Chapter 944: Zhu Erniang's Settlement Agreement

Chapter 934: Lady Zhu Er's Settlement Agreement

The island features mountains, lakes, and lush trees, with a landscape primarily characterized by numerous caves and fewer flat areas. While scenic, it is not well-suited for human production or labor.

Lady Zhu Er focused her inspection on several rift valleys. To humans, these were rugged, barren places, offering nothing but solid rock and sea winds, where an ordinary person could easily fall to their death. Yet, Lady Zhu Er genuinely declared them "quite good."

These underground caverns were interconnected, dark, and damp, but they were better ventilated than the Demon Den, making them highly suitable for the reproduction of fungal mats and aphid-cows.

The island had fresh water and the clay that burrowing spiders required.

The more complex and varied the terrain, the wider the range of activity for the burrowing spiders. Humans might view Silk Web Island as a flat surface, but for spider colonies naturally adept at climbing, it was a multi-layered, three-dimensional kingdom!

This place was much larger than Lady Zhu Er's territory in the Demon Den Swamp, better even than the eastern canyons of Mu Nation, and the entire island would be exclusively shared by her and her sister.

They quickly chose a valley at the southern tip of the island. Hidden by dense jungle, the deep pit within was undetectable unless one ventured inside. To the north lay a freshwater stream, and to the south, a tranquil bay, about two *zhang* deep, where seawater became calm, easily attracting fish schools—ideal for the burrowing spiders' fishing operations.

The spider demon sisters quickly surveyed the area, moving back and forth through the various crevices and holes, finally declaring in unison:

“This is the place.”

Lady Zhu Da was straightforward and joyfully told Lady Zhu Er, “Sister, we have a home now.”

The place appeared suitable for long-term habitation; no one would be able to drive them away in the future.

Lady Zhu Er pointed to the largest crevice: “Go in!”

The spiders lined up and entered. Inside was a vast water-eroded cave, large enough to easily accommodate even the largest immortal spiders.

“This place is truly excellent,” Lady Zhu Er said, openly expressing her satisfaction. “Do you have any other requests?”

She could communicate with Lady Zhu Da in real-time and had already heard about the situation on Yangshan Archipelago from her sister. Of course, this young man wouldn't insist on giving her an island for no reason; they had already agreed upon certain terms.

Finally, they were getting to the point. He knew there was no need for pleasantries with a pragmatic great demon like Lady Zhu Er.

He Lingchuan, looking solemn, said, “Aside from the exclusive agency for spider demon goods we previously agreed upon, there is another urgent matter for which I need your help, Lady Er.”

“Hmm, speak,” Lady Zhu Er replied. As a current resident, she naturally had to be a bit courteous to her 'landlord'.

He Lingchuan then briefly explained the labor shortage during the palm harvesting season, saying, “This autumn's harvest is critically important. I implore you to help me, Lady Er!”

“Very well,” Lady Zhu Er agreed readily. “As with other agreements, payment will be in Mystic Crystals.”

Silver was useless to demons living in the wilderness. She had already settled with He Lingchuan beforehand that he would act as her agent for the spider nest's produce, with final payment to be made in Mystic Crystals.

Previously, in the Demon Den Swamp, she had bartered with humans; but here, she only wanted Mystic Crystals.

He Lingchuan was overjoyed. “As expected of Lady Er, so straightforward!”

This effectively meant the burrowing spiders would be employed by him.

Everyone else found it strange. What could this giant spider possibly do to solve the labor shortage?

But no sooner had this thought crossed their minds than a rustling sound, like wind blowing through fallen leaves, emanated from within the crevice.

But where would fallen leaves come from inside a cave?

Then, countless burrowing spiders emerged from the crevice.

The largest were like galloping horses, while the smallest were no bigger than a human palm.

The scene was like an overflowing fountain, the very color of the earth rock obscured by the black and white spiders.

A fountain made of spiders!

Faced with such a spectacle, everyone except Dong Rui and He Lingchuan couldn't help but take two steps back, a chill running through them.

So many burrowing spiders!

It turned out Young Master He had recruited not just two, but an entire massive colony—thousands upon thousands!

A faint white mist also seeped from the crevice, refusing to dissipate in the wind, growing thicker and thicker.

He Lingchuan and Dong Rui knew instantly that the Mirage Demon had also arrived!

It had left the Demon Den Swamp with Lady Zhu Er and ended up following her all the way here.

The two exchanged glances, remaining silent.

The fewer people who knew the Mirage Demon's secret, the better.

These spiders, seemingly oblivious to the humans, bypassed everyone and continued their work. Some went to cut branches and leaves, others spun silk, and some carried debris out of the crevice to discard.

As soon as they landed, the grand cleanup of the new nest began immediately, showcasing clear division of labor and seamless cooperation, no less efficient than worker ants.

Seeing this, everyone understood and could roughly guess what they were capable of. Sure enough, He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together and said, “Then I’ll entrust the palm harvesting on Dragon Ridge Island and the other four islands to you, Lady Er.”

These six islands were originally uninhabited areas covered by malevolent *yin* energy, and hired laborers flat-out refused to go there.

Dong Rui silently cursed He Lingchuan as shameless. They had only developed fourteen islands in total, and this fellow was assigning nearly thirty percent of the work to the burrowing spiders, especially considering how massive Dragon Ridge Island was.

He Lingchuan understood his expression and rolled his eyes.

What was the big deal? The exclusive agency agreement he signed with Lady Zhu Er was actually a consignment agreement, meaning he would only pay—no, provide Mystic Crystals—after he sold her products.

This avoided him tying up funds or accumulating inventory.

There was no other way; he was poor! He had to pinch pennies everywhere and wanted to take advantage whenever possible.

Lady Zhu Er, however, had no objections. She didn't need to consider inventory or turnover issues.

As long as He Lingchuan ultimately paid in Mystic Crystals, that young man's credibility was quite good, even better than most other humans.

The burrowing spiders' ability to climb and transport fruit in mountainous terrain was far superior to humans'. For a palm tree one or two *zhang* tall, the large spider demons didn't even need to climb to harvest fruit; they could shoot a strand of silk, stick it to the fruit, and with a shake, pull down entire bunches laden with ripe fruit.

However, while the burrowing spiders could harvest, they couldn't process the fruit.

Beyond weaving, the burrowing spiders were incapable of performing overly delicate tasks.

“Tell your subordinates to prepare the boats.”

He Lingchuan clapped his hands and laughed heartily. “Thank you, Lady Er! Would it be alright to start this evening?” Harvesting work on the Yangshan Archipelago was already in full swing, and not a single day could be delayed.

This prehistoric great demon's tens of thousands of spider-kin, once set into motion, could significantly alleviate the labor shortage. The workforce it freed up for He Lingchuan could then be reallocated to other tasks.

Lady Zhu Er snorted. She had just moved in, and this young man, He, was already so impatient—how outrageous!

But she was too lazy to complain. She burrowed into the crevice with her sister to set up their new home.

He Lingchuan turned, his spirits high, and said to the others, “Let’s head back too!”

Two days later, Min Tianxi, the former leader of the Second Path Pirates and now captain of the Second Path, requested an audience with He Lingchuan, claiming to have good news.