Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1509 - 1502: War Investment

Chapter 1509: Chapter 1502: War Investment

"You wouldn’t understand because you’re not a girl. If you were, you’d be even more obsessed with Luo’er than I am," Tangmo turned her head and said confidently.

"How do you explain Yue’er, then?" Cheng Ziang pointed at Baiyue and asked.

"I just... won’t say," Tangmo looked at Baiyue, suddenly revealing a sly smile, then she became deliberately secretive.

Baiyue stared at her with a frustrated face, internally complaining countless times. If it weren’t for her rationality holding her back, her behavior would hardly be better than Tangmo’s. Tangmo just tends to follow her heart and doesn’t restrain herself, which is why she has taken so much advantage of Luo’er.

"In any case, there is a hierarchy that must be adhered to. From the moment we put on these costumes, we must play our roles well and not overstep our bounds. Otherwise, not only will others not believe us, even we ourselves will struggle to believe," Luo’er said with resignation as he closed his eyes.

"From today onwards, Luo’er, you need to reduce the number of times you speak as much as possible. You are a saint, and every word you utter is a divine decree, so never speak carelessly to avoid tarnishing your dignity," Cheng Ziang reminded.

"I understand," Luo’er nodded.

"Use a different word, something shorter," Cheng Ziang gestured as he spoke.

"Umm..." Luo’er pondered for a moment, slightly squinting his eyes and nodded, saying, "Good!"

"That’s the right feel," Cheng Ziang clapped his hands in approval.

"Also, Moumou, as a close attendant, you can’t just take advantage of the situation. You have a task, and it’s an important one," Cheng Ziang said looking towards Tangmo.

"What do I need to do?" Tangmo pointed to herself, looking puzzled.

"Since Luo’er is a saint, he cannot speak in Kyushu language to the people of Kyushu. It would be best if he spoke Chinese or Tasta. As such, you will act as his translator, converting his words into Kyushu language," Cheng Ziang explained.

"I, I’m not very familiar with Kyushu language..." Tangmo pointed at herself, admitting with embarrassment.

"If you’re not familiar with it, then you can switch roles with Yue’er. She can be the great Mage, and you can be the Vermilion Bird guard. Her foreign language skills are definitely much better than yours," Cheng Ziang suggested.

"Ah, no no no no, I will study hard," Tangmo’s head shook like a rattle drum at the mention of switching roles.

"You really would do anything for beauty..." Cheng Ziang shook his head disdainfully.

Everything was ready, they just needed to prepare the transportation, and then they could set off.

Despite the strained relationship with Luo’er, Zisu still cared about the Advance Team. After hearing their needs, she took the initiative to provide transportation, hoping it would help to improve her relationship with Luo’er.

Even though she showed sincerity, Luo’er still ignored her before departure. It wasn’t due to personal reasons that he resented Zisu, but rather, he was grieving for the thousands of souls who died tragically.

Wars inevitably result in death, but the destruction caused by Zisu completely breached his psychological defenses, making it impossible for him to face Zisu no matter what.

Zisu prepared a spacious carriage for them, drawn by three horses. The carriage was roomy enough not only to seat people but also to store many provisions for the journey.

And indeed, there are many external attachment points on the outside of the carriage, so even if others don’t sit inside, they can sit at these points to keep watch, which is very important for their plan. Because the guards on all sides definitely have to stay outside the carriage, it’s not possible for them to crowd in with the saints—that would be overstepping their bounds.

The carriage originally came with a coachman, but the advance team sent him away, as they didn’t need outsiders meddling in their affairs. Moreover, the coachman was from the Demon Clan, and since their journey was to Kyushu, this clearly wasn’t suitable.

After all preparations were complete, and three days had passed, they found themselves in the midst of a bright and refreshing season. Having bid farewell to Zhuyan Yu and the others, they officially set off towards the northeast, sailing through Fengyu towards Kyushu.

Zisu not only provided the carriage but also a map of the East Continent, which precisely recorded the ancient trade routes from the West Outer Heaven to Kyushu.

These ancient trade routes were initially built when the Kyushu Empire was invading the West Outer Heaven, aimed to ensure secure logistical support. Back then, the Kyushu Empire didn’t have the Kunzhou and could only use these routes to travel between Kyushu and the West Outer Heaven.

Since the Kyushu Empire acquired the Kunzhou, the demand for land routes has greatly diminished. Nevertheless, the ancient roads did not fall into decay but were renovated and rejuvenated. This was mainly due to the demands of merchants, who needed these road networks to transport precious goods from the West Outer Heaven to Kyushu.

Transporting goods from the West Outer Heaven to Kyushu by Kunzhou would actually be the most ideal, but the Kunzhou were essentially all in the control of the Imperial Court, and merchants had no authority to use them.

The next best option was sea transport, where merchant ships would carry goods along the coast and head north. However, this method of transport also had drawbacks, being particularly vulnerable to weather conditions, with running aground or hitting rocks being almost a daily occurrence.

The deep ocean of the East Continent also harbored Leviathans, making it impossible for merchant ships to venture into deep waters. The shallow seas of the East Continent, unlike those of the Western Continent, had a very convoluted coastline. If the weather worsened, the probability of running aground or hitting rocks would greatly increase.

For these reasons, land transportation became the most important backup option for merchants. The roads left by the Kyushu Empire were often located in flat terrains and demonstrated a high standard of road engineering—so much so that fully-loaded carriages could easily ascend slopes without encountering inclines steeper than forty degrees.

The route for Luo’er and company followed an eastward road all the way to the coastal area of the West Outer Heaven, an area belonging to the plains where transportation was relatively convenient.

After reaching the coast, they then continued northward along the ancient roads. As they were about to arrive in Fengyu, they would begin changing into clothes and officially disguise themselves as missionaries from the Western Continent, traversing through Fengyu to reach Kyushu.

This was a risky exploration since they had no guides to assist them along the way. They had to pluck up their courage and slowly explore Kyushu, relying solely on their superficial understanding of the region.

After the war in the West Outer Heaven ended, the road from Big South East Peace City to the seaside became extremely smooth. What previously required at least a month’s journey now took only about half a month, saving them half the time.

Moreover, there was another advantage to traveling through the West Outer Heaven: receiving the care of the Demon Clan. Theoretically, the advance team was still a firm ally of the Demon Clan, so the local Demon Clan people would naturally treat them well.

Zisu, concerned for Luo’er, thus dispatched an elite cavalry of the Maoyou Clan to lead the way for them, ensuring their safe and unhindered passage through the West Outer Heaven.

Thus, the group spent a month traveling east to the coast, then turning to the northeast, arriving at the border between the West Outer Heaven and Fengyu.

In this month, the group witnessed much of the local customs and cultures of the West Outer Heaven. Merchants were undoubtedly the most active group in the West Outer Heaven, whether they were Kyushu merchants, Fengyu merchants, or Demon Clan merchants. They all shared a common identity—that of a merchant. This identity even somewhat diminished the differences among their races.

In the need to revitalize economic development, the Demon Clan took a rather lenient approach towards merchants. After driving out the influence of Kyushu, the investments made by merchants paid off, leading them to start contracting with the Demon Clan for the rights to mine Magic Crystal Mines, resuming the previous Magic Crystal trade.

The three aristocratic families had too short a foothold in the West Outer Heaven to establish effective Magic Crystal trade channels. As the three aristocratic families were eradicated one after another, the original Magic Crystal trade pattern resumed, and the aristocratic families and Sects of Kyushu had no choice but to repurchase Magic Crystals at high prices from the merchants for their own Cultivation.

As long as the Cultivation culture of Kyushu does not cease, the trade of Magic Crystals from the West Outer Heaven will not stop. This is a golden route; anybody who can secure a foothold here without exception amasses great wealth.

With the Demon Clan taking full control of the West Outer Heaven, the status of merchants also rose accordingly, following the advice of the High-peak people, the Demon Clan began to establish the earliest securities trading centers to attract merchant investments for post-war reconstruction efforts.

Clearly, the beginnings of capitalism have quietly taken root in the West Outer Heaven and have already sprouted green shoots.