46: The enemy can rob me, and I can rob you too.

Shen Qingqiu still failed to persuade him.

Even when Shen Qingqiu invited Chu Mo to explore other places, he couldn't get him to budge; he was determined to stay at Si Guo Cliff.

It was as if he intended to settle down there permanently.

After Shen Qingqiu left, Chu Mo gazed at the beautiful scenery in the distance, then, as if remembering something, let out a soft sigh.

“This guy is a good friend, but the women around him are truly deadly when they argue; I can't handle it!”

Returning to his spot where he had placed a futon, Chu Mo sat down cross-legged, preparing to find a way to improve his Comprehension Ability before he began comprehending the Great Expansion Sword Art.

After all, Comprehension Ability had always been his weakness.

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: Chu Ge, you're finally here! I missed you so much!]

As soon as Chu Mo's avatar lit up, Li Tian Ce, who had been lurking in the Chat Group, spotted him.

Chu Mo had originally intended to check if there were any cheap, effective treasures in the points store that could enhance Comprehension Ability.

But then he saw Li Tian Ce in the Chat Group, saying 'missed him to death.'

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: How dare you! You actually want me to die. (Dragon's displeasure.jpg)]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: No, Chu Ge, can we talk properly? Help me!]

Upon seeing Li Tian Ce's message, Chu Mo's expression instantly turned serious, and he immediately asked in the Chat Group.

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: What's wrong? Did the Great Wu Empress send her army to encircle you? Or is there a foreign invasion at the border?]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: Neither. I'm about to run out of food. There are so many people at the border, three meals a day for each person means an astronomical amount of food consumed daily. The granaries are almost empty.]

At this moment, Li Tian Ce's face was filled with melancholy.

Although he currently occupied a city, it was a border pass.

Everything had to be supplied by the imperial court.

But then another problem arose.

A few days ago, he had killed the Great Wu Empress's biological nephew, and now he wanted the Great Wu Empress to allocate funds and transport grain.

It was completely impossible!

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: Why don't you ask @Rating 3.0 Lying-to-Win Dog Emperor? He's an emperor; even if he abdicated and became a Grand Emperor, he surely wouldn't be short on grain. Or, you could exchange points for it in the points store. Grain, that kind of thing, must be cheap in the points store.]

Chu Mo was speechless at this point.

Such a simple problem, and he needed to ask him?

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: There's no grain available for exchange in the Chat Group, and Old Qi and Old Ning haven't been online for three whole months.]

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: Three months? It's only been three days here. Is the time flow in your world that fast?]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: I checked with Old Qi before, and the time flow between us is completely irregular. Sometimes I'm faster, sometimes he's faster. It's ridiculous!]

“The time flow isn't constant; that's beyond my expectation. I used to think that the higher the Advanced world, the faster the time flow!”

Chu Mo pondered, then decided to go down the mountain to get some grain to solve Li Tian Ce's immediate crisis.

However, he couldn't be Li Tian Ce's granary every day; he had to ensure Li Tian Ce had a stable source of food himself.

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: You killed the Female Emperor's nephew, and she hasn't sent troops to encircle you for three months?]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: I've kept the secret very well. Plus, my identity as a Royal Relative, and the fact that that guy was truly unpopular here, meant that not a single bit of information leaked.]

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: Is that so! Will the court continue to allocate funds?]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: They will, but it's nowhere near enough to eat! The court allocates funds once a year, and after layers of exploitation, what I get here is only enough for three months.]

Not to mention that in ancient times, allocations would be exploited at every level.

Even looking at modern times, before their Transmigration, there would be corrupt officials who exploited financial allocations at every level.

The best example was the Red Cross.

Donated seven hundred thousand, received five hundred!

The extent of the exploitation was evident.

After layers of exploitation and deductions from above, the received grain was no longer enough to sustain them for a year.

And when it reached Li Tian Ce, he even implemented three meals a day, so lasting three months was already not easy.

“Presumably, those people feared the identity of the Female Emperor's nephew, so they didn't deduct too much. However, with layered deductions and normal three meals, Old Li is truly having a hard time…”

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: Wait a moment. I'm already going down the mountain to the secular world to get you grain. Also, you need to develop your own economy there.]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: But this is a border pass; I can't really develop any economy here. Actually, my original plan was to lead people to advance inward, but reality is completely different from what I imagined.]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: The common people here at Jialing Pass are starved to skin and bones, and the defending soldiers are all spiritless and lazy. The border here is rotten to the core, rotten from the very bones. In such a situation, as soon as I leave with the main force, those ambitious nomadic tribes from outside will devour Jialing Pass like hungry wolves. Moreover, without the protection of Jialing Pass, they will drive straight in, burning, killing, and plundering along the way. Although I'm not a good person, first and foremost, I am a human.]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: So, no matter how much I want to kill the Female Emperor, I still need to spend some time reorganizing internally. Only when this place is stable can I leave with peace of mind.]

Li Tian Ce's messages popped up one after another.

Seeing these messages, Chu Mo was silent for a moment.

From these few words, he could feel that Li Tian Ce had changed, becoming more mature. The current him was undoubtedly more suitable to be an emperor.

“It seems Old Li has also experienced a lot in these three months. But then again, with changes in environment, people slowly change…”

After arriving at Xuanling Continent, from being isolated and helpless at first, to befriending three scoundrels in the Chat Group, and then getting to know the guileless Shen Qingqiu.

In fact, Chu Mo himself was slowly changing, yet he also seemed not to be changed by the environment.

Chu Mo was still Chu Mo.

[Rookie Cannon Fodder A: @Emperor and Royal Relative Number One, it's good that you have your own ideas. I'll help you get grain first. Later, I'll discuss further matters with you. Helping that person protect the border, I'll have to get some benefits; I can't do it for free.]

[Emperor and Royal Relative Number One: Alright! Talk later. I've also encountered a situation here that needs to be resolved.]

Chu Mo still kept the chat interface open and did not go offline immediately, just in case going offline would cause too large a difference in time flow between them.

Even just one week would be a disaster for Li Tian Ce, who had no grain.

...

Great Wu World, Jialing Pass.

On the grassland, Li Tian Ce narrowed his eyes, gazing at the vast expanse of land ahead, his heart filled with boundless ambition.

Compared to three months ago, when he first Transmigrated, his face was now more resolute, his skin darker, his physique more robust, his demeanor more mature, and his character gradually more steady.

His seemingly frail body appeared capable of shouldering the heavy responsibilities of the world.

“Your Highness, we've spotted wandering Tibetans ahead. Should we plunder them?!”

Li Tian Ce raised his spear high with his right hand and said, “Plunder, of course we must plunder!”

“They used to plunder us. What's wrong with us plundering them now?”

“If bandits can plunder, so can I!”