Chapter 23 - Explorer Union

The building housing the Explorer Union was set up with a few rows for people to sell of the materials, spirit herbs and other things that they found in the Burning Mountain Range. The rest of the building was mostly just fitted like a normal tavern where people could eat, drink and relax after a day out exploring.

Xuan Hao curiously took in the sight of the Explorer Union and all the unique individuals present. The most fascinating thing about the people inside was the small badge most of them had at the side of their chest.

The badge itself was the symbol of two pickaxes crossing each other and was the Explorer Union's symbol. The badge itself represented that the people bearing it were members of the Explorer Union.

The Explorer Union itself had several forms of members and the ones with the badge on them were the simplest form of member, the explorer.

The explorer rank did not really have any strings attached to it and mostly just came with the benefit of being able to buy and sell materials from the Explorer Union.

Higher ranks in the Explorer Union came with certain benefits, but also gave the member a certain number of responsibilities that they needed to fulfil, like joining certain exploration missions or help defend some areas for the Union.

All in all, most people just got the explorer rank and didn't bother anymore with it.

Back to the badge itself, if Xuan Hao was not wrong, the badge was crafted by a blacksmith and was an artifact reaching at least the Earth Grade!

Artifacts, much like the herbs, used the same ranking system. Going from the Mortal, Earth, Spirit and Soul Rank. Each representing the Qi Condensation Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, Core Formation Realm and finally the Nascent Soul Realm.

The sword that Xuan Hao himself used was an artifact at the Soul Rank and was around the lower end of soul rank artifacts.

Even then, an artifact at the Soul Rank was extremely rare in the Heavenly Sky Kingdom and only the four big sects and the royal family of the Heavenly Sky Kingdom had any.

The reason for the this was simple, a blacksmith who could make such high-grade artifacts was extremely rare and for one to be able to craft a Soul Rank Artifact, the blacksmith would need to at least be an Artisan Blacksmith.

The best blacksmith in the Heavenly Sky Kingdom at the moment was an Expert Blacksmith, who was able to craft Spirit Rank Artifacts.

Other than this, most of the blacksmiths were only around the apprentice and journeyman level.

For the Explorer Union to be able to freely give out artifacts at the Earth Rank for free easily spoke of how strong they were…

Xuan Hao walked towards the information desk right besides the tavern part of the Explorer Union and waited for his turn. Luckily the line was not that long and he wouldn't have to wait for too long, so while he waited, Xuan Hao decided to listen in on the conversations in the building and see if something happened lately.

"Hey, have you heard about people disappearing around the Fire Rock Mountain recently?" A man sitting on a table suddenly asked a friend sitting beside him.

"What? No, I haven't. Did anything perhaps happen?" The friend looked back shocked as he quickly questioned.

"Yes, yes! Lately a lot of people started disappearing around the Fire Rock Mountain, it has even caused the Explorer Union to take action and they are preparing to send over a few people to find out what is happening."

"Really!? Doesn't that mean we can earn a lot if we join the investigation team? The Explorer Union always pays handsomely…"

"Pfft, dream on. The minimum cultivation needed is the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, I even heard a few Core Formation cultivators would end up joining as well!"

"Hah… What a bummer…"

"Indeed… most of those investigation missions turn up blank anyways…"

Listing to a duo siting at a table drinking together as they talked together, Xuan Hao grew interested in the Fire Rock Mountain mentioned in their conversation.

Not because of the disappearances, as that was quite common in the Burning Mountain Range and from what Xuan Hao knew, it was most likely just a demon beast at the Core Formation Realm having moved its nest to the Fire Rock Mountain.

The reason why he grew interested in the Fire Rock Mountain was that the Infernal Heart Grass had appeared there in the past and with a supposedly Core Formation Realm demon beast suddenly moving into the Fire Rock Mountain all of a sudden, Xuan Hao guessed that it was because it had sensed the Infernal Heart Grass or another spirit herb.

"I should join the investigation team and see if I could get my hands on the Infernal Heart Grass."

With that in mind, it was finally Xuan Hao's turn at the information desk and he quickly asked about the Infernal heart Grass, to which he got the possible location of a few Infernal Heart Grass. The only bad point was that all of them were in the territory of Nascent Soul demon beasts.

Rather than potentially putting his life on the line to fight the Nascent Soul demon beasts for the Infernal heart Grass, Xuan Hao decided that it was better to go with his plan of joining the investigation team of the Explorer Union and see if there was any Infernal heart Grass at the Fire Rock Mountain first.

The process of joining the investigation team was relatively simple and all he needed to do was sign up to become a member of the Explorer Union and after getting a badge, he showed a cultivation of around the beginning stages of the Core Formation Realm and quickly managed to join the investigation team.

From what he was told by the staff, the investigation team would head out by tomorrow morning, so for now Xuan Hao decided to just find a place to stay for the night and cultivate in peace until morning.

The sun was slowly going down in the distance as Xuan Hao made his way out of the Explorer Union and soon disappeared into the crowd of people in the street of the city.

All he could do now was wait for next day. Heading out to the Fire Rock Mountain by himself? He had no clue where the so-called disappearances happened and having a guide would save quite a good amount of time.

Compared to scanning the entire mountain with his divine sense and accidently offending some random hidden expert, who just happened to be in closed cultivation there…