CHAPTER 679: DISCOVERY

In the twelfth year of Wang Hong's seclusion, Qizhou Island was fully developed. Looking at Qizhou Island now, all you could see were boundless spirit fields.

Within these spirit fields, there were vast stretches of rice paddies, endless gardens of Spiritual Herbs, and abundant groves of spirit fruit trees.

The early planted second-tier Spirit Grains had already matured. A group of Puppets silently harvested them, while another group of Puppets transported the harvested Spirit Grains to the warehouse.

Due to the ongoing battles between the Human Clan Alliance and the Demon Race Alliance, prices of various Spiritual Objects had slightly risen.

However, after discussions among the officials in charge of Qizhou Island, it was unanimously agreed that since the war was still ongoing and escalating, it could be inferred that the prices of Spiritual Objects would continue to rise.

Therefore, apart from meeting the domestic demand, Qizhou Island did not sell a single grain of the Spirit Grain harvested this year.

Most of these Spirit Grains were handed over to workshops to be brewed into Spirit Wine, then stored in cellars for aging.

Similarly, most of the various spirit fruits previously abundant on Qizhou Island were also retained and used for brewing Spirit Wine.

In times of war, Spirit Wine was an extremely important strategic resource with huge consumption, often in short supply.

Invariably, whenever there was an increase in the prices of Spiritual Objects due to war, it was Spirit Wine that saw the greatest price hike, followed by healing Pills, Magic weapons, Talismans, and other items.

Simultaneously, some Spiritual Objects saw a decrease in prices, such as spoils of war.

Finally, Xu Lun and others decided that starting from this year, many of Qizhou Island's Spiritual Objects would be hoarded and sold when the prices rose in the future.

Although such actions were somewhat unethical, the people of the Great Chu Immortal Nation had all fought their way out from Hezhou and had little attachment to the Human-Demon Alliance.

In the same year, the Demon Race dispatched another team, attempting to occupy the Wan Kui Sect's secret realm, only to be completely annihilated once again by Zhang Chunfeng and his men.

In the fifteenth year of Wang Hong's seclusion, the prices of various Spiritual Objects indeed began to rise rapidly, with Spirit Wine seeing the greatest increase.

The increase in prices of Spiritual Objects, apart from the consumption during the war, was mainly due to speculative trading by major merchants.

Those who had goods in hand were reluctant to sell, either waiting for higher prices or simply holding onto them, while major merchants and factions also engaged in massive purchases and hoarding, causing prices to soar even higher.

Similarly, at this time, Qizhou Island also did not sell its various strategic resources but instead hoarded them.

However, the Ministry of Works took advantage of this opportunity to purchase large quantities of raw materials, refining them into Magical Weapons, Magic weapons, and other items, which sold extremely well.

Especially since the Ministry of Works had refined Puppets continuously for ten years for the large-scale development of Qizhou Island, the technology for refining Puppets had greatly improved, with a large number of skilled refining tool craftsmen.

During wartime, everyone lacked a sense of security, and Puppets sold very well, with considerable profits.

Because the technology for refining Puppets was high, there were not many Sects and factions proficient in it. Thus, with high technical content and less competition, profits were substantial.

The Ministry of Works had numerous refining tool craftsmen, so at this time, they naturally exerted full effort to refine Puppets.

To sell Puppets, the Ministry of Revenue specially opened more than ten shops in each city dedicated to selling Puppets.

These Puppets for sale were exquisitely crafted, unlike those seen in the fields of Qizhou Island.

Puppets ranging from first tier to third tier were available for sale, most of them being combat-type Puppets, and they were even equipped with various Magic weapons.

The business of Puppet shops flourished, earning Qizhou Island a considerable fortune.

However, many merchants were envious of this huge profit. Yet, any faction that attempted to meddle with the Puppet shops faced heavy retaliation from the Guardian Hall.

Today, the Guardian Hall had gained considerable fame and strength in every city. They kept their promises, and many shops in major cities were willing to spend Spirit Stones to cooperate with the Guardian Hall.

Seeing this, no faction dared to reach out to the Puppet shops anymore.

In the sixteenth year of Wang Hong's seclusion, someone discovered an island in the outer sea. This island was shrouded in a layer of white mist, obscuring the specific situation on the island.

Surrounded by tall walls, outsiders were unable to enter. However, according to observant individuals, fleets of ships came in and out of this small island every day, loaded with various Spiritual Objects.

This news stirred the curiosity of many Cultivators. This island was not unfamiliar to many.

A hundred years ago, this was a barren land with little Spirit Qi, inhabited only by weak Demon Clans and some uncivilized barbarians.

Unexpectedly, in just a few decades, the situation here had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Although the specific situation on the island couldn't be seen, based on the majestic walls and the size of the incoming and outgoing fleets, it could be inferred that this place was extraordinary.

News of this spread, attracting many Cultivators or Demonic Beasts around Qizhou Island.

Some passed by repeatedly, some were chased here during battles, and some got lost nearby and wanted to ask for directions on the island. Some even expressed a direct desire to visit.

Qizhou Island, not being petty, opened up Harbor City to the outside world.

Because Harbor City was originally formed due to its harbor, it was located by the sea. Therefore, when constructing the city wall initially, Harbor City was built outside the city wall.

Many Cultivators, upon setting foot in Harbor City, initially didn't feel much difference, except for the denser Spirit Qi.

However, after observing for a while, they would discover that there were unusually many workshops in this city.

There were all kinds of workshops here: refining tools, alchemy, armor-making, talisman making, brewing, etc., and these workshops were unusually large in scale.

In a typical city, various workshops like Refinery Workshops would have three to five refining tool craftsmen, even in larger ones, it wouldn't be much different for other types.

But here, it was completely different. Any random workshop here would have hundreds of people working hard inside.

Such workshops were spread all over the city, and most of the residents in the city were personnel from these workshops.

Pulling aside any random person in the city would reveal them to be an Alchemist, refining tool craftsman, Spirit Meal master, etc.

And such talents were highly sought after in other factions, needing to be hired at great expense. But in this City, they seemed to suddenly become less valuable.

Seeing this scene, many Cultivators' first thought was to recruit a few professionals from here into their own factions.

However, to everyone's disappointment, these people seemed as stubborn as if they had eaten iron and would not budge regardless of the conditions offered to them.

It must be noted that the citizens of the Great Chu Immortal Nation had been cultivated since childhood. Over decades or even centuries, influenced by their surroundings, their hearts were filled only with loyalty to the Great Chu Immortal Nation.

Moreover, the conditions offered by the other side were not particularly high compared to the Great Chu Immortal Nation. The treatment given by the Great Chu Immortal Nation far exceeded industry standards.

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