In these past three months, Duncan had toured around Starmist City a lot. He had even occasionally stepped foot into several high-class restaurants in the city to taste their wine.
But, he had never once stepped foot into the wealthy quarter of the city. There was a high wall that separated the wealthy quarter from the other parts of the city. So, Duncan had only seen finely dressed men step out of the wealthy quarter to conduct business.
Every time he neared the gate that led into the wealth quarter, he had been turned around by the guards present there. Without proper reason and identification documents, he had never been allowed to step foot in here.
Forget stepping foot inside, all Duncan had ever seen was a huge wall that obstructed his vision. This was the first time he had been let inside the wealthy quarter and the vision he was greeted with surely stunned him.
The streets were so clean that Duncan felt as if he was hallucinating. It was paved in stone and far wider than the streets present in the rest of the city. Despite looking around a lot, he couldn't see garbage littering the street. One has to know that seeing garbage was a common sight whether in the villages, towns, or the rest of the city.
Meanwhile, in perfect combination with the cleanliness, there was an abundance of opulence on display. Just looking around, Duncan could already deduce that items that were put on display in the shops at the side were something he could never afford even if he worked as a mercenary for years.
Duncan usually didn't care much about jewelry or weapons that most other people cared about. His mind was always on wine. But, it didn't mean that he was ignorant of the various top-rated items present in the world.
From musical instruments to weaponry, everything Duncan could imagine was on display as if they were commonplace items here in the wealthy quarter. From usual practice, Duncan knew that only a few items that were on display were valuable. The true treasures will always be kept inside by the storeowners to both overawe customers and also to protect them.
To see items that he had until now thought of to be treasures placed so carelessly on the shelves of shops lining the street, the mental impact Duncan had was something that couldn't be described.
"Stop gawking and get moving," the guard who had let him in growled causing Duncan to break out of his stupor. "There is a reason you lot aren't allowed in here. Go straight to the Wang clan compound. If I find you loitering anywhere else, I will throw you straight into jail."
Duncan scowled at the guard causing him to sneer back at him.
"Get going dog, don't waste our time," another guard shooed him as if he was an inconvenience.
Gritting his teeth, Duncan shot a fierce look at the duo before walking toward the Wang clan compound as per his given instructions. He heard the guards snickering behind him at his expense, but endured it and walked on.
His initial mood of surprise and bewilderment had turned sour by now. After living in the city for three whole months, Duncan felt the disdain for the poor for the first time in his life.
Until now, whether it be his life in his town or his stay in the Starmist City, both have been amongst his peers. Even the wealthy in his eyes were not that much loaded with money as an average person.
But, just stepping into the wealthy quarter, Duncan realized the divide for the first time. What was a peerless treasure in his eyes was just common stuff here. What he thought of opulence and wealth might just well be spending money an average person possessed here.
In that case, Duncan didn't even dare to venture a guess on how filthy rich the truly wealthy people were. Even if he wanted to, Duncan was sure that his wildest imagination would only be short of the real wealth these people possessed.
As Duncan made his way toward the Wang clan compound, his mind received shock after shock as he took in the riches that were lying around in the street. He saw a musical instrument that would have sustained him to drink for an entire decade placed carelessly on a stool by a storefront.
Even the dress that was worn by the servants tending to the shop looked countless times better than the best dress he had on him. Walking amidst these people, Duncan felt as if he was a beggar walking in the streets.
It was very uncomfortable for him.
So, he stopped looking around and made haste towards the Wang clan compound. After several minutes, following the instructions laid out by the receptionist, he found his way to the gate leading into the Wang clan compound.
Being a cultivation clan, Duncan knew that the Wang clan enjoyed a unique status in the city. It is said on the streets that the Wang clan was even more influential than several other cultivation clans present in the Starmist City.
It was rumored that the patriarch of the Wang clan was an existence even the City Lord has to pay heed to. He was said to be at the pinnacle of the Spirit Sea realm. When Duncan initially learned about the cultivators present in the Starmist City, the Wang clan's patriarch was mentioned to be one of the top experts in the city.
So, naturally, the compound of the Wang clan looked more imposing than the other places present in the city. Even the guards present near the gate had the aura of cultivators causing Duncan's mind to be filled with trepidation.
Having lived in the city for three months, Duncan had heard a lot of rumors regarding the overbearingness of cultivators. Combined with the advice from Granny Jiao and Tang De, it only reinforced the belief of not getting in the way of cultivators.
Still, Duncan was unable to quench his thirst for learning more about cultivation. It was as if an evil fire had been lit inside of him that wouldn't just die down without knowing more about cultivation and stepping foot on that path.
While Duncan was confident with his body strength, it was only when it came to facing ordinary mortals like him. His experience in the wild had honed his instincts a lot and they were blaring right now, warning him to tread carefully.
"What do you want?" the guard scowled at Duncan with disgust evident in his eyes as he looked at him up and down. "This isn't a place you can be around. Beat it, or else, I will let you know why the sky is blue."
"Forgive me, I am part of the Mercenary Association. I came here due to a job posted by the Wang clan," Duncan said meekly as he handed over the documents from MA to the guard.
"Why would we need the help of weaklings like you?" the guard sneered and grabbed the documents straight out of Duncan's hands with no regard.
Duncan felt stifled but endured as he knew that mouthing off now would not end well.
"Hmmm, it really looks like you are telling the truth," the guard hummed in disbelief.
Duncan didn't know why such a thing caused this much suspicion from the guard. But, he merely nodded in reply.
"Oh, it's the request of the Young Master," the guard's face stiffened as he read further. By the time he finished reading, his face looked ashen.
"Why didn't you say that before, you imbecile?" the guard roared in anger. "And it takes this long for your Mercenary Association to fulfill this simple job. You guys are sure bold."
Duncan could only smile stiffly at that. He was sure that without the document, the guard would have bashed him into a pulp if he had used the Young Master's name earlier. But, he couldn't say it outright either. So, he merely endured it.
"Come with me," the guard ordered, "when you meet the Young Master be sure to be humble. And don't speak nonsense if you know what's good for you."
Duncan nodded in agreement as he had no thoughts about reporting the guard's behavior. He knew that it would only invite trouble.
The guard guided Duncan to a relatively peaceful courtyard that was located in the interior of the compound. Along the way, Duncan was subjected to looks of disgust and ridicule. While their expressed their doubts about his qualification to be here, they held it in as they saw the guard guiding him with an urgent expression on his face.
"You, inform the Young Master that the person he requested from the Mercenary Association is here," the guard yelled at a servant when they reached the courtyard.
The servant looked dubious for a moment, but decided to be smart at the moment and ran off to inform the Young Master.
Duncan watched the servant run off with a placid expression on his face. He had calmed down by now. While initially he was agitated with the looks he received as he made his way here, he knew that none of it mattered to him at this moment.
Even though he was a little apprehensive about sparring with a kid, he knew that he can't use common sense to deal with cultivators. Keeping the warning of the receptionist in mind, he decided to face it in his best state. So, he calmed down and began to concentrate more on the present than dwell on the looks.
"Hmmph, what good is the Mercenary Association if they take four months to fulfill such a simple request? Let that person in, I will see him now," a young but arrogant voice sounded out from the courtyard.
Duncan frowned at the apparent disrespect towards the MA in the child's tone. But, he also made note that the job had not been taken by anyone else despite the huge reward. This made him more cautious as he began to wonder if he had made a mistake.
While he understood the child's displeasure, he can't help but think that the child sounded way more spoiled than the rich children he came across earlier. So, he decided to be more cautious as tangling with such idiots usually caused more trouble than necessary.
"Come," the servant ordered brusquely before turning around and leading Duncan in.
The guard followed him as if to make sure he didn't run away. Duncan vaguely felt as if he was being herded like a prisoner. It did displease him, but he endured and made his way into the courtyard.
