BXBX NOVEL Chapter 349: Dragon Flame Fortress
The group was split. Olivia decided to go with MingHao and the others. Quartz was worried about her, so she decided to come with them.
MingYue\'s group now consisted of Luca, Emily, and Zold. They were now inside a wagon going toward Dragon Flame Fortress.
This fortress was one of the entryways toward the central region. It was run in collaboration with many huge sects and the Shanxi Temple.
The central region itself was surrounded by many protections and natural barriers, making it dangerous for anyone to walk through.
A few cities were then selected to have teleportation arrays that allowed cultivators to move toward the central region. The inspection itself was not that strict; it was mainly created for big sects and Shanxi Temple to limit the migration of cultivators, making sure the area remained rich and prosperous.
Even though the name has the Fortress word in it, the place didn\'t look anything like that. It may be surrounded by high walls, but inside, the town was bustling with festivity; many merchants went in and out while the guards were busy drinking and joking around, even in the middle of the day.
Many wanted posters were put on the wall, but they might as well not be put there. MingYue could see some of the criminals just pay a few Qi crystals to the guards, who then acted like they were best friends who hadn\'t met for years.
"Isn\'t it better to just go as cultivators?" Emily asked. She had seen many cultivators treated differently compared to them, a group of merchants.
"No, you may see them all acting more amiable on the surface, but behind the scenes, these guards note their identities. They will then sell their information to sects in the central region."
"What kind of information?"
"Everything the guards know as long as there is wealth involved. Depending on their aptitude and luck, some will end up miserable, while the rest will be recruited by big sects or rich, prominent families," MingYue replied.
Luca\'s eyes were meanwhile locked onto some of the things traded by the merchants. Most of the items were as she expected, like swords, robes, hairpins, and female accessories, but occasionally there would be something out of place.
The packaging looked like it came from MingYue\'s world, but the content was a modern item.
"MingYue, are you selling any items from my world? Aren\'t you worried it will become a problem?" Luca asked. There is still a possibility that MingYue World has this item, but she doubts that is the case.
MingYue turned her gaze toward the scene that Luca saw. It was a red liquid, one of her favorite condiments.
"Don\'t worry, Aunt. It\'s sold by one of my people but through a proxy. Alex and I talked at length about this. We made sure everything sold was possible for anyone to create.
Just like that ketchup sauce, it enhances the flavor with a sour taste, something that didn\'t exist before in my world.
A cultivator might find it interesting, but they will not go so far as to try to monopolize the item or track it to the source."
"But MingYue, it\'s still a good source of money. Won\'t the cultivators care about it? I heard from my brother it\'s very expensive to raise a realm," Emily asked.
"Yes, it is, but there should be no problem at the current stage. Maybe when we become more popular and famous, with earnings enough to buy real treasure."
Her lips then curled into a smile, "Anyway, that will never happen with the current situation now."
"Do you have other plans, MingYue?" Luca asked since she didn\'t understand how looking for her husband became linked to this.
"Yes, Aunt. Our goal is always to take over this world. Honestly, it\'s the same with yours, too."
Luca\'s eyes narrowed. The word "ours" meant it was her and Alex\'s plan. She knew what kind of war would be waged if someone wanted to unite the whole planet.
It\'s a war that will take many innocent lives in the process. She doesn\'t know the situation in Ming Yue\'s world, but at least to her, the association will certainly cause a lot of resistance. Many other groups will come out and then try to join in the conflict, making everything more chaotic.
"Why, MingYue? Why do you need to do this? With your and Alex\'s strength, I get it you want to achieve something big,
but can\'t you target something else? I don\'t want both of you to become the reason for someone\'s tragedy."
MingYue frowned. She could understand why Luca said this. Alex had often told her stories about his mother\'s life. She likes to do charity work but doesn\'t like to take revenge. Luca hated unnecessary killing and preferred peaceful resolution.
"I understand what you mean, Aunt, but it\'s not like we have a choice in the matter," MingYue replied. She has different thoughts, but she doesn\'t want to confront Luca. Everyone has their own way of living.
Luca carefully studied MingYue\'s expression. She then asked, "Can you tell me the reason?"
MingYue ruminated for a moment, but after a while, she said, "I think it\'s better if you hear it from Alex\'s own mouth, Aunt. I can only say this: the power I and Alex got is not for free; we have a huge burden and expectations put on us."
"I know this is a stupid question, but MingYue, I need to ask this: how dangerous? Is this enough to risk both of your lives?" Luca asked.
She didn\'t know to what extent, but based on the story she heard from Emily, a decapitation or any wound to their body was not enough to kill them.
"Yes, Aunt, but for details, please just ask Alex. To understand why, you really need to know everything."