Chapter 1887: Gray Whale Harbor

Small places like Shizhou Head and Liuping had limited connections to the outside world, making it difficult to export goods. Fortunately, major allied cities like Jucheng had rapidly developed in recent years, leading to thriving trade and higher demands for food and drink. This also boosted the sale of various spices.

Finally, the two small towns had a stable source of income.

However, Yang Meng's troubles soon followed. The Liu clan, behind City Lord Liu, had long sought to reclaim Shizhou Head, ideally taking Liuping as well. Yang Meng and all the townspeople refused. He had several failed negotiations with the Liu family. When their attempts at force proved ineffective, the Liu family resorted to repeatedly digging up the mountain roads used to transport goods out of Shizhou Head.

A subordinate approached and asked, "My Lord, what if the Nine Nether Emperor truly comes?"

Rumors had been spreading, painting a picture of the Dragon God's imminent arrival, like a storm brewing.

Indeed, what would they do if the Nine Nether Emperor truly arrived?

“Both towns worship the Dragon God,” Yang Meng said, gesturing towards the window with his chin. “Look at these people; they worship the Dragon God every day. The Dragon God saved their lives—no, he saved *our* lives. If he truly comes, I’ll—”

He rubbed his chin, then suddenly said fiercely, “I’ll wipe out the Liu family first!”

His subordinate was stunned but quickly understood.

Shizhou Head and Liuping were both places that had received great kindness from the Dragon God.

“In any case, sharpen weapons, feed the horses, and get personnel ready these next few days,” Yang Meng said, clenching his fist, his eyes burning. “I have a feeling something big is about to happen!”

Two days later, at Whale Harbor in the northern Golden Sands Plain.

This area of high-temperature waters and abundant marine life was a summer habitat for whales, hence its name.

As He Lingchuan returned by boat to Whale Harbor, he saw a vast pod of whales just outside the port, with countless white gulls trailing behind them, waiting for scraps.

He disembarked onto the pier with Dong Rui, Wanqifeng, and over ten others, heading to the Maritime Trade Office to return their vessel.

There was only one ship. He had set sail from here previously, and that ship had also been chartered.

Granny Zhu also ambled leisurely through the harbor. Her tough armor gleamed black under the bright sunlight, strikingly conspicuous, drawing extra glances from passersby.

But only for a moment. This harbor area was home to many monsters, so the appearance of a large spider was not unusual. The locals were well-accustomed, unlike the uninitiated common folk in other parts of the plain who would be easily startled.

However, Whale Harbor wasn't very bustling. Its size, architecture, and prosperity were somewhat reminiscent of Julu Harbor three years ago, around the time He Lingchuan had traveled from the Yangshan Archipelago to the Golden Sands Plain for reconnaissance. Even the Maritime Trade Office was an old, dilapidated shack with a hole in its eaves, seemingly unrepaired for ages. The expressions of the commoners and laborers also resembled those in Julu Harbor at the time: blank and numb, as if they lived only to work, and worked only to earn enough to eat.

Nevertheless, there were many ships here, large and small.

As He Lingchuan stepped into the Maritime Trade Office, he heard someone shouting, “Where are my ships? My five ships were supposed to return five days ago!”

“And my three!”

“I also have four large ships held up there; I haven’t been able to take on cargo or earn money these past few days! Compensate us for our losses!”

He and Dong Rui walked in to find seven or eight people surrounding the supervisor of the Maritime Trade Office, pointing fingers and yelling accusations: “You were the one who handled the chartering procedures for that jinxed group! We went to great lengths to gather eighteen large ships in total! Now they’re overdue, and Whale Harbor must compensate us for our losses!”

The supervisor was displeased. “The money they paid was enough to buy all your ships and still leave a large sum! You certainly didn’t complain about too much money back then!”

“What a joke, who would complain about too much money?” One of them sneered, “It’s in black and white—that was charter fees, for renting ships, not buying them! What, are you not going to honor it? There were also crew members and sailors on board, all experienced veterans who were chartered along with the ships, and now not a single one has returned! Who else should we claim these losses from but you?”

“Do you know who the employer was?” the supervisor scoffed. “The Heavenly Palace’s Chief Emissary!”

“What in the world is that?” From such a remote and impoverished place, these people had never heard of a “Heavenly Palace” or a “Chief Emissary.”

“Do you know Beiga? The Northern Demon Kingdom!” The supervisor looked at them as if they were country bumpkins, which they essentially were. “They are high-ranking officials from the Northern Demon Kingdom, sent out to sea on the orders of the gods! If you dare to cause them trouble, you’re dead!”

“What—” The agitated ship owners exchanged bewildered glances.

He Lingchuan seized the opportunity to hand over the deposit slip. “Returning the ship.”

The supervisor took the slip, his attention not initially on He Lingchuan. But as his gaze swept past the monkey on Dong Rui’s shoulder, he suddenly paused, then fixed his eyes on Granny Zhu outside, basking in the sun and stretching.

“Returning the ship,” He Lingchuan prompted him again.

Only then did the supervisor mumble in response, handing the slip to his subordinate. “Return his deposit.” The deposit could only be retrieved after the ship was returned.

Seeing themselves ignored, the ship owners were furious and started rolling up their sleeves, ready to fight. Those who made a living in such a harsh place were hardly law-abiding citizens. However, before they could even raise their large, fist-sized hands, the supervisor let out a shout, and then the building began to shake.

From the back room emerged a brown bear, its shoulders taller than a man’s, its body fat and robust, as round as a ball, with eyes reflecting ferocity. The moment it appeared, the ship owners instinctively stumbled back several steps. The giant bear walked in front of the supervisor, stood on its hind legs, reaching over ten feet tall. It raised a front paw the size of a millstone and, with its small, blood-red eyes, looked down at the crowd, speaking in human tongue: “Who’s causing trouble?”

The ship owners’ fury immediately died down.

He Lingchuan paid them no mind and turned to leave the Maritime Trade Office.

“Get out, all of you! If you cause trouble again, I’ll let it eat you!” the supervisor threatened, emboldened by the bear’s presence, not forgetting to glare at He Lingchuan and his group as they left. *Two monkeys, one large spider. These must be the ones I was told to keep an eye on, right?*

He Lingchuan walked out along the slope, encountering few people on the way. Even Granny Zhu expressed regret: “Compared to Julu Harbor, this place is too desolate. What a waste of such an excellent geographical location.” Having traveled north and south with He Lingchuan, building from scratch, she was an experienced spider. She could tell at a glance that Whale Harbor was the best deep-water port within a three-hundred-li radius, boasting a superior geographical location, but unfortunately, its local management was severely lacking. Ships could set sail from here for the islands to the north or the countries to the west.

“It’s not bad already,” He Lingchuan said matter-of-factly, offering a fair assessment for the area. “After all, it’s not human territory.” Humans, by nature, are good at management; monsters rarely possess such a talent. Including Whale Harbor, the vast region within a five-hundred-li radius was all demon territory! The northern and eastern parts of the Golden Sands Plain were characterized by deep mountains and vast marshes, where human influence was weak, and most of these areas were occupied by demons.