Chapter 984: Push Back

Two people entered from outside. They were dressed ordinarily, but Manager Wu noticed their ramrod straight backs and steady gazes, unlike those who made a living at sea year-round.

"Are you two from Lingxu City?" Manager Wu rose to greet them with a genial expression. He was always courteous to visitors from Beijia. "How can the Maritime Affairs Office be of service?"

He then said to Assistant Manager Zhao, "Come, serve tea!"

"Yes," Assistant Manager Zhao replied, then went out to fetch tea.

"No need," the two men replied with a smile. One took out a roll of yellow paper from his pocket and unfurled it, while the other produced an official plaque from which a faint glow emanated, verifying their identities.

"We are part of the Black Tiger Army from Lingxu City. We've pursued a Beijia fugitive all the way to Blade's Edge Port. Does Manager Wu have any impression of this demon criminal?"

Manager Wu saw that the yellow scroll was a wanted poster. The fugitive's image was that of a hideous spider, its many eyes almost triggering his trypophobia.

"Causing chaos in the Heavenly Palace, stealing secret treasures, and evading capture until now..." The wanted poster also bore several prominent large red official seals. "Fugitive Zhu... Erniang?"

Manager Wu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I haven't seen her."

"Have you heard anything?" the two men pressed. "Blade's Edge Port seems to have had many new arrivals and new troubles recently, hasn't it?"

Manager Wu was about to deny it when he suddenly remembered something:

The fugitive on the wanted poster is a spider demon? Didn't the pirates of Yangshan Archipelago constantly boast that Island Master He had a powerful demon by his side, exceptionally skilled in combat, catching Yin Hui like fish?

And that monster seemed to be a giant spider?

Gasp, could it be...?

But could such a coincidence really exist in the world—that the demon by Island Master He's side is the very fugitive Beijia is pursuing? There are many spider demons in the world, after all.

As he hesitated, the two men opposite immediately asked, "Has Manager Wu remembered something?"

"Um, no, nothing at all," Manager Wu said, composing himself. "How should I address you two?"

"His surname is Wang," one man said, pointing to his companion, then to himself. "My surname is Ye, Ye Qing."

"This fugitive, Zhu Erniang, is ranked second on the Heavenly Wanted List," Ye Qing said sternly. "She is unforgivable for her heinous crimes and a major criminal we must apprehend and bring to justice! We hope the Blade's Edge Port Maritime Affairs Office will assist in her capture!"

"Do you two know the fugitive's exact whereabouts?"

Ye Qing, noting his expression, asked, "Does Manager Wu know?"

Manager Wu asked, "How big is this spider?"

"It's comparable to a small house."

"That big?" Manager Wu frowned. "If it were parading through Blade's Edge Port, I should have heard about it."

"Should be" is not always "what is."

Manager Wu then offered another "but": "Blade's Edge Port has heavy passenger traffic, with countless humans and demons entering and exiting daily. Local residents are long accustomed to it. If such a large creature boarded a ship at the dock and left, there would be nowhere to pursue it."

Ye Qing and his companion were somewhat helpless. This manager of the Maritime Affairs Office was truly a seasoned operator; not a single fault could be found in his words, yet every sentence was evasive.

He was cautious and airtight.

They could only speak plainly: "We have verified that this spider demon is currently hiding in the Yangshan Archipelago, taking refuge under the island master surnamed He!"

"The Yangshan Archipelago?" Manager Wu said, drawing out a long "Oh." "No wonder. That sea area is very vast; even a spider demon several times larger could hide there, and no one would find it."

Seeing him continue to be evasive, Ye Qing was direct: "Island Master He refuses to hand over the spider demon. We hope Manager Wu can put pressure on the Yangshan Archipelago."

At this moment, Assistant Manager Zhao returned and personally served tea to the two men.

Manager Wu sighed, "You two are from Beijia, so you might not be very familiar with our region. Although the Yangshan Archipelago is separated from Blade's Edge Port by sea, it is not within Qing Kingdom's territory and is not under Blade's Edge Port's jurisdiction. If Island Master He refuses to hand over the fugitive, we have no power to coerce him..."

Seeing him make excuses, Ye Qing frowned. "He has assets in Blade's Edge Port, and you are the manager. You can find an excuse to call him ashore. The rest will not trouble you."

Were they planning to use overt force? Manager Wu was startled and hastily waved his hand. "No, absolutely not, this won't do."

He was the manager, not a bandit or kidnapper!

The reason Blade's Edge Port could prosper was precisely its status as a free port and its relatively fair business environment, wasn't it? If he, an official, personally stooped to acting like a kidnapper, how would this place be any different from others?

Would merchants still dare to trade freely and acquire assets in Blade's Edge Port?

Manager Wu deeply understood that the foundation of his family's prosperity was Blade's Edge Port. Even if he wanted to help the Beijia people, he couldn't undermine his own foundation.

Without rules and order, who would still do business with him in the future?

Seeing Ye Qing about to speak, Manager Wu quickly added, "However, I might be able to suggest a method for you two."

"What method?"

"The Yangshan Archipelago is not under Qing Kingdom's jurisdiction," Manager Wu said with a smile, "but ultimately, it is still Bailie's territory. A private individual buying the entire archipelago from the Lu family doesn't mean the archipelago is independent; it is still subject to Bailie's governance. It's like a merchant buying land and building a residence in Bailie's capital, Qucheng. The money is paid, the land is bought, the house is built, but living in that residence, he still has to abide by Bailie's laws and regulations. How could he possibly be lawless?"

Ye Qing and his companion exchanged a look. "Are you saying Bailie can control him?"

"Strictly speaking, yes."

Ye Qing hesitated before saying, "We heard that after Island Master He bought the island, he had frequent trade relations with Bailie. Their relationship should be good, shouldn't it?"

Qing Kingdom had been in close communication with Beijia these past few years. Blade's Edge Port was a free port where anyone could come, and they could reveal their identities freely; but in Bailie... they feared it might backfire.

Therefore, Yu Zecheng had them investigate the Maritime Affairs Office first.

Manager Wu burst into laughter. "Those are all just appearances; the Lu family is practically seething with frustration! You two might not know, but the Yangshan Archipelago has been shrouded in dark energies for years, always a forbidden area that even ancient immortals were unwilling to approach. Bailie regarded it as something of little value and sold it to the current Island Master He for eighty thousand taels. But who would have thought that once the archipelago was in Island Master He's hands, the dark energies dissipated, people could live there and cultivate the land, and the barren island instantly became a treasure land? The Lu family suffered such a huge loss, they regret it so much their insides are turning green!"

He maintained contact with Lu Zhensheng and was, of course, well aware of the Lu family father and son's mindset.

"Furthermore, the Yangshan Archipelago is desperately recruiting people, offering high wages and drawing away a large amount of labor from within Bailie," he continued. "As far as I know, entire villages in many places have moved south to reside directly on the island. Bailie had to issue a ban on migration, but unfortunately, it had little effect. This population drain continues to this day, with no improvement." He sighed. "With Yangshan undermining Bailie in this way, do you think Bailie could possibly have a good impression of them?"

Ye Qing asked, "Does Bailie want to take this archipelago back?"

"Of course they do, why wouldn't they?" Manager Wu walked back behind his desk, spread out a sheet of paper, and began to write quickly.