A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu temporarily stored Bu Yue in the Ghost Kingdom while he took Liu Hu to the large port with many passenger and cargo ships docked there. There were also restaurants, inns, taverns, tea shops, brothels, and warehouses in the area.

In addition, there was a residence with two entrances and several signboards hanging in the front. Half of the building was public, and the other half was privately owned, housing the Imperial Court’s Ministry of Maritime Trade, the Daoist Shibo Hall, and a few merchant associations. These were the authorities responsible for managing the cargo ships, warehouses, as well as passenger ships.

Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu came to the small courtyard, making a beeline to the side hall with the “Passenger Ship” sign.

Naturally, this place could not be compared with the spacious hall where the flying ship tickets were sold. The passenger ticket counter looked similar to a pawn shop, with high counters, a wooden barricade, and small windows with people manning the booth. Some windows were empty with a “Sold Out” sign stuck on them.

After his interaction with Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu found that the old man’s disguise might not suit him. Although the white fox mask could also change his voice and aura, Qi Xuansu’s mannerisms and posture were not at all like those of an old man. Hence why Zhang Yuelu was adamant that Wei Wugui was not an old man.

Qi Xuansu simply changed his face to a young and handsome man. Due to the previous fight, his sleeves were completely torn, so he spent 10 Taiping coins to buy himself a set of good-quality clothes. Thus, he looked like a well-bred member of the gentry, a class that was lower than the nobles but higher than the commoners.

He came to a window and asked, “Do you have a ticket to Bohai Prefecture on the Grand Canal route? I would prefer the earliest departure time.”

The elderly man on the other side of the window noticed how well-dressed Qi Xuansu was, so he immediately smiled and said, “Young Master, you’ve come at the right time. But this is an ironclad ship, so the ticket will be pricey.”

Since the introduction of Western ironclad ship technology to the East, smaller ironclad ships were built for inland rivers, not just for sea travel. Although these ships were ironclad, they were not resistant to artillery. They were just built of metal and powered by steam from coal burning. Thus, these ships could go upstream and were generally faster than the traditional wooden ships with sails.

However, due to the limited annual steel production, priority was given to the navy to build giant ironclad warships, so smaller ironclad passenger ships were rare and expensive, driving up the price of a ticket.

Even if the ironclad passenger ship was not as good as a Daoist flying ship, ordinary people could not afford to ride on it. Only the gentry would choose to travel on this type of ship.

Qi Xuansu asked, “How much?”

The elderly man introduced the offerings. “The ironclad ship has three types of rooms. Third-class rooms cost 3 Taiping coins, second-class rooms cost 5 Taiping coins, and first-class rooms cost 10 Taiping coins. There are dedicated waiters for first-class rooms, with hot bath water all day long and three meals a day cooked by chefs specially hired from Jinling Prefecture.”

Having said this, the man paused and glanced at Liu Hu next to Qi Xuansu. “I will suggest booking a first-class room for comfort, since you have a female companion.”

Qi Xuansu thought about it for a moment before taking out two small cash notes. “I’ll take two first-class rooms.”

The elderly man quickly put away the cash notes and handed Qi Xuansu two beautifully printed tickets with a lingering smell of fresh ink. He explained, “The ironclad ship has a flag that reads, A36. It’s docked at the Yellow Pier.”

As he said this, he looked at the clock and added, “The ship will be departing in 4 hours. Please be sure to board on time, Young Master.”

Qi Xuansu took the tickets with a calm expression. But deep down, the miser in him was distressed.

One of the two cutlasses that he bought for 2,500 Taiping coins was broken by Zhang Yuelu, which meant 1,250 Taiping coins had gone down the drain.

Qi Xuansu could not possibly settle this account with Zhang Yuelu. First of all, he had not cleared himself of suspicion as Wei Wugui. Even if he was cleared of suspicion and was compensated by Zhang Yuelu, he would have to face her using his identity as Qi Xuansu in the future.

There was no way he could hide his identity as Wei Wugui from Zhang Yuelu for a lifetime, and when the truth came out, Qi Xuansu would suffer horribly if Zhang Yuelu decided to settle accounts with him.

In addition, Qi Xuansu had obtained a set of Seven Phoenix Feathers and several Bliss Needles from Su Ran. However, he had used quite a few rounds of ammunition in turn. Not counting ordinary armor-piercing projectiles, he only had 4 rounds of Grade-B Series Two Dragon Eye Bullet and 8 rounds of Grade-B Series Three Dragon Eye Bullet.

Since Qi Xuansu no longer had a Daoist status, and he was not a fourth-rank Daoist master, he could not replenish the Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Series Ammunitions at the branches of Tianji Hall. If he replenished his ammunition from the black market, the price would be at least double what Zhang Yuelu could get for him. Moreover, with Qi Xuansu’s current wealth, he could not buy much either.

Therefore, Qi Xuansu had to plan his usage carefully and try his best to stay within his budget of 50 Taiping coins for their expenses along the way.

To be fair, 50 Taiping coins was not a small amount. The Daoist Order had a Xuanhuang Division that specialized in refining Xuanhuang, a crucial substance for the operation of flying ships. They recruited many Daoists, who were given a monthly salary of 3 Taiping coins each, which accounted for 36 Taiping coins a year.

The minimum standard of living was 10 Taiping coins to cover the ordinary annual expenses for a family of three. So 50 Taiping coins was good enough for five years of expenses, or at least two years in a middle-income household.

This showcased how expensive spiritual objects were. Not to mention, there were treasures that ranked above spiritual objects, which could easily cost tens of thousands of Taiping coins. Semi-immortal objects were even more valuable, as they were extremely rare in the market.

That was why Liu Futong’s embezzlement of 100,000 Taiping coins was regarded as a major case of corruption. A family of three only needed 10 Taiping coins a year, 100 Taiping coins in a decade, and 1,000 Taiping coins in a century. Based on this calculation, 100,000 coins could sustain a basic family of three for ten millennia.

According to Liu Futong’s confession, he used 100,000 Taiping coins to buy houses, support women, and raise illegitimate children. Qi Xuansu, who risked his life every day for a living, had never seen so much money before.

To put it bluntly, Qi Xuansu was a country bumpkin who had not seen real wealth. He had only earned more in the past six months, so when he accumulated a sum, he would spend it on spiritual objects, firearms, and elixirs. At most, he would save up to buy a house or land.

But he could not fathom spending 100,000 Taiping coins for enjoyment. His imagination of extravagance was limited to traveling by flying ship and frequenting high-end brothels.

Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu left the ticket office and came to the Yellow Pier. They saw the conspicuous ironclad ship at first glance, standing out like a crane in a flock of chickens among the surrounding wooden ships.

The ironclad ship was smaller than the naval warships, but they were still large enough to accommodate hundreds of passengers. It was made entirely of steel with barely any wooden structures. Since it was made for travel on rivers and not the open sea, it was not equipped with artillery. The conventional sails were also replaced by tall chimneys.

Chimneys were not as aesthetic as elaborate sails, so it took some time to adapt to them.

This was an era where hot and cold weapons technology coexisted.

On the one hand, the Black Robes sailed across the seas in ironclad warships armed with heavy artillery. On the other hand, the cavalry and cold weapons were still highly used on battlefields. With the usage of magical talismans, regular iron armor could withstand firearms. Although the cost of cavalry increased due to the heavily armored cavalrymen and horses, they were a formidable and unstoppable force on the battlefield.

In the Daoist Order, Tianji Hall was committed to developing various powerful firearms. The Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Series Ammunition were famous all over the world. They also built a fleet of flying ships which dominated the sky.

On the other hand, Huasheng Hall focused on the research and development of various creations that could turn something ordinary into something productive. It was only a matter of whether it was worth their money and effort. For example, Spirit Guards were ordinary people who could possess great supernatural powers as long as they were equipped with spiritual armor. Not to mention, they had various legendary creations like the Three Yin Beings and other creatures.

These changes pushed the Daoist Order to great heights, creating a strong reputation known to everyone from the Western Region to the East China Sea and from the Samudra Kingdom to Fenglin.

On the other hand, the Daoist leaders still valued their own cultivation and preferred treasures and immortal objects to firearms. At a certain level, there was no longer a need for aid from external objects because they themselves were godlike.

These Immortals could create heaven, earth, and the planets. They could fly in the sky, command the wind and rain, create things with a wave of their hand, and move the mountains and seas. They were omnipotent, able to defeat 10,000 people in one strike.

Therefore, despite the availability of shortcuts such as firearms and spiritual armor, many people were still keen on cultivating and seeking the path of immortality. That was why ancient swords, crossbows, talismans, and spells were still popular among the masses.

This was a world constantly undergoing drastic changes. At the same time, it was also a world full of contradictions.