Chapter 343: The Transaction

Tan Laosi's heart skipped a beat. His primary mission in coming to Luolong County this time was to offer amnesty to Meng Yifan, but now that Meng Yifan had flatly rejected the amnesty, what was to be done?

"I wonder how True Person Meng wishes to cooperate?" Tan Laosi asked.

"You saw the cement, sweet potatoes, potatoes, AK47s, and Congreve Rocket Launchers along the way. Cement can quickly cast defensive fortifications, while sweet potatoes and potatoes can grow in arid environments; this is very important for the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty, which is currently facing years of drought."

"The AK47s and Congreve Rocket Launchers have immense power; even if used by an ordinary soldier, they can threaten a Third Grade Demon Beast. These are all good things; it is no exaggeration to call them treasures. I can sell these items to the Dong Prefecture Inspector, but I require the Dong Prefecture Inspector to purchase them using Spirit Medicine, Spirit Stones, and Immortal Cultivation Techniques," Meng Yifan said.

Tan Laosi felt somewhat depressed. He had come to offer amnesty, and Tan Qingyang had not authorized him to conduct business. It seemed he would have to make another trip to return and inform Tan Qingyang.

Tan Laosi felt that what Meng Yifan said was not wrong; those few items could indeed be considered good treasures, especially the two crops, sweet potatoes and potatoes, which could even be called priceless. The problem was that these were all new things that had never appeared before, and he did not know how to value them.

"True Person Meng, how do you intend to trade?" Tan Laosi asked.

"For potatoes and sweet potatoes, I can give you the seeds and teach you the planting methods. You need to pay me with Nether Grass, Greater Yin Flower, Red Fire Ginseng, and Polygonum Multiflorum over three hundred years old—three portions of each of these four types of Spirit Medicine."

"Cement is sold by the ton, one ton for one Low-grade Spirit Stone. An AK47 plus ninety rounds of ammunition sells for one Low-grade Spirit Stone. A Congreve Rocket Launcher plus three Rockets sells for two Low-grade Spirit Stones," Meng Yifan said.

If the trade were conducted at these prices, Meng Yifan would make a fortune. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cement had almost no cost, and Luolong County could already mass-produce Congreve Rocket Launchers, so the production cost was not high either.

The AK47 had high technological content and could not yet be produced in the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty. However, having experienced the recent great battle, Meng Yifan had collected a large amount of Yin Soul Energy. As long as the Dong Prefecture Inspector agreed to use Spirit Stones to purchase AK47s, Meng Yifan could travel back to Earth and buy a batch of AK47s.

On Earth, AK47s sold very cheaply. In some war-torn countries, an AK47 sold for only two hundred-plus Renminbi—it was practically dirt cheap. And that was retail; if purchased in large quantities, the price could be even lower.

Yet Spirit Stones were extremely rare on Earth. If Meng Yifan were prepared to sell Spirit Stones, all the cultivators on Earth would be willing to wave their cash to buy them.

Meng Yifan believed that one Low-grade Spirit Stone could easily sell for ten million or even more on Earth. Calculated this way, the profit from trading AK47s between the two worlds was at least fifty thousand times. This business was viable and very profitable.

If the trade between the two sides went smoothly, Meng Yifan was also prepared to expand the business. As long as they could afford the Spirit Stones, he could sell Hand Grenades, tanks, armored vehicles, grenade launchers, and missiles.

Even Mushroom Bombs could be sold, provided the price was right.

Meng Yifan had already discovered that although Mushroom Bombs had immense power, they were not invincible; their explosive power could only threaten experts below the Sixth Grade.

Compared to these external objects, what Meng Yifan craved more now was to rapidly raise his own cultivation to a realm above the Sixth Grade.

"True Person Meng, this deal is too big; I cannot make the decision. I will return to Dongzhou City immediately and let the Inspector make the call," Tan Laosi said.

Meng Yifan nodded. He naturally knew that Tan Laosi was merely an envoy and certainly could not make the decision; in the end, Tan Qingyang would have to give the final word for this deal to be struck.

The matter was of great importance, so Tan Laosi dared not delay. He utilized his Lightness Skill and flew toward Dongzhou City, having to dodge the Monster Army along the way, so it was not until the next morning that Tan Laosi returned to Dongzhou City.

Inside the Inspector's Mansion, Tan Laosi recounted everything he had seen and heard in Luolong County to Tan Qingyang in full detail. His eloquence was quite good, and he spoke so vividly that even though Tan Qingyang had not been to Luolong County, he had a clear understanding of it.

"Bang!" Tan Qingyang slapped the table and stood up, saying: "Meng Yifan's wolfish ambition is clear for all to see. He has great aspirations and is different from other short-sighted rebels. He knows how to vie for the hearts and fortunes of the people; this is aimed at overthrowing the dynasty. He is even more terrifying than the Monster Army outside. We must annihilate Meng Yifan as soon as possible; we absolutely cannot give him any more time to develop and grow."

Tan Qingyang frowned, pacing back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, considering how to annihilate Meng Yifan. However, after calculating for a long time, he felt stretched thin and had no one to send.

Meng Yifan's strength was formidable; to defeat him, one would need to send at least two Fifth-grade Lower-tier Immortal Cultivators, or a Fifth-grade Middle-tier Immortal Cultivator.

But now, outside Dongzhou City, the Monster Army was besieging the city, and the Level 5 Great Demons were just waiting for the Fifth-grade Immortal Cultivators to come out of the Array to completely wipe them out. Therefore, unless it was a decisive battle, the Fifth-grade Immortal Cultivators could not be sent out to annihilate Meng Yifan at all.

"Sigh!" Tan Qingyang let out a sigh and sat in his chair, feeling somewhat decadent. He would write a memorial to report the intelligence regarding Meng Yifan to the higher-ups.

However, in the center of the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty, the palace was ruled by eunuchs, and the ministers in the court who held sinecures were divided into Eastern and Western factions.

As long as a proposal was put forward by the Eastern faction, the Western faction would oppose it without asking right from wrong; likewise, as long as a proposal was put forward by the Western faction, the Eastern faction would also oppose it without exception.

The leaders of the Eastern and Western factions formed cliques for personal gain, vied for power and profit, and attacked those who disagreed with them, making the court a foul atmosphere.

In the Jinluandian, the ministers did not care at all about the precarious situation of the imperial court; they spent their days arguing, and it was said that they even disregarded ministerial decorum and came to blows, staging several brawls.

Even if Tan Qingyang's memorial were sent to the capital, it would likely sink like a stone and fail to attract any attention from those in power.

"Natural disasters and man-made calamities, monsters emerging in swarms, refugees rising everywhere—has the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty, which has been passed down for a thousand years, truly reached the end of its fortune?"

Tan Qingyang was filled with worry. After a moment, he shook his head; the chaotic situation at the center was not something he, a local Inspector, could manage.

According to Tan Laosi's description, the two crops, sweet potatoes and potatoes, were absolutely good things that benefited the country and the people. If planted on a large scale, they could save countless lives. Unfortunately, crops required time to grow, and Dongzhou City no longer had that much time to grow food; the most important thing now was to defeat the besieging Monster Army.

"Laosi, make another arduous trip. Go to Luolong County and tell Meng Yifan that I have all four types of Spirit Medicine he wants, but I do not want potatoes or sweet potatoes. If he wants these four types of Spirit Herb, he must agree to help me kill a Level 5 Demon Beast," Tan Qingyang said.