Origin Paradise!

"Are you looking for death?" Jiang He raised an eyebrow. "In this empire, when have weapons and supplies ever come into the reach of ordinary gold?"

It's obvious what kind of giants are backing both of them. The interest groups are bound to be huge and complex, and they will absolutely kill any potential competitor that shows its face immediately.

“So, I plan to sell to werewolves or spider demons.” Si Ning flicked the incense ash and said, “That is, smuggling. Without threatening the empire’s existing market, the pressure will be much less.”

Si Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Humanity's main enemy is the vampires. Within the dark races, vampires and werewolves often fight to the death, sowing discord and aiding the enemy's enemy. With this kind of rhetoric, we can at least gain some political support and tolerance in the future, so we won't be isolated and helpless."

"Moreover, what you tasted was specially supplied. I currently only plan to sell rare mosquito coils and bullets. If we can't compete in the high-end market, then we'll focus on volume and penetrate the low-end market. Under the powerful families and dark princes, the masses have an absolute numerical advantage."

Jiang He pondered for a moment, then took out another lemon mosquito coil and lit it. He was indeed somewhat tempted. Gluttony was not restricted by the upper limit of the source gold usage. As long as the smuggling business went smoothly, it could greatly increase the speed of cultivation, unlike now, where he was still stuck at the seventh node of the Silver Age after a year and a half.

"You get six, I get four."

Si Ning played her last card. As long as the two sides maintained close ties, the possibility of backstabbing in the matter of the Yinghuo Sword would be significantly reduced. A qualified businessman would naturally link each link together, and smuggling was both a source of profit and a form of insurance.

Upon hearing this, Jiang He extended her right hand.

The two sides shook hands, and the cooperation agreement was reached.

"Raw materials, production, transportation, sales, warehousing, labor..." Jiang He thought to himself, most of these are not problems.

Rare-grade alchemical bullets can be produced using only the fixed facilities of the alchemy tower. The evil guards can supplement the manual part, while the warehouse has a portable royal city, and the transportation has spatial capabilities. The alchemy master himself is a symbol of production and creation.

"Only raw materials and sales..."

Jiang He said, "We'll handle the rest ourselves. You'll be in charge of the raw materials, and I'll be in charge of sales."

“I’ll provide the initial capital,” Si Ning replied. “With the Si family’s connections, obtaining rare-grade raw materials isn’t difficult. However, I must explain beforehand that production in the Eternal Dark World is somewhat distorted due to the war. According to market research, the price of one hundred rare-grade bullets or one hundred packs of mosquito coils is roughly equivalent to one shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice, which is about one tael of source gold…”

The two squatted side by side outside the wall, whispering and plotting, their wicked schemes intertwined. Mosquito coils lay scattered on the ground, and the smoke from roasted lemons rose continuously, shrouding the surroundings in mist.

"on fire?"

"What does it taste like? It's quite refreshing."

"Lemon...is that Si Ning girl?"

Inside Rong En Hall, the old lady asked her granddaughter to sit down first, and then looked up at the window.

She shouted in a strong voice, "Si Ning, get in here!"

In an instant, hundreds of people, including the master and mistress, young masters and young ladies, servants, maids, relatives and family members, all turned their heads.

Si Ning stepped over the threshold with her hands in her pockets, a mosquito coil dangling from her lips, and raised her head, saying, "Grandmother, you wanted to see me?"

The old lady looked at the only daughter of the third wife, who had only been found recently, with some disgust, but her tone was calm.

"Have you read the books I was asked to read lately?"

"Huh?" Si Ning's expression was complicated. She was, after all, a double degree graduate from a prestigious overseas university. She was fine with military strategy and swordsmanship, but she had no interest in traditional Chinese women's rules and regulations.

"Ancestor, I can't read."

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd. The younger generation of the Marquis's family had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, so they naturally felt somewhat distant from outsiders. Moreover, being illiterate in the Marquis's mansion meant they were not much different from servants or the disabled, and therefore unworthy of the status of legitimate children.

Si Ning didn't care at all. She already knew a thing or two about this place; it was just a smoky, opulent kiln.

"You're just a lieutenant colonel with a nominal position, yet you're so arrogant. If one day..." The old lady suddenly stopped talking.

The hushed noise in Rong En Hall was even louder than before, and gazes came from all directions, some of them intense.

Si Ning turned her head and found someone standing next to her. She couldn't help but slap her forehead. If she hadn't been so familiar with him that she had overlooked him, she would never have forgotten that the guy next to her was actually extremely handsome, with a natural charm that probably exceeded ten points.

"Who is this?" the old lady asked, somewhat puzzled.

Jiang He nodded in acknowledgment, which was a way of giving face to Golden Peak.

"Just a passerby."

Chapter 451 Leap in Cultivation Speed

The Eternal Dark Continent.

Deep in the western part of the border region.

In the fortified tribe nestled among the mountains, tens of millions of wolves are frantically feeding on minerals, and the blood moon is full tonight.

The Darkmoon Clan is renowned among the werewolf race, possessing unique Darkmoon magic with exceptional auxiliary effects. This generation's Darkmoon Duke is virtually unmatched among ordinary beings of the Heroic Age. However, his only flaw is that, perhaps due to his overwhelming combat prowess, his achievements in clan magic are rather lackluster.

"Today, we will celebrate the birth of a priest."

“He may be far less powerful than me, but I am certain that he is the true Dark Moon.”

"Let us cheer for him, Jiang Danglu!"

The wolves worshipped, surrounded by a group of golden-rank werewolf elders, all witnessing the clan's once-in-a-millennium genius become the high priest.

During the clan's awakening ceremony, Jiang Danglu displayed an epic-level energy blessing skill, a potential that is worth nurturing and protecting, reflecting the strong traditional clan concept of the werewolves.

On the priest's platform, Old Black went through the process in a daze. He had just received the Scroll of Immortality and chose to directly enhance his innate talent.

[Name: Wobbly]

[Category: Demon Race Talent]

[Quality: Unfading]

[Effect ①: Domination, increases affinity with wolf-dog species by 20 (equivalent to 20 points of specific charm)]

[Effect 2: Strategist, extremely easy to gain the trust and favor of high-level wolfhound species]

[Effect 3: Colluding with each other, Intelligence Rank +1]

[Effect 4: Deals 20% additional damage and damage reduction to creatures of the wolf-dog species]

[Note: Whose life is without its share of embarrassing moments?]

In the werewolf tribe, the priest is second only to the chief.

At this moment, Duke Darkmoon warmly took Old Black's hand, and the two stood together in the center of the wolf pack, enjoying the thunderous worship.

For the Duke, the new priest's strength was only at the peak of the Silver rank, which meant that he could easily control him. Once the priest left him, it would be difficult for him to survive comfortably amidst the covetousness of some Gold rank members.

The opponent's epic-level energy recovery ability plays a significant role in the battle.

Faced with a priest who posed no threat whatsoever, yet was indispensable to him, and who could be used to win over the hearts of the tribe and had a significant practical combat value, Duke Darkmoon wished he could treat him like his own son.

This was the first time in many years that he had felt so close to a member of his own clan, and he couldn’t find any reason to distance himself from him.

Beside him, Lao Hei received a message from someone: the smuggling business was related to Xiao He's cultivation, so of course it had to be done, but since he was new to the area, he had to be careful.

"Your Grace, are we... lacking supplies in our vicinity?"

"You want to do business?" Duke Darkmoon was taken aback.

Old Hei quickly said, "Uh... actually, what I meant was just..."

"Great!" Duke Darkmoon slapped his thigh and said, "I fully support you. How can we werewolves be without ambition? Go for it, the bigger the better!"

Duke Darkmoon waved his hand, a genuine smile appearing on his face. This new priest was very sensible, knowing that power was his taboo, and took the initiative to show his rejection of power. As for business in the extraordinary realm, of course, he would rely on strength as the ultimate reliance, and it would not have a significant impact on the existing structure.

"Know when to advance and retreat, and be tactful."

"This child has a limitless future."

Old Black stood there speechless. The Duke was being a little too enthusiastic towards him, which inevitably made the wolf uneasy.

Fortunately, things turned out to be surprisingly simple.

[Old Black: OK (smug soybean)]

[Mo Ke: Awesome (smiling soybean)]

……

Dawn Continent.

Inside Rong En Hall.

Jiang He sat down in the chair on the left.

In fact, very few people were able to sit down at the scene. Apart from the old lady, there were only two marquises and their wives, some direct descendants, and the old lady's new granddaughter.

The aristocratic families are numerous, and according to Si Ning's description, they are as prolific as rats. The illegitimate children and the born children form the backbone of the military force. Not only are they generally loyal, but their aptitude for cultivating source energy is also guaranteed, with a higher probability of having the aptitude than the normal one to ten.

"What brings you here, Lieutenant?" The old lady emphasized the word "Lieutenant," even though the other party had demonstrated a matrix-building level comparable to a near-master alchemist, it didn't mean the Si family should fawn over him.

"Of course I'm here to take over someone else's place..." Jiang He paused and said, "The military should have records that I just escaped from the Infernal Fortress and came to seek refuge with Si Ning, mainly to settle down."

“Before returning to the manor, I was her sworn sister.” Si Ning smiled demurely. If she didn’t take advantage of the situation now, when would she?

The old matriarch, being worldly-wise, roughly guessed the reason: Jiang Wuyang had fled back to the empire, and because of his poor background, he could only ask his acquaintance Si Ning for help in finding a job in the mansion.

Recruiting a potential alchemy master is a prestigious achievement, befitting the honor of a family with two marquises.

"Lieutenant Jiang, what do you think of a second-class honorific? A monthly salary of twenty taels of silver, a house, and a reward. We'll be as close as family," the old lady said with a smile. If it weren't for the fact that he had suffered imprisonment and had a bad reputation, she would have been willing to give him the standard of a first-class honorific directly.

Jiang He turned her head and gestured with her eyes: That's it?

Si Ning smiled and nodded. Not bad.

Based on her observations recently, perhaps because the old Marquis died mysteriously on the battlefield, the old lady now only wants to preserve her wealth and enjoy family life.

This leader has an instinctive aversion to ambitious things; face, reputation, and harmony are his priorities. The only thing he cares about is networking among aristocratic families, as if it can make the Marquis's mansion safer.

Jiang He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put it down.

"If there's anything you need me to do, please feel free to tell me."

Alchemy at the highest level and below does not require much effort.

"Offer generously." The old lady smiled and said, "Just accompany her to some banquets on weekdays. Oh, and remember to wear the alchemist's clothes. Don't forget the gold and jade items, Wen'er."

"The servant is here."

A pretty maidservant bowed.

"Get these things done as soon as possible."

"Yes."

Jiang He remained silent. This was the most useless time he had ever been in terms of professional skills since becoming an alchemist. He even suspected that his appearance played a larger role in obtaining this second-class offering.

After settling the guests in, the matriarch continued chatting with her granddaughter, while her two wives chimed in from time to time, making Rong En Hall lively once again.

Jiang He glanced at the two people beside her; they seemed like mismatched oddballs, something Si Ning had long since grown accustomed to.

“During the last war, both of the young marquis’s sons went missing,” Si Ning said secretly. “Now, the eldest marquis’s eldest son, Si Jianian, is the apple of everyone’s eye in the entire marquis’s mansion. This young master has no interest in cultivation and usually likes to hang out with women.”

"Let me tell you beforehand, don't expect to cooperate with him. I almost killed him the day I arrived. This guy doesn't accept mosquito coils and keeps urging me to use face powder. He keeps nagging me. Now he avoids me whenever he sees me."

Si Ning observed the people in the hall. She was new here and wanted to get closer to the servants and maids, but she didn't expect to encounter someone who was deliberately causing trouble. She couldn't tolerate being shown such a show of force, otherwise no one would take the found legitimate daughter seriously. She almost killed him before she realized something was wrong.

Jiang He scanned the room several times before finally fixing her gaze on the young man standing next to the old lady.

It wasn't that his senses had suddenly become dulled, but rather that he genuinely couldn't perceive anything at the peak of the Bronze level.

This young master's strength is equivalent to that of the previous one.

[Executor's Exclusive Notice: You have encountered the chosen one (?)]

[A super genius born with a Source Crystal in his mouth, he should have easily forged his domain core on his path to growth. However, due to his willpower, he has been stuck before the Silver Will for five years. Wealth and glory have vanished in an instant. Perhaps this is a prelude to the empire's future.]

Jiang He raised an eyebrow and said, "It's interesting."

Si Ning shrugged. "It wasn't a permission prompt; he was already dead at the time."

Jiang He pondered. Children of destiny are usually tools of the world. Every one born has a mission. The Eternal Dark World dislikes humanity, but the Empire has overcome numerous obstacles and stood for thousands of years, showing extraordinary resilience.

If the Si family mansion is a real-world simulation, it likely means that the Eternal Dark World no longer intends to directly reject it, but instead seeks another way to cause the empire to collapse from within.

"Does the world really hate humans to this extent?"

Jiang He was somewhat confused and felt something was off. Usually, Lilith, who considered herself a mentor, would step in to explain at this point, but unfortunately, she was fast asleep, and the question mark in the prompt seemed to indicate something was amiss.

Suddenly, a malicious gaze swept over me.

On the left, at the head of the table, the young marquis, his temples frosted with white, sat in a wheelchair due to his disability. He spoke sharply and sternly: "Jiang Wuyang, did you really escape from Merrick's hands?"

"Hmm?" Jiang He asked in confusion. This person was just a nobody with zero strength.

"So you think my late father and I were both useless?!"

Bang!

The young marquis smashed the teacup in his hand. He pushed it so hard that the tea table overturned. His face was contorted with rage, his complexion was flushed, and his eyes were bloodshot. He roared, "Speak!"