Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3030: Shops

While his true body remained seated inside the tavern, Emery’s divine sense extended far beyond its walls, linking seamlessly with all three shadow clones at once.

The first clone stood near the edge of the city’s central square, allowing the endless tide of people to flow naturally around him. Half-bloods and hybrids dominated the streets, while ordinary humans were noticeably fewer.

By sheer population, Draconic Prime could not rival Golden City.

Yet the atmosphere felt denser.

Golden City welcomed anyone through its gates, from ordinary civilians to Supreme cultivators. Draconic Prime, by contrast, admitted only those who had reached the Magus Realm or beyond. Every person walking these streets possessed real cultivation, and that single restriction gave the bustling city an entirely different presence. The pressure of so many powerful auras gathering in one place made the crowds feel far larger than the actual numbers suggested.

Combined with the information VIA had compiled and the details the Ouroboros Queen had shared before his departure, the city’s history gradually became clear.

It had not always looked like this.

For most of its existence, Draconic Prime had remained an isolated sanctuary of the dragon clans, a sacred place visited by outsiders rather than inhabited by them.

Everything changed with the establishment of the Supreme Gene Center.

Within barely a decade, all twelve half-blood races had established branch offices throughout the city. Merchants naturally followed the opportunities those offices created, and where merchants settled, communities quickly formed around them.

At the same time, the growing instability throughout the Magus Alliance pushed the half-blood factions toward greater cooperation. Old relationships that had nearly faded into history were rekindled here, as the once-fractured Half-Blood Alliance slowly regained the unity it had lost over the centuries.

Ironically, the movement bore a remarkable resemblance to the vision Supreme Alduin had pursued when he founded the Zodiac Faction—a future where the twelve bloodlines stood together through shared purpose rather than divided by ancestry.

The difference was political.

Alduin himself did not belong to any of the three ruling dragon clans. As a result, despite sharing many of the same ideals, the Half-Blood Alliance and the Zodiac Faction had continued to develop along separate paths.

There were undoubtedly layers of politics and old grievances beneath that divide.

It was a subject Emery quietly resolved to ask Zach—or perhaps the Supreme Alduin himself—the next time they meet.

The second clone wandered through the commercial district at a leisurely pace, pausing before one shop after another to genuinely inspect the merchandise.

The prices were undeniably steep, but so was the quality. Mid-grade and high-grade artifacts were displayed openly, the sort of treasures most cities would have locked behind reinforced vaults. Prepared spells, already stabilized and ready to bond with a new owner, rested beside refined cultivation materials.

What truly distinguished the district, however, was its extraordinary selection of equipment designed specifically for half-blood cultivators. Weapons crafted to resonate with particular bloodlines, cultivation resources impossible for ordinary humans to use, and specialized artifacts tailored to unique racial physiques filled nearly every storefront.

A decade ago, Emery would have found himself sorely tempted.

Now, things were different.

After reaching the Grand Magus Realm and gaining access to the exclusive Cosmic Palace, his standards had quietly risen. The Palace’s markets gathered treasures from countless worlds, offering Grand Magus-grade artifacts far rarer and of much higher quality than anything displayed here. Compared to those collections, even the renowned markets of Draconic Prime felt merely impressive rather than extraordinary.

Even so, there were still materials unique to the Dragon Holyland that could prove useful—or perhaps even surprise him.

Satisfied, Emery allowed the second clone to continue wandering on its own and shifted his attention to the third.

The one pursuing his true objective.

Three Gene Serum Halls operated throughout Draconic Prime, jointly managed by researchers from several of the major half-blood factions. Although all three offered the same fundamental services, each had developed its own specialties over the years.

The hall Emery had chosen was the most prestigious.

Its towering marble facade dominated the avenue, supported by massive columns carved with intertwined dragons. A constant stream of visitors flowed through its entrance, and long queues of half-blood cultivators from every race stretched well beyond the front courtyard.

The clone quietly joined the line.

Inside, the building resembled a grand medical institute far more than a marketplace. Consultation chambers lined both sides of the spacious hall, each separated by elegant curtains that provided privacy while researchers and attendants moved continuously between rooms carrying blood samples, crystal vials, and gene records instead of merchandise.

When the clone finally reached the reception counter, the attendant explained the available services.

The first was the sale of gene serums.

The catalog ranged from common universal enhancers usable by any half-blood, to serums tailored for each of the twelve major bloodlines, and finally fully personalized treatments designed for a specific individual.

Those custom serums followed a detailed process. A customer’s bloodline would first be analyzed, cataloged, and evaluated before researchers formulated the most suitable enhancement. Depending on the complexity of the bloodline, the process could take anywhere from a few hours to several days.

The prices reflected that complexity as well.

Common serums for lower-realm cultivators cost only a few hundred spirit stones, while high-grade formulas intended for Grand Magus bloodlines—especially legendary or mythical lineages—could easily reach tens of millions.

The clone quietly browsed through the descriptions, his expression growing slightly disappointed.

The serums on display were already superior to those found in most cities.

These refined commercial versions incorporated many of the latest improvements and were considered premium products throughout the realm. Even so, they were still short behind what the Utopia Gene Center was capable of producing.

What was sold here represented the best available to the public, but not the true pinnacle of half-blood gene research.

That wasn’t surprising. Emery already knew the latest generations of gene serums were never sold openly. They were reserved exclusively for the upper echelons of the Half-Blood Alliance, accessible only through special authorization.

Perhaps noticing his disappointment, the attendant leaned closer and lowered his voice.

”The products you’re looking for...” he whispered, ”are only available directly in the Supreme Gene Center. You’ll need a special permit to enter. If you’re eligible, I’d recommend speaking with one of the major faction branches representative”

The clone nodded politely before leaving the counter.

Next door was the service that interested Emery even more.

Clone Vessels.

Throughout the Magus Universe, clone-body services were usually operated by independent organizations. Here, however, the service was integrated into the gene halls themselves. For half-bloods, bloodline compatibility and genetic engineering were inseparable, making it far more practical to keep both services under the same roof.

A researcher guided the shadow clone into a spacious exhibition hall where several sample vessels rested inside transparent crystal chambers.

Only two models were openly available.

The first was labeled simply Blank Shell.

A completely empty body grown from cultured tissue. It carried no inherited talents, and no hidden flaws. Cheap and highly compatible, it was little more than a fresh vessel. Whatever strength it eventually attained depended entirely on its future owner.

The second was an Augmented Vessel.

Unlike the Blank Shell, this body had been accelerated through extensive gene enhancement, spirit nourishment, and specialized cultivation resources before reaching maturity. Buyers could even customize its physique to some extent, allowing the laboratory to optimize it for different bloodlines or combat styles.

Unfortunately, the strongest model openly displayed had only been cultivated to the Magus Realm.

Far below what Emery required.

The clone looked toward the researcher.

”What about Grand Magus-grade vessels?”