Chapter 447: with translation of chapter title

Although Deep Forest people usually love to boast about how brave they are, when death is imminent, the Deep Forest Prisoners still harbor fear and cannot help discussing it.

But who can say for sure? They can only stare at each other's equally bewildered faces, shake their heads and sigh, letting panic spread like a virus through the crowd.

Finally, when the atmosphere was about to become suffocatingly oppressive and no one could utter a word, accompanied by the sound of a heavy drum, a group of people with remarkably light steps entered the drill ground.

The crowd, which had fallen into deadly silence, finally stirred; they all craned their necks, narrowed their eyes, wanting to see whether the newcomer was a butcher or the Death God.

However, the answer was none of those; the newcomers were not even the beastmen that roamed everywhere on the Beimosi Grassland, but a group of pure-blooded humans with one nose and two eyes.

Although their clothes were respectable and clean, from their perpetually ruddy rough faces, it seemed they were the Beimosi Human Tribe that had lived on the grassland for generations.

Their ancestors might have been fugitives, or exiled nobles, or border horse bandits, or even slaves snatched away by the grassland Tribe.

But now, without exception, they have become members of the Beimosi Khanate, and thanks to their relatively higher basic wisdom they occupy important positions, becoming part of the new nobility.

Of course, discrimination is not something that can be easily eliminated; even if the beastmen are willing to give them face, the Deep Forest people will not.

Therefore.

Pah, lackey of beast-people!

Damn it, why did they bring this bunch of cowards? Disgusting!

Fine, fine, I surrender, okay? Good heavens, just smelling their muttony odor makes me want to vomit!

Perhaps because they had been suppressed for too long, the cursing from below the platform grew louder and louder, and some even tried to throw their shoes up.

However, the Grassland Warriors responsible for maintaining order seemed to have been prepared, and they easily caught that rather impolite flying object.

Smack!

The crisp, pleasant sound of a hard object striking the iron gauntlet calmed the Deep Forest Prisoners, whose emotions had been inflamed to the point of near riot, even at this final moment.

Simply put, the brave and strong had already been locked up separately after attempting to escape; what remained were essentially just a bunch of weak cowards.

Now seeing the beastmen on the wall nocking arrows, once that volley of magic-piercing arrows fell, the crowd would lose half right away, and their gazes immediately cleared.

And with a cold gaze sweeping over the crowd below, the lionfolk who was clearly the guard leader tossed his shoes onto the ground and silently retreated behind those few humans.

After nodding at this adult who came from Bei Mo Si Ke Han's personal guard, the human representative stepped forward a few paces and began to speak.

Friends from the Deep Forest, I am your fellow from the grassland; my name is Ye'erqiate Qing Shui.

Below the platform it remained silent; the Deep Forest Prisoners were surely dissatisfied, but at least no one dared to speak.

Then the human representative continued speaking.

I know you harbor deep hostility toward us; although I think you don't need to, I can understand why you carry such negative feelings.

Because you don't understand us, you don't understand the Beimosi Khanate, and you fail to grasp why, to the north of our homeland, there is a stretch of grassland that no matter what refuses to compromise with you—a bunch of bastards.

It's all right; it's not your fault, or rather it's ours—we're not used to introducing ourselves, so from today onward we will lead you to know the truest grassland.

Therefore, you may call me Teacher Qing Shui.

The Deep Forest Prisoners, looking at each other, thus began their new "campus" life half-believing, half-doubting.

And in a picturesque bay thousands of miles away from here, a completely new situation is also developing.

Although it is a fantastical world, according to the universal rules of the multiverse, goods still won't sprout from the shelves on their own, and technology cannot be infinitely breakthrough by mere thinking.

So, as a nomadic state that is ultimately impoverished and not always able to successfully plunder enough supplies each year, after completely falling out with its sole neighboring state, the Deep Forest, the Beimosi should have long seen its economic supply collapse entirely—yet how has it managed to sustain a war state to this day?

Lingxi Kingdom: Hey hey hey, we're here!

In order to earn a bit more gold, Lingxi merchants can even organize fleets that detour around most of the main continent to do business in Guanghui Capital, so how could they possibly pass up the Beimosi Grassland just across the sea?

Although the high latitude makes the winter sea surface prone to ice, thanks to warm currents it's still no problem to find a suitable ice-free port along the long coastline.

Therefore, after finishing the war, the Bei Mo Si Ke Han came here nonstop, preparing to receive an important batch of trade goods from the Lingxi merchants.

Although the saying "no profit, no trade" holds true for corrupt merchants, even if expanded to the entire infinite multiverse it remains completely applicable.

But it must be said, at least regarding punctuality, the Lingxi people who love travel and trade are still quite reliable.

They said they'd arrive today, and indeed they did—clearly a massive fleet of dozens of ships, yet they didn't make him wait even a day.

Moreover, following the convention of fixed merchants managing fixed channels, the ones coming to trade with Bei Mo Si Ke Han this time are still his old acquaintances in Lingxi.

Good afternoon, great Bei Mo Si Ke Han!

The Marquis of Jade Splendor entered with an exaggerated noble salute, then followed with a raised-and-fallen hand gesture, presumably a vocal line he had specially worked out with an opera master.

Your, in the harbor, Jade Splendor real-time shopping network, the great friend of everyone's desires!

No, I got it wrong, it should be.

Lord of the vast grasslands, wearing the mighty lion of three thousand Tribe, the golden king of the snow-capped peaks, your most loyal old friend has again brought the latest Lingxi fine goods to see you!

Bei Mo Si Ke Han was naturally a bit hard to deal with, but after so much difficulty he'd grown used to it, so he still gave a hearty laugh and shook hands.

Very good, my friend; although I've been busy every day since the early winter offensive, I haven't forgotten to count the days, awaiting your arrival.

This smile was still fairly genuine, after all, although this Marquis of Jade Splendor is a big blabbermouth, at least the goods are genuine.

For the present-day Beimosi Khanate, having such a channel to purchase scarce goods, especially precious materials, is truly not easy.

Otherwise, even if you chopped off Bei Mo Si Ke Han's head and sold it as braised lion's head, you still couldn't afford the dwarves' virtually bottomless mechanical research.

So let it be a pit after all; at least they painstakingly transported it here, wanting to earn a bit more is no harm—hurry up and figure out how to plant the fields properly, that's the real deal!

Using such rhetoric to console himself about his wallet about to hemorrhage, Bei Mo Si Ke Han began to flip through the list of goods offered this time by the Marquis of Jade Splendor.

As a result, his expression grew stiffer and more uncomfortable the more he flipped, not because the goods were bad, but because...

Oh, damn it, are these the roundworms in my stomach? Why do they all look so tempting?

There certainly are no roundworms, but the term "roundworm" does exist.

Because as a country with five hundred years of commercial history, the Lingxi Kingdom has already pioneered the big‑data analysis technology that exists only on Earth.

For one of their most important trading partners, they had long ago, through constant analysis and deduction by their think tank, guessed the current development direction and industry pain points of the Beimosi Khanate.

By using firsthand data to cater to their preferences, to address their urgencies, to offer dishes that hit their itchy spots, isn't that just wanting to buy everything in sight?

Thus, the Bei Mo Si Ke Han who had been mighty and imposing on the battlefield just a few days prior became, in the hands of the Lingxi people, a little cat that could only sigh and obediently check off items on the list.

But as Bei Mo Si Ke Han kept checking, he discovered that the list began to show things he couldn't understand.

After summoning his advisor, a forest deer-person with silver bloodline, to give him advice, the other party likewise showed a puzzled expression.

「Khan, this kind of thing… I've never heard of it either. 」

「……」

The Khan keenly sensed that there was deceit in it, but now he was the one asking for help, so even if there was deceit he could only grit his teeth and press forward.

There was nothing he could do; he could only draw a slight breath.

「Marquis, your lordship. 」

「Hey! 」

The other party seemed to have already guessed he would call, and immediately came over eagerly.

「If you have any questions, please speak freely; I will certainly not be at a loss for words, and I will speak exhaustively! 」

……

Khan: Damn it!

「Cough, I want to know what this 'Winchester… Love… 1887' is. 」

Who would have thought that before the Khan could even feel embarrassed about his mispronunciation, the Marquis let out a startled cry.

「Oh dear! 」

He instinctively tried to grab the list back, but before his hand could descend he hastily pulled it away.

He could only wave his arms frantically while stamping his feet in anxiety.

「What the hell is up with these damned bastards? How did they give me this… ah, ah!!! 」

Seeing this, both the Khan and his advisor were dumbfounded—could this word have some magic power that makes the Lingxi people go crazy when they hear it?

Or perhaps it was the Khan who first came to his senses, slamming his big paw onto the list in anguish.

「Marquis, your lordship, surely after all these years of friendship there's nothing between us that needs to be hidden? 」

「This…」

The Marquis's face twitched with turmoil, but having come this far he could only let out a long sigh and lay everything out to the Khan.

As it turned out, a noble from Lingxi had organized an ocean‑going fleet bound for the Hui Guang Kingdom two months earlier, but the fleet had barely skirted the Deep Forest coast when it slammed head‑on into a fierce storm and lost contact.

That poor fellow had thought this voyage would be a total loss, even preparing to pawn his pants to pay debts, but to his surprise the fleet re‑established contact with the homeland and claimed they had discovered a brand‑new civilization in the great forest of southern Hui Guang.

This group, which calls itself the Pioneers and belongs to an organization named the High Tower Community, is quite strange; besides their myriad imaginative constructions, they also possess many novel contraptions never heard of before,

Among them, the most miraculous is this thing called a firearm: it clearly employs no magic or technology, is driven purely by machinery, yet can unleash a ranged effect stronger than magic.

The Lingxi caravan paid a hefty price to acquire a batch, and upon arriving at the Royal Capital they were snapped up instantly; at a price rivaling mithril, that damned noble made a killing.

Though no profit without deceit, he thought he'd already made enough, but Huazi felt he could still make more!

Therefore.

「We brought a few guns on this trip, originally intended for the fleet's escorts, after all with high winds and rough seas who knows if we'll run into pirates? 」

「Ah, I don't know how this happened; maybe the warehouse clerk made a mistake, so I carelessly wrote it down—oh dear! 」

……

Upon hearing this, the Khan slowly realized that the damned Marquis was obviously setting a trap for him, just waiting for him to foolishly walk into it.

But what could he do? That guy's got five hundred years of trading experience—I can't outplay him!

All he could do was put on a reserved front.

「Oh, I see; then I really haven't heard of this kind of thing…」

「May I dare ask, could you bring one over so this khan can broaden his horizons? 」

Meanwhile, as Bei Mo Si Ke Han eagerly followed Marquis Yuhua out of the tent to check out the strange gadgets from the far south, on the other side of the planet…

「Absolutely! 」

In fact, Ji Ming knew that given Ke Li Si Ting's nature, after heading into the Deep Forest she would eventually pull off some extremely abstract stunt.

But he never imagined that if she didn't act, fine; but once she did, it would be an ultimate vicious move that could get him logged off for a full eight chapters.

Moreover, although the nobles of the Deep Forest here are mostly selfish and unscrupulous in their climb—much like… the Hui Guang nobility—this Bei Mo Si Ke Han seems to have quite a bit of substance.

Although his strategy seemed wise, it was completely wasted because he totally overlooked the Deep Forest's upper‑level situation—but at least he did think it over, right?

Once the Deep Forest server is officially launched later, we can recommend him to the players for a try; after all, everyone's attempting to form a multiracial alliance, so he'd count as a natural ally.

But since this year's Northern Border Master Challenge officially ended in a win‑win outcome, time has flown, and Qixia City is now in June.

The temperature was gradually rising; without the Holy Light Mountains acting as natural air‑conditioning, this city built on the plains would have long since become a giant steamer.

But for Ji Ming, whose social skills are really too good—even excessively so—the feeling of being stuffed into a pot and steamed over a blazing fire is something he hasn't escaped at all.

Frankly speaking, that ceremony held at the palace announcement not only settled this year's royal assessment once and for all, but also severed the string in the hearts of the Royal Capital's nobles that held their reason together.

It might be the losers' self‑destructive spite, or perhaps everyone really had been pent up; either way, over the past half month the various noble scions residing in the Royal Capital have almost been throwing revenge‑filled parties of every sort.

Not only did they throw parties for their own birthdays, but also for their pets'; not only did they host friend gatherings, but also classmate gatherings, and moreover the final poker segment became ever more flamboyant.

They went so overboard that even the old‑timers of the Royal Capital couldn't stand it; several dukes who had been known for their fun‑loving youth, under the king's lead, wrote letters urging everyone to rein it in a bit.

—Please, even just a little bit—please devote more energy to proper business, ah.

However, the result of that was that they indeed began to attend to proper business, but possibly…

Not the "right" they had imagined.

(End of chapter)