Chapter 414: Exchanging Grain for Brocade

After returning to the Realm of Qingming, Wei Yuan unfolded a map and continued studying the information on the seven commanderies in western Ning Province.

The seven commanderies had distinct seasons and were rich in natural resources, making them some of the most fertile lands in Western Jin. Most of the industries in these seven commanderies were controlled by the Xu Clan, while less than half of the remaining portion was held by other noble clans. The Western Jin court held 10%, and the local small and medium-sized wealthy households not belonging to the Xu Clan also held 10%.

The seven commanderies were also regions of mulberry and rice. They were renowned for their textile production, with the Ning Brocade being particularly famous. The Ning Brocade was opulent and lavish, featuring vibrant colors. Its production required an immense amount of labor, and skilled artisans could weave patterns as beautiful as paintings. The seven commanderies were home to many well-known and long-established businesses, such as the Mi and the Yao. They were all major brocade merchants.

The Ning Brocade was deeply beloved by all races. Aside from the human race’s own use, the nobility of the Liao and the Shamans also had a substantial demand for it.

Spring season had just begun a while ago. It was the very time where the fields transitioned from summer to fall crops, and autumn was the season for replanting mulberry saplings. Whenever he saw this scene, Wei Yuan would fall into deep thought.

After careful consideration, Wei Yuan left Qingming and made his way to Sun Chao’en’s residence.

The number of refugees in the commandery seat of Bianning had noticeably decreased. With the previous season’s grain harvest just in and the time for replanting having arrived, the amount of people who left their homes had clearly decreased.

Upon arriving, Wei Yuan noticed that Sun Chao’en’s entire bearing had changed. He now radiated an air of opulence from the inside out. He had also gained some weight and looked even more gentle, refined, and flawlessly polished than before.

Wei Yuan immediately understood the situation and congratulated him, “It seems that your Avatar will manifest within the next few days, Brother Sun! Allow me to offer my congratulations in advance on your success!”

“You flatter me, worthy little brother. I am so much older and not nearly as courageous and diligent as you. That said, with the aid of the Three-Ingredient Immortality Ascension Pill, I definitely have some confidence in attaining my Avatar this time.”

After offering his congratulations, Wei Yuan got down to business: “I need to find a few large caravans traveling to and from Ningxi to help me sell grain, and then purchase Ning Brocade and mulberry silk.”

Sun Chao’en was immediately taken aback. “You want to sell grain?”

The summer harvest was now on the market, but grain prices remained sky-high across various places. That was why so many refugees had appeared. Coupled with the fact that the war on the northern border had been going on for half a year, grain prices simply refused to go down.

Qingming currently held 600 million catties of grain in stock—far more than it could consume on its own. Moreover, Wei Yuan was continuing to reclaim new farmland, and the transformation of Heaven and Earth was still ongoing[1], which gradually increased the yield per unit area of Qingming’s grain fields.

“How much brocade and silk do you need?”

Wei Yuan replied, “For the first batch, I’ll need at least one hundred thousand bolts of brocade and five hundred thousand catties of silk.”

Sun Chao’en was once again taken aback. This was a major deal worth a million immortal silver at the minimum—one that would undoubtedly drive up prices across all seven commanderies.

“Can you even consume that much silk and brocade, worthy little brother?”

“Not now, but I can sell it to the west,” said Wei Yuan.

Sun Chao’en furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before answering, “The quantity of silk and brocade you’re planning to buy is too much. I’m afraid we’ll have to contact the established brocade merchants. I’ll go make the arrangements right away. Fortunately, I still have some classmates and acquaintances in those commanderies, and they should be able to help facilitate a deal, especially since we’re trading grain for it. Yes, there’s no way it won’t work out.”

With grain prices currently sky-high—in many places, grain was so scarce that it was impossible to buy despite having a price—bartering with grain would actually be more effective than purchasing with immortal silver.

“Then I leave everything to you, Brother Sun.” Wei Yuan was swamped with work, so he took his leave once they had settled on a plan.

After Wei Yuan left, Sun Chao’en immediately summoned several caravan owners and held a secret meeting with them for two whole hours. He then began writing letters to his contacts in the various commanderies of Ningxi.

Shanyang Commandery, Ning Province.

The Shanyang Commandery was the most renowned production center for silk and brocade in all of Ning Province. There were three major brocade merchants in this area, and they controlled over 60% of the mulberry groves and 80% of the weaving bureaus.

At the moment, inside the Mi Clan’s estate, the patriarch had just awakened from his afternoon nap, feeling refreshed and energetic. So, he strolled over to the side courtyard to feed the several ferocious tigers kept there.

These tigers were seriously ferocious. In order to preserve their wild nature, the Mi Clan had always fed them using live prey. There were several battle arenas in the commandery seat where fights between humans and wild beasts were frequently held, each one a battle to the death. These tigers were regular participants there as well.

Just then, a young man who was practically radiating joy entered and called out loudly, “Father, I’ve got wonderful news to share!”

A short while later, the patriarch sat in his study, having carefully read the letter before him. He remained silent, deep in thought.

The young man urged, “Dad, we must make a decision quickly! This order is for twenty thousand bolts of brocade and one hundred thousand catties of raw silk, and the buyer stated that they’ll require at least this much every year going forward. If we don’t accept it, the Yao family and the Xu family will not let it pass. By then, we’ll be outdone by them.”

The patriarch did not respond. He was still furrowing his brows and thinking.

Just then, a housekeeper rushed in and said, “Patriarch! Fishing Lake Village suddenly changed its mind and sold the nine hundred mu of mulberry groves we’d agreed upon to the Yao family!”

The patriarch flew into a rage and slammed his palm down on the table. “What? What price did the Yao family offer?”

“The offer was a full one-tenth higher than ours, Patriarch!”

A cold, sinister glint flashed in the patriarch’s eyes as he said, “Those scoundrels! They dare renege on their promise to the Mi Clan for a mere pittance? They’re asking to die!”

The young man replied, “The Yao family must have received an order as well, which is why they’re expanding so aggressively! Dad, we can’t hesitate any longer!”

The patriarch said calmly, “Who exactly are we dealing with? Where do they plan to use all that silk and brocade?”

The young man grew impatient. “Why do you care what the buyer is using it for, dad? They’re buying it with real gold and silver—they’ll even trade grain for it! They’re moving incredibly fast, too. Haven’t you noticed that grain prices in the city have dropped by one-third? That’s because the grain carts from over there have arrived.”

The patriarch remained unmoved. “Go and ask around some more. You must get to the bottom of who these people are and why they’re buying so much brocade and silk.”

At the same time, at the Yao residence in the east city, the head of the Yao family was hosting a banquet for his guests and personally attending to them.

The guest of honor was an elderly man with a serene countenance. He was none other than an Avatar of extraordinary bearing. Cradling a cat in his arms, the old man said, “This old man is truly flattered that the patriarch himself has personally hosted this banquet for me.”

The patriarch of the Yao family was a middle-aged man in the imaginary stage, the late stage of the Avatar stage. However, although the elderly guest’s cultivation was clearly inferior to his own, the head couldn’t shake off a chilling sense of danger no matter what. He felt as if he were sitting beside a ferocious tiger. Because of this, the patriarch dared not underestimate his guest in the slightest, especially since the man had arrived bearing a substantial order.

After three rounds of wine, seeing that the atmosphere had reached the right level, the patriarch asked, “You mentioned earlier that there will be a similar order next year as well, Mister He. I mean no offense, but are you certain about this?”

The old man surnamed He let out a chuckle and said, “I’ll be frank with you: next year’s order will be even larger, in fact! You are not the only one I’ve placed an order with, the other families have also received similar orders with the order volume having adjusted to match their capabilities. Of course, adjustments can be made for those who show greater sincerity.”

The patriarch’s eyes burned with greed, but he still asked, “If I may ask one more question, where is all this silk and brocade headed to? And who could possibly consume them all?”

The old man surnamed He smiled faintly and replied, “Can’t you guess it already? Just think about it, Patriarch—in all of the western regions, who else could offer that much grain?”

Startled, The patriarch lowered his voice, asking, “Is it really the Military Commissioner? But I still don’t see how he’s going to consume all this silk and brocade.”

“The military commissioner not only commands the western frontier, but also controls the western gates in their entirety. Naturally, he can consume as much as he purchases.”

The patriarch understood then. Wei Yuan intended to resume trade with the Shamans!

Such matters weren’t done in the open, but everyone had been doing it in the past. This was particularly true for the Xu Clan, who had even made human sacrifices their primary commodity. Silk and brocades were fine, but still nowhere near as valuable as human sacrifices after all.

Everything made sense now. If trade with the Shamans were to resume, even the combined silk and brocade of all seven commanderies wouldn’t be enough.

This was a goldmine!

The patriarch immediately made up his mind and declared, “If you can increase your order by another one-half, I can lower the price by another one-fifth right now!”

Quite satisfied with the patriarch’s response, the old man laughed and said, “You are truly an intelligent and decisive man, patriarch! I shall take half of the Mi Clan’s order and assign it to the Yao family!”

The patriarch was even more ecstatic when he heard that the reduction would come from the Mi Clan’s order. He repeatedly urged his guest to drink, and both host and guest were in high spirits.

Late into the night, after the old man had departed, the patriarch regained his composure. He ordered someone to bring a map, studied it carefully, then traced out an area with a brush and said, “Convert all twenty thousand mu of land in this county to mulberry saplings!”

The several family elders standing nearby were startled by this decision and repeatedly protested, arguing that if Wei Yuan were to halt his orders in the future, all this land would turn into dead weight.

However, the patriarch snorted and said, “Even if Wei Yuan no longer wants silk and brocade in the future, as long as he keeps his promise over the next two years, I’ll dare to add another one hundred thousand mu of mulberry fields to our assets! With these fields, we’ll be able to push the Mi Clan into the background. Hmph, they’ve held the top spot for eight years—it’s about time someone else takes that seat!”

“But....”

“No ‘buts’! He’s not even twenty yet, and he’s already an Avatar! Do you really think he can’t live for another three years?!”

After giving it some thought, the family elders all realized that the patriarch spoke sense and relaxed their furrowed brows.

In the Realm of Qingming, Wei Yuan was still studying the data on the natural resources of the seven commanderies.

Exchanging grain for brocade was only the first step of his plan. Qingming possessed a natural advantage in growing grain thanks to Jia Wood Nurtures Life. Wei Yuan planned to flood the western part of Ning Province with low-priced grain so as to encourage more people to switch to growing mulberry trees for silk.

In three to five years, the silk and brocade production across the seven commanderies would surely surge, and weavers of all kinds would spring up like bamboo shoots after rain. However, this also meant that competition would increase dramatically.

Wei Yuan had already sent the materials regarding the machine called loom to the Great Realm. A group of mortals was currently researching ways to improve it. According to Xu Wenwu’s materials, his world had begun precisely with the loom.

Sending large quantities of Ning Brocade to the Shamans would allow Wei Yuan to exchange it for much-needed supplies, as well as Blood Yingluo. By now, he had come to realize that these life-prolonging yet heretical resources were the key to unlocking the path to upstairs. Furthermore, Wei Yuan could also secure some human sacrifices via trading Ning Brocade.

Best of all, no matter how much Ning Brocade was sent to the west, it would not enhance the Shamans’ combat strength one bit.

With his plan decided, Wei Yuan sent a thought to the mortals in the Great Realm. Several hundred people immediately started worshiping the statue of Tianyu.

Half a day later, a gravely wounded Tianyu appeared before Wei Yuan.

The Strength Warlock gave Wei Yuan a resentful look as he said, “I remember giving you a communication token.”

Wei Yuan’s face flushed with embarrassment, only just recalling that the Strength Warlock had indeed done such a thing. Unable to admit his mistake, he could only mumble, “The signal was bad, and the token didn’t respond, so I had no choice but to resort to this. I’m truly sorry. But how come you’re injured so severely?”

Tianyu coughed violently again, nearly throwing up blood in the process. He sighed and said, “I’ve had this injury for over half a year, actually. I don’t know what happened, but for some unknown reason, I suddenly took a devastating blow and nearly died. The attack had come out of nowhere; and even now, I still have no idea what had happened. Fortunately, I’ve mostly recovered after all these months of recuperation.”

Wei Yuan froze for a moment and calculated the time. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

1. This is referring to the realm stone transforming the environment into one suitable for humans. ☜