Audit

"If not for you today, had the flame demons breached the fortress, our casualties would have been far worse. Your other follower was merely gravely wounded, and the hamster is still alive as well, so there is no need to worry. You slew plenty of flame demons today, so from this moment forth, the third floor of the Hall of Books is open to you. There are no longer any forbidden zones for you in the fortress; you may go wherever you please." With that, Ronglong tossed a token to Wei Yuan and said, "This is my command token. Your clearance now matches that of the other three Desolate Shamans." Wei Yuan was thoroughly surprised. "Such trust in me? Isn't it a bit too soon?" Ronglong replied, "To me, only the flame demons are the mortal threat. Aside from them, neither our friction with the Nether Shamans nor our blood feud with the Liao Clan can compare in the slightest. We stand here not to fend off another race, but to hold back an alien plague! You have slain so many flame demons that whatever secrets you carry, I can overlook them all. If you have ever seen the Heavenly Pillar, you would understand that the last time the flame demons swept across the Desolate Realm, they might not have even unleashed their full strength." "Does the Ancestral Shaman not know about this?" "The Ancestral Shaman has far too many matters to attend to..." Ronglong did not delve deeper into the subject. "I will do everything in my power to eradicate the flame demons," Wei Yuan said. "Good." Ronglong stood up. "It's time to send the warriors home. Your follower is among them as well; come have a look." Wei Yuan followed Ronglong out of the secret chamber toward the Grand Altar at the center of the fortress. The three Desolate Shamans were already there. Seeing Ronglong arrive alongside Wei Yuan, none of them showed any surprise. The combat prowess Wei Yuan had displayed in this battle already rivaled that of a Desolate Shaman; he had even slain a Scenery Command flame demon. Although an individual flame demon was slightly weaker than a Strength Shaman of the same realm, a Scenery Command entity was still a Scenery Command entity. Slaying one while merely a Strength Shaman—the Desolate Shamans knew all too well what that implied. By now, the fallen Strength Shamans were being placed into specially crafted soul coffins one after another. Numerous Sacrificial Shamans gathered as many torn limbs and body parts of the fallen as possible and placed them into the coffins alongside the bodies. Afterward, the Sacrificial Shamans coated the corpses with rich, fragrant sacrificial oil. This oil contained unique aromatics and was imbued with an abundance of sacrificial power, which could stabilize the soul and preserve karmic ties to this lifetime. In this way, when the Strength Shamans reincarnated, they would have a certain chance of retaining the cultivation talent of their current life, granting them a starting point far higher than that of ordinary shamans. A select few endowed with supreme talent and protected by karmic luck might even awaken a portion of their past-life memories. Once these Strength Shamans reincarnated, they would gradually mature into the core pillar of the shaman race's new generation, elevating the overall might of their people. The prepared soul coffins were stacked in neat rows upon the Grand Altar. Following the ceremony, the physical remains would be interred beneath the fortress, becoming part of the fortress's grand formation. This was also an element of the oath sworn by the Strength Shamans upon arriving at Fengmang. Every Strength Shaman was bound by it, without exception. Only Wei Yuan had come voluntarily rather than as a condemned convict, and was therefore exempt from the oath. Zhengang's corpse had also been placed into a soul coffin, and Wei Yuan did not stop them. In this ritual, the shamans gave up their Dharma bodies in exchange for an increased chance at reincarnation and the possibility of retaining their cultivation talent. For the Strength Shamans stationed at Fengmang, it was, in a sense, equivalent to being granted a new life. Wei Yuan felt that this was a good outcome for Zhengang as well. Once the ceremony concluded, Wei Yuan entered the Hall of Books once more. This time, he emerged after merely three days and returned to his residence. Standing before the courtyard gate, Wei Yuan noticed that beside the original plaque reading 'Divine Craftsman of the Great Desolation,' another plaque had appeared—one that gathered even more karmic luck. Carved upon it were the words: 'Spear Saint of the Great Desolation.' This new plaque had not come from Hunter Thirty-One, but had been presented jointly by all the Strength Shamans. *** In Jitian City, the Great Hall of the City Lord was blanketed in dark clouds. Bolts of lightning crashed incessantly into the palace city, blasting numerous pavilions to ruins. This was no heavenly tribulation, but Heavenly Shaman Jiumu venting his fury; each lightning strike was an echo of his roar. His rage had burned unabated for three full days. At least one unfortunate Desolate Shaman had been torn to shreds by Jiumu, and over a hundred Strength Shamans had perished simply for getting caught in his wrath. No one knew what had infuriated Jiumu so deeply; they only knew that crossing him at such a time was suicide. Across the vast palace grounds, not a single shaman dared linger. Even a Desolate Shaman risked severe injury under lightning that rivaled a heavenly tribulation, and any Strength Shaman struck by it was as good as dead. Inside the central hall, Jiumu had manifested his full Dharma body and was wildly smashing everything in sight. The furnishings had long been reduced to dust; now, he was battering the Desolate Realm virgin stone. Under his relentless blows, the peerlessly hard flagstones cracked and shattered piece by piece. In three days, Jiumu had accomplished what a thousand craftsmen could not finish in a century. At long last, Jiumu felt a trace of exhaustion. His shaman power ran dry, and his arms could barely lift themselves. Tiny fractures marred his Dharma body from overexertion. Panting heavily, he let out guttural roars that no one else could decipher, their true meaning known only to him: "An open conspiracy! This is an open conspiracy! They did it on purpose, absolutely on purpose!" Only after a great deal of effort did he calm down, muttering in a chilling voice, "Refusing to give me a way out, are you? Then none of you will have an easy time either!" Several days later, fresh reinforcements arrived at Fengmang. Seeing a force that included two Desolate Shamans and a full three hundred elite Strength Shamans, Ronglong was thoroughly astonished. *** In Qingming, Zhang Sheng set down the ledger in her hand and casually asked a few questions. Across from her sat an elderly man, his entire body rigid and visibly tense. Yet his answers were seamless, and he recited most figures from memory without hesitation. This elder was one of the six chief stewards of Qingming Bank, currently in charge of Qingyuan operations throughout the State of Zhao. Qingming Bank had originally been unremarkable, but once Wei Yuan instituted Qingyuan, it became the primary issuer. Its fortunes had soared overnight until it stood as a colossus in the banking industry. Some of Zhang Sheng's questions were commonplace, while others were extraordinarily tricky and obscure. Fortunately, the elder had not become a chief steward without genuine skill; relying on memory alone, he answered the vast majority, and for the few remaining points, he checked the ledgers and answered promptly. Zhang Sheng offered no praise or criticism, merely telling the elder surnamed Su that he was dismissed. Stepping beyond the courtyard gates, the elder climbed into his carriage. Only after shutting the door did a sudden cold sweat drench him, leaving him slumped against the cushions, barely able to sit upright. Inside the carriage were a young man and a delicate woman, who both rushed forward to help him up. The young man asked, "Foster Father, did they give you a hard time?" The old man caught his breath for a moment before steadying himself. He shook his head. "It was fine. The questions were a bit unorthodox; you can tell he doesn't understand banking operations very well, so it wasn't intentional harassment." The young woman remarked, "Godfather is the pillar of the bank, present since its founding and serving all the way to this day. Even the Realm Lord's teacher must treat you with courtesy." The young man chimed in, "What allowed Qingyuan to sweep across the lands? It was Qingming Bank! And who does the bank rely on? The six chief stewards! Foster Father ranks second among the six; without you, where would Qingyuan be?" The elder stroked his beard and smiled, yet maintained his caution: "Qingyuan was created by the Realm Lord. Looking back now, it was an earth-shattering innovation—even an immortal descending to the mortal realm could achieve no better. Yet Qingyuan has undergone many complex evolutions since, far beyond what it was at the start. You two have barely scratched the surface of Qingyuan's true intricacies. Remember never to grow restless; keep your heads down and labor diligently for a few more years before you can make genuine progress." The young man and woman acknowledged his words, then exchanged a brief glance. The young man ventured, "Foster Father, those families are pressing us again. About that matter..." Elder Su frowned. "I don't know why, but just thinking about that person sends a chill down my spine! Put that matter on hold for now. If they press again, stall them." The young woman looked puzzled. "I heard the Realm Lord's teacher is still only at the Dao Foundation stage and has rather mediocre talent. You are an exalted Dharma Idol; could you possibly fear him?" The elder sighed. "My Dharma Idol is unsuited for slaughter. In all likelihood, I might truly fall to a disciple of the Palace of Grand Beginning at the Dao Foundation stage." The young man urged anxiously, "With the Realm Lord missing, you practically hold the reins of Qingyuan in your hands! A golden opportunity like this comes once in a century. If the other stewards beat us to it, our terms won't be nearly as favorable." Elder Su seemed tempted for a fleeting moment, but ultimately shook his head and said slowly, "The path of currency is ever-shifting. Moving first is not necessarily an advantage. Let us watch and wait; there is no rush." The young pair tried to persuade him further, but the elder refused to budge, and the carriage rolled away into the distance. *** Inside the hall, orb after orb of light manifested around Zhang Sheng as attendants hauled in massive stacks of ledgers. Zhang Sheng opened them one by one, skimming through them with incredible speed. In the rear hall, glowing orbs drifted everywhere, and before each orb stood a sword-bearing warrior. At this moment, they were not wielding flying swords in battle, but analyzing and calculating the countless figures recorded within the ledgers. Gradually, profound patterns emerged from the vast sea of data, prompting the sword-bearers to extrapolate further based on their findings, modeling what might unfold. The corner of Zhang Sheng's mouth curved slightly into a faint smile. She murmured to herself, "So it can be done this way. How fascinating! Yet pulling one thread moves the entire tapestry; it still requires verification to be certain. Someone, come!" Zhang Sheng summoned an attendant and ordered them to fetch Yu Zhizhuo. A short while later, Yu Zhizhuo arrived, accompanied by a dozen cultivators and hundreds of thick ledgers. Upon seeing Zhang Sheng, Yu Zhizhuo said, "These are the primary ledgers of Weaponsmith Workshop from the past few years. If you want to see itemized breakdowns, I can have more brought over, but that would be far too much—altogether, there are likely over seventeen thousand volumes." Weaponsmith Workshop had long since grown into a behemoth, now capable of outfitting Qingming's armies of hundreds of thousands with standard gear, as well as supplying everyday tools and utensils for thirty million subjects. The ledgers Yu Zhizhuo had brought covered the entire workshop's major categories, yet even that alone filled hundreds of volumes. Zhang Sheng said, "I will review these first. If needed, I will trouble you again, Senior Brother Yu. No need to rush off; I happen to have a few questions to ask. For example, when we sell breastplates externally, what is the basis for our pricing?" Yu Zhizhuo was taken aback. It was a foundational question—almost excessively so. Out of respect for Zhang Sheng, however, he answered conscientiously, "It's quite simple. First, we have production costs: refined iron, charcoal, and the like. Craftsmen and Dao Foundation cultivators must eat and drink as well, just as oxen and horses require fodder. Adding all these bits and pieces together gives us our cost. Second, there is a ceiling on the sale price, which is determined by what the nine states pay for comparable armor. For instance, the army of the State of Zhao purchases a high-grade breastplate for fifty liang of immortal silver, Western Jin pays fifty-five liang, and the Western Jin Northern Army pays sixty liang. Our final price falls between the floor and the ceiling. But it remains well below the ceiling—generally around forty percent of it—because too many hands handle the transaction along the way, and everyone in the chain needs to turn a profit." Zhang Sheng nodded, then asked, "Then how should we set our prices to maximize total immortal silver received, and how should we set them to achieve the greatest profit margin?" Yu Zhizhuo paused once more. These two questions delved far deeper. He therefore drew upon the surrounding geopolitical landscape and the circumstances of the nine states to elaborate at length. Just like that, an entire day and night slipped by as the two talked. As he prepared to leave, Yu Zhizhuo asked in bewilderment, "I thought you wanted to investigate corruption within Weaponsmith Workshop. Why ask so many questions about pricing all of a sudden? Isn't pricing simply a matter of following the market?" Zhang Sheng said, "Corruption is not our immediate concern. Even if those individuals pocketed a little, they have nowhere to spend it. Once Qingming's internal wage system is perfected, commerce flows freely, and everyone holds private property, that will be the time for a thorough reckoning on corruption. For now, even if someone embezzles money, they are merely holding it in safekeeping for us." After Yu Zhizhuo departed, Zhang Sheng summoned Sun Yu, Xu Henshui, Old Daoist Chuhe, and the other regional leaders, questioning and auditing them thoroughly while reviewing their ledgers. Half a month passed in this manner, until Zhang Sheng had surveyed every critical industry across Qingming. Only then did Zhang Sheng issue the order to muster the troops. The grand army marched toward the Bishui domain.