Qian Ye was slightly taken aback, but he quickly realized that Song Zining must have learned about what had transpired during his time with the Yin family. Since the Spring Hunt of Tianxuan, his views on certain matters had gradually changed. He shook his head and said, “That’s more like an internal affair of the Yin family. Only Qiqi can resolve it.”
Besides, Gu Liyu usually stayed in the imperial military headquarters. Even if he went out on missions, his movements would certainly be classified as highly confidential unless he deliberately wanted to show up in front of Qian Ye and court death. But Qian Ye had already left the Yin family and was completely disassociated from that chaotic mess.
Song Zining seemed to sense the unspoken thoughts in Qian Ye’s mind. His gaze flickered, and he steered the conversation towards detailed inquiries about how Qian Ye had intercepted Wu Zhengnan’s cargo.
“I stumbled upon the information about this transaction by chance. However, it’s odd; such a significant transaction lacked any proper defenses. The escort provided by the dark races was barely more than a patrol team, which is why I was able to get my hands on it.”
Song Zining smiled, “If they suddenly increased the escort, wouldn’t that be a clear signal that the transaction was valuable? You mentioned that the recipients were werewolves and arachnids. With so many high-quality seeds, the blood race wouldn’t stay indifferent. So, once the details of the transaction leaked, no matter how many escorts there were, it wouldn’t help; they wouldn’t even be able to leave the blood race’s territory. Wasn’t there also some cargo meant for Marquis Ross? That gentleman isn’t one to refrain from taking advantage of such situations.”
Qian Ye understood and said, “I’ve rescued these people, but I don’t know how to properly accommodate them. Staying here isn’t a long-term solution.”
“High-quality seeds, and you’re still worried about how to place them!” Song Zining’s eyes crinkled with laughter. Seeing that Qian Ye was still a bit confused, he pondered for a moment and said, “Let them stay here for now. After the Wu Zhengnan matter is resolved, I’ll send a few people over to help you.”
As he spoke, Song Zining winked mischievously, “I had prepared some gifts for you, but after seeing these people, I think a different gift would be more appropriate. I’ll bring it next time.”
Seeing his friend’s expression, Qian Ye had a bad feeling about the so-called “gifts.” “But, Zining, why did you suddenly come here?”
“Isn’t it because of your situation? I’ve pretty much figured out the origin and distribution channels of the Black Crystal. This trip is to confirm it.”
Feeling a bit guilty, Qian Ye said, “Don’t let me delay your important business.”
Song Zining smiled warmly, “This is my important business.”
That night, the two friends slept side by side, reminiscing about their past in the Yellow Springs. Qian Ye was surprised to discover that so many interesting things had happened during those hellish training days.
Memory is a strange thing; sometimes it washes away all the hardships, leaving only warmth, while at other times it erases the joy, leaving only pale and ugly memories.
Song Zining stayed in the town for two days. When Wei Po Tian’s messenger brought a reply to Qian Ye, confirming the arrival time, he saw that Qian Ye’s affairs were nearly settled. He did not linger and left with his large entourage.
In the following days, Qian Ye began to sort and accommodate the former seedlings. Not all of them were without places to go, but almost no one wanted to leave, all expressing their desire to follow Qian Ye.
However, Qian Ye soon discovered that managing people, especially several hundred of them, was extremely troublesome.
One morning, Wei Cheng came to the town to see Qian Ye, placing a list respectfully on the table. Qian Ye examined it carefully, noting the numerous detailed items, all very trivial, including food, clothing, tools, weapons, and expenses for repairing houses and roads.
These detailed lists meant one thing: money.
Wei Cheng did not ask for money, but by presenting the detailed list, he made it clear to Qian Ye how much had been spent on these people. Without considering other expenses, the daily cost for basic necessities alone was ten gold coins. If there were additional needs, such as physical training or ammunition, the costs would increase several or even dozens of times.
Qian Ye put down the list and asked, “What is the authority of the Crown Prince to allocate resources?”
“The amount of resources the Crown Prince can mobilize varies in different regions. Here, we are in the lowest, seventh-level area, with a supply limit of five hundred gold coins. In a county town, it’s one thousand gold coins. In a higher-level continent like Qin Lu, the limit is five thousand gold coins at once.”
Wei Cheng’s attitude remained respectful, but Qian Ye knew that once the set limit was reached, this shrewd manager would not budge an inch. So far, Qian Ye had spent over three hundred gold coins on the seedlings, most of it on necessary weapons and equipment, and tools.
Qian Ye had obtained a lot of minerals and tools from Wu Zhengnan’s transaction point, and the dozens of heavy trucks were also a fortune. He thought for a moment and then took Wei Cheng to a room used as a warehouse, where several sealed crates were stacked, intended for delivery to the dark races along with the seedlings.
Qian Ye pulled open a nailed-down crate, revealing fist-sized, crimson-red ore.
Seeing the ore inside the crate, Wei Cheng was startled. He took a mirror from his pocket and carefully examined the ore. The red raw stone had beautiful cloud patterns and embedded tiny crystals.
Wei Cheng let out a long breath and said, “Yes, it’s the raw ore of Crimson Crystal Iron, and of good quality. A crate of ore is worth at least one hundred gold coins. But this Crimson Crystal Iron is used to make original force arrays. How did you manage to collect so much?”
Qian Ye didn’t answer.
Wei Cheng slapped his forehead, “Oh, I’m so foolish, I shouldn’t pry into your business! Please don’t take it to heart!”
“One hundred and fifty gold coins per crate, will you take it?”
Wei Cheng nodded eagerly, “Of course! I’ll take as much as you have!”
Qian Ye nodded, “There are twenty crates in total.”
Wei Cheng’s face flushed with excitement, “Since you’re so generous, I, Wei Cheng, am not ungrateful. To be honest, your price is indeed low. So, for such a large quantity, I’ll take the liberty of valuing it at three thousand three hundred gold coins! What do you think?”
“Agreed,” Qian Ye simply nodded, “But don’t give me all the gold coins. Convert the rest into weapons, medicine, and food.”
“No problem! I’ll have it arranged right away. You’ll have the list by afternoon, and I guarantee that all the goods, except for the rare ones, will be ready within a week. With the insignia of the Warden, all the items will be discounted by ten percent.”
After finalizing the deal with Wei Cheng, Qian Ye felt relieved. He knew that Crimson Crystal Iron was the main material for inscribing original force arrays, suitable for original force guns below level three and melee weapons below level two. A crate of raw ore could produce enough Crimson Crystal Iron for ten original force guns. In other words, Wu Zhengnan had sold materials equivalent to two hundred original force guns to the dark races.
Qian Ye’s price for the Crimson Crystal Iron was indeed a bit low. If transported to Qin Lu, these ores could fetch at least two hundred gold coins, and selling to the dark races would net close to three hundred. But with such a large quantity, and being hot goods stolen from Wu Zhengnan, it wasn’t easy to dispose of them.
Only the Far East Heavy Industry, backed by the Wei family, would dare to boldly swallow such a dubious cargo, and that was only because Qian Ye held the Crown Prince’s token.
After securing such a significant benefit, Wei Cheng’s attitude towards Qian Ye became almost overly enthusiastic over the next few days, visiting the town daily to inquire about his well-being. Qian Ye found this useful, as managing the daily needs of over seven hundred people was extremely complex. However, the details contained a lot of learning, and Qian Ye picked up many things from Wei Cheng during these days.
While Qian Ye was battling with countless trivial matters, Song Zining had disguised himself as a common young man, accompanied by two attendants, and arrived at the mountainous region of the Shanyin County deep in the Nightless Continent.
Shanyin County hosted an entire army of thirty thousand expeditionary forces. This was not a border region under human control, and such a large garrison was unnecessary. The reason for the excessive troop presence was that this was the well-known Black Crystal production area of the Nightless Continent.
Song Zining was strolling leisurely down a small street in the county town. The street was narrow and already quite dim, with the night about to engulf it in half an hour. The county town was bustling, but this particular street was eerily quiet.
At the end of the street, ahead of Song Zining, stood the entrance to a large mansion. In the depths of the street, a few idle men were gathered, lazily chatting.
The sound of Song Zining’s footsteps echoed through the silent street, catching the attention of the idle men. They straightened up, looking at the slowly approaching Song Zining with cold, bloodthirsty gazes.
Song Zining acted as if he hadn’t seen them and continued walking towards the mansion. The idle men exchanged glances and approached, rudely saying, “You’re in the wrong place. If you want to wander around, go somewhere else!”
“There’s no mistake. I’m here to see Chen Guangyu,” Song Zining smiled.
The idle men looked at him suspiciously, eyeing him up and down. One of them hesitantly asked, “Looking for Master Chen? But we’ve never seen you before.”
Song Zining smiled and glanced at them, “If that’s the case, Chen Guangyu should be here. Oh, is it autumn already?”
“What autumn?”
Song Zining’s last remark left the idle men puzzled. The Nightless Continent only had light and dark seasons, not the elaborate distinctions of the upper continent. One of them suddenly felt a strange sensation and looked up, seeing countless leaves gently falling from the sky!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage