install additional Arrays?"

The attendant chuckled. "Of course. When this vessel was built, a space was left on the bottom specifically for this. You just need to place a set of array stones."

Zhao Lin understood. ’It’s just like buying a car in my past life,’ he thought. ’The base price only gets you the stripped-down version. If you want more features, you have to pay extra.’

So he asked, "How much to install the Water Manipulation Array?"

The attendant held up his hand, gesturing. "Fifty thousand Spirit Coins."

Adding fifty thousand would bring the total to six hundred thousand. ’I can just hold off on the Water Manipulation Array for now,’ Zhao Lin thought. ’I’ll install it later when I have the money.’

His main concern was its defensive capability. "How many defensive Arrays does the vessel have, and what are their tiers?"

The attendant answered, "There is one Tier One defensive Array each on the bow, stern, and both sides of the hull."

Zhao Lin frowned slightly. "Only Tier One?"

The attendant laughed. "Actually, a Tier One Array is more than enough. If you’re not satisfied, Sir, we can upgrade them to Tier Two Arrays, but that will be an additional one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Coins."

Zhao Lin sucked in a sharp breath. "The Water Manipulation Array is only fifty thousand, so why does upgrading the defensive Arrays cost one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Coins?"

The attendant wore a matter-of-fact expression. "You may not know this, Sir, but the Taiyin Sect’s defensive Arrays are the best of the best. There are none better on the entire Xuanyuan Continent."

"They also come with a Soul-Blocking Array, allowing the vessel to fly through layers of Evil Qi for three hours. One hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Coins isn’t expensive at all."

’The best of the best defensive Arrays?’

Hearing the attendant praise the Taiyin Sect’s defensive Arrays to the heavens, an idea sparked in Zhao Lin’s mind, and his gaze shifted to the Array Patterns on the bow.

’If these Arrays are so valuable, wouldn’t learning them be a new way to make money?’

The Array Patterns were the core secret of an Array. To prevent others from copying them, the patterns on commercially sold Arrays were covered with ink-silver, leaving only a small portion visible.

Ink-silver could seep into the texture of the Array Patterns and fuse with the Array itself. Currently, there was no known spell or method that could bypass it.

For Zhao Lin, however, the ink-silver was completely useless.

He walked to the bow and placed his hand on the Array Pattern. A light flashed from the Spirit Cultivation Map in his mind, and four words appeared in the eighth grid: Earth Element Sky Control Array!

Beside the words was a "chrysanthemum." A quick count revealed it had nearly two hundred "petals."

In other words, this Array was composed of nearly two hundred Array Patterns!

Seeing Zhao Lin suddenly daze out, the attendant asked, "Sir, are you interested in this Spiritual Vessel?"

Even without the Water Manipulation Array, just upgrading the defensive Arrays would bring the total price to seven hundred thousand Spirit Coins. He couldn’t afford it even if he sold everything he owned.

Zhao Lin shook his head decisively and turned his gaze to the second Spiritual Vessel, which was a lake-blue color.

Seeing this, the attendant smiled. "You have a good eye, Sir! This is our best-selling Spiritual Vessel. It can both fly and travel on water, and it’s equipped with genuine Tier Two defensive Arrays."

"It’s only slightly inferior to the last one in other aspects, but the price is just five hundred thousand Spirit Coins."

Zhao Lin couldn’t help but feel tempted. He had four hundred thousand Spirit Coins on hand. If he gritted his teeth and scraped the rest together, he should be able to afford it. He asked, "Can I take it for a test ride?"

The attendant gestured. "Of course, but a test ride costs ten Spirit Coins. As you must know, Sir, activating the flight Array consumes Spirit Stones."

Zhao Lin readily took out a ten-Yuan Spirit Coin and handed it to the attendant before stepping onto the Spiritual Vessel.

Upon entering the cabin, however, he found that while the Spiritual Vessel looked pristine on the outside, the interior was quite crude. The furnishings were simple, and it was clear they had cut corners on materials wherever possible.

The hull planks were thin, and a light press would even produce a creaking sound.

Zhao Lin couldn’t help but frown.

The Spiritual Vessel had defensive Arrays, but when under attack, the hull itself also had to bear some of the impact. If it wasn’t sturdy enough, it could very well crack apart.

Although he felt a bit uneasy about it, the thought that this Spiritual Vessel was over two hundred thousand Spirit Coins cheaper made it seem barely acceptable. "Is it okay to do a test flight within the market?" he asked.

"Of course, but it’s best not to fly outside our shop’s area."

The attendant reminded him, "Offensive Magic is forbidden in the market, so you won’t be able to activate the vessel’s offensive Arrays."

Zhao Lin nodded. He sent an array command into the control platform, and the Spiritual Vessel lifted lightly into the air.

Comparison truly reveals quality. The handling of this Spiritual Vessel was far superior to the one from his old shop; it was incredibly responsive, reacting to his thoughts as if it were an extension of his own body.

He activated the warning Array, and its detection range reached up to five hundred zhang.

"Brother Tang, you give it a try too."

Zhao Lin stepped aside and let Tang Zhengquan take control of the Spiritual Vessel while he inspected it from all over. He was quite moved to buy it, his only worry being the hull’s inadequate durability.

The attendant noticed Zhao Lin’s hesitation and took the initiative to say, "You can rest assured, Sir. This Spiritual Vessel is from the Earth Dark Sect. Although the materials may look ordinary, they are in fact perfectly adequate. Costs were saved, which is why the vessel is so affordable."

Zhao Lin froze. "This is a Spiritual Vessel from the Earth Dark Sect?"

He immediately dismissed the thought of buying it. It wasn’t that items from the Earth Dark Sect were unusable, but he worried that they might have left some kind of "backdoor" on the Spiritual Vessel.

If he encountered someone from the Earth Dark Sect mid-flight and they suddenly took out an Array Plate and disabled all the Arrays on his vessel, he would be a sitting duck, completely at their mercy.

This sort of thing had happened before. During a war between two sects, one side had used this exact method to instantly disable more than a dozen of the other’s warships, securing a decisive victory in one fell swoop.

"The Earth Dark Sect’s Spiritual Vessels have a stellar reputation. We’ve sold them for years and never had any major issues..."

The attendant, not noticing the change in Zhao Lin’s expression, was still rattling on.

"Brother Tang, that’s enough."

Zhao Lin said, turning to Tang Zhengquan.

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