Chapter 151 Taxation

Ji Hao looked curiously at the burly men of the Star-Herding Clan.

A mere few dozen individuals were herding such a vast multitude of exquisitely beautiful, exotic creatures across the boundless void. The mystical aura emanating from the Star-Herding Clan deeply intoxicated Ji Hao. Had he remained confined within the Southern Wasteland, how could he have ever witnessed such a marvelous spectacle.

The burly men of the Star-Herding Clan leaped onto the tortoise shell, warmly embracing and exchanging greetings with caravan leaders such as Old Three Gui.

The translucent giant whale parted its massive jaws, and several Star-Herding men walked inside, dragging out several large sacks made of transparent beast hide a moment later. Generously, they tossed these sacks onto the tortoise shell. From the loosely tied sacks spilled dozens of ores and gemstones of varying sizes, radiating peculiar brilliance.

One of the Star-Herding men vigorously patted his broad chest and laughed eagerly, "These are things our brothers have gathered over the past few years. Trade them all for as much wine as you can! Ah, it is truly too difficult for us to brew our own wine."

Old Three Gui and the others grinned from ear to ear. They packed up the large sacks with utmost speed, concealing them deep within the treasury of the third urban tier. Following that, jar after jar of fine wine was continuously brought out by the caravan guards and carried into the giant whale's cavernous mouth by the salivating Star-Herding men.

The transaction lasted for two hours, during which over ten thousand jars of potent liquor were traded away. Old Three Gui even generously gifted these Star-Herding men an extra batch of fresh wild fruits, after which both parties bade each other a reluctant farewell.

Si Wenming stood atop the city wall with Manman, smiling brightly as they watched the exchange.

Manman wide-eyed, stared in utter fascination at those sleek-bodied, unimaginably gorgeous miraculous creatures. Seeing that the burly men of the Star-Herding Clan were about to leave, Manman could not help letting out a sigh. "Ah, these big fellows look so pretty. I wonder if they taste good or not?"

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Manman squinted her eyes as she reminisced, "I once ate rainbow fire-fish that only grow at the mouths of fiery springs. They have seven colors and look gorgeous. Their taste was wonderful too. The prettier something looks, the better it ought to taste, right?"

The Star-Herding men turned around one after another. Upon seeing Manman, they burst into hearty laughter. One burly man warmly waved at Manman and shouted with a booming laugh, "Little girl, the meat of these star-dolphins is hardly edible; it is dry and lacks any flavor. Ah, what a cute little girl! She makes me miss my own daughter! Let me give you a small gift!"

Reaching into the massive leather pouch at his waist, the man fished around. With a flick of his wrist, a palm-sized, iridescent gemstone trailed a streak of multicolored light and landed right in Manman's hand. Amidst loud laughter, the crowd of Star-Herding men leaped back onto the giant whale, broke into ancient and lingering songs, and urged the giant whale forward as it slowly departed.

Countless dolphin-like star-dolphins emitted long, melodious cries. Their breathtakingly sleek bodies leaped gracefully into the air, stirring up vast halos of light amidst the stardust as they rapidly accelerated under the drivers' guidance. Even after they had traveled over a thousand miles, the generous and melodious singing of the burly men still drifted back.

Ji Hao listened in a trance to their singing. Although the burly men had been all smiles and in exceptionally high spirits, the song they sang told the tale of a tribe that had lost its ancestral breeding grounds and was forced to wander the ends of the earth.

"The Star-Herding Clan, how fascinating!" Ji Hao gently stroked the claws of the raven-crow perched on his shoulder.

On the city wall, Manman clutched the roughly oval-shaped, iridescent gemstone and asked Si Wenming with a smile, "Big Uncle, what is this?"

Si Wenming examined the gemstone, nodded with a smile, and said, "A fine treasure! Hide it away. When we reach Puban, have your dad forge it personally; it will make an exceptional magical artifact for you."

Old Three Gui shuffled over to Manman, slapped his own face hard, and cried out with exaggerated dismay, "Ah! You bastards of the Star-Herding Clan! We share quite a bit of friendship with you lot, yet this old face of mine just isn't as useful as this little girl's face!"

With a clicking sound of admiration, Old Three Gui chuckled, "What a magnificent piece of starlight marrow! Melted into a flying magical weapon, it can increase the weapon's speed tenfold! Such a wonderful treasure, little girl, I'll trade you..."

Shaking his head, Old Three Gui turned and walked away before finishing his sentence. "Bah, I can't afford it. Such a massive chunk of starlight marrow cannot be bought with jade coins. I still have a wife and kids to feed; I simply can't afford it!"

The members of the caravan above and below the city wall burst into loud laughter, mercilessly mocking how Old Three Gui's weathered face could ever compare to Manman's flower-like visage. The members of the Turtle Spirit Caravan beamed with bright and cheerful smiles, not a single one of them sparing a second glance at the starlight marrow in Manman's hand.

On the other hand, among the casual travelers who had come out to watch the excitement, quite a few figures dressed in eccentric attire cast deep, probing glances at Manman.

However, Si Wenming turned around, his pupils suddenly turning an earthy yellow as he glared fiercely at those individuals. The figures wobbled, as if struck by a massive mountain, and stumbled several steps backward. Panic-stricken, they turned around and fled swiftly, leaving no one else daring to covet Manman.

Ji Hao observed all of this clearly, and he waved at Si Wenming with a smile, "Uncle, mighty indeed!"

Si Wenming chuckled honestly, giving the oblivious Manman's little head a gentle pat.

With a transaction completed that guaranteed the Turtle Spirit Caravan astronomical profits, the giant tortoise resumed its stride and galloped forward once more. Ji Hao simply couldn't be bothered to return to the small building, choosing instead to squat atop the giant tortoise's neck day and night, looking around in wide-eyed curiosity.

Countless wondrous sights existed within the void. The small landmasses and mountain peaks of varying sizes that frequently flew past the giant tortoise were well worth viewing on their own. In particular, some of the small landmasses, measuring anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand miles across, actually harbored tiny resident tribes!

Whenever they encountered these inhabited landmasses, the giant tortoise would tirelessly approach them to exchange the caravan's weapons, grain, fine wine, and other goods for various local specialties. Old Three Gui beamed from ear to ear all the way, his profits evidently substantial.

After traveling through the void like this for over half a month, the giant tortoise suddenly came to a halt.

Directly ahead and on both left and right flanks, several points of light appeared. Following straight trajectories, they flew rapidly toward the giant tortoise's direction.

Old Three Gui stood atop the watchtower and spat out a resentful, low curse, "These greedy fiends, how is it that we run into them no matter where we go? We're going to be skinned alive yet again! Out of the ten parts of profit from this journey, it'll be a miracle if even three parts remain by the time we return to the Central Land."

Ji Hao stood up and gazed into the distance at those points of light. The lights traveled at extreme speed, and gradually Ji Hao could make out a total of eighteen points of light—every single one was a metal warship about three miles in length!

These metal warships boasted exquisite craftsmanship; their hulls were sleek and slender, with dozens of pairs of metal wings extending from both sides. It was these metal wings gently unfurling and flapping that propelled the warships surging through the void like shooting stars.

The warships drew closer and closer, and before long, they had surrounded the giant tortoise in a crescent formation.

At the very center, aboard a bronze-colored metal warship, a Jiuli heavy-armor warrior standing roughly five meters tall slowly stepped out and shouted in a bizarre, mocking tone:

"Oh, if it isn't the Turtle Spirit Caravan? Let me calculate: you went to the Southern Wasteland this time and stayed for a full seven years, so you must have harvested quite a lot, right? You know the rules!"

Clapping his hands forcefully, the Jiuli warrior laughed triumphantly, "Very well, open the warehouses. It's time to collect taxes!" (To be continued.)