Yama Rising

Su Daji ignored him.

You want to talk to me about being shameless? Oh, where do we even begin…

Besides, who do you think you are? When I was out there seducing the hearts of men during my time, you were nothing but an innocent little sproutling…

Qin Ye naturally wasn’t aware of the tension between the two daolords. At least, he could hardly be bothered about existences below the standing of Yama-Kings. He lifted his teacup to his lip and took a sip from it, before nodding at the two, “And, then?”

Qin Hui took a deep breath, and was just about to speak up when he was promptly cut off by Su Daji once more, “It was a fleet of 20 ships in addition to the Black Pearl. Each of these ships are approximately 100 meters long and 50 meters wide. I’ve counted the number of piers just now to confirm that there are a total of 50 piers. Even if the Russian Underworld was to send a fleet as well, the size of their fleet definitely wouldn’t be larger than the fleet sent by the Coalition of Alkebulan Underworlds. Therefore, I am personally of the view that these docks are more than sufficient.”

“Furthermore, once the docks have properly been launched, the fleets that arrive in future can be managed properly, and we probably wouldn’t see as many ships at one go. In short, Ashmound Port as it stands is more than sufficient for the near future. Congratulations, King Yanluo, on the successful launch of Hell’s port!”

With that, she lay prostrate on the ground.

Qin Hui stared at her, completely flabbergasted.

I’ve lost…

I’ve actually lost to her in this grand competition of shamelessness?!

Nevertheless, he wasn’t willing to bow out just yet. He held up the scroll in his hands and offered it to Qin Ye, “This is the full inventory list of the goods on board the Alkebulan fleet, as well as the goods that they are asking for in exchange. Please take a look, Lord Qin!”

Qin Ye received it, but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he simply held it in his hands, before beckoning to a young man standing right beside Gu Qing, “You’re Scribe Xu Changan, aren’t you? Here’s a task for you. Within the day, I’d like the full particulars of the Alkebulan fleet that is waiting out there, including the type of the ship, the draft depth of the hull, the size of the ship, and the manifesto of the personnel on board.”

“Understood. Right away.” Xu Changan, a young Yin spirit, immediately bowed respectfully and went about his task. Then, Qin Ye waved his hands dismissively, “Go get some rest for now. I’m sure I’ll have other requests to make for you in the near future.”

“Yes.” Su Daji and Qin Hui breathed a sigh of relief, before bowing deeply as they took their leave. Then, as soon as they turned the corner, they glared deeply at each other, and then went their own ways with a soft humph.

Henceforth, we’re archenemies when it comes to sucking up to Lord Qin!

We’re friends no longer!

Now that there were no longer any outsiders, Qin Ye finally loosened up slightly and addressed them once more, “Everyone, please get some rest. I’m hoping to discuss these matters further with everyone, but things are somewhat complicated right now, so I’ll need some time to sort through my thoughts. Let me take a look through the Alkebulan fleet’s inventory list of goods for now. Assistant Wang, please stay behind.”

Everyone took their leave, and Wang Chenghao heaved a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to stand up and stretch his arms, Qin Ye immediately opened up the scroll, “Bring me the cup of tea.”

Wang Chenghao: ?!?!

Do you not love me anymore?!

“Can’t you say the word please?!” Wang One Tail gritted his teeth, “And here I was, thinking that you had a lot to speak to me about after these months of absence. Who would’ve thought that all you want is for me to serve you a damned cup of tea?! And without a ‘please’ or a ‘thank you’?! Scumbag!”

Qin Ye looked up and blinked vacantly for several seconds, before realization dawned on him, “Bring me that pleasing cup of tea.”

Wang Chenghao: ……

I’ve got no words.

“I’ve got something that I can only entrust you with.” Qin Ye continued to skim through the contents of the scroll as he explained to Wang Chenghao, “I’d like you to get in touch with Yan Capital of the mortal realm, and tell them that Northriver Province, Pearlriver Province, Eastmount Province, Insignia Province, and the three eastern provinces, amounting to seven provinces in all, have been completely liberated. Apart from that, I’d like you to speak with Qin Hui and Su Daji, and have them summon their legions of troops and report to Hell.”

“And exactly are they supposed to report to Hell from the mortal realm?” Wang Chenghao responded.

Qin Ye thought about it for a moment, “Notify the Lords of the Land of the seven provinces, and have them disclose where the rifts to Hell are located. At the same time, I’d like them to construct temples for the Lords of the Land so that the mortal realm and the netherworld can be connected. Also, tell Qin Hui and Su Daji that they have three months to do all these things. To be more precise, I want to see both legions of forces of the Daolord of the Asura and the Daolord of the Hungry Ghost gathered outside Ashmound City in three months’ time. Otherwise… they wouldn’t want to know just how dire the consequences may be.”

“Why didn’t you say all of these things earlier?”

Qin Ye took a sip of his tea, sat up straight, and then chuckled bitterly, “Does the King Yanluo of Hell need to personally instruct them on these things? Perhaps, if things were still the same as they were two years ago. But now… things are completely different.”

“But… Ashmound City has only 10,000 troops right now. What are we going to do about the army that assembles outside of its borders?”

Qin Ye merely shook his head, “Just get it done.”

It was a test.

It was a test of their heart.

200,000 Yin soldiers without the backing of a military formation… The Harken can easily put them in their place alone. And that’s not even considering the presence of the war machine, Zhao Zilong!

“Finally, I’d like you to inform the mortal realm that Hell will be conducting an opening ceremony at Ashmound Port, and I’d like you to inform them of the countries that will be trading with us, the full particulars of the trading conditions, as well as the reasons for such trade routes. Also, inform them that the Mongol Empire has now become a part of Cathay, known as the province of Outer Mongol, and that the coastal regions are already under Hell’s control. Therefore, they can remain calm even if something out of the ordinary occurs in these regions. We will handle everything.”

Wang One Tail gasped, “Are you going to--...”

“It’s neither in my place nor the place of the high officials of Hell to notify the government of the mortal realm of these things. After all, these are matters that are all in a day’s work. You’re neither a high official, nor a low ranking peasant. Naturally, you make for the perfect candidate to carry out these orders. Alright, now, please have Arthis give me a detailed report, and then go about your duties! Hup, hup!”

Wang Chenghao sulked as he slunk away.

Ten minutes later, Qin Ye finally finished poring through the inventory list provided by the flagship of the Alkebulan fleet, and he made his way straight to the bottom of the pavilion, where all of the other Yin spirits were just getting some rest.

“Shall we take a walk?” Qin Ye revealed a lofty smile on his face, “Speaking of which, I’ve not taken a good look at the piers in these docks.”

Naturally, nobody objected to Qin Ye’s suggestion. Truth be told, Qin Ye couldn’t wait for the day Arthis lambasted him like she usually did. That way, he would finally have the reason to put her in her place. Unfortunately…

She was acting like a lovebird in front of Ghost King Zhao!

I can’t stand seeing you groveling in front of my Brother Zhao!

This… this is enough!!!

With that, Gu Qing took the lead, introducing the port to Qin Ye, while a trail of Yin spirits followed closely behind, “There are many different kinds of piers that suit different landforms, including ones suited for shorelines, dikes, and islands. Of these, shore-type piers are the most common ones, and that’s exactly how we’ve designed the Ashmound Port. That is, the ships would be berthed along the coastlines.”

“Furthermore, there are also different ways in which the wharves can be connected to the shores. In common parlance, we call this the fullform type and the drawbridge type. The fullform type simply refers to a complete connection between the wharf and the shore, maximizing connectivity between the wharves and the warehouses and thereby facilitating loading and unloading speeds. Meanwhile, the drawbridge type wharf uses bridges and platforms to connect the wharves to the shore where the warehouses are located. Breakout jetties are mainly used in seaports, and there are also various different classifications to them--…”

Just then, Qin Ye interjected, “Tell me more about the loading and unloading capacities.”

Gu Qing promptly responded, “Over the course of the last few months, we’ve trained approximately 500 ghosts to take on various roles around these parts…”

Qin Ye frowned.

That’s insufficient.

That’s definitely insufficient.

Gu Qing naturally knew the concerns weighing on Qin Ye’s mind, and he immediately continued, “There are currently also two transport companies registered with our register of companies, and each of them employs approximately 200 ghosts.”

“That’s still not enough. Why are there so few of them? Shouldn’t the demand for manpower be high, especially after the announcement of the opening of the seaport? Do they have insufficient funds, or do we not have enough amenities and infrastructure in Ashmound City?”

Zhang Heng sighed, “They’re worried.”

“Sure, they heard news of the opening of the sea port, but there’s no certainty, because the head hasn’t personally made the announcement. How many underworlds will actually be trading with us? What will the scale be like? All of these remain unknown variables to the citizens of Hell. Therefore, everyone is concerned that even if they were to start companies, there wouldn’t be sufficient work to sustain their business.”

Qin Ye shook his head, “Then, what about the news about the negotiations with the mortal realm? Haven’t they heard any news about that? So long as the negotiations go well, we’re easily talking about decades of work, if not more. Furthermore…”

And this was the point that he wanted to get to. Thus, Qin Ye abruptly asked everyone out of the blue, “Everyone, how’s Hell’s Media Group doing right now?”

“So-so.” Li Chun shook his head, “It’s the only paper around, so it won’t really ever die down. But you can’t say it’s doing particularly well either. After all, Ashmound City is a small city, and there simply isn’t enough news to sustain the appetite of its citizens here. That said, the leaders of Hell’s Media Group are clever, and they know full well that this is only a short period of lull before the state of development kicks into high gear. Things will only get better as Hell expands. And then, armed with their first mover’s advantage, nobody would be able to cut them out of the lion’s share of the media pie. Therefore, even though the benefits aren’t spectacular, they haven’t cut any numbers from their companies just yet.”

Qin Ye nodded, “That’s a good move. Well then… I’ll give them something to write about.”

Nobody said a word.

Everyone mulled over these words. After all, it was clear that he was giving them all some food for thought.

“General Zhao.” Qin Ye abruptly changed the topic once more, “Do you have any spells or techniques that allow us to record something that happens, and then play it back on some form of projection?”

“Possible.” Zhao Yun responded without any hesitation, “In fact, even Prefect-class Yin spirits can employ these spells. The techniques are simple enough to learn, but the longer one maintains it, the more Yin energy it will consume.”

“And if you were the one using it, how long can you sustain it for?”

“As I will.”

“Excellent…” Qin Ye licked his lips, and then turned back to everyone, “As far as Ashmound City is concerned, I believe that we’ve not had a general assembly ever since the Hungry Ghost Festivals, have we?”

The eyes of the Emissaries of Hell immediately lit up.

They were all intellectuals, and they were naturally able to put two and two together to deduce what Qin Ye was getting at. Zu Chongzhi immediately stepped forward and spoke with a bright gleam in his eyes, “Are you planning to… celebrate in Ashmound City the launch of Ashmound Port?”

“Not just a celebration.” Qin Ye gazed into the seas around, “The sea is the source of wealth. This will be the inauguration of an annual festivity, that I shall henceforth name as the Great Sale! General Zhao, I’d like you to do a live broadcast of the unboxing of all crates. Then, as soon as they’re unboxed, I want them all transported directly to Ashmound City and Everburn City, to be sold at 20% off! Let’s fully satiate the pent-up demand of our citizens in one fell swoop!”

Excellent idea!

The Yin spirits gasped in unison, and the ones who were born in recent times couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

What is this?

It was basically no different from the 11.11 sales!

How much were such sales worth in the mortal realm?

Easily 200 billion RMB in one night!

Sure, the netherworld might not be comparable in size just yet, but everyone had to start somewhere!

And as far as Hell was concerned, this was going to be more than enough to satiate all the pent-up demand of its citizens for some time! Everyone is going to squeal in joy as soon as they hear the news!

“This is the full inventory of the goods brought by the Alkebulan fleet.” Qin Ye waved his hand, and the scroll unfurled in the air, “Crafts, jewellery, accessories of all kinds, leather, and clothes. Crafts, household goods and jewellery can be sold directly, while the raw materials, leather, minerals and seeds will become bargaining ships in our possession. Then, while the citizens go mad spending all of their hard earned money, we’ll convene talks with banks and manufacturers and sell these materials to them at wholesale prices, 30% off the retail prices!”

Gu Qing’s lips parted slightly, and he shook his head, marvelling, “Amazing… Brilliant! This way, not only are you enriching the consumer market, you’re effectively dragging along the banking industries and bridging the barriers to entry to various other industries! With raw materials entering the fray, we’re talking about an acceleration of industrial growth!”

Qin Ye smiled and retracted his gaze, “No… we’re not quite there yet.”

“The Alkebulan fleet and the Russian fleet can’t be considered a large-scale movement to our economy. After all, I’d once seen the Aegyptian fleet in the Red Sea. Back then, I could recall seeing hundreds of seas shuttling about at every moment of the day. Hell may not have that many trade routes just yet, but we’re doing well for a burgeoning nation. Who knows, maybe others might even come to recognize a shadow of the old Hell in us, and that might just give us an edge in the time to come.”

Zhao Yun’s eyes flickered wildly, “Are you saying that… this isn’t just for Hell’s internal prosperity, but also… for the mortal realm?”

“Are you trying to leave an impression on the mortal realm, so that they can witness the prosperity of the new Hell?! You’re… you’re essentially laying the foundation for the negotiation between Hell and the mortal realm!”