As we gaze upon the gates to Iroh, I can't help but wonder why they would bother building walls in the first place. It only takes 1 above-average cultivator to smash it all to bits, no?

Upon getting closer, I realise the entire wall is one massive formation. Not the most efficient one, but the sheer size of it still makes it very powerful. We scanned the area for any additional security measures they used to keep undesirables from entering Iroh, and found some small crystals on the guards. Apparently they can detect if individuals are using artificial boosts to get a higher Qi realm. What we're doing is the opposite, so we were able to pass through easily.

I've never had to gather information about a new world before, so I don't really know where to start. I think taverns are one of the best places to gather information though, so that's where we're headed. Drunk people like to talk after all, and all it takes is a single pint to make a new friend.

The first thing I noticed when walking through Iroh is the difference in the buildings' color scheme. Businesses are no longer strictly red and homes have a wider variety of colors rather than just yellow. The buildings have gotten taller, fancier and also sturdier. It's much more pleasant to walk through Iroh compared to the outer city. I spot a few Nascent Soul cultivators, and also a couple weaker ones. The weaker cultivators are hard to miss, every inch of their skin is covered with expensive materials. They seem like the kind of people who have money as their personality. Most likely they're scions of a rich merchant or powerful cultivator, who are either talentless, or who've decided it's easier to hire strong cultivators rather than to become one.

On our search for a tavern, we come across a cozy little teahouse. It's a circular pagoda-like building, completely made out of wood and it sits in the middle of a small park. There are no walls underneath the roof, but said roof is large enough to cover a terrace for around 30 people. In the middle there's a small, lavishly decorated counter where they store and display their goods. What mainly draws my attention is the type of wood they used to build it all. It's a very dark brown kind, but it with a green hue to it due to the wood Qi leaking out. After a closer inspection, it seems that the Qi isn't leaking out, but rather it's gathering towards the center of the little tearoom.

They must have some kind of gathering array inside, but why?

We take a seat and a servant quickly comes up to us with a small wooden box. When she opens it, I feel stunned by how much Qi was hidden inside.

"We have a rather limited variety in teas, but we can assure you that every single one of them are fit for an emperor to enjoy." She shows off the tea leaves inside, there are only a few leaves inside the box. "These are our prized Golden Horizon leaves, enjoyed by the governor himself. If you'd like something else, I can fetch a wider variety of flavors."

"It looks and smells amazing, but this tea seems much more expensive than I'd initially assumed. I'm afraid we won't have the taels to pay for it." I say regretfully. The tea smells absolutely delicious.

"Taels, HAH, you're hilarious! But well, it wouldn't be the first time a customer pays with something other than money. If you have anything equivalent to 2 spirit stones, we can accept that as payment."

I do have some pills and monster cores, but these were made in the Void Reality. After handing that pill to the stall owner in Kira Village, I think it would be better to not freely hand out items from there. If these pills and monsters are too different from what is present on Turamar, I might be in trouble.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. We've lost a lot of money recently."

Her entire persona changed in a millisecond and her smiled quickly faded "Tch."

Another person came walking towards us. Probably the manager, probably to kick us out.

"I don't think I've seen you two before, and if you came into Iroh without money, you must at least be at the Nascent Soul stage, right? Because if so, the Generous Grass Garden is a merchant's association hiring cultivators all sorts of requests. Our humble teashop is part of this merchant's association, so I might be a little biased, but it's a good opportunity for 2 strong cultivators like yourselves to make some money. What do you say?"

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"We are indeed at the Nascent Soul level, and we are indeed in need of money. What kind of requests are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing too extraordinary. They're usually hunting requests for overgrown ironbulls, or a goblin infestation, something along those lines. You can also gather ingredients such as herbs and the like. Surely this wouldn't be a problem for you, correct?"

"And where would we accept these missions and the rewards after we're done?"

"The Green Square in central Iroh houses the 3G Headquarters. 3G being the Generous Grass Garden of course. Easily recognized by the 3 golden G's on the front of the building. That is where you can select missions and claim your rewards."

"If you don't mind my curiosity, how does 3G decide which missions to hand out?"

He takes a moment to think. "Our trading caravans and partners tell us about any unusual sights on their journeys, and we hire cultivators to eliminate any potential threat. Kirome's governor is also involved, as he will pay 50% of the reward if he deems it as a threat to the city's wealth or wellbeing. We also hand out requests for materials we're in short supply of like herbs, rare metals, monster cores, ..."

"Sounds like a good system, thanks. We'll look into it."

With a smile on his face, he clasps his hands together. "Excellent! You can tell them Yue from Yue's Teahouse sent you."

"We will Yue, thanks. Our names are Henry and Gerard by the way."

"I wish you many fortuitous encounters in your journey, Henry and Gerard." He bowed down slightly towards us. To avoid offending him, we return the gesture.

"Good fortune to you too."

I wonder if mentioning Yue's name would earn him some kind of referral bonus.

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Collect some herbs, kill some beasts, kill a big monster, ... There's a lot to choose from here. And judging by how many missions there are, I think our little family can survive in this place off of mission money alone.

I don't know if it would be smart to be openly connected to each other though. A sudden dozen Nascent Soul cultivators appearing out of nowhere with no background and they all know each other... Maybe we should split up. Actually, is that a powerful force here? A dozen Nascent Soul cultivators? Seeing as it's the bare minimum to enter Iroh, it might not be that bad.

For now, I'll just grab an easy mission, collect the money, and inform the others of what we've learned so far. I saw at least 2 other merchant associations, so we can split up easily. And there's always the option of becoming a blacksmith/alchemy apprentice to earn some money.

We take a mission paper and hand it over to a clerk.

"Hello sir, my name is Henry, this is my companion Gerard, and we'd like to take this mission."

"All right, a wolf extermination request. Let's see here, I don't think i recognize your names. Is this your first mission?" He sounds a little bored, as if he's reading the lines off a script somewhere.

"That is correct, we are new in town and looking to make some money here."

"Welcome to 3G in that case. Now, about your mission. You are aware that you are to bring proof of your kills? Please use the right front paw in case of wolves, it makes it easier for us to check. Also, do you have any experience working with other associations or sects?"

"None in this area, does that matter?"

"Not really, but we're required to run background checks. If you've worked with others, then it becomes easier to confirm who you are."

"Aha, about these background checks... What if we're not from around here? We come from faraway lands."

"From a different kingdom are we? Then you can use the identity token given to outsiders upon entry to Turamar."

"Do you get many visitors from different kingdoms?"

"Eh, they show up every now and again."

"We do come from a different kingdom, but I'm afraid we entered this one by accident. A teleportation technique gone terribly wrong, so we do not have a token. Any idea how we could still get one?"

"I.. I see. That complicates things. I can't hand out rewards if I can't confirm your identity. You should go to the city governor, but he's a busy man and the necessary paperwork will take several days if not weeks to fill out and process."

"Sounds like you have another option in mind?"

"The other option would be to get either the Fire Lily or Flowing Brush sect to vouch for you. If you can get their approval, no one will bother you any further as they are influential sects in this city. The only downside is that they don't support just anyone, so it depends on your usefulness. I'd recommend trying the Flowing Brush sect, as they use outside cultivators more frequently for various tasks."

"I'll try that then, thanks!"

Damn, guess it won't be as easy as I'd hoped. Oh, I shouldn't forget to tip him for helping us... Once we get some money. I'll come back later mister clerk!