Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan quickly understood. Reproduction was not a problem for the human race, but it was a significant issue for the dark races. The stronger their bloodline, the more difficult it was to produce offspring. Even at the level of princes and dukes, they couldn’t ensure that all their descendants would inherit powerful bloodlines. In reality, it was common for the next generation’s bloodlines to be far weaker than their ancestors. This led to the dark races being preoccupied with the problem of progeny.
Among the four major dark races, the Demonkin were notoriously difficult to reproduce. Once this wine was revealed, it was easy to imagine how crazed the Demonkin elites would become.
However, Qian Ye had other concerns. “If we sell this wine to the Demonkin, wouldn’t that drastically increase their number of strong warriors? Wouldn’t that be disadvantageous for the Empire?”
Ji Tianqing replied, “You have no idea how mad those Demonkin families are about having heirs. By selling this wine to them, we can set any price we want. We can ask for whatever we desire. Even if we only demand mithril, it would still deplete their strategic resources. Reproducing isn’t something that happens in a year or two. For the Evernight species, it could take decades or even centuries for their progeny to grow up. We gain an immediate advantage.”
That made sense, though from a long-term perspective, it might be like nurturing a future threat.
Ji Tianqing, knowing Qian Ye’s thoughts, said, “What’s there to fear? If the Demonkin produce more, we just need to kill a few more. What, do you lack confidence in yourself or in us?”
But Qian Ye was thinking back to the night in the Unfallen City, when he faced the succubus in a long-range duel. To this day, he still remembered the instinctive shudder of fear, a primal fear of destruction. At that moment, all his fear was suppressed, and Qian Ye went forward without hesitation.
He hadn’t anticipated the many events that would follow, and his life path changed dramatically from that moment.
The Demonkin, an ancient race, must have accumulated countless secrets over millennia. The only thing limiting them was their low reproductive rate. But the key to unlocking this constraint was hidden deep within the Great Vortex. What if this key fell into the hands of the Demonkin?
“No, we cannot sell it to the Demonkin!” Qian Ye declared firmly.
“Then the Bloodkin, perhaps. The Spider Demons and Lycans are quite fertile, but they won’t pay a high price,” Ji Tianqing continued her calculations.
“Selling to any race increases the likelihood of their strong warriors having heirs.”
“But how many of those heirs will match their ancestors? If you really care about the Empire, come back. As long as you’re here, even if every duke on the other side has an extra heir, we won’t be afraid.”
Ji Tianqing’s words, while joking, held a grain of truth. Qian Ye’s current combat power rivaled that of the strongest young warriors in both camps. He was no longer merely a young prodigy; he had the ability to stand alone anywhere. If he fought with all his might, even newly promoted divine generals might face the risk of death.
If Qian Ye returned to the Empire, it would immediately gain a core combatant. With time, Qian Ye could even establish his own noble house.
But thinking of the Empire, Qian Ye thought of Qian Ye, imprisoned. The pain was indescribable, leading him to abandon his family and brothers, taking Qian Ye away to the neutral lands.
From the moment he left, he never intended to return. Qian Ye was willing to fight alongside his former brothers, and he was willing to stand with friends like Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing against powerful enemies. But he was not willing to serve the Empire again, nor would he accept orders from the military. In fact, not eradicating the Empire’s forces in the neutral lands was already a concession out of respect for Song Zining.
Thus, Qian Ye remained silent in response to Ji Tianqing’s suggestion to return.
Li Kuanglan interjected, “If you’re worried about your Bloodkin identity, that’s not a problem. Changing identities is easy, and no one will bother with it.”
Qian Ye’s expression darkened, and he coldly replied, “Why should I change my identity? Am I afraid of the military? I’m right here in the neutral lands. If the military wants to kill me, they can send someone. Changing my identity for their sake is out of the question!”
Li Kuanglan realized he had misspoken and turned away, not daring to look at Qian Ye.
Ji Tianqing quickly steered the conversation back, saying, “Actually, these wines have another use. They greatly increase the desire for reproduction, but it’s not just about increasing desire. They also enhance the body’s vitality, thereby increasing the chances of successful reproduction. They also improve the body beyond just longevity. Regular consumption can help break through cultivation bottlenecks.”
Qian Ye asked, “How come I didn’t notice that?” He had tasted a small amount, but didn’t feel the comprehensive enhancement Ji Tianqing described.
Ji Tianqing glared at him. “Someone like you, a monster, needs to enhance your body?”
Qian Ye realized that his body had been transformed by the Golden Blood, becoming that of an ancient Bloodkin. Subsequently, the Morning Dawn further refined his constitution, elevating his physical capabilities. This allowed him to move freely in the depths of the Great Vortex and even confront the Cold Silent Night. His body was already beyond what White Fruit Wine could enhance.
Still, the ability to break through cultivation bottlenecks was immensely useful, enough to drive countless people stuck at the Warlord or Divine General thresholds to madness. However, compared to the value of increasing offspring, it was less significant.
Ji Tianqing’s eyes flickered. “Qian Ye, we can choose not to sell, but others will. Once this wine appears, it’s impossible to prevent it from reaching the Demonkin. Better us make the profit than some greedy merchants. At least we know where the gains will go.”
This argument seemed reasonable, but Qian Ye felt something was amiss.
Upon reflection, this was a trade-off between the present and the future. The Demonkin would need at least a century to raise their new offspring to full strength. Meanwhile, they would have to pay a steep price, depleting their strategic resources and weakening their immediate war capabilities. The Empire, in turn, would see an increase in its war capabilities.
In other words, if the Empire could seize the opportunity and grow significantly within a century, it could suppress the Demonkin’s future rise. If it fails to develop, it would face an even more daunting situation in a hundred years.
Ultimately, Ji Tianqing had more faith in herself and her peers, the young elite. She wanted to shape history and was willing to take risks to gain more resources.
Qian Ye understood this, but disagreed. It was too risky. If the Demonkin produced another succubus, it could change the entire Evernight landscape. But Ji Tianqing seemed unconcerned, whether out of confidence in herself or in Qian Ye.
Ji Tianqing didn’t argue further. “On our way back, let’s collect as many resources as possible. The next time we can return here, who knows when it will be.”
Qian Ye suspected that the area they were in could only sustain a Divine General, and not a weak one. Apart from him, Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing would need to advance to Divine General to return safely. The Great Vortex channels were extremely sensitive to origin power, and crossing the threshold could trigger a violent origin storm. Thus, the Evernight Empire usually sent young talents below the Divine General rank.
Perhaps because of this, those entering the Great Vortex lacked the strength to explore this region, and thus never discovered the White Fruits.
Qian Ye suddenly thought of something. “We three entered nearby areas, but what about the others? Where did they go?”
Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan exchanged a glance, clearly having already considered this. Ji Tianqing calmly said, “Do you think they would survive if they landed near us?”
“Indeed.”
Qian Ye had seen the nobles and Imperial members who needed to enter the Great Vortex. Though he didn’t know their exact identities, he had met most of them. Their strength was far inferior to Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing, and they probably wouldn’t survive the first night in such a harsh world.
In this world, dead bodies vanished during the day, becoming food for various creatures, leaving nothing behind. Even their armor and weapons, while durable by Empire standards, were no match for the hardness of the trees, which surpassed the alloy of warships, let alone the stones and indigenous metal weapons.
“Should we bring back some indigenous weapons?” Qian Ye, not an expert in weapons, instinctively felt the metals here were different.
“We can’t carry much. Our spatial equipment has limited capacity. When we cross the channel, weight, not size, is the determining factor. The gravity in the Great Vortex channel can reach dozens of times that of normal. Even with your strength, you can’t carry much.”
Li Kuanglan added, “The metals, woods, and even rocks here are valuable strategic resources. Sadly, our capacity is limited. We can barely take the rare resources, let alone the bulk. You have the map of the Song clan’s Heavenly Granddaughter Grasslands, right? If you go there, you’ll find that bringing out even one percent is impressive.”
“Heavenly Granddaughter Grasslands! You have the location of the Heavenly Granddaughter Grasslands?” Ji Tianqing was instantly excited.
“What do you plan to do?” Qian Ye was immediately wary.
“Of course, to plunder!” Ji Tianqing, oblivious to Qian Ye’s change in expression, said, “The Heavenly Granddaughter Grasslands produce various rare medicines, all of which are valuable. More importantly, some can be added to our White Fruit Wine to enhance its effects. Since the Song clan can’t take them out, why not us?”
“That… doesn’t seem right,” Qian Ye said with a wry smile.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Song Zining gave you the map for this purpose. Now you have two helpers, so taking more isn’t a problem,” Li Kuanglan said matter-of-factly.
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