Chapter 1944: Critical Point

In the outside world, Goldflash Plain was also known for its divisions and chaos. Fang Canran knew very well that Lingshan had sent people there too, and without exception, they had all met their demise.

It was a place easy to conquer but hard to defend, easy to kill in but hard to govern.

He wanted to hear what gave Helian Chuan the confidence to dare to involve himself with Goldflash.

"There's an old saying in my hometown, 'From impoverished lands and treacherous waters come unruly people,' which clearly summarizes the reason," Helian Chuan said. He dipped his finger in water and wrote two characters on the table, then drew an arrow between them. "Poverty breeds evil, and evil breeds chaos. Poverty is indeed the breeding ground for chaos and crime. Conversely, the root of evil and chaos is still 'poverty.'"

Fang Canran was also very interested. "How do you solve it then?"

"Theoretically, it's very easy, of course. In the current Goldflash, as long as the poor have food, the common people have livelihoods, and everyone has a way forward, the source of evil and chaos will naturally dissipate," Helian Chuan said, taking a sip of wine. "Even if someone wants to rebel, no one will want to follow them and jeopardize their own means of living."

Fang Canran chuckled. "Only you would dare say it's easy. If it's not just talk, then what?"

Helian Chuan then wrote the character 'Grace' next to 'Poverty' and 'Might' next to 'Evil.'

Fang Canran said, "Combining grace and might?"

"You need both the heart of a saint and decisive, thunderous action," Helian Chuan said seriously. "Even in the poorest places, there are always entangled interests. Why did the Dragon God reincarnate? It was to address the root causes and set things right."

Goldflash Plain was rife with corrupt officials, tyrannical gentry, and bandits on land and water.

The Dragon God, the Black Armored Army, and the elite forces he was now training were meant to deal with these elements.

Fang Canran looked at the characters on the table, also dipped his finger in water, and circled the character 'Grace.' "Ultimately, it's still about money. Your Yangshan Merchant Association is indeed a golden goose, but can it handle such a massive undertaking?"

As an experienced merchant, he knew the scale of the financial commitment involved. Had past heroes who seized Goldflash Plain not wanted to govern it well? Did they want public discontent to boil over? "Making the people live in peace and work happily," while also maintaining an army to eliminate corruption, quell rebellions, and suppress bandits—which of these didn't cost a fortune? Ultimately, the crux of the problem was a lack of funds. Without money, how many people could truly stick to their original intentions?

"The most important function of the Yangshan Merchant Association is not to make money, but to open up all checkpoints for goods transportation. It's like ensuring smooth circulation in the human body; it prevents illness."

A stable and smooth supply and distribution channel was one of the most valuable assets.

Helian Chuan smiled mysteriously. "As for money, I just came into a windfall recently, a huge one." He emphasized the last three words. "One cannot get rich without unexpected wealth."

"Recently?" Fang Canran recalled that Helian Chuan had asked him to help process a large batch of mystic crystals, of various grades, with many excellent ones among them. Combining this with what he had seen today in the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror, he instinctively said, "Wait, wait a minute! Are these mystic crystals of yours from..." Helian Chuan blinked. "Yes, they were given to me by Miaozhantian." Fang Canran gave him a look that clearly said, "I'll believe you when pigs fly," leaving him to interpret it himself.

Helian Chuan smiled broadly. "Come, come, have some soup." Neither of them broke the silence further, and they raised their bowls to drink the fish soup, which tasted delicious.

As the ultimate victor of the Battle of Upsidedown Sea, Helian Chuan inherited all the assets of the two powerful figures, regardless of whether they had intended to leave them to him. All the wealth Miaozhantian could bring out, and most of Master Qianhuan's lifelong savings, all fell into his hands. The numerous artifacts and resources left behind by these two factions were things money couldn't buy, let alone mystic crystals. Even with the Illusion Sect's use of ultra-large capacity storage artifacts, transporting this wealth was a headache for Helian Chuan. This was thanks to the spirit beast Pengqi—After Old Man Luo's death, Luo Xie took over as its keeper and successfully appeased this spirit beast, which had a universe within its belly, allowing it to load thirty-seven thousand catties of mystic crystals onto the ship. Without this mobile, oversized pouch, even if they had searched through all the legacies of the Illusion Sect and the Sky Demons, they wouldn't have found another storage space of such immense capacity, and everything was already full. Therefore, Helian Chuan's return from Upsidedown Sea, laden with treasures, could not be measured simply in monetary terms—As everyone knew, "cannot be simply measured in money" meant that it was incredibly, incredibly expensive, to an astonishing degree.

Helian Chuan was no country bumpkin who would dig a hole to hide this fortune. For a successful merchant, money only had meaning and could fulfill its true value when it flowed.

"These so-called deities have been siphoning off the world's wealth for countless years; it's time for it to be returned to the people."

Helian Chuan had no qualms about how much money he had to spend; after all, if he could win the Dragon God War, the entire Goldflash Plain would be his. If he couldn't win, what good would money be?

Fang Canran mused, "Is it enough?"

"It just needs to cover the initial expenses. Prices and labor in Goldflash are very low," Helian Chuan said, tossing a peanut into his mouth. "They're unbelievably cheap." Having done business in Goldflash, he knew best: "The money you'd spend hiring one person to harvest palm fruit in Bladeport or Yangshan Archipelago can hire six or seven people here, and they'll work day and night, to the bone."

Despite the dangers of Goldflash Plain, foreign merchants came in continuous streams, and this was the main reason: low costs meant higher profits.

"Furthermore, Goldflash Plain is incredibly rich in resources. As long as I can organize them for orderly work, a very small investment will quickly yield abundant output," Helian Chuan said, having two years of practical experience through the Yangshan Merchant Association and a detailed plan already in mind. "And the most, most important point—"

"I'm listening intently."

Helian Chuan spoke slowly and deliberately: "The Empyrean Dew is coming." He knew exactly how many deities had died in the heavens. "Spiritual rain will fall from the sky, nurturing all things. Goldflash Plain will undoubtedly become even more fertile, and its inhabitants will be greatly blessed. The frequent arrival of this spiritual rain will usher in an era of universal prosperity across the continent. This means every living being will have an opportunity—every single one! With the arrival of the spiritual tide, countless pioneers will emerge. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, a brand-new starting line, and we must seize it!" Such favorable timing and geography were key to gaining an advantage later.

"The Empyrean Dew, you say?" Fang Canran looked at him deeply, then suddenly put down his chopsticks. "Brother He, was it related to the Grand Square Pot that Mitian was able to produce the Dragon Punishment Pillar back then?" Over the years, he had meticulously studied the Dragon Punishment Pillar and found that its characteristics did not seem like something the Sky Demons could have created. During that period, Mitian had a close relationship with Panlong City and the Grand Square Pot. From this, he inferred that the artifact's appearance was likely connected to the divine Grand Square Pot.

At this point, Helian Chuan no longer concealed it from him. "That's right. The Dragon Punishment Pillar was a product of the Grand Square Pot."