Chapter 740: Overdrawing the Future, the Wind Is About to Rise

The Dragon Master seems to have returned to glory.

They already had a sufficient foundation, initially originating from the Azure Emperor's Cooking and Dwelling Era, and having gone through the stage of Fangxun's nurturing and revitalization, it can be said their ancestors were not ordinarily prosperous.

Besides, they had the full backing of the entire Dragon Clan group, controlled the Four Seas' resources, and held the Heaven-Earth-Water Element Great Dao; for a time they could be described as having unrivaled prominence.

Even though the Bird Master later rose to dominance, at one point they reduced the Dragon Master, bereft of the Dragon Ancestor's guardianship, to a disheveled state with various blockades and suppressions, making them quite embarrassed.

But, as soon as the blockade is broken!

An ancient and massive player can then easily return to the arena.

All this benefited from the collision of several major groups, namely the Heavenly Court's main forces and the Fire Cloud Two Divisions' campaigns, which led to a deteriorating environment and tense international situation.

The Dragon Master mastered the great project to control Weak Water erosion, benefited from it, and revitalized the large market led by the Dragon Master.

This is something other clans and tribes cannot envy.

After all, this is a natural talent, a special endowment unique to the Dragon Master.

The Dragon Clan, by nature fond of water, innately knows how to control water, born water-management experts.

Moreover, the Dragon Clan's transformation path enables them to easily command fish and snakes, turning them into subordinates……these are excellent laborers!

The key is, having enough numbers!

With the same amount of labor, the Dragon Master needs only spend little money to gain control and solve real-world problems.

As a middleman profiting from the spread, they can eat their fill——as long as they're given the chance to enter the market!

Furthermore, the Dragon Master's conduct is decent; as a middleman they earn little, mostly benefiting customers and workers, strengthening cohesion while gradually occupying a large market.

The land where the Eastern Barbarians reside seems to be trending back to the era when Fangxun was still around.

Prosperity.

Heyday.

Say one, mean one.

By comparison, the Bird Master's presence is gradually fading……which further highlights the Dragon Master's unrivaled prominence.

When such a situation occurs, some developments also become reasonable and natural.

When the Bird Master retreats, the Dragon Master advances—or rather, under the internal populace's desire for self-respect and confidence pushing outward, and the external clans' concern for regional military safety pulling in trade exchanges, the Dragon Master's leadership was swept along involuntarily.

As the boss, one must bear the boss's responsibility!

Should we restore the Dragon Master's former grandeur of sweeping the region with garrisons in all directions?

This would let the people feel the belonging and pride of tribal revival, giving them confidence even when away from home.

And allow newly reestablished commercial allies, when expressing concerns about the safety of trade routes, to dispatch sufficient forces to guard and deter all manner of troublemakers.

——After all, in recent years, as the Heavenly River Weak Water spread and altered the environment, large numbers of 'Weak Water species' have appeared.

Speaking of strength, they are not particularly strong.

But they drift with the water, go with the flow, popping up everywhere, forming gangs, banding together to cause trouble, which is utterly intolerable.

They seriously interfered with the Dragon Master's effort to establish a trade system centered on itself.

A major stable environment is an important need for the Dragon Master's revival.

If the environment is unstable, how can trade and development proceed?

The Dragon Master's return to status, the urgent need to develop cooperation, the Bird Master's gradual fading, and the allied tribes' earnest requests led the Dragon Master's leadership to consider restoring the former pattern of suppressing all directions and pacifying everything with domineering vigor.

However, the expenses involved will be considerable.

The Dragon Master has revived and has a little surplus……but facing that huge funding gap, it's not easy to raise enough.

Just then, wise counsel suggested calculating the Dragon Master's potential, the people and subordinates' diligent work, friendly clans' recognition of the Dragon Master's system's reputation, and the current vigorous upward trend……in summary, it is not impossible to slightly overdraw the future to absorb funds from all sides and quicken one's own advance.

As for the issue of overdrawing……perhaps the current major problem will, in the future, become merely a minor one that can be easily compensated without effort.

These words resonated deeply with the Dragon Master's leadership.

They themselves calculated, then deduced the situation of heaven and earth……various methods verified, confirming that these practices on the surface are indeed problem-free.

"We can do it!"

Dan Zhu looked at the many eager ministers awaiting his orders, each discussing past glorious peaks, hesitated a while, and finally nodded.

Even though he felt that the bigger the matter, the more caution it needed, rushing ahead seemed improper, a prickle lodged in his heart.

As a generation's chess sage, one most needs to grasp the big picture, judge the timing, and after long play has cultivated an extraordinary spiritual intuition, faintly feeling uneasy.

But at present, the situation looks perfectly normal, and the great trend is rolling on, leaving him no choice.

He is ultimately not his father Fangxun, who commanded respect, could cow all his ministers, spoke with final authority, and ruled with a holy, autocratic heart.

Faced with the tribespeople's strong enterprising will, Dan Zhu could not dismiss everything on a baseless intuition, so he went along with the flow and approved the Dragon Master's rapid advance plan.

However, he also made an effort to do some precautionary work.

Overdrawing the future, if the undertaking succeeds, that's called financing a commercial legend.

If it fails……

it's just bankruptcy!

But bankruptcy versus bankruptcy also has differences.

Can a limited liability company and an unlimited liability company be the same?

With limited liability, if assets don't cover debts it doesn't matter—you pay only what you have, the rest? Forget it!

Even with limited liability, when liquidating bankruptcy, one can also consider the order of compensation for the parties involved!

Like when a developer absconds, the project is left unfinished, a dispute arises, and owners who paid in advance, even if they demand a freeze and seizure of the developer's assets, can they actually receive full compensation?

Not necessarily……if the developer is crafty, arranging beforehand for people to sue themselves, becoming the primary claimants, they could actually effect a transfer of assets.

The amount payable is just that much; how to pay involves expertise.

Even if a spark remains, it can become capital for a future comeback.

Having risen, one can then repay past creditors with reasonable interest……perhaps even achieving a fine story.

As for the integrity, face, reputation, etc. that were lost in this......

Making money, you know!

Not bad!

How many merit coins is this integrity worth?

Dan Zhu controlled the Dragon Masters, placing his pieces as a skilled chess player, doing his utmost to secure insurance work for his clan.

Not afraid of ten thousand, just afraid of that one chance.

"Please have the Xia lineage's Wenming Highness come for a chat." Dan Zhu ordered his confidant, "Remember, keep it secret."

The confidant received the order and left.

This is not the only one.

Dan Zhu carefully screened and selected several clans that appeared unrelated to the Dragon Masters' interests but actually had good covert relations, inviting them to seek a special offensive-defensive alliance under certain circumstances.

But he deeply hopes that such an alliance will never be needed in his lifetime.

"Order my few brothers to come here."

Dan Zhu took a deep breath.

This is the final insurance work to be done.

You can't put all your eggs in one basket.

The nine sons of the Dragon Ancestor can't all be wiped out.

Someone must always break out of the dangerous situation to become the key to regrouping the team after the core collapses.

In Dan Zhu's arrangement, they will establish cooperative relations with those friendly clans, continually strengthening communication.

……

"Dan Zhu is not bad; he's very clever and sharp, with extremely high wisdom."

Wenming visited the Dragon Masters, and after reaching an agreement, he returned to the Xia lineage.

He had a close, sincere understanding of this inheritor of the Dragon Ancestor; even though he was someone who often complained about the Dragon Ancestor's stubbornness, he couldn't help but express three parts admiration in his words.

Clever and sharp, with extremely high wisdom.

——That's a very high praise!

"No wonder the old dragon regards him as heir and dotes on him; it's indeed reasonable."

"After some training, he could certainly shoulder great responsibilities and become a major figure."

"Unfortunately, it's the wrong era; those he meets aren't opponents of his level—all they are are old cynics coming to the fish pond to blow up fish."

"After a round of operations, everything was trapped by the erroneous mist... Even if we exhaust our thoughts, it's just jumping from one pit to another, unable to change the overall trend."

Wenming smiled, pouring a cup of wine for himself and his reflection opposite.

"Blowing up fish is just blowing up fish; reality doesn't care about fairness." The guest who arrived quietly replied indifferently, "If you don't blow up and I don't blow up, when will the newbie grow up?"

"If the person can't do it, don't blame the road for being uneven!"

"What you're saying..." Wenming was somewhat speechless, "You people, talking while standing don't complain about back pain."

"What if everyone's background is like yours, a cheat from cultivating human dao?"

"What's wrong with a cheat? I earned my cheat through ability!" In the dim candlelight, Xuanyuan's visage was reflected.

This person, who leads the Cloud Masters in conducting mobile warfare against the Heavenly Court, somehow arrived in the Eastern Barbarians!

If this news were to spread, it would likely shake the heavens... In the next moment, Taiyi would have to come kill.

As the biggest cheat of this era, Xuanyuan views some issues quite openly and feels no shame about using cheats.

Indeed.

Nowadays, among those who manage to stand out, how many aren't using cheats?

Many who appear hardworking and successful, which the world thinks is due to their diligence... actually have cheats behind them!

Because being able to proactively work hard is itself a kind of talent.

Talent is a cheat.

Moreover, many people are born with good fortune, innate wealth and nobility... this kind of innate resource cheat, who wouldn't want to possess it?

Innate cheat and acquired cheat... there's essentially no difference.

"Yes, yes, you earned your cheat through ability." Wenming also didn't mind, smiling lightly, "But you also need to note... your kind of cheat is very likely to be sealed."

"Look at your predecessors... uh, that's Hongjun."

"When the Heavenly Dao becomes a spirit, what happened in the end? It got sealed! Thrown into a dark cell!"

"And you, self-evolved human dao spirits, will most likely also enjoy this treatment."

Wenming said this calmly.

Xuanyuan, however, remained composed: "When we use cheats, we already have the awareness that we may someday be exposed and jointly sealed by everyone."

"In this regard, we differ from Hongjun... he was born without choice, so he longs for freedom."

"We are born free; after serious contemplation, we openly accepted the path of sacrifice, taking on this responsibility and duty."

"No matter what miserable outcome we end up in, I don't care."

"What grandeur!" Wenming praised, then stopped discussing this matter—after all, it's picking at someone's wound; even if Xuanyuan doesn't mind, it's still a matter of virtue.

"Since you've come to my little clan, you must have something important, right? Come, speak... I'll help if I can."

Wenming said.

"I indeed have official business." When talking about work, Xuanyuan immediately became serious, "It's like this."

"My Cloud Masters are now establishing bases one by one, gradually reaching saturation."

"Continuing to deepen cultivation yields little effect, so we need to shift to a new region... Let's act against the Fire Masters; that would violate righteousness; the Nine Li... that's even more a bias granted by this deity to the Goddess Nüwa; as long as they are bound by humanity and can only maintain justice, I will not move against them."

"After consideration... the Eastern Barbarians here look pretty good."

Xuanyuan spoke very honestly.

"You're digging the wall of my Eastern Yi!" Wen Ming sighed, "However, that's also not impossible."

He shifted the conversation, yet agreed to Xuanyuan's request, indicating he could provide convenience.

Anyway, this place is also headed for turmoil.

The Bird Master set a trap, the Dragon Master entered the game, and the Heavenly Court even got involved…… In one weak water species group after another, spy dramas play out every day.

Sole enjoyment is not as good as collective enjoyment.

You come here to lend a hand…… Alright, I support you.

When the Dragon Master goes bankrupt, when I go to bail him out, having more helpers also increases the chances of victory.

Wen Ming finished speaking, then rummaged in his sleeve pouch and finally pulled out a list. "Come, choose for yourself…… These are the resources and manpower I can provide; tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you."

"Boss, you're magnanimous!" Xuanyuan clasped his hands, took the list, "The human race will not forget your contribution, and the human way will not forget your effort."

Alright…… I'm not clear on the human race's memory, as for the human way's memory, I've already learned my lesson." Wen Ming chuckled, "Don't come at me with a knife later, or I'll just thank heaven and earth."

I give you these things only to place high hopes on the younger generation, hoping you can shoulder the era's backbone and stand on the stage of the times.

Otherwise, my opponents are always a bunch of old fogeys, fussing over sinister, troublesome tricks, and I find it hard to bear as well.

If it were young people instead, it would be different…… Many are hard-headed and disbelieving, they can endure more knocks.

Wen Ming sighed with feeling.

Xuanyuan heard it and could only show an embarrassed yet polite smile.

……

This is the downside of young people taking the stage!

Among the Bird Masters, Chong Hua looked at the Dragon Master's information, poured himself a drink, and said, "Without prestige, he's ultimately naive and shallow."

However, for me as his opponent, it's a great advantage.

If it were Cang Zai's time, I might not really be able to play like this……

Dan Zhu…… Do you know?

Those 'allies' you asked the Dragon Master to station in various places, or those 'virtuous talents' you urged to advance boldly…… were all bribed and arranged by me in the past!

Everything I've done aims to let you…… come out!

Chong Hua muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he raised his head.

It's time for the wind to rise.

(End of chapter)