"I can no longer remember how many times I've told you that I gave you a voice-transmission magical treasure..." Tianyu's resentful gaze was damp enough to wring water from.
Wei Yuan gave an embarrassed smile. "The signal is bad here..."
Tianyu sighed. "We have repeated this conversation many times, but I feel we will probably have to repeat it many more times, for many years to come."
Before Wei Yuan's old face could turn red, he looked at Tianyu in surprise. "How do you seem to have gotten smarter?"
"When you wake up in the morning and open your eyes to find several ancestral spirits floating right in front of you, you'd get smarter too..."
Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan hastily inspected Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, immediately spotted the issue, and promptly banned upward tracing to ancestral origins.
Next, he checked the selection of worshippers and discovered that the power produced by three hundred carefully chosen, muscle-brained barbarians praying far exceeded that of the five hundred-odd rabble from before—not by twofold, but by more than a dozen times.
Naturally, these mortals meant well.
Many of them had received kindness from Tianyu, traveling thousands of li from the Wu domain toward Qingming. They simply had poor luck and died halfway along the journey. Even so, the obsession to reach the human domain had sustained them to Qingming, where they reincarnated through the Gate of the Many Realms and became part of Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
That was why they sought every possible means to express their gratitude to Tianyu, even though Creation Immortal Venerable was a petty and jealous fellow who always refused to let them fully express their thanks. Yet they believed the people possessed infinite wisdom; no matter how many prohibitions Creation Immortal Venerable handed down, they would always devise ways to show more gratitude.
After calmly adjusting the prayer incantations without batting an eye, Wei Yuan asked, "How have you been doing back at your tribe?"
Tianyu said, "Quite well! Without a doubt, I'm already the wealthiest among all the Great Shamans in the tribe. Above me are only a few Desolate Shaman elders. Although they possess quite a few ancestral shamanic artifacts of immense value, those belong to the entire tribe rather than to them alone. So when it comes to immortal silver, even the elders don't have as much as I do. Because of this, the tribe gave me a new title: the Richest Man. And since I've become the richest man, I need wisdom befitting the title."
Wei Yuan was shocked once more. "In your tribe, shouldn't muscles be what matches a title?"
Tianyu chuckled. "Muscles can be bought—as many as one wants. Wisdom, on the other hand, is completely different. You can't buy it at all."
Wei Yuan thought about it and realized he had a point. Finding wisdom in a Power Shaman tribe was indeed exceedingly difficult, perhaps even harder than finding it in the Hall of the Bright King.
Tianyu continued, "The trade routes to other tribes are already prepared. As long as there is more silk, it can be dispatched at any time. Oh, and two Desolate Shaman elders are already willing to provide protection for my caravans. Add my own clan's great-grandfather, and I now have three Desolate Shamans standing behind me. See, I don't lack muscle."
Wei Yuan was filled with respect.
It was fortunate that Tianyu had unknowingly roped in three Desolate Shamans; otherwise, the Desolate Ancestor Tribe might truly have been swayed to the side of the Land of Rain. In that case, Wei Yuan would have had to face at least five or six Desolate Shamans.
Although the Shattered Lands was currently overrun by otherworldly will, a Desolate Shaman's physical body was extraordinarily formidable. Even a Nether Shaman could withstand a glance from it and survive, while a Desolate Shaman could endure at least three. That window of time was more than enough to slay a dharma idol. If three Desolate Shamans struck together, they would be capable of braving the otherworldly will to kill Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan said, "Since you've become the richest man in the tribe, could you do me a favor?"
"Name it! So long as it's within my ability."
"I need the items on this list, as much as possible."
Tianyu took the list, and his expression instantly clouded with difficulty. "These are all strategic war supplies. The Land of Rain is preparing for war right now. If I sell these to you, people in the tribe will gossip."
Wei Yuan immediately countered, "Show the poise of the richest man! Stuff their mouths with immortal silver!"
Tianyu set his wits to work and said, "Going at it hard won't do; my clansmen cannot know what I'm transporting. Hmm, I have it! I'll cover the top with worthless goods. Then I'll prepare two cartloads of fine liquor, offer it to the guards when leaving the city, and get them thoroughly drunk. That should take care of it."
Wei Yuan praised Tianyu's quick thinking and presented a second request: "I also want to know who the Sacred Shaman appearing in the Land of Rain is. The more detailed the information, the better."
This time, Tianyu truly looked troubled and hesitated. Seeing this, Wei Yuan knew there was hope and asked, "It's not your place to decide? Is there someone who can make the call?"
Tianyu sighed. "Come with me."
The two arrived at the edge of the domain, where a mountain of flesh appeared before Wei Yuan.
This Shaman was over a zhang tall, his forearms thicker than Wei Yuan's thighs. His body was entirely tattooed with various runes, and his beard was braided, strung with gold rings embedded with various gemstones. Just by standing there, he caused the surrounding space to distort slightly, and small pebbles near his feet periodically floated into midair.
"This is my great-grandfather, Desolate Shaman Sun of the Great Desolation. Oh, when the ancestral spirits came to visit me this morning, Great-grandfather happened to be giving me a thrashing. When he heard I was coming to see you, his venerable self insisted on coming along to have a look at you."
A cold sweat broke out across Wei Yuan's back.
Fortunately, this Desolate Shaman, who had been worshipped alongside Tianyu, was not particularly angry. He merely looked down and scrutinized Wei Yuan, then took the list from Tianyu's hands. After a glance, he said, "Hongye is preparing to attack you, and he is an old friend of ours. Our Desolate Ancestor Tribe has already done quite enough for you by not participating in this war. Young human, you shouldn't be so greedy."
Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "The Desolate Ancestor Tribe is staying out of the war not for us humans, but for yourselves. Tianyu once told me that over the past few centuries, in every joint military campaign, the Desolate Ancestor Tribe suffered casualties several times higher than the Land of Rain. Without those wars, the Desolate Ancestor Tribe would be far stronger than today's Land of Rain!"
"Hmph! Hongye and I are friends. I don't want to hear this!"
Wei Yuan said, "If I'm not mistaken, many of those past wars had no need to happen at all. It was just that whenever the Desolate Ancestor Tribe's strength happened to grow, another joint war would suddenly arise."
Sun of the Great Desolation turned solemn and fell into deep thought.
Wei Yuan knew he had hit the mark. His first statement had been too roundabout, containing subtle implications the Desolate Shaman failed to catch, but once he stated it plainly the second time, the shaman understood.
After pondering for a moment, Sun of the Great Desolation said, "If you want the items on the list, you must provide corresponding goods. Not silk, but something new. What do you have?"
Wei Yuan had come prepared for this. "I have prepared liquor: grain liquor, fruit liquor, and medicinal liquor."
The Desolate Shaman's breathing suddenly quickened. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he asked, "What kind of liquor?"
Wei Yuan retrieved two large jars of liquor from his storage magical treasure. One was brewed from grain, while the other was fruit liquor made with spirit rice blended with fruits and medicinal herbs. Both had undergone distillation and were exceptionally potent. Moreover, Sun Yu had added flavoring and seasoning—giving them a dense aroma, as well as lethal toxicity.
Although the liquor jars were not small, this Desolate Shaman's physique was simply too immense; the jars looked like teacups in his hands. He downed each jar in a single gulp, and a layer of black qi surfaced across his face.
The black qi rose and fell, repeating several times before finally vanishing.
Sun of the Great Desolation closed his eyes to savor the flavor, only opening them after a long while, letting out an unsatisfied sigh.
Lethal poison worked on a Desolate Shaman just as it did on Wei Yuan: it caused little actual harm, but it stimulated the body and enhanced the taste. Of course, had it been Tianyu drinking it, it would have been a sorrowful tale.
Seeing that Sun of the Great Desolation had clearly not had his fill, Wei Yuan immediately sent a signal. Moments later, a wagon stopped before them, carrying four immense wooden casks, each half a zhang tall.
Wei Yuan smiled. "These are to quench your thirst. Their toxicity isn't as strong, so they might taste slightly lacking."
This time, a full six thousand jin of potent liquor finally allowed the Desolate Shaman to drink to his heart's content, and his attitude toward Wei Yuan improved considerably.
"How much do you intend to sell this liquor for?"
Wei Yuan had discussed the price with Tianyu long ago. He tapped Tianyu, who immediately spoke up: "Only one-third of the price the Land of Rain gives us! And our liquor is far stronger than theirs!"
Sun of the Great Desolation nodded. "Indeed! What those muddy wretches in the Land of Rain gave us was practically clear water—couldn't even poison a lizard to death. Very good! You human, you're not bad at all—not crafty in the slightest, completely different from other humans."
Hearing this, Wei Yuan felt a touch bashful.
Sun of the Great Desolation said, "The Sacred Shaman you mentioned is named Rain Saint, and she excels in the Dao of Water. She was originally a subject of the Land of Rain, but later traveled to the City of Heaven in the Wu domain to cultivate for several centuries, only returning several decades ago. Yet she is not the most dangerous. The one you must be wary of is Hongye! Although Hongye fell from his realm, an ordinary Nether Shaman is by no means his match; even if I encountered him, I would likely suffer defeat. Here are the aura signatures of their techniques."
Sun of the Great Desolation flicked two spheres of light over, containing the signatures of the spells and dharmic power favored by Rain Saint and Hongye.
Wei Yuan expressed his sincere thanks. Afterward, he finalized the details of the next caravan with Tianyu, and each went to make their preparations.
In this transaction with the Desolate Ancestor Tribe, Wei Yuan did not care about profit margins; his goal was to add another layer of insurance, ensuring that the Desolate Ancestor Tribe would not change its mind and suddenly side with the Land of Rain.
Therefore, ever since the first shipment of silk had been sent out long ago, Wei Yuan had been searching for goods for follow-up trade. It had to be important enough, indispensable to the Shamans, and obtainable in large quantities.
Ultimately, among dozens of commodities, Wei Yuan chose liquor. To be precise, Wei Yuan merely made the selection. Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World had presented dozens of viable goods, detailing the pros and cons of each. All Wei Yuan had to do was read several dozen reports, pick one, draw a circle on it, and sign his name—it was that simple.
Wei Yuan discovered that when one had enough subordinates with sufficient competence, work became effortless.
The only shortcoming was that some were still not diligent enough; those who entered Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World from the outside worked only four to six hours a day.
As for the difficulty of making the decision, Wei Yuan felt it was negligible. Each report had a corresponding evaluation score: liquor stood at ninety-nine, while none of the others exceeded eighty, and silk scored only seventy-one.
Thus, so long as one was not blind, and not from the Hall of the Bright King or the Desolate Ancestor Tribe, anyone could have picked liquor.
Now, merely observing the Desolate Shaman's reaction proved the accuracy of those reports.
From the decision-making process of this matter, Wei Yuan realized that if Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World were treated as a whole, the more numerous and capable the lower-tier mortals were, and the more work they performed, the easier life became for the decision-makers above.
In the future, when Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World became thoroughly refined, tying a circle-drawing monkey into Wei Yuan's seat might suffice to get the job done quite well.
With the Desolate Ancestor Tribe placated for now, Wei Yuan could concentrate fully on dealing with the Land of Rain.
Chapter 476