Chapter 642

Water cascaded down, churning up layers of foam.

The brown, slick skin of the salamanders reflected the sky's light; they whipped their tails, moving toward each other, then stepped onto shore and trampled out a neat circular patch of earth.

The cold wind howled.

All high officials within Pingyang Prefecture were present, including the Three Judicial Offices and the Demon-Hunting Office.

Long moments passed.

One salamander turned around, slid back into the water, and vanished with a flick of its tail.

The waves gradually calmed.

Xu Xu Yue could not fathom the meaning, stepped back half a pace, and leaned back, waving his hand.

Liang Qu understood at once and moved forward.

"Where are the sea merchants? Why only two salamanders? And one even went back to trace the circle?"

"Hmm, wait a bit. Sea merchants always send scouts first, then allow time for everyone to gather. The frog folk do the same—tracing the circle… is likely some kind of marker."

"How long do we wait?"

"Half an hour?"

"Half an hour?"

Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi, Wei Lin, Xu Xu Yue, Sui Sui Hongyan, and others turned their heads in unison.

Ke Ko Wenbin punched Liang Qu on the back: "You didn't even eat breakfast, and you didn't tell us? You made us come out here to freeze our asses off?"

"I forgot…"

The tense atmosphere on the dock instantly dissolved.

Half an hour.

Not too long, not too short.

The registrar of the River Office waved, ordering river clerks to carry out chairs; officials took their seats one by one, sipping tea and chatting idly.

"Ran Zhongshi, when will the Prince of Xu Yue arrive?"

"We received a reply last night at Zi hour. He's arranging supplies and mobilizing ships—he'll arrive the day after tomorrow."

"What about Grand Secretary Su?"

Grand Secretary Su and Elder Weng are personally visiting neighboring prefectures to borrow magical treasures for safety; they are expected to arrive one day after the Prince of Xu Yue.

"Good."

Xu Xu Yue's heart eased slightly.

From receiving the news to arranging the itinerary, five days was far too tight.

Masters and Martial Saints move fast, true, but this trip's purpose is trade, not battlefield deployment.

Big show and lots of big names mean nothing if the supplies don't keep up.

The great clans and merchant guilds of Pingyang Prefecture have delayed things for today and tomorrow, holding out until the Prince of Xu Yue arrives the day after tomorrow, and Grand Secretary Su the day after that—so the sea merchant must leave thoroughly satisfied!

The tide rolled in wave after wave.

Half an hour passed in a flash; river clerks removed the tables and chairs.

Wait another quarter hour.

Shadows surfaced in the water, spreading a thick, imposing aura.

A slight examination revealed:

Each was no weaker than a Smoke Wolf expert; the Hunting Tiger water beasts seemed ordinary—dozens, perhaps even scores…

The closer the shadows drew, the more staggering their number became.

The officials on site grew solemn.

Here they come!

Boom!

!

White waves exploded.

A giant manta floated on the surface, its broad back like land, wide enough for horses to gallop upon.

Crabs and water spiders plunged their leg joints into the mud, conjuring islands out of thin air, dragging long lines of carts closer.

As the water beasts revealed most of their cargo, a pale blue, rounded head emerged from the water, resembling a floating island. The Sea Merchant's eight limbs were submerged, while the parts exposed to air visibly lightened in color.

A Great Demon!

All high officials bowed in reverence; nearby villagers, seeing such a sight for the first time, grew alarmed.

Octopus.

Officials, well-traveled and experienced, recognized it as a sea creature; ordinary folk had never seen one before and spread the news in panic.

Last time, the Prince of Xu Yue's giant snakes were shocking enough—but this was even more terrifying!

A Great Demon equivalent to a Celestial Master, even viewed from afar, was awe-inspiring—like witnessing a mountain floating in the water.

In the past, glimpsing a shadow of a Great Demon was a rare privilege—how could anyone dare come this close to behold its divine visage?

The crowd of onlookers erupted in cries.

"My dear mother, what kind of demon is this?"

"Demon your head—it's the River God!"

"The River God has come ashore!"

"Will this winter need a grand celebration?"

"This one's bigger than last time's River God envoy!"

Whoa!

Tentacles waved.

Xu Xu Yue turned his head.

"The Sea Merchant?"

"Yes!"

Confirmed. Liang Qu joined the other officials in boarding a small boat to meet the Sea Merchant.

The Sea Merchant saw Liang Qu, glanced once at the shore, and looked disappointed.

There were many "demons" here, but no "Great Demons."

According to past experience, without a Great Demon, trade volume would drop significantly.

But since they'd come all this way…

Even a small deal is still a deal.

The Sea Merchant showed no displeasure, directing the caravan to set up as usual, greeting them warmly.

"Guests, it's been a long time—what do you need?"

A heavenly voice, melodious.

The villagers were stunned again.

"The River God is a woman!"

"Idiot, how could the River God be a woman? It's the River God's wife!"

The villagers chattered endlessly, their remarks wild and varied—but the River Office had anticipated possible offenses and had already separated the crowd. Their words, carried by the river wind, arrived muddled and indistinct.

The Sea Merchant got straight to the point; Magistrate Jian Magistrate Jian Zhongyi and the others said nothing more.

To retain sea merchants, small talk is useless—only strength speaks.

Xu Xu Yue waved his hand.

"Manager Zhu!"

The Heavenly Fleet Merchant Guild led the way, ordering its own fleet forward.

Gangplanks were laid.

Chief Manager Zhu Zhu Bingcan hurried down the ship, scanning the goods dragged out by the water beasts. Many treasures he couldn't even identify, let alone judge their value.

Fortunately, magical items from the water were inherently rare—this was the only place to find them, with no competitors—and thus naturally carried a premium. As long as they avoided random junk and stuck to hard currency like magical fish and plants, they wouldn't lose much.

Chests of magical ore, magical plants, magical pills, and rare beasts were unloaded.

The Sea Merchant opened several wooden chests and was astonished by the quantity of treasures inside.

This man's cultivation was ordinary, yet the treasures he produced were extraordinary—and behind him, there were many more such chests.

The man before him was of average strength, yet the treasures he produced were extraordinary; further back, similar chests were numerous.

The Sea Merchant realized humans and demons were vastly different.

Joy stirred within the Sea Merchant; its tentacles curled and began assessing each item's value.

As for Xu Xu Yue and the other officials, they mostly became spectators.

There was no help for it.

When it came to silver, each was richer than the next.

When it came to physical goods, each was poorer than the next.

Who keeps treasures lying around just to look at them?

Water demons need platforms to exchange goods and compensate for weaknesses; humans don't. The ones truly rich in physical goods remain the great merchant guilds and powerful clans.

Still, an individual may be "poor," but that doesn't mean the government office is.

Ran Ran Zhongshi immediately sent men to open the River Office's treasure vault.

Ran Ran Zhongxi directly sent people to open the treasure vault within the River Tax Office.

Capturing the sea merchants is a great achievement; one ought to act as needed, without being bound by rules or not.

The government office is making a massive purchase!

The crowd dispersed into the market stalls.

"What is this?"

The octopus enthusiastically explained: "Volcanic algae, commonly growing along volcanic edges; when laid in homes, it purifies and cleanses water. If guests don't overdo it in their caves and pay a little attention, cleaning becomes almost unnecessary, and feeding it firestones generates heat—enough firestones can make water hot, if not boiling, at least seven or eight parts warm."

"Exchange it!"

Ran Ran Zhongxi held the ledger and froze upon hearing this.

"What use do we have for this?"

Xu Xu Xu Yuelong said: "One day, build a large hot spring bath behind the government office, lay this material entirely beneath the floor, and we'll have clean, hot water for bathing without ever needing to change the water—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"It won't work for accounting."

"Hey, why not? Our River Office officials are constantly in the water; their bodies carry heavy dampness—they should bathe in hot water often to invigorate blood and qi, beneficial to cultivation. Record it, record it! This entire crate, exchange it all!"

"..."

The entire day passed.

The Sea Market Master discovered that the tiny Pingyang County held astonishing potential—not inferior to great demons—and whenever trade showed signs of fatigue, a new ship would always arrive in time; according to the crew, these ships seemed to be transporting goods from other places.

"What do you think, Market Master?"

Liang Qu probed for his opinion.