Chapter 289: Question and Answer

The speed of flight in the air is incomparable to that on the ground; the dark clouds brought by the transformation into a Dragon had seemingly not yet dispersed when Yin Yin had already arrived at the edge of her territory from her center of governance.

"Boom—!"

The Dragon God landed outside Kuaiji City with a sound of tearing wind; as the mane on her back and the dragon whiskers beneath her jaw shook in the wind, she transformed back into that graceful Southern woman dressed in azure attire.

"The Governor has arrived!"

"The Governor has arrived!"

Such a great commotion naturally startled the garrison of Kuaiji City; they quickly opened the gates and welcomed the Ocean Dragon and the Dragon Horse Cavalry that arrived late behind her into the city.

"Where is Zou Qilin? Come see me at once!"

With wind rising beneath her feet, Yin Yin strode quickly toward the central City Lord's Mansion while giving orders to those on her left and right.

"Long live the Governor, long live, long live!"

"The Dragon God and Princess, protect this land!"

The arrival of the Ocean Dragon brought jubilation to the people under her rule; the lives of the common folk in the Cathayan Celestial Empire are currently quite good, with four Dragon-Blooded guarding the four directions, creating external conditions for the people to live and work in peace.

Yin Yin has faced harassment from the sea year-round; besides the Vampire Coast and Dark Elf pirates, there is a kingdom called Nipeng further east of Cathay, which is closer to Cathay and whose lords also have quite the desire for expansion.

Beyond the ocean, Weidong Province must also help Weinan Province share some of the pressure from the Snake-men in the Kuresh Jungle. The cold-blooded and insane Naga covet everything in Cathay, while the Candle Dragon Lidao, who sits in Fuhong City, must suppress the Meihouwang of the Heavenly Mountains and various adversaries in Ind.

"Pay respects to the Admiral! Long live the Admiral, long live, long live!"

Hearing the news, Zou Qilin walked out of the relay station; he knew the importance of the message, and the personal arrival of the Ocean Dragon was within his expectations. The Dragon-Blooded have great abilities and heavy responsibilities, and they all hold multiple posts, so this Governor-General belonging to the Dragon Fleet chose to address her as Admiral.

"Come inside and speak!" Yin Yin gave a look, and the guard that followed her scattered with a "clatter," each taking up a corner around the relay station.

"Let the rain come!"

The Ocean Dragon frowned; she felt it was not enough, and with a wave of her fair hand, the dark clouds in the sky that were about to disperse gathered once more, and a fine, silken rain began to fall with a "swish, swish."

This was no ordinary rain; if one capable of wielding the Winds of Magic were to sense it, this curtain of rain also served to forbid prying. In their long lives, some of the Dragon Emperor's children have learned other arts in addition to the Yin-Yang Magic they were born with.

"Is what is said in the letter true? Is there proof?" Yin Yin walked into the relay station and turned to sit in the main seat.

"I dare not deceive the Admiral; there are contracts here, and additionally, the Western curios we purchased!" Zou Qilin straightened his upper body, and his subordinates, including Linghu Zhengde, carried out the contracts and the harvest.

Yin Yin flipped open the chest for a cursory look, then unfolded the scroll to read it carefully. "How vast, the power of the Dwarf nation!" Seeing that the signatories were again Dwarfs, the Ocean Dragon exclaimed.

"Replying to the Admiral, we were also greatly shocked when we first met the Dwarfs in the Southlands! The Southlands Dwarfs and the Western Dwarfs are of one branch; this master of the Southlands is the son of the current Western Dwarf King."

Zou Qilin understood the Ocean Dragon's question; the territory of the Cathayan Celestial Empire is about the same as the Qin Dynasty and does not have the scale of the China of Sinuoli's past life, so it was inevitable to be surprised upon hearing that the Dwarf race has a domain spanning the continent.

"That Dwarf race is calculating to the last cent, and their common lord, Thorgrim, even styles himself as the Grudgebearer. However, King Sinuoli of the Southlands does not act like his father; he is quite well-versed in the ways of trade and colonization and is willing to exchange goods with the Celestial Empire and form an alliance."

"Very good! I once heard that the Dwarf King's title was not Grudgebearer, you..." The Ocean Dragon suddenly remembered something.

"Admiral, do not be suspicious. These Western customs are unlike those of the Celestial Empire; although Dwarfs have long lives, they are not immortal, and their kings are not fixed, all being chosen from among the wise," Zou Qilin said.

"Not bad, not bad. Official Zou has extraordinary courage and has achieved such a great merit; I shall reward you heavily!" Yin Yin sat back in her chair; she needed to think for a moment.

"You are a native of Shanyin; as the saying goes, 'not returning home with wealth is like wearing fine clothes in the dark.' Furthermore, your official rank is raised to the fourth grade, and you are promoted to Jinglue Commissioner of Shanyin. What do you think?"

The official system of Cathay is also divided into nine grades; the Dragon-Blooded are all first grade, local provincial heads are third grade, prefecture heads are fifth grade, and county officials are seventh grade. That Shanyin Prefecture is the seat of the province, and Jinglue Commissioner is a fourth-grade title.

"This... replying to the Admiral, the subordinate still wishes to remain in the fleet; matters regarding the trade route are not yet complete..." Zou Qilin was a bit stunned; being promoted was naturally within reason, but he had not expected to be transferred.

"You should consider your own safety! My youngest brother, Zhaoming, is the Governor of the Western Lands; evil ores wreak havoc there, not a blade of grass grows, and he relies heavily on the Changya Zhilu."

Yin Yin narrowed her eyes; as an immortal Dragon God, Zou Qilin's little thoughts could not escape her eyes. This Governor-General was merely unwilling to leave his post because he saw that the trade route was newly established and would be in a period of rapid development, with plenty of profit and political capital to be gained.

"Hiss..."

Hearing Yin Yin's hint, Zou Qilin gasped. A few rumors about the Iron Dragon Zhaoming were widely spread among the human upper classes; other Dragon-Blooded asserted that the hundreds of years spent in the Ziyuan Shi Shamo had affected Zhaoming's mind.

There are rumors that Zhaoming likes to laugh and play with his subordinates, even drinking from the same cup. His brothers and sisters cannot understand this, and rumors that he has been eroded by the Great Maw are also circulating.

Zhaoming's love for alchemy, or what is called Metal Magic, makes the Jade Dragon—who believes that magic outside of the Tianting is heretical—quite annoyed; this Prime Minister has criticized his youngest brother in the Tianting more than once. However, whenever discordant sounds appear at family gatherings, the Moon Empress always steps forward to shield her beloved son.

But one thing is known to all, and that is that the Changya Zhilu is very important to Zhaoming, and Shang-Yang is prosperous precisely because of it. If this newly opened sea route were both fast and safe, it would undoubtedly cause Zhaoming's interests to be greatly damaged, and the initiator, Zou Qilin, would likely have to face the Iron Dragon's wrath directly.

"I will strictly obey the Admiral's order! Dong, dong, dong!"

Zou Qilin hurriedly kowtowed to thank her; who could say clearly what might happen on the vast ocean? Compared to potential gains, his own life was more important.

"Return to Fuzhou City; there will be someone to take over from you!"

Yin Yin left the relay station and transformed into a Dragon to depart; there was still plenty of official business in Weidong Province to worry about. The end of the year was approaching, and it seemed that some undercurrents were surging beneath the surface of the Ninghe.

"Buy more meat and fine wine from the Lizardmen; after working so hard for so long, let the brothers have a good New Year!"

Sinuoli finally finished his official duties; he stretched and looked out from the window at his territory. The influx of a large number of immigrants had impacted public order; at this time, the effect of a grand banquet in dispelling dissatisfaction could not be ignored.