Castle of Black Iron

The Fusang people and Xinluo people in Chaosang Subcontinent were always opponents. Although living in the same subcontinent, the two people had their own countries, which were incompatible as fire and water. They used to fight each other from time to time. In the almost 1 millennium from the age before the Catastrophe to the present, the two human races had never been in peaceful co-existence. Even though Zhang Tie didn’t know the reason.

Except for one commonplace, namely, the two people always called themselves the descendants of Hua people in Taixia Country even though they belittled and attacked each other. They both wanted to return to Taixia Country to gain the official approval of Taixia Country.

A lot of Xinluo people and Fusang people were living in Youzhou Province, except for some of them came to Taixia Country legally, most of them arrived there by secret ferry. Many Gaoli People and Fusang People even voluntarily sold themselves to be border residents in Taixia Country. For major clans of Taixia Country, the servants of the two peoples were extremely diligent and docile; especially Fusang people, female Fusang people were very obedient while male Fusang people could usually be trained as domestic dare-to-die warriors.

Haruki Murakami and Pak Yong Tai were all in the line of fish trading information provision in Whitesand Gulf. Both of them were small figures at the bottom of the society. However, they didn’t forget about being hostile against each other; instead, they even became more antagonistic against the opponent. As long as they could destroy the others’ good plan, they would definitely surge forward.

Zhang Tie had not imagined that he could meet two people from Chaosang Subcontinent here. However, he was really shocked by the performances of them. Therefore, Zhang Tie had some special thought.

’Besides setting living beings free, I need two able men to do that for me in Golden Sea City. After all, I could not stay in Golden Sea City forever.’

’As a clan elder, if I mobilized the strength of the clan to set living beings free, it might arouse big troubles and various guesses. If so, the karma might be destroyed. Finally, I might not be able to get any fruit at all.’

’Therefore, I’d better be low-key.’

’After promoting to a knight, it’s extremely hard to form the earth chakra, this kind of fruit which could constantly improve the battle strength actually becomes more precious.’ Zhang Tie determined to pay special attention to this thing.

’Actually, I’ve not developed the fruit of redemption very well. I could set free a lot of animals. However, as of now, I have only taken a couple of fruits of redemption.’

”Are you familiar with the situation here?”

”Of course, I’ve lived in Embracing Tiger City for one decade. I’m very familiar with the situation here; unlike someone who has just been here for a couple of years!” Pak Yong Tai hurriedly replied.

Given the orthodox Hua language, Zhang Tie knew that this guy must have lived longer here.

After throwing a glare at Pak Yong Tai, Haruki Murakami explained in a calm yet aggressive tone, ”All my guests are returning customers. I have the best reputation here; unlike someone. As a fishery agent, I’m intelligent and concentrative to save money and create the most value for my customers!”

”That’s fine, I will employ both of you today. Besides your fixed compensation, the one with better performance could enjoy a bonus!” Zhang Tie said with a confident look.

After throwing another glare at each other, Haruki Murakami and Pak Yong Tai uttered in unison while bowing deeply towards Zhang Tie, ”Glad to serve you, sir!”

”Alright, show me around the market first. I want to learn about the fresh aquatic products. You can give me an introduction about them!” Zhang Tie pointed at the boisterous steel shelter which was closest to him.

Haruki Murakami and Pak Young Tai then led them towards the trading market.

”Sorry for my rudeness, what do I call you three?”

Haruki Murakami was indeed wiser and politer than Pak Yong Tai. The moment they moved, he had asked Zhang Tie such a question meticulously.

”My surname is Zhang, the two are my friends!” Zhang Tie told Haruki Murakami that he was the main buyer.

”Ahh, in the Hua people of Taixia Country, Zhang’s ancestors were the direct descendants of Emperor Xuanyuan and the creator of the human battle bow. It’s a great, honorable family name!” Haruki Murakami said while flickering his eyes. Meanwhile, he expressed his obvious admiration to the family name Zhang, ”Through study, the two family names Shenmu and Shangmu in our Fushang people are all branches of Zhang Clan. The so-called Shenmu and Shangmu are all raw materials of bows. The two family names carry our admiration and memory about the family name Zhang.”

”F*rt!” Pak Yong Tai couldn’t stand to spring up from the ground, ”Our Xinluo people’s ancestors were the direct descendants of Far-ancient Hua people. Therefore, our surnames are as same as that of Hua people. You Fusang people are just monkeys and barbarians living on isles!”

”You Xinluo people are all pickpocketers and actors. Before the Catastrophe, you even said the God was Xinluo people and shared the same surname as you. Of course, you are pickpocketers!” Haruki Murakami instantly answered back sarcastically.

Pak Yong Tai went berserk...

”If you say any nonsense, please leave us. I’m not here to listen to you quarrel with each other!” Zhang Tie opened his mouth in a distant tone.

The moment they heard Zhang Tie’s voice, Haruki Murakami’s and Pak Yong Tai’s hearts raced as they shut up immediately.

...

The fresh seafood trading market was very huge, which was at least hundreds of times larger than that trading market in Hidden Dragon Island. Of course, the seafood products here were more varified in greater quantity.

The entire fresh seafood trading market across Whitesand Gulf was full of human voices. The ground was covered with fishy and bloody water stains. Besides smelly crew members and workers holding big scoops, those pedlars were bargaining with customers and slaughtering marine living beings, causing bloody guts everywhere...

After entering here for less than half a minute, Feng Cangwu’s face had turned pale. His trouser legs were sprayed with stinky mud, which was caused by some crew members who were passing by with some water tanks. On such an occasion, even knights could not avoid from such an embarrassing thing unless they flew off or used their protective battle qi.

Besides taking a taxi for the first time, it might be the first time for this elite apprentice of Heavens Fortune Sect to visit this place.

Feng Cangwu could not think it through why Zhang Tie could be as cool as a cucumber in such a dirty place.

Besides walking and looking around, Zhang Tie even bargained with those pedlars and inquired information from those crew members as if he were a fishmonger.

Not only Feng Cangwu, even Zhu Dabiao had a new recognition of Zhang Tie.

Given Zhang Tie’s current look, nobody could imagine that he was the very Lion of Youzhou Province and the former dean of Provincial Court.

Zhang Tie’s horizon was greatly widened by so many fresh seafoods in the market including shrimps, crabs, fishes, shellfishes, conches, sea cucumbers and echinus. There were over 10 kinds of shrimps, 7-8 kinds of crabs and over 20 fishes. Abalone, fan shell, echinus, golden crab, saury, Spanish Mackerel, opium fish, flatfish, turbot, small-mouth fish, red porgy, blackfish, yellow-fin tuna, shark, yellow croaker, sea snail, triumphant star turban, emperor snail, Mantis shrimp, prawn, lobster, north sea shellfish and oyster were most popular.

It took them over 1 hour to take a round in the market. Zhang Tie also worked out a plan.

If Zhang Tie were the God, he only needed to wave his hands to let everything run according to his will and he must choose to set free all the animals at this moment; however, he wasn’t. Therefore, he could only follow the principle of pragmatism and utilitarianism.

The animals that he was going to release should not be as rare as marine animals were always expensive and could not be constantly set free. It was very difficult for Zhang Tie to take one fruit of redemption from such rare animals.

Instead, the animals that Zhang Tie was going to set free should be numerous in quantity and could be released all the year round so that he could get fruits one after another. Secondly, such an animal should be cheap so that he could maximize the value of his fund. ’The value of life could not be measured by gold coins; therefore, the value of seafood could not be measured by gold coins. I’ve already learned it from earthworms.’ Thirdly, Zhang Tie insisted to not release hot seafood; he preferred common marine animals so that nobody else would like to compete with him and his behavior would not arouse the attention of others.

After inspecting and learning something from Haruki Murakami and Pak Yong Tai, Zhang Tie finally targeted at two common seafood: One was a tiny shrimp with a thick shell called gulf shrimp whose price was 45 copper coins per kg in Whitesand Gulf. It was very cheap. All the fishing boats would carry a lot of such gulf shrimps. The other one was a shellfish called hairy shellfish, which was numerous in quantity in Whitesand Gulf at a lower price. Each kg of hairy shellfish was only worth about 18 copper coins. The flesh of such a kind of shellfish tasted average; occasionally, people could get pearls from them; however, as hairy shellfish could produce very few pearls, which were always average, nobody paid attention to them.

When Zhang Tie told Haruki Murakami and Pak Yong Tai to rent a big fishing boat, to buy all the gulf shrimps and hairy shellfish in the market today and to set free all of them in the ocean, Haruki Murakami and Pak Yong Tai were a bit dumbfounded. Until Zhang Tie handed a gold check whose par value was 500 gold coins to each other did they realize that Zhang Tie was not kidding...

Actually, Zhang Tie also wondered what kind of fruits would he gain by setting free the two animals!