Chapter 487

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

There are 6.5 billion people on Earth; the power of faith each year is enough to create over a thousand Divine Art Knights. Even if every single one were a Three Divine Technique Knight, you could still scrape together several hundred.

However, the math works out on paper, but reality is another matter. The Martial Arts Hall students' ranks are still low, and having too many West Continent natives has its drawbacks. Most importantly, "Divine Art Knights" are a scarce commodity. Chen Yi holds a 200-kilometer radius of land, yet he covets the resources of the outside world.

If he could hold a religious conference, pull in a batch of believers, throw a party, and exchange that for trainload after trainload of resources, what reason would there be to refuse?

Chen Yi not only plans to sell Divine Art Knights to the Water Dragon Temple, he also wants to sell to the nearby Fire Dragon Temple and Wind Dragon God Temple. The price for this first deal, however, has to come from High Priest Iyar.

The latter has no concept of a first offer; he stupidly walks right into it: "If Chen Sir can truly train Divine Art Knights for us, after the Temple War, we are willing to gift occupied city-states."

He paused, then gritted his teeth: "One Divine Art Knight, one city-state."

He is the High Priest of Ma La; the power he wields extends only to Ma La. Making such a massive promise now means he bears no small risk himself, but Iyar feels this risk is worth it. A Single Divine Art Knight dominating a region and becoming fabulously wealthy is inevitable. Each year, the temple's tax revenue is split three ways: thirty percent to support the sacrificial priests and administrative staff, thirty percent to support the military, and the remaining thirty percent entirely to support the Divine Art Knights — seemingly fair, but the sacrificial priests and Knight Order number how many, while Divine Art Knights number how few.

Their annual expenditure on a single Divine Art Knight is no less than the tax revenue of a city-state. Look at it from the other side: using a city-state to exchange for a Divine Art Knight is naturally not a losing deal.

Chen Yi laughed inwardly a couple of times, but said: "I don't want city-states, I want cash. Gold or platinum. For one Divine Art Knight, I want 100 tons of gold, or 200 tons of platinum."

On the West Continent, gold is even rarer than platinum.

Yu Weichao sucked in a sharp breath. While Iyar had his head down, he repeatedly signaled Chen Yi with his eyes. He desperately wanted the West Continent to create value, but feared Chen Yi's asking price would be too high and scare Iyar off.

He had seen Divine Art Knights. Although they seemed to have a bit of a "small Superman" level of power, that still couldn't compare to planes and cannons, right? But calculating carefully, 100 tons of gold is roughly under 30 billion RMB. Converted to USD, it just happens to be the price of 10 F-22 fighter jets.

Thinking of it that way, Americans dare fly 10 tons of gold in the sky to show off. Pricing a superman at 100 tons of gold doesn't seem too excessive.

But on second thought, the 30 billion price tag made Yu Weichao's calves tremble.

"I have to apply to the High Priest, but I will spare no effort to make this happen." Iyar, on the contrary, didn't find it expensive. Back when Ma La was cleaned out by Chen Yi, what was taken was far more than 100 tons of gold. Although it was years of accumulated savings, it's still more cost-effective than handing over an entire city-state.

This is a price both sides are satisfied with. The subsequent communication became much easier.

Chen Yi then said with a straight face: "Regardless of whether you agree, you have three days to give me an answer. Understand?"

Once he returns to Jiangning, coming back again would take at least a week or two. That would waste a wave of faith power.

Iyar was naturally even more anxious. He guaranteed: "Please rest assured. I will return and immediately urge the Sacrificial Platform."

After settling this matter, he hurried back to Ma La.

Only then did Chen Yi free up the time to look at Yu Weichao.

The latter, sweating profusely, apologized: "My judgment was wrong. I heard 100 tons of gold and lost my bearings. Our hundred thousand slaves, with both machinery and bacterial metallurgy, only produce a little over 100 tons of gold and platinum a month. One person demanding that much — I was a bit afraid they wouldn't agree."

"A Divine Art Knight on the West Continent is like a nuclear weapon, and one that can be reused. Simply put, it's equivalent to the effect of two or three armored divisions. So, the various temples will definitely pay a huge price." Chen Yi explained rather slowly, but didn't say much more.

"I didn't know enough." Yu Weichao's face reddened slightly. The Archive Research Room's data is fully open to Rhombus Conference Hall members, but whether the leadership goes to look, and whether they take it seriously after looking, is another matter entirely.

"You have half a month to restore the mine's production. Also, dig up the rare earth mine. That stuff has low technical content."

If rare earths aren't refined, it's purely digging up the mountain or ground, then just selling dirt.

Influenced by domestic news, Yu Weichao said quietly: "Should we keep the rare earths for later use?"

"Afraid of what? Once we're rich, we'll dig other people's later." Chen Yi doesn't care at all about wasting West Continent resources. Environmental protection must be moderate. Extreme environmentalists are just another manifestation of arrogant self-importance — the Earth's resources usable by humans are extremely few, not even one ten-thousandth. Don't even dream of using them up within a thousand years.

"Then I'll organize production immediately."

Chen Yi nodded slightly and left the Small Conference Room.

West River City quickly bustled again.

The small tea stall on the back street reopened. The grocery stores, small supermarkets, and the newly built department stores all launched major promotions. Merchants from north and south curiously shuttled through them. The students complained while buying food and goods.

Although the prosperity level can't compare to a 21st-century small county town, the thriving, upward change is something a small county town cannot compare to.

Chen Yi held Jin Douna with his left hand, his right arm linked by Liu Xinyu. They just strolled down the longest road, West River Road. Soldiers who had just finished a suppression operation desperately needed to vent. Every shop was packed. The stalls of some native merchants were doing especially brisk business.

Liu Xinyu's firm chest pressed against Chen Yi's arm, yet she seemed oblivious, looking left and right. After a while, she pointed at the road surface being excavated and smiled: "They say China is forever digging up roads. Your construction crew is truly Chinese-brand."

"It's for laying internet cable, right?" Chen Yi remembered the order he'd signed. He smiled: "No major battles in the short term. With our small 20,000 population, wireless internet isn't convenient either. Consider it securing welfare for everyone."

"I bet it's all for watching porn." Liu Xinyu suddenly dropped that line, then pointed at a lively shop ahead.

Chen Yi froze. This bustling shop — isn't it precisely a disc store? Judging by the introduction on its storefront, they're probably pushing ***** as the main feature.

Jin Douna's Chinese level is pretty good, but usually no one says words like "porn" to her. She thought for half a day, then saw the posters in front of the door and reacted. Her face instantly flushed red. "How can they openly sell this? I remember Jiangning doesn't allow it."

"If it's freedom of speech, movies expressing any viewpoint are allowed. And we don't seem to have our own laws, do we?" Liu Xinyu's words were meaningful, probing Chen Yi's thoughts on West River's status.

If they have their own laws, West River's de facto separatism basically becomes inevitable. Otherwise, it will still be a long development period.

Whether Jin Douna didn't hear the implication, or purely disrupted Liu Xinyu's probe, she spoke up first: "There will be children in West River later. Putting this kind of advertisement right on the main street seems inappropriate."

"If there isn't even freedom of speech to express the body, then freedom of speech to express politics is even more out of the question. Whether it's children or the adjective 'obscene,' they are all excuses to restrict speech. The view hidden behind them is: since exposing the body isn't allowed, political freedom is even more unthinkable." Liu Xinyu spoke fast and urgently.

Only then did Chen Yi remember. Liu Xinyu is a radical former "Human Development Research Society" member. What she just said is probably her consistent viewpoint.

He thought that, but his mouth teased: "You want the freedom to expose your body?"

"I should at least have that right."

Chen Yi hehe'd a laugh, but didn't answer.

"West River is currently implementing China's laws. I think we should have our own laws." Liu Xinyu's ambition is huge.

Chen Yi leaned toward pragmatism: "The project of drafting laws is too big. You'd have to establish a separate law school, a separate legal system."

He shook his head: "Unless employment problems arise, we won't reach that step."

"Changing now saves the most. If the population grows later and you try to establish a new law, there will be many opponents."

"There are many now too." Chen Yi doesn't believe China's problems can be solved by a single law. Likewise, making West River better is absolutely not a problem laws can solve.

The future world Liu Xinyu envisions is one more developed and competitive. Enacting new laws is a shortcut. Although it was just a probe, Chen Yi's firm attitude still brought her mood down.

Jin Douna saw this and hurriedly said: "It's lively up ahead. Don't know what they're doing. Let's go over quickly."

The three quickened their pace. The little dispute from just now dissipated.

Liu Xinyu and Jin Douna instead chatted intimately, looking as if their little contradictions had also disappeared. To speak truly, the two's little contradictions were actually deliberately created by Chen Yi; now that they both worked on the West Continent, the only female of equivalent rank was each other, plus a common enemy and a common goal, so their mutual relationship naturally improved.

West River City was very small; the so-called lively place was actually outside the city — a standard circus big top, where an Earthling and a native were each using their own language to drum up business: God Temple Circus, performing rope arts, various savage bindings, demonstrated by the 3-meter-tall Long-arm Clan member Shen Xu...

The word "binding" had long since changed meaning; Chen Yi looked curiously toward the entrance, "Ticket price: 100 yuan" — he couldn't help but click his tongue and laugh: "Truly not cheap. Local native women's bindings, I'm afraid not so many students would be willing to watch."

Liu Xinyu's face also sank, and she said: "Freedom of speech is of course freedom under the condition of not violating other laws; if they truly dare to bind women for performance to make money, hmph!"

"Let's go in and see first." Chen Yi wore a very curious expression.

Liu Xinyu turned her head; however she looked at Chen Yi, he seemed the very picture of a rich kid's irreverent playboy attitude, but looking around again, she couldn't help but marvel at the situation he had created.

Yin Senyong had bought tickets for several people and walked inside, but heard bursts of whip sounds.

It truly was a 3-meter-tall native, playing at savage binding and whipping games.

Only, the object was a saber-toothed beast bound into shape.

The former Black Forest overlord was now bound tight with four horizontal and three vertical ropes, bent hind legs and arched forequarters perfectly thrusting out the thickest-meated buttocks and chest, a furry expanse matched with ferocious long fangs and sharp claws, very much possessing a violent aesthetic perversion.

Beside them a host introduced in high spirits: "From the Long Arm Tribe, Shen Xu — his whip falls, listen to this crisp sound, look at this union of power and beauty!"

Liu Xinyu let out a breath, saying: "Thankfully it's not a person."

Chen Yi instead wore a face of regret: "Unfortunately it's not a person."

Jin Douna unconsciously supplemented in Korean: "Fortunately it's not a man."

... (Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to cast recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)