Business District

The first few shops that Leon had seen all belonged to the Rain Clan. The closer the shop was to the Clan's compound, the deeper the ties it had to the Rain Clan. This meant that as Leon continued to walk away from the Clan he saw the shops shift from those that were owned by the Clan to those that the Clan invested into or those that had connections to the Rain Clan.

Leon could differentiate those shops from the others due to the Clan's insignia that was displayed on the store front. The Clan's reputation as a business clan wasn't just for show as he could see the popularity of those shops as people kept going in and out of them. As he walked further away from the Clan he also started to see shops displaying the insignias of other Clans, with the majority of them belonging to the Bell and Park Clans.

While the shops of those two Clans didn't have as many customers as the ones that belonged to the Rain Clan, they still did better than the stores that weren't affiliated with the three Majors Clans but rather had ties to the smaller Clans. However, every now and then some of the smaller Clans would be able to compete with the three Major Clans in some of their weaker businesses if it lined up with their specialization.

Unfortunately; let alone the smaller Clans, not even the Rain Clan could compete with the Bell Clan's spirit herb supplier stores or the Park Clan's spirit beast related stores. The specialty of these two Clans was on full display, proving that even if the Clans weren't an all-rounder business Clan like the Rain Clan, they can still compete with them. While it may look like the Rain Clan won against the other two if you were to combine the profits from all their businesses, there were still the private deals going on for the two Clans with either the Alchemist Guild or the various restaurants in the city.

So far Leon hadn't entered any of the shops as he had only been looking at the different types of goods the stores sold along with how the stores were divided between the different Clans. He had seen plenty of normal goods being sold including furniture and food, but he had also seen things he wouldn't see much in the modern world.

He had seen quite a few stores that sold weapons and armors, but those stores actually seemed pretty common in this city. Strangely enough the stores seemed to differentiate the weapons and armors between normal and spirit. What surprised him though was that he had also seen stores selling martial and cultivator techniques. He had thought that people would either have to be part of a Clan or join a Sect to get these techniques but it seems like he had been wrong.

Leon had been tempted to browse through the techniques but figured that the Clan probably had its own catalog of techniques. With the strength of the Clan and how much the books had bragged about the Clan's martial heritage, any techniques the Clan had would more than likely be of a higher quality than anything he could find in the public.

What almost got a chuckle from him though was when he saw stores claiming they were selling magical or mystical treasures. It seems that no matter the world you will always see stores like that. While normally a store that sold pills wouldn't have been that strange for Leon, it was however perplexing when the stores kept advertising pills that could either heal injuries on the spot or give a person a boost in strength when caught in a pinch. The most common pill that was being advertised though were those that boasted how they could speed up cultivation or help them break through.

As Leon kept wandering around the Business District it had become apparent that Leon underestimated how much of a local tyrant the original had been along with his notoriety. Everywhere he walked people would avoid him like the plague. If he were to pass by a store he could see the people near the entrance ready to bolt at a moment's notice if he showed any signs of entering. Even the street stall owners would show dread if he showed any interest in their wares.

He was also probably putting people on nerves as he stared at them. He just couldn't help it as he was interested in what they were wearing along with the things they were carrying on their persons. The sight of people carrying weapons was more of the norm rather than an outlier here. Not only that, the weapons they had on them would come in all types as he would see some armed with swords in their sheathes, while others might have axes or spears on their backs.

The clothes could vary from just normal clothes, well normal for this world he would say, while others might be equipped with different types of armor. Every now and then he could also see people draped in fancy looking clothes like his own. What really caught his interest though was that every now and then he could spot a person in full disguise with only their eyes visible, if that as some even wore masks over their faces. Just by looking at them Leon couldn't make out any features he could use to identify them except for their height and body shape. No one was giving them a second glance either. Maybe he could also use such a method if he doesn't want to be inconvenienced by his infamy.

Another common occurrence was that Leon would see different carriages pass by. Based on the reaction of the people and the insignias on the carriages it seemed like they belonged to the different powers within the city. Was it weird that he also isn't riding around in one of his Clan's carriages? Well it's too late now, plus walking on foot truly allowed him to take in the city and its sights. Although, it was quite the experience seeing all the different types of animals that were pulling the carriages.

Leon saw a variety of animals including wolves, lions, bulls, and many others pulling the carriages. Leon had also seen some of the carriages being pulled by horses, so he could eliminate the possibility that this world just didn't have them. While Leon didn't know all the reasons why horses ended up being the main method of transportation in his world during the old times before technology, it seemed like this world hadn't reached that conclusion yet. There was also the possibility that such common sense from his world couldn't be applied to this world and horses may not be the best choice for whatever reason.

Not only did the carriages have a wide variety of such exotic animals pulling them, but even the pets that people kept by their side were just as eye-catching. Maybe this was due to the existence of the Park Clan. It looks like he will have to do more research into these two Clans when he gets back to the Rain Clan's compound after seeing how they had such an influence on the city.

Finally, after walking for a couple hours since leaving the Clan's compound, he had made his way out of the Business District. He was now standing between the Business District and the Entertainment District. The amount of time it took him to reach this point could be considered both long and short. It had only taken him this long due to the need to sit down and rest every now and then due to the poor endurance of his current body, but it could also be considered short because he hadn't explored all of the Business District in its entirety.

The first thing that entered Leon's sight upon his entry into the new district was an assortment of restaurants, taverns, and inns. It seems like the border areas between the districts were also a popular location, especially for businesses where travelers can stay the night. Now that he thought about it he will have to try and find out where the Heavens' Chosen will end up rooming during their stay in the city along with the places they will most likely dine at. As long as he can keep track of them it will create an opportunity for Leon to come up with a plan where he can have an encounter them naturally.

He should probably find out the most well known of places, though it won't be easy to start a conversation with those around him seeing as how they're trying to avoid him as if their life depended on it. For all he knew such a statement might have been true when it came to dealing with the original. Could he just get his silent companion to gather the information he wants? Would he even leave Leon's side in the first place? What if the original frequented such places, wouldn't it be weird for him to ask about them then? It's really annoying that he has to worry that any conversation he has could expose him as a fake.