novelraw Chapter 116 : Trade of the Main Plane
Chapter 116 : Trade of the Main Plane
Chapter 116: Trade of the Main Plane
After slaying the Corrosive Slime strong one, Jiang Zhaoming swiftly cast him into the Divine Artifact · Lunar Soldier Altar for refinement.
The soul of this Corrosive Slime powerhouse was exceptionally tenacious; even after being refined into a Dao Soldier, it still retained most of its memories.
From those memories, Jiang Zhaoming learned a great amount of internal information about the Corrosive Slime Race. According to them, this race was the largest species within several hundred thousand li, with a population both vast and thriving.
With such an enormous base number, naturally, the quantity of strong individuals in the clan was not few.
However, the cohesion of this race was weak; they had not formed a unified power.
Most of the weaker members attached themselves to individual strong ones, forming a series of loose alliances.
The Black Soil Town nearest to Great Zhou’s Cave Heaven belonged to one such Corrosive Slime power called the “Black Forest Alliance.”
This alliance was mediocre in strength—merely a simple coalition of several dozen towns within the Black Forest region.
Jiang Zhaoming steadied his heart.
Fortune favored him—the situation was even more advantageous than he had imagined.
Given such an opportunity, he immediately decided to change his plan, abandoning the idea of storming Black Soil Town head-on, and instead using the “False Identity for True Control.”
Since the original town chief had already been captured, what need was there for force?
Through subtle influence, he could gradually transform the entire Black Soil Town.
Having settled his thoughts, Jiang Zhaoming’s consciousness sank into the River of Fortune.
Moments later, he opened his eyes and took out an ancient, simple mask, placing it over his face.
【Divine Artifact · Hundred-Visage Mask】: When worn, this mask can imitate the appearance of any known being—indistinguishable to outsiders. Yet, when facing one whose Spiritual Power far surpasses one’s own, the disguise may be seen through.
Light and shadow intertwined; Jiang Zhaoming’s body and face rapidly twisted and transformed.
In the blink of an eye, he had become the exact likeness of that captured Corrosive Slime town chief.
Withered skin, murky pig-like eyes, and even that distinct body odor—a blend of herbs and rotting flesh—were perfectly reproduced.
He tried moving this new body; the tactile sensation remained the same, even his limbs unchanged.
Clearly, this was a transformation working upon the senses—a highly intricate “Spiritual Power Mirage.”
「Lilian, you will disguise yourself as my attendant.」
He spoke in the town chief’s uniquely hoarse voice, handing out another identical mask.
Lilian accepted the mask, put it on, and with a slight motion of her mind, transformed into an unremarkable-looking Corrosive Slime attendant, lowering her head meekly as she stood behind Jiang Zhaoming.
Using her own powerful wizard’s Spiritual Will to probe, she found herself unable to see through Jiang Zhaoming’s disguise in the slightest.
This alone proved that the mask’s mystical power exceeded imagination—it should have no issue deceiving anyone below the Profound Core Realm.
Jiang Zhaoming then summoned over ten Dao Soldiers whose auras were dense and restrained, hiding them in the shadows.
Once everything was ready, he and Lilian set off toward Black Soil Town.
Black Soil Town.
No sooner had they approached than a pungent, choking stench surged to meet them.
The odor was a mixture of decayed organic matter, cheap herbs, and filthy sweat—utterly nauseating.
The town was built along a foul-smelling black river.
Most of the houses were made of rotting timber and soot-darkened mud bricks, crooked and unstable, as if they might collapse at any moment.
The streets were mired in sludge, littered with thick, dark-green grime and unidentified refuse.
Residents of grotesque appearance shuffled along the streets.
They bore fierce, pig-like heads on humanoid bodies, many showing signs of decay—viscous, dark-green pus oozed from their exposed skin.
Many Corrosive Slime people squatted beside crude wooden tubs, using pungent herbal brews of murky color to repeatedly scrub and soak themselves, desperately attempting to delay the irreversible rot.
The air was thick with the stench of despair and decay.
Jiang Zhaoming raised that hideous pig head high, deliberately mimicking the arrogant posture of the town chief he remembered, appearing entirely accustomed to such filth.
Lilian, meanwhile, kept her head low, following closely behind, her sharp eyes sweeping over the surroundings.
With Dao Soldiers secretly guarding them, the two stepped into the reeking town.
As they reached a slightly open muddy square in the center, a Corrosive Slime man dressed in a relatively intact robe hurried up to them.
He bowed deeply to “Town Chief” Jiang Zhaoming, his tone respectful but tinged with visible anxiety.
「Town Chief, you’ve returned at last! Recently, far too many adventurer groups have flooded into the town—the security is barely holding—」
Disguised as the town chief, Jiang Zhaoming raised an eyebrow under the perfect concealment of the Hundred-Visage Mask.
He did not respond directly to the official’s complaint but instead quietly drew out the Fortune-Appraising Treasure Mirror from his sleeve.
Under the illusion of the mask, the official merely saw his town chief lost in thought.
Jiang Zhaoming focused on the mirror’s surface.
Brilliant lights flowed across the reflection, revealing countless beams of fortune above Black Soil Town.
Among them, several dozen condensed violet beams stood out—evidence that many Myriad Phenomena Realm experts were hidden within the town.
His heart steadied—these were precisely the prey he awaited.
「Understood.」
Jiang Zhaoming, imitating the hoarse tone of the original town chief, replied briefly and strode toward the town office.
Once inside the dimly lit room, thick with strange herbal fumes, he stirred his thought.
In an instant, the space rippled.
Sixty-four Corrosive Slime Dao Soldiers, each with distinct features and powerful auras, silently emerged behind him, standing in solemn formation.
Most of these Corrosive Slime powerhouses were Myriad Phenomena Realm combatants he had recently refined.
「Go. Maintain order within the town. For every mercenary group—investigate their background. If they have none, detain them all.」
Jiang Zhaoming’s tone was calm yet carried absolute authority. Once the command was given, the Dao Soldiers melted into the shadows and vanished.
Days passed, and the results were immediate.
Those adventurer groups that had flocked in from other regions, relying on their strength to act lawlessly within the town—
Any who caused trouble were, without exception, captured by Jiang Zhaoming’s Dao Soldiers with lightning-fast precision.
The chaos within the town was swiftly and forcefully suppressed.
However, this unusually efficient iron-fisted approach soon aroused suspicion in the Corrosive Slime official in charge of daily affairs.
Watching the number of unfamiliar faces in the prison rise sharply, unease grew within him.
Such decisive measures were utterly unlike the town chief he remembered—who had always preferred muddled compromise and was even somewhat timid.
Driven by doubt, the official mustered his courage and knocked on the office door.
「Town Chief, forgive my boldness, but hasn’t the number of detained adventurer groups these past few days grown far too large? If this continues, I fear—」
The official spoke cautiously, his gaze sweeping over the familiar yet unfamiliar figure seated behind the desk.
Jiang Zhaoming, who had been simultaneously controlling the Divine Artifact · Lunar Soldier Altar to refine a new Dao Soldier, lifted his head.
The Hundred-Visage Mask perfectly concealed his true expression.
Yet the cold light that pierced through the illusion of those pig-like eyes made the official’s body freeze instantly, as though impaled by invisible ice.
A terror born from the depths of his soul instantly seized him.
「S–Subordinate… this subordinate will take his leave!」
In that instant, the official’s courage shattered, and he turned to flee the Town Chief’s Office.
Just as he spun around to escape—
Several chains of energy, gleaming with a dark, ghostly luster as though condensed from the void itself, suddenly appeared.
Then, like venomous serpents, they coiled around him precisely, binding him tightly from head to toe.
Jiang Zhaoming did not look at him; instead, his gaze shifted toward the shadow behind the official.
「Lilian, have you remembered all of this Corrosive Slime’s habits, duties, and connections?」
This official’s position was crucial—he managed a great number of the town’s daily affairs—but his strength was merely at the Divine Power Realm.
If he were to be thrown directly into the Lunar Soldier Altar and forcibly refined, his fragile soul would most likely lose the majority of its memories during the process.
If that happened, it would be far more difficult for Lilian to flawlessly assume his identity and integrate into the administrative system of the town.
From the shadows, Lilian—still disguised as an ordinary Corrosive Slime attendant—emerged and replied respectfully.
「My revered king, every detail about him has been engraved in my mind.」
「Good.」
Jiang Zhaoming said no more. He raised his hand and grasped at the air.
The official, bound by chains and filled with overwhelming fear, was pulled helplessly into the Lunar Soldier Altar, which radiated a chilling aura.
Immediately after, Lilian stepped before the altar, the mask upon her face shimmering faintly.
Her figure, appearance, and garments shifted rapidly; in the blink of an eye, she had transformed into the exact likeness of the official—mannerisms and bearing perfectly imitated.
Adjusting her robes slightly, she gave Jiang Zhaoming a slight nod, then turned and naturally pushed open the door to leave.
From this day forth, she would take over all daily affairs of Black Soil Town.
Half a month later.
The residents of Black Soil Town gradually noticed that, although the town was still crowded with the figures of many foreign adventurers—
The former clamor and chaos had, miraculously, vanished.
Those adventurers had become unusually “obedient and disciplined,” and order now reigned supreme.
After completely taking control over the town’s operations, Jiang Zhaoming turned his focus toward his core objective—
Obtaining Body-Tempering Demon Crystals.
Through sorting the town’s intelligence, he learned that Black Soil Town’s main means of acquiring Body-Tempering Demon Crystals was through trade.
The going rate here was roughly five thousand Spirit Crystals for a single Body-Tempering Demon Crystal.
That price, by Great Zhou’s standards, was laughably cheap—
But on the Main Plane, it wasn’t considered exorbitant.
After all, the Main Plane abounded in Spirit Crystal Veins, and Spirit Crystals here were far less valuable than in Great Zhou.
With his target clear, Jiang Zhaoming decided to establish a long-term trading channel with Dunau City, a larger settlement five thousand li away that possessed Body-Tempering Demon Crystal mines.
To amass vast quantities of Spirit Crystals, he immediately mobilized the Lunar Dao Soldiers spread throughout Black Soil Town and its surrounding regions.
They began a large-scale, high-efficiency excavation of Spirit Crystal Veins neglected or abandoned by the Corrosive Slime Race.
During the mining process, Jiang Zhaoming couldn’t help but sigh at the so-called “unique talents” of these beings.
Even those among them who had reached the Divine Power Realm wielded pitifully few techniques.
Most indulged in pleasure, lacking any drive for exploration or production.
This, in turn, led them to sit idly atop mountains of treasure, leaving countless mines undiscovered.
Even more astonishingly, they often suffered shortages of the most basic necessity—food.
Spotting this weakness—food scarcity—
Jiang Zhaoming quickly devised a strategy.
He ordered Dao Soldiers disguised as “adventurer groups” to begin selling Great Zhou grain at high prices to the Corrosive Slimes in and around Black Soil Town.
The outcome far exceeded Jiang Zhaoming’s expectations.
Food, in the eyes of these Corrosive Slimes, was absurdly valuable.
A mere two hundred catties of ordinary grain could be traded for one Spirit Crystal.
Such an exchange would be unthinkable within Great Zhou’s Cave Heaven, where a single Spirit Crystal could buy tens of thousands of catties of grain.
Realizing the sheer magnitude of this trade imbalance, even Jiang Zhaoming—resolute as his will was—felt his heart tremble violently.
This was an unimaginably lucrative path.
Delving deeper into the Corrosive Slimes’ primary food sources, he found that the main crop in the Black Forest region was a special kind of rice.
This rice resembled Great Zhou’s rice in appearance but was far rougher in texture.
Its only advantage lay in the faint trace of Spiritual Energy it contained, which, when eaten long-term, slightly nourished martial artists.
By selling Anxi Rice, Jiang Zhaoming discovered something fascinating—
Many Corrosive Slimes couldn’t even perceive the difference in Spiritual Energy between their rice and the Anxi variety; rather, they believed Anxi Rice tasted better and began favoring it.
Every bit of intelligence from the Main Plane told Jiang Zhaoming one thing—this place was an untapped treasure trove.
Under his meticulous management, the “blood exchange” of Black Soil Town accelerated quietly.
More and more ordinary townsfolk were silently transformed into Dao Soldiers.
These Dao Soldiers displayed diligence and efficiency far beyond that of the native population.
Some began felling trees and clearing land outside the town, cultivating vast farmlands with high-yield crops brought from Great Zhou.
These crops were not meant for trade, but were instead transported directly back to Great Zhou for sale.
For Jiang Zhaoming, the greater their abundance, the more subtly he could elevate the overall prosperity of Anxi’s people.
The value of these crops even surpassed that of many divine artifacts he had exchanged from the River of Fortune to aid his people’s martial cultivation.
Meanwhile, another group of Dao Soldiers delved deep into the Black Forest, feverishly mining the buried Spirit Crystal Veins.
An immense number of Spirit Crystals were unearthed tirelessly.
Most of these were shipped straight back to Great Zhou, becoming an essential resource reserve for Jiang Zhaoming’s growing power.
A smaller portion was sent, together with the Anxi Grain, to Dunau City to trade for Body-Tempering Demon Crystals.
To sustain these Lunar Dao Soldiers, Jiang Zhaoming merely needed to use a fraction of the Spirit Crystals to nourish their souls and bodies.
As for the Corrosive Slimes of Dunau City, they were indeed shrewder than their “kin” of Black Soil Town.
They could keenly sense that Anxi Rice contained slightly less Spiritual Energy than their native crop.
However, they could not resist the exquisite flavor of Anxi Rice.
Many residents of Dunau City—especially those who indulged in gastronomy—cared little for that negligible difference in Spiritual Energy.
As a result, Anxi Rice’s performance in Dunau’s market was exceptionally strong.
Its price not only failed to drop below the local rice but often exceeded it by as much as thirty percent due to overwhelming demand.
Black Soil Town had now become Jiang Zhaoming’s massive production base and launchpad for plundering the riches of the Main Plane.
Nourished by the Main Plane’s endless resources, Anxi Prefecture ushered in an era of unprecedented prosperity.
The spiritual rice native to the Main Plane, coupled with the ever-improving facilities within Anxi Prefecture that benefited all its citizens—
All this made the people within the borders of Great Zhou ever more eager to migrate westward to this land.
The current influx of population into Anxi surged at a rate several times greater than ten years prior.
To accelerate the westward expansion of Great Zhou’s citizens and tighten the connection between Yili and the distant Western Prefecture,
Jiang Zhaoming devoted immense effort to the creation of a revolutionary transportation device.
Powered by Spirit Stones, its core was built upon intricate arrays and possessed astounding traveling speed.
It cleverly utilized the vast underground tunnel network dug long ago by Sandworms.
The vessel itself was made of special materials, its entire surface inscribed with profound runes of acceleration, stabilization, and earth-traversing.
When this rune-engraved Earth Vessel entered the deep tunnels, it glided like a fish returning to the abyss, achieving an astonishing speed of three hundred li per hour.
This vessel’s emergence completely reshaped Anxi Prefecture’s transport system.
Journeys that once required years of mountain-crossing hardship—
Now, ordinary citizens could complete safely within half a month, traveling from Yili straight to the Western Prefecture.
Since it traversed beneath the earth, both swift and secure, the people were filled with gratitude.
Thus, they named it of their own accord: Kunyu Express Vessel!