Chapter 477: The Upper Ones

"I've already lost count of how many times I've told you—I gave you a voice-transmitting magic treasure…" Lord Tianyu's gaze was laden with plaintive sorrow, as if it could drip water.

Wei Yuan smiled awkwardly and said, "The signal here is poor…"

Lord Tianyu sighed and said, "We've repeated this conversation many times already, but I feel we'll repeat it many more times—many years to come."

Before Wei Yuan's face could even flush, he stared at Lord Tianyu in surprise and asked, "How have you become so clever?"

"When you open your eyes every morning and see several Ancestral Spirits floating before you, you'll become clever too…"

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan immediately checked the offerings in the mortal realm and instantly spotted the problem—he promptly halted upward Suyuan.

Then he examined another worshipper and discovered that the spiritual power generated by three hundred meticulously selected, muscle-bound savages far surpassed that of the previous five hundred-plus rabble—not by one or two times, but by more than tenfold.

Of course, these mortals meant well.

Many of them had received Lord Tianyu's kindness, traveling thousands of miles from Wu Domain to Qingming—only to die en route. Even so, their unyielding desire to reach the Human Realm carried them to Qingming, where they were reborn through the Gates Between Realms, becoming part of the mortal offerings.

That's why they went to any lengths to thank Lord Tianyu, even though the Creator Immortal was a stingy and jealous creature who constantly barred them from fully expressing their gratitude. Yet they believed mortal wisdom was boundless—no matter how many prohibitions the Creator Immortal issued, they would always find a way to offer even more thanks.

Wei Yuan silently adjusted the worship incantations, then asked, "How are things in your tribe?"

Lord Tianyu said, "Excellent! Without doubt, I'm now the richest among all the Great Shamans of the tribe. Only a few Wild Shaman Elders rank above me—they possess many ancestral shamanic artifacts, priceless in value, but those belong to the entire tribe, not to them personally. So in terms of immortal silver, even the elders have less than I do. Thus, the tribe has given me a new title: Richest Man. Since I'm the Richest Man, I must possess wisdom befitting the title."

Wei Yuan was stunned again: "In your tribe, shouldn't the title match muscle, not wisdom?"

Lord Tianyu chuckled and said, "Muscle can be bought in any quantity. But wisdom? You simply can't buy it."

Wei Yuan realized this was true—in the Power-Shaman tribe, finding wisdom was indeed extremely difficult, even harder than in the Bright King's Hall.

Lord Tianyu continued, "Trade routes with other tribes are now ready. As soon as we have more brocade, we can send it over. Oh, two Wild Shaman Elders have already agreed to protect my caravan. Add my own great-grandfather, and now I have three Wild Shamans behind me. See? I don't lack muscle."

Wei Yuan bowed his head in solemn respect.

Fortunately, Lord Tianyu had unknowingly secured three Wild Shamans—otherwise, the Wild Ancestor Tribe might have been swayed by the Rain Kingdom. Then Wei Yuan would have faced at least five or six Wild Shamans.

Though the Fragmented Realm is now dominated by the Will Beyond Heaven, Wild Shamans possess extraordinarily resilient bodies—they can withstand a single gaze from a Shadow Shaman without dying, and a Wild Shaman can endure at least three. That much time is enough to slay a Dharma Form. Three Wild Shamans acting together could withstand the Will Beyond Heaven long enough to kill Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan said, "Now that you're the richest man in the tribe, can you help me with something?"

"Speak! Anything within my power."

"I need the items on this list—get as much as you can."

Lord Tianyu took the list and immediately frowned. "These are all strategic materials. The Rain Kingdom is preparing for war—if I sell these to you, some in the tribe will gossip."

Wei Yuan said at once, "Act like the Richest Man! Use immortal silver to silence them!"

Lord Tianyu's mind whirred. "Direct force won't work—we can't let the tribe know what I'm moving. Here's an idea: I'll pile cheap goods on top. Then I'll prepare two carts of fine wine and give them to the guards at the gate—get them drunk, and we'll be fine."

Wei Yuan praised Lord Tianyu's quick thinking, then made his second request: "I also want to know who the Holy Shaman appearing in the Rain Kingdom is—details, as thorough as possible."

This time, Lord Tianyu was genuinely troubled, hesitating. Wei Yuan saw the opening and asked, "You can't decide alone? Is there someone who can?"

Lord Tianyu sighed and said, "Come with me."

The two reached the edge of the realm, and before Wei Yuan appeared a mountain of flesh.

This shaman stood over ten feet tall, his forearms thicker than Wei Yuan's thighs, his body covered in intricate runes, his beard braided and adorned with golden rings embedded with gems. Merely standing there, he warped the surrounding landscape—small stones occasionally floated up from his feet.

"This is my great-grandfather, Wild Shaman Da Huang Ri. Oh, this morning, when the Ancestral Spirits came to visit me, Ceng Zu just gave me a beating. When he heard I was coming to see you, he insisted on coming to look at you himself."

Wei Yuan broke into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, this Wild Shaman, who was worshipped alongside Lord Tianyu, was not angry—only looking down with detached scrutiny. After examining Wei Yuan, he took the list from Lord Tianyu, glanced at it, and said, "Grandmaster Hongye is preparing to attack you. He's an old friend of ours. Our Wild Ancestor Tribe has chosen not to join this war—that's already more than enough for you. Young human, you shouldn't be so greedy."

Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "Your tribe doesn't join the war not for the sake of humanity, but for your own sake. Lord Tianyu told me—in the past few centuries, every joint campaign has cost your tribe several times more casualties than the Rain Kingdom. Without these wars, your Wild Ancestor Tribe would be far stronger than today's Rain Kingdom!"

"Hmph! I'm friends with Grandmaster Hongye—I don't want to hear this!" Wei Yuan said, "If I'm right, many past wars were entirely unnecessary. Your tribe simply grew stronger, and so you joined the fighting."

Da Huang Ri's expression turned serious. He fell into thought.

Wei Yuan knew he had succeeded. The first words were too roundabout—the hidden meaning escaped the Wild Shaman. The second time, bluntly stated, he understood.

After a moment of silence, Da Huang Ri said, "If you want the items on the list, you must offer something of equal value—not brocade. Something new. What do you have?"

Wei Yuan had prepared this answer: "I've brought liquor: grain liquor, fruit liquor, and medicinal liquor."

The Wild Shaman's breathing quickened. His Adam's apple bobbed as he asked, "What kind of liquor?"

Wei Yuan withdrew two large jars from his storage treasure. One contained grain liquor; the other, fruit liquor brewed from spiritual rice mixed with herbs and fruits. Both had been distilled to extreme potency and seasoned by Sun Yu—richly fragrant, and lethally toxic.

Though the jars were sizable, the Wild Shaman's frame dwarfed them—he held them like teacups. He downed one jar in a single gulp, then the other. A black mist immediately rose on his face.

The black mist rose and fell, repeating several times before finally fading.

Da Huang Ri closed his eyes, savoring the taste. Long moments passed before he opened them again, sighing with lingering satisfaction.

>

These toxins affected the Wild Shaman as little as they would Wei Yuan—harmless, but stimulating the body and enhancing flavor. Of course, if Lord Tianyu drank them, it would be a tragic tale.

Seeing Da Huang Ri clearly unsatisfied, Wei Yuan signaled at once. Moments later, a cart halted before them, loaded with four massive wooden casks, each half a zhang tall.

Wei Yuan smiled. "These are for you to quench your thirst—less toxic, but not quite as potent."

This time, six thousand jin of potent liquor finally satisfied the Wild Shaman. His attitude toward Wei Yuan improved markedly.

"How much do you want for this liquor?"

Wei Yuan had already checked the market price. He patted Lord Tianyu, who said, "Only one-third of what the Rain Kingdom pays us! But our liquor is far stronger!"

Da Huang Ri nodded. "True. The Rain Kingdom's sludge gives us water—can't even poison a lizard. Good. You, human, are decent—unlike other humans, you're not sneaky at all."

Wei Yuan felt a touch of embarrassment.

Da Huang Ri said, "The Holy Shaman you mentioned is called Rain Saint. She specializes in the Dao of Water. She was originally a subject of the Rain Kingdom, then traveled to Tian City in Wu Domain to cultivate for centuries, returning only a few decades ago. But she isn't the most dangerous. Beware Grandmaster Hongye! Though his realm has been shattered, no Shadow Shaman can match him. Even I would likely lose to him. Here are their magical signatures."

Da Huang Ri flicked two light orbs toward Wei Yuan—each containing the magical techniques and spiritual signatures of Rain Saint and Grandmaster Hongye.

Wei Yuan sincerely thanked him, then finalized the details of the next caravan with Lord Tianyu, and both prepared to depart.

In this trade with the Wild Ancestor Tribe, Wei Yuan didn't care about profit or loss—he sought only one thing: an additional guarantee that the Wild Ancestor Tribe wouldn't switch sides and ally with the Rain Kingdom.

So since the first batch of brocade was delivered, Wei Yuan had been searching for a follow-up commodity—something vital to the shamans, indispensable, and available in abundance.

After evaluating dozens of options, Wei Yuan chose liquor. More precisely, Wei Yuan merely made the choice. The Mortal Offerings had listed dozens of viable commodities, each with detailed pros and cons. All Wei Yuan had to do was read the reports, pick one, circle it, and sign his name. That was all.

Wei Yuan realized that when your subordinates are numerous and capable, work becomes this simple.

The only flaw: some weren't diligent enough. Those who entered the Mortal Offerings from outside worked only two or three hours a day.

As for the difficulty of decision-making, Wei Yuan considered it negligible. Each report carried an evaluation score—liquor scored ninety-nine; nothing else exceeded eighty; brocade scored only seventy-one.

So anyone with eyes—and not from the Bright King's Hall or the Wild Ancestor Tribe—could easily pick liquor.

Now, judging by the Wild Shaman's reaction, the accuracy of these reports was confirmed.

From this decision-making process, Wei Yuan realized: if the Mortal Offerings were viewed as a whole, the more numerous and capable the lower-level mortals, and the more work they performed, the easier the decision-making became for those above.

When the Mortal Offerings are fully perfected, perhaps even a monkey tied to Wei Yuan's position, capable only of circling, could perform well.

Now that the Wild Ancestor Tribe was appeased, Wei Yuan could focus entirely on the Rain Kingdom.

(End of Chapter)