156: Youyuan Chamber of Commerce
"One square kilometer, and I have to pay one Spirit Crystal every year!"
This was the Song Kingdom's Earth Spirit Tax, a naked reality.
Between Zhang Sheng's fingers, he twiddled an egg-sized, colorless, and transparent diamond-shaped crystal—it was precisely the "Spirit Crystal" left behind by Wang Wu.
Scanning it with his Divine Sense, he found this small crystal was actually a condensation of pure spiritual energy.
According to Earth's calculations, it contained a full one hundred thousand points of spiritual power!
A day on the Tianxing Continent was forty-eight hours long, and a year was three hundred and sixty days.
Calculating it this way, the total amount of Spirit Crystals the entire Hua Prefecture had to pay annually was as high as 1.6 billion!
An astronomical figure!
And that Wang Wu would come to collect the tax in one year.
"This isn't Ascension to the Upper Realm; this is clearly coming here to be a coolie!"
Zhang Sheng suppressed his frustration.
For now, he could only take things one step at a time; the top priority was to quickly find a way to earn Spirit Crystals.
Returning to the First Cultivation University,
Everything was in ruins.
Over ninety percent of the buildings had collapsed under the violent tremors and the sudden sixteen-fold increase in gravity.
Everyone was struggling to adapt to the unfamiliar air and their heavy bodies.
Zhang Sheng quickly summoned the core members of the Heavenly Dao Academy for an emergency meeting.
He did not hide the harsh requirements of the Spirit Tax or the situation Earth was facing.
"Remember, this is no longer Earth, but 'Hua Prefecture,' belonging to Qinglan Prefecture!" Zhang Sheng's tone was decisive.
"Until I issue new orders, no one is allowed to fly without authorization, and it is strictly forbidden to leave Hua Prefecture for exploration privately!" he emphasized with a solemn expression.
"Within one month, all technological creations must be thoroughly disposed of! That spaceship in the Pacific Ocean is too big a target; resolve it first!"
Zhang Sheng also mentioned Wang Wu's warning—this place rejected technological creations.
The reason was unknown and could only be investigated later. Being new arrivals, they had to keep their heads down and act low-key.
He backed up all important technological data and stored it in his storage ring.
Only omega became a thorny problem.
The attitude of a power that rejected technological civilization toward an Intelligent Machine lifeform could well be imagined.
Left with no choice, Zhang Sheng could only put omega into a state of deep hibernation and then use the Earth-Binding Quicksand technique to bury it tens of thousands of meters deep underground.
To the outside world, his explanation was simple: For safety, omega had been destroyed.
After handling internal affairs, Zhang Sheng was preparing to form an exploration team to attempt contact with the outside world.
Suddenly—
A massive flying beast intruded into his Divine Sense range, followed by an invisible force that suddenly pressed down, forcibly cutting off his perception!
"Prying at will is not the way to treat a guest." A clear female voice transmitted directly into his ears.
Zhang Sheng's heart jolted, and he immediately soared into the air.
He saw a thousand-meter-long giant bird with wings as brilliant as seven-colored clouds hovering in the sky.
Upon the bird's head stood a barefoot woman.
She wore a bright purple flowing immortal dress, with a purple-gold hairpin tucked into her hair bun; her figure was graceful and exquisite, her curves breathtaking.
Two maids in plain clothes stood in attendance on the bird's back.
"Zhang Sheng of Hua Prefecture, having just Ascended to the Upper Realm, is unfamiliar with the rules. I ask Senior to be magnanimous!" Zhang Sheng bowed respectfully.
The woman curtsied gracefully: "This humble one is Su Tang, representing the Youyuan Chamber of Commerce. Greetings, Prefect Zhang. There is no need for such formality, Prefect."
She covered her lips and chuckled, her voice carrying a hint of natural charm. "Would the Prefect please step forward and join me on this Seven-Colored Azure Luan for a chat?"
Zhang Sheng followed her suggestion and flew onto the bird's back, cautiously maintaining a distance of ten feet.
Unexpectedly, Su Tang took light steps and approached him proactively, her eyes shimmering. "Is Prefect Zhang afraid I might eat you?"
"Shopkeeper Su must be joking," Zhang Sheng said calmly. "May I ask what brings you here?"
In this unfamiliar Upper Realm, he had decided that everyone he met was a 'master' while he was merely an 'ant.'
With their strength unknown and background unclear, if he accidentally provoked them and was swatted to death, he would have nowhere to complain.
"Just call me Su Tang, or Shopkeeper Su." Su Tang's smile remained. "I presume the Prefect has already met the people from the Spirit Tax Division. I wonder, what are your thoughts on this Earth Spirit Tax?"
"The law is as firm as a mountain; Hua Prefecture will naturally comply." Zhang Sheng's answer was watertight.
"Hehe," Su Tang chuckled with a hint of understanding. "Whether those are your true words or not, let me remind the Prefect: in this Song Kingdom, newly descended 'Prefectures' fall apart or are even completely wiped out every day for various reasons."
"For those like Hua Prefecture, which has reached an S-rank potential rating and descended into a relatively stable area, most simply dissolve because they cannot afford the Spirit Tax."
"As for those with lower ratings who unfortunately land in dangerous and chaotic places... the disaster of extermination is just around the corner."
Zhang Sheng's heart chilled slightly, and he secretly felt lucky that he had followed Xiao Ling's advice and completed the Civilization Assessment in time.
"And our 'Youyuan Chamber of Commerce' is specifically here to help you solve such crises!" Su Tang changed the subject, getting straight to the point.
"We purchase all kinds of spirit plants, spiritual materials, and Heaven And Earth Treasures. At the same time, we can provide various treasures that the Prefect might need!"
"As long as Prefect Zhang nods and allows us to open a branch in Hua Prefecture!"
Zhang Sheng's mind raced.
A chamber of commerce moving in to exchange goods? It sounded like it had a hundred benefits and no harm.
More importantly, this was an excellent channel to understand the details of the continent and open up a source of Spirit Crystals for Hua Prefecture!
"I wonder... does Shopkeeper Su have any other additional conditions?" he asked tentatively.
"Prefect Zhang is truly cautious," Su Tang giggled, covering her mouth. "What additional conditions could there be? I merely need a permit from the Prefect; it is simply the rule of the Song Kingdom."
"Fine! I agree to the Youyuan Chamber of Commerce establishing a branch," Zhang Sheng agreed decisively.
"However, the specific location of the shop must be designated by me."
"That is naturally no problem." Su Tang agreed readily and handed over two Jade Slips. "Prefect Zhang, these are a brief map of Qinglan Prefecture and an overview of the Song Kingdom's local customs. Consider them a meeting gift for our cooperation."
Zhang Sheng was overjoyed; these were exactly what he urgently needed. He quickly accepted them.
Then, he took out a spirit bead from his storage ring. "Shopkeeper Su, this is the currency we used before Ascending. It contains a bit of spiritual power. I wonder... can it be exchanged for Spirit Crystals?"
Su Tang took the spirit bead and probed it slightly with her spiritual energy, understanding it immediately. "A little toy refined from spirit plants. Aside from being used as compost for high-grade spirit plants, it has no other use."
She pondered for a moment. "How about this: one hundred thousand beads for one Spirit Crystal. Only our chamber of commerce has wide enough connections to help you digest these."
Just then—
Boom!
A bolt from the blue exploded without any warning!
On the horizon, a dazzling 'red sun' suddenly rose, its speed incredibly fast, approaching in the blink of an eye!
Su Tang's pretty face instantly changed color, and she said urgently, "This has nothing to do with us! Get down quickly!" Before her voice had even faded, a vast force had already enveloped Zhang Sheng.
He didn't even have time to react; his vision blurred, and he was brought steadily back to the ground by Su Tang.
Zhang Sheng's heart shook violently. What kind of method was this?!
He looked up abruptly and saw that behind that eerie 'red sun,' nearly a hundred streaks of sickly green lightning were tearing through the sky!