Yama Rising

You want to talk to me about being shameless? Oh, where do we even begin…

Qin Ye naturally wasn’t aware of the tension between the two daolords. At least, he could hardly be bothered about existences below the standing of Yama-Kings. He lifted his teacup to his lip and took a sip from it, before nodding at the two, “And, then?”

“Furthermore, once the docks have properly been launched, the fleets that arrive in future can be managed properly, and we probably wouldn’t see as many ships at one go. In short, Ashmound Port as it stands is more than sufficient for the near future. Congratulations, King Yanluo, on the successful launch of Hell’s port!”

Qin Hui stared at her, completely flabbergasted.

I’ve actually lost to her in this grand competition of shamelessness?!

Qin Ye received it, but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he simply held it in his hands, before beckoning to a young man standing right beside Gu Qing, “You’re Scribe Xu Changan, aren’t you? Here’s a task for you. Within the day, I’d like the full particulars of the Alkebulan fleet that is waiting out there, including the type of the ship, the draft depth of the hull, the size of the ship, and the manifesto of the personnel on board.”

“Yes.” Su Daji and Qin Hui breathed a sigh of relief, before bowing deeply as they took their leave. Then, as soon as they turned the corner, they glared deeply at each other, and then went their own ways with a soft humph.

We’re friends no longer!

Everyone took their leave, and Wang Chenghao heaved a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to stand up and stretch his arms, Qin Ye immediately opened up the scroll, “Bring me the cup of tea.”

Do you not love me anymore?!

Qin Ye looked up and blinked vacantly for several seconds, before realization dawned on him, “Bring me that pleasing cup of tea.”

I’ve got no words.

“And exactly are they supposed to report to Hell from the mortal realm?” Wang Chenghao responded.

“Why didn’t you say all of these things earlier?”

“But… Ashmound City has only 10,000 troops right now. What are we going to do about the army that assembles outside of its borders?”

It was a test.

200,000 Yin soldiers without the backing of a military formation… The Harken can easily put them in their place alone. And that’s not even considering the presence of the war machine, Zhao Zilong!

Wang One Tail gasped, “Are you going to--...”

Wang Chenghao sulked as he slunk away.

“Shall we take a walk?” Qin Ye revealed a lofty smile on his face, “Speaking of which, I’ve not taken a good look at the piers in these docks.”

She was acting like a lovebird in front of Ghost King Zhao!

This… this is enough!!!

“Furthermore, there are also different ways in which the wharves can be connected to the shores. In common parlance, we call this the fullform type and the drawbridge type. The fullform type simply refers to a complete connection between the wharf and the shore, maximizing connectivity between the wharves and the warehouses and thereby facilitating loading and unloading speeds. Meanwhile, the drawbridge type wharf uses bridges and platforms to connect the wharves to the shore where the warehouses are located. Breakout jetties are mainly used in seaports, and there are also various different classifications to them--…”

Gu Qing promptly responded, “Over the course of the last few months, we’ve trained approximately 500 ghosts to take on various roles around these parts…”

That’s insufficient.

Gu Qing naturally knew the concerns weighing on Qin Ye’s mind, and he immediately continued, “There are currently also two transport companies registered with our register of companies, and each of them employs approximately 200 ghosts.”

Zhang Heng sighed, “They’re worried.”

Qin Ye shook his head, “Then, what about the news about the negotiations with the mortal realm? Haven’t they heard any news about that? So long as the negotiations go well, we’re easily talking about decades of work, if not more. Furthermore…”

“So-so.” Li Chun shook his head, “It’s the only paper around, so it won’t really ever die down. But you can’t say it’s doing particularly well either. After all, Ashmound City is a small city, and there simply isn’t enough news to sustain the appetite of its citizens here. That said, the leaders of Hell’s Media Group are clever, and they know full well that this is only a short period of lull before the state of development kicks into high gear. Things will only get better as Hell expands. And then, armed with their first mover’s advantage, nobody would be able to cut them out of the lion’s share of the media pie. Therefore, even though the benefits aren’t spectacular, they haven’t cut any numbers from their companies just yet.”

Nobody said a word.

“General Zhao.” Qin Ye abruptly changed the topic once more, “Do you have any spells or techniques that allow us to record something that happens, and then play it back on some form of projection?”

“And if you were the one using it, how long can you sustain it for?”

“Excellent…” Qin Ye licked his lips, and then turned back to everyone, “As far as Ashmound City is concerned, I believe that we’ve not had a general assembly ever since the Hungry Ghost Festivals, have we?”

They were all intellectuals, and they were naturally able to put two and two together to deduce what Qin Ye was getting at. Zu Chongzhi immediately stepped forward and spoke with a bright gleam in his eyes, “Are you planning to… celebrate in Ashmound City the launch of Ashmound Port?”

Excellent idea!

What is this?

How much were such sales worth in the mortal realm?

Sure, the netherworld might not be comparable in size just yet, but everyone had to start somewhere!

“This is the full inventory of the goods brought by the Alkebulan fleet.” Qin Ye waved his hand, and the scroll unfurled in the air, “Crafts, jewellery, accessories of all kinds, leather, and clothes. Crafts, household goods and jewellery can be sold directly, while the raw materials, leather, minerals and seeds will become bargaining ships in our possession. Then, while the citizens go mad spending all of their hard earned money, we’ll convene talks with banks and manufacturers and sell these materials to them at wholesale prices, 30% off the retail prices!”

Qin Ye smiled and retracted his gaze, “No… we’re not quite there yet.”

Zhao Yun’s eyes flickered wildly, “Are you saying that… this isn’t just for Hell’s internal prosperity, but also… for the mortal realm?”

“Are you trying to leave an impression on the mortal realm, so that they can witness the prosperity of the new Hell?! You’re… you’re essentially laying the foundation for the negotiation between Hell and the mortal realm!”