Chapter 825
Chapter 825
Trade between the East and the West was completely different. Some goods that were worthless in the Eastern world were incredibly valuable in the West. Back when the East and West were not entirely cut off, Eastern silk, tea leaves, and porcelain had entered the Western world and, much like on ancient Earth, had become all the rage. Later, after communication between the East and West was completely severed, some people from the Eastern world made their way to the Seirun Dynasty. Only after they discovered wild silkworms in the fields and began large-scale sericulture were they finally able to foster a silk industry in the Seirun Dynasty. Even so, the price of silk in the Seirun Dynasty was more than five times that of the Great Yan Empire, and its production was extremely limited. Tea leaves, at least, were simpler. After discovering tea trees, they were transplanted on a large scale, and now the Seirun Dynasty had several tea plantations. The price of tea leaves was only 1.5 times that of the Great Yan Dynasty.
Porcelain, however, was difficult to make. The people from the East who had fled to the Seirun Dynasty were almost all military or nobility—who among them would know how to fire porcelain? It was the same in Earth's history. The Western world had long purchased porcelain from China, but it was not until the modern era that they began to produce it themselves. For thousands of years, Europe and Central Asia used silverware and earthenware in large quantities.
The current Seirun Dynasty was no different. The influential families used gold tableware, the wealthy used silverware, and common people used earthenware. And porcelain? With the cessation of East-West trade, it had long since become the ultimate luxury. Only a few noble families possessed porcelain, and at any banquet hosted by the nobility, a family without it would surely be ridiculed. In the Seirun Dynasty, porcelain was the highest class of tableware, followed by gold and then silver. It was an eternal truth that rarity bred value.
When Hill illuminated the porcelain with a lantern, it was truly astonishing. It had the luster of jade, was as thin as paper, and was adorned with magnificent paintings. It seemed the designs were not hand-painted but applied with decals and then fired in a kiln. This porcelain was far more exquisite than any in Duke Diphas’s collection. That was only natural. During Shen Lang’s long stay at Duke Diphas's estate, he had seen her dozens of porcelain sets and knew she belonged to the highest echelseemed the designs were not hand-painted but applied with decals and then fired in a kiln. This porcelain was far more exquisite than any in Duke Diphas’s collection. That was only natural. During Shen Lang’s long stay at Duke Diphas's estate, he had seen her dozens of porcelain sets and knew she belonged to the highest echelon of nobility. Moreover, the Diphas family’s porcelain would still be considered rare even if brought to the Great Yan Empire. But even that could not compare to the three pieces Shen Lang now presented. The three pieces he brought were the culmination of thousands of years of porcelain technology from Earth. Over fifty days, a thousand pieces had been fired, but only a few dozen were successful; the rest were all failures. How could such a rare creation not be magnificent? How could it not be breathtaking?
Shen Lang pointed to a small bowl and asked.
“How much would this bowl be worth?”
As Hill held the bowl up to the lantern, her body trembled, and tears welled in her eyes. At first glance, the bowl was pure white, flawless, and so thin it was translucent, with no pattern at all. But when held up to the bright light, an exquisitely detailed design appeared on the bowl, much like a watermark on a banknote. The design was a portrait of Hill herself. It was so magnificent, so incomparably beautiful.
“I cannot put a price on this. I will pass it down to my descendants for generations to come.”
“If you were to sell a bowl like this on the open market, how much could you get?”
“Are we talking about selling in large quantities? Or as a limited luxury item?”
“Large quantities.”
Hill thought for a moment before speaking.
“It has been a very long time since East-West trade was cut off, so for every piece of porcelain that breaks in the Seirun Dynasty, the total number decreases, making the prices abnormally high. A single top-quality porcelain bowl could sell for several dozen gold coins or more. But this porcelain far surpasses the quality of any existing pieces in the Seirun Dynasty, so it could fetch a very high price. However, if supplied in large quantities, its rarity would diminish. Nevertheless, it would undoubtedly take the entire Seirun Dynasty by storm. It would even become a source of shame for a noble not to own such porcelain. Therefore, I think setting the price for one of these bowls at fifteen gold coins would be very reasonable.”
The price Hill suggested was similar to Shen Lang's own estimate. This was because it was not meant to be sold as an everyday bowl but as a symbol of status, a pure luxury item. A price of fifteen gold coins was sheer profiteering.
“What if I were to provide you with four thousand sets of porcelain every month for you to sell exclusively?”
Hill’s beautiful eyes widened, and she spoke in a trembling voice.
“Then I could give up all my other businesses and still multiply my assets several times over within a few years. I don’t even know how I would manage such a large enterprise with just my one shop.”
“I don’t care how much you sell them for. What if I sell them to you in sets of five, for five gold coins per set?”
“Then I would become one of the wealthiest women in the entire south.”
“But there is a condition. I need two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins before I hand over the goods. Can you provide that?”
“I have a great deal of money, as my family has been accumulating wealth for hundreds of years. However, the two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins you ask for is more than half of all the gold I possess.”
“This is something that requires you to trust me completely. If I am a liar, you will lose half of your family’s gold. Of course, I hope you can trust my personal charm, but since we are becoming business partners, I invite you to inspect my base of operations.”
“No, I will promise you first and send the money. Then, I will go to inspect your base. I have the gold hidden in a very secret place. Just tell me the location, and I will have it transported there.”
“Then it’s settled. I hope our collaboration will be a pleasant one.”
***
A week later, Hill’s fleet, carrying two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins, appeared at the docks of the Azure Condor Peninsula. She did not set foot on Shen Lang’s base, as if to show her trust in him. Instead, Shen Lang boarded her ship and only came down well over an hour later. As he disembarked, his legs seemed to be a little shaky. Along with Shen Lang, more than a hundred chests containing the two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins were unloaded from the ship. Zhang Chunhua was dumbfounded.
‘Is the future emperor that valuable? Can he earn so much gold just by selling his body once? So this is why you spend gold like water, Shen Lang. Because you earn it so easily. But who is the person who spent a fortune for a night of pleasure with him? Is she some old, ugly woman?’
A moment later, Zhang Chunhua saw the woman who had spent the fortune. She was a Veda, but she was incredibly beautiful, with a figure so stunning it would make most women jealous. Most importantly, she gazed at Shen Lang with eyes full of affection, burning with passion. It seemed a handsome man could get anything he wanted by being shameless.
Hill’s fleet departed, leaving behind the two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins. Shen Lang and Zhang Chunhua stood looking at the mountain of gold.
“Shen Lang, you’re an emperor. Aren’t you a bit too shameless? To actually sell your body.”
Shen Lang gritted his teeth and said, “I did not sell my body.”
“I’m not blaming you. If you’re worth two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins for one time, why not sell yourself again?”
‘D-damn it. You vixen. If I hadn’t exhausted my energy, I’d show you what’s worth two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins a go. I’d make you spit blood again.’
***
A mighty fleet appeared in the waters of the Devil's Triangle. It was the joint fleet of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, the Sky-Gazing Pavilion, and Mount Futu. After half a year of preparation, this expeditionary fleet was finally assembled. Moreover, they had constructed ships that seemed to be modeled after the Jin Clan’s large vessel, completely copying the lightning protection measures. In truth, it was incredibly difficult to keep the design of the ship Shen Lang had created a secret. Even though Shen Lang had designed it, the Sky-Reaching Society had been responsible for its construction.
Now, the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had obtained the complete blueprints and understood the principles of avoiding lightning strikes. The greatest fear when entering the Devil's Triangle was being struck by lightning. The lightning there was countless and completely unpredictable, making it impossible to evade. Any ship that entered would soon be struck and destroyed. But after obtaining the blueprints for Shen Lang’s lightning-proof ships, they retrofitted five large vessels and, after numerous trials, proved that these new ships could indeed withstand the lightning.
The six transcendent powers had originally suspended their plans to explore the Devil’s Triangle, but now the situation had changed. The Jin Clan had been able to enter, and Shen Lang had also entered in that giant sphere of his.
That's right. To this day, everyone in the Great Yan Empire believed that Shen Lang had also entered the Devil’s Triangle. The final scene of him being swept up by a whirlwind had happened too far away, and the darkness had obscured the whirlwind, so no one had seen his hot-air balloon being carried away by the wind.
“By His Majesty’s decree! Jiang Li’s son, Shen Lang, and his family are to be captured if alive, and their bodies must be retrieved if dead. Enter the Devil’s Triangle!”
With Princess Yinghan’s order, the joint fleet of the three great powers entered the forbidden waters of the Devil’s Triangle.
***
Shen Lang missed Mulan dearly. He had whimsically named the island with the saltpeter deposits Mulan Island, and now the new city built upon it was named Mulan City. The city grew larger and stronger with each passing day, changing constantly. Shen Lang was truly like a magician, freely performing miracles upon this land.
Three days later, the pirates brought Shen Lang fifteen large ships and eight thousand slaves.
“The total is two hundred thousand gold coins.”
The pirate leader was an arrogant white man. No one knew his name; they only knew him as the ‘Bloody Baron.’ He did not look like a pirate at all, but rather like an elegant nobleman. He was strikingly shrewd and handsome, and despite being constantly exposed to the wind and sun, his skin remained fair. In the words of the East, his face was like flawless white jade.
He was the greatest power in these waters, with twenty thousand men and over a hundred ships under his command. He controlled the order in the surrounding two to three thousand li of sea. Fortunately, he had some acquaintance with Black Pearl, which allowed for such a large-scale transaction between them. He was Shen Lang’s biggest supplier of goods. Shen Lang purchased most of his food, fruit, and meat from him. It could be said that one could buy anything from the Bloody Baron. The only limit was what the buyer could think of, not what he couldn't sell.
His martial arts were also exceptionally profound, but how strong was he exactly? No one knew, but according to Black Pearl, even she was no match for the Bloody Baron. Furthermore, no one knew his age or his origins.