Chapter 355: Chapter 72: The Commission of the Golden Crow Clan
The Three-Peaked Mountain Range got its name from a distance for having three of the tallest peaks.
This mountain range mainly stretches from east to west and serves as the boundary between South State and Central State.
To its south lies a hot and dry terrain dotted with numerous volcanoes, resulting in a stark landscape of bare vegetation and rocky outcrops.
The north side benefits from the moist air currents from Eastern State, boasting plenty of vegetation and meadows, with a climate far more pleasant than the southern side of the mountain range.
The Golden Crow Clan resides to the south of the Three-Peaked Mountain Range, firmly controlling the few mountain passes leading in, tirelessly collecting tolls day after day… Of course, it’s said that mining and smelting are the Golden Crow Clan’s main industries, and toll collection is merely a side hustle.
On the way, Long Long encountered numerous Horned Clan refugees. After enquiring in detail, he learned that due to the warfare in the north, most merchants and travelers now opt to take the route through the Three-Peaked Mountain Range.
Correspondingly, the tolls have skyrocketed, from ten thousand Crystals six months ago to the recent twenty thousand Crystals, and reportedly, they were set to increase even further.
Hearing this price, Long Long and Long Hu couldn’t help but click their tongues in amazement.
Long Hu’s mother left them nearly two thousand Crystals as seed money in her Storage Bag. After Long Long’s persistent work along the way and Long Hu’s eating and drinking, they had about one thousand Crystals left.
It was far from enough to cover the tolls.
At this point, it was certainly not possible to earn enough money first… who knew how much the price would jump to by then!
Having experienced the real estate craze before his travels, Long Long knew that during a market rise, your savings speed could never outpace the surge in financial costs.
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An ingenious move was necessary!
He spoke again with the next group of Horned Clan refugees they encountered, learning that the Golden Crow Clan had a strong preference for shiny, rare, and precious items.
If one didn’t have enough money, it was also acceptable to barter with Metal System or Fire System Magical Treasures.
However, aside from their personal Flying Swords, Long Long and Long Hu really had no extra Magical Treasures.
The pair hurried along the mountain path and met another group of Horned Clan refugees, learning that in the past, travelers who couldn’t pay the tolls ended up being sent by the Golden Crow Clan to labor in the mines, offsetting the fee with a few months’ work, with food and lodging covered.
Long Long immediately dismissed this plan, insisting that labor was out of the question; what would it look like for a Cultivator to go mining?
“So,” the Golden Crow Cultivator guarding the checkpoint asked with a frown, “you have neither money, nor Magical Treasures to settle your debt, nor are you willing to mine?”
“I am from the Scaled Clan, and she is from the Mao Clan; neither of us are renowned for strength like members of the Horned Clan,” Long Long said earnestly. “If we were to mine, the amount a normal Horned Clan member could dig in a month might take us three or four, which is certainly not a good use of our skills.”
“But apart from mining, we don’t really have any other work for you here…” The Golden Crow Cultivator wasn’t quite finished speaking when he seemed to remember something, then he broke into a strange expression and said with a laugh, “Unless you’re willing to take a risk.”
“A risk?” Long Long asked.
“The slag left over from our smelting, along with the trash our people generate, is thrown into a cave in the back mountain,” explained the Golden Crow Cultivator. “Periodically, Fire Element True Qi bursts forth there, incinerating the slag and the garbage.”
“However, recently… cough, a few thieves stole something from our clan leader and, in a panic during pursuit, fled into that cave.”
“Since everyone’s worried about encountering a burst of Fire Element True Qi upon going down, so the clan plans to hire outsiders to search… If you can find the thieves’ stolen goods and bring them back in one piece, not only will you be exempt from the toll, but you’ll also be paid an extra fee.”
“Wow!” Long Hu immediately consulted with Long Long upon hearing there was a reward, exclaiming, “That sounds rather good, doesn’t it?”
“Naïve,” Long Long mockingly whispered to her. “Don’t be fooled by his casual tone; there are probably many significant details being glossed over.”
“Setting aside anything else, just how hazardous is that cave? Is it merely ‘Fire Element True Qi’ eruptions? So much so that not a single Golden Crow Clan member dares to venture in, resorting to hiring outsiders without any knowledge of the risks?”
“You’re right,” Long Hu wasn’t foolish, and upon Long Long’s hint, she quickly caught on.
The Fire Element True Qi must be extremely dangerous, forcing the Golden Crow Clan to hire outsiders to explore the cave—clearly treating them like expendables!
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If they managed to come out alive, they got their stolen items back without a loss; and if they died inside, no compensation needed to be paid.
It was indeed a business with only gains and no losses!
Seeing the two whispering secretly, clearly not fooled by his words, the Golden Crow Cultivator didn’t care much.
Whether it succeeded or not, it was just a matter of two cannon fodder, there was no need to push them into the pit of fire.
After all, the toll was a rule of the clan, and there was definitely no possibility of making an exception for these two.
“Esteemed Immortal,” Long Long asked with a smile, “if we want to inquire about the specific situations of exploring the cave, whom can we ask for details?”
“You just head to the right side into our clan’s territory and say you want to sign up for cave exploration,” the Golden Crow Cultivator casually pointed, “Before you go down the cave, someone will explain everything to you.”
“That is very good, thank you,” Long Long sincerely thanked him.
He took the little fox’s hand and headed towards the direction of the Golden Crow Clan’s territory.
Long Hu was slightly puzzled. Long Long had just spoken of many hidden risks in the task, but now he seemed to be planning to go through with it. Why was that?
Upon further thought, she vaguely understood:
To do or not to do a task, one must be based on a full grasp of information.
Blindly trusting the other party’s words or retreating with doubts without any evidence were both unreasonable choices.
With the little fox deep in thought, Long Long arrived at the Golden Crow Clan’s territory and quickly got taken to one of the stone houses after stating his purpose.
South of the Three-legged Mountain range, there were no trees or vegetation, but the mineral output was extremely rich, so the buildings within the clan’s territory were mostly made of special rocks, in a red ochre color, and felt very warm to the touch.
Long Long studied the building materials inside the house for a while and then saw a few more people brought in – they were probably demons who couldn’t afford the toll and planned to take up the cave exploration task.
The little fox was scared and hid behind Long Long, tugging at the hem of his clothes, staying silent.
The three newcomers were all from the Horned Clan and, judging by the shape of their horns, seemed to be some type of bovine, and were also broad and burly.
The leading bovine demon looked at Long Long, whose height only reached his waist, and then showed a naive smile before slowly looking away.
Soon, a Golden Crow Cultivator entered the room, addressing everyone about the numerous matters related to cave exploration:
“The stolen item we need you to find is a black feather fan named ‘Golden Crow True Fire Fan’.”
“Although this Magical Treasure is rare, it can only be activated with the true blood of our Golden Crow Clan. It’s useless for you to take it, so do not harbor any improper thoughts.”
“The Golden Crow True Fire Fan is made of eighteen black feathers, with three Immortal Seal Scripts carved on the handle – it’s very easy to recognize, and you will certainly not mistake it once you find it.”
“Once you find this fan and come out of the cave, handing it over to us, the reward, apart from passing rights through the Three-legged Mountain range, is eighty thousand Moon Crystal Stones, or you can choose any one Magical Treasure from our clan’s treasure house to take with you.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the three bull demons exchanged glances and then said in unison:
“We three brothers, if we find the stolen item, will receive only one Magical Treasure as a reward. How are we supposed to divide it? Could we perhaps…”
“How you divide it is your business, not mine,” the Golden Crow Cultivator interrupted impatiently, then turned to Long Long and Long Hu, continuing, “If you can’t divide it, choosing Moon Crystal Stones is just as well.”
Long Long’s face was expressionless, but inside he sneered.
If it were low-realm little demons, they might have chosen the crystal stones. But which of those truly on the path of cultivation didn’t know the importance of their own strength?
Without a Magical Treasure to protect themselves, rashly acquiring wealth was nothing more than saving money for others!
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