Chapter 4078 — Five Elements Commerce
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
Hong Zhong could not help smiling. "Your understanding is not entirely wrong, Young Hero Lin. Although North Island and Central Island are linked by a long, narrow mountain range, it is much like the rear mountains of Three-Storied Pavilion. The range is home to all manner of powerful spirit beasts, and it is frequently struck by natural disasters such as hurricanes from the sea. It is even more dangerous than the depths of the rear mountains. So even cultivators of formidable strength rarely attempt to cross it on foot. When traveling between the two islands, people generally rely on flying spirit beasts or treasure ships."
"Treasure ships?" Wei Zhao paused, slightly taken aback. It was yet another unfamiliar marvel he had never heard of.
"Sea beasts run rampant in the ocean, and natural disasters pose an additional threat, making the sea route even more dangerous than travel by land. No matter how advanced the sailing techniques, ordinary vessels simply cannot make the journey between the two islands. Only treasure ships can do so." Hong Zhong paused before explaining further. "Treasure ships were left behind by ancient forging masters who joined forces to create them. Their hulls are far sturdier and more reliable than those of ordinary vessels. More importantly, they are equipped with powerful formations capable of resisting attacks of extreme force and the devastation of natural disasters. They also possess a mesmerizing effect on the vast majority of sea beasts. Even if a treasure ship passed directly over their heads, the beasts would not notice it."
"That truly is a masterpiece of ingenuity." Wei Zhao clicked his tongue in amazement.
"It is a pity that the art of forging has been in decline for many years. Even an ordinary forging master is hard to come by, let alone a grandmaster. The peerless ancient craft of building treasure ships has long since been lost, and every treasure ship destroyed means one fewer remains. They have now become a measure of the strength of the great merchant associations. The stronger the association, the more treasure ships it commands." Hong Zhong sighed.
"Oh? And how does that work?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled. Even if treasure ships were scarce, surely their number could not be directly tied to the strength of a merchant association. Every association had its own specialty. Take the Five Elements Commerce under Central Island's Pill Hall, for instance. It had always dealt exclusively in elixirs and never dabbled in other businesses, yet it was still universally acknowledged as the foremost merchant association.
"There is something Young Hero Lin does not know. Goods transported between the islands of Cloud Terrace usually have to travel by water, and water transport depends entirely on treasure ships. Treasure ships therefore determine a merchant association's most crucial transport capacity. They are the lifeline on which a major merchant association depends for its survival!" Hong Zhong said solemnly. "The other routes are not impossible, of course, but flying spirit beasts can carry only a small amount of cargo each time. Their transport capacity is nowhere near the same level as that of treasure ships."
"I see." Only then did Wei Zhao understand.
"As for crossing the mountain range, that is not impossible either. But there are too many uncertainties, the risks are far too great to control, and the mountain paths are treacherous. Unless someone travels that way regularly or has some special need, the cost is simply too high. Normally, no one is willing to try it." Hong Zhong continued.
"That makes perfect sense. Stability and reliability come first for a major merchant association. With the risks of land transport so high, if they placed their hopes on it and some mishap caused their goods to stop flowing, they would only ruin their own reputation." Wei Zhao nodded in deep agreement.