Chapter 397: Section 184: Speechless
“Cough cough,” faced with Qi Ya’s sarcasm, Sha Ji could only once again change the subject.
“Miss Qi Ya, please pick the third item,” he said.
“However, according to the customs of our region, the third item is also the last one.”
“The previous two items, you did not choose the chest with the greatest value. Now, you have one last chance.”
At this point, Sha Ji pondered for a moment before revealing a bit, “The treasure’s grade is of Holy Domain Level, which is of little use to me. But for you, and even for a noble clan leader, it could be extremely helpful.”
“The creator of this treasure is Master Craftsman Qiao Fu!”
Upon hearing the name Qiao Fu, Qi Ya’s face changed, her eyes conveying a look of seriousness.
She had intended to make a direct choice, but now she hesitated.
As for herself, to be honest, she did not care much about which treasure she would receive.
But if it could help the City Lord of Fire City…
Qi Ya couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter.
She looked at the pile of treasure chests and mused, “I’m a bit curious now, are there any other hints?”
This was clearly the best moment to please Qi Ya.
But for the first time during this meeting, a solemn expression crossed Sha Ji’s face as he slowly shook his head, “I’m sorry.”
“The story of the Divine King’s Three Treasures is not just a story, but also a part of our customs, and our faith.”
“Miss Qi Ya, you must already know this story.”
“What lies inside the treasure chests, if we knew beforehand, then what would be the point of choosing?”
“Treasures that are not destined for us are not to be forcibly sought after.”
“Just like the marriage alliance between you and me.”
The last sentence elicited a trace of emotion from Qi Ya.
Throughout the meeting, she had been deliberately difficult and sarcastic, an attitude that had already expressed her views on this marriage alliance.
Sha Ji’s words revealed that he had prepared himself for the failure of this marriage alliance. This made Qi Ya feel somewhat relaxed, and for the first time, she found Sha Ji somewhat agreeable to look at.
“Alright, then I’ll choose this one,” said Qi Ya, without further hesitation, she randomly selected a treasure chest.
There were no visible differences between the exteriors of the chests, of course, there might have been flaws that would have required Qi Ya’s full attention to spot.
Just as she had previously tasted wine with her tongue, and peered through the model of the Sand Boat with the strange glint in her eyes. These were all her alchemy methods.
But as Sha Ji had said, this selection was not just a game, nor purely an act to flatter Qi Ya. It also contained the customs and faith of the Sha Huang clan.
Especially faith, which is not to be denigrated.
So, if Qi Ya had used her alchemy to examine the insides of the chests, as she had done before, it would have been a great offence towards Sha Ji and even the entire Sha Huang clan.
Qi Ya, even though reluctant to enter into the marriage alliance, did not wish to needlessly make enemies and cause trouble for the City Lord of Fire City, whom she held in the highest respect and affection.
The final treasure chest opened up.
Inside was a scroll of parchment paper and a pen.
Without need for Sha Ji’s narration, Qi Ya could see she was disappointed; although it was an alchemy treasure, it was clearly not the work of Qiao Fu.
“I’m sorry, Miss Qi Ya, but in the end, you did not pick that most valuable treasure,” Sha Ji shook his head, his expression sincere.
“It’s not that I don’t want to help you.”
“Actually, I am also unclear about the differences between these chests, and what exactly each one contains.”
“The clan elder who guards these treasure chests, his strength has already fallen to the Golden Level, but under his strict supervision, I, his future sole heir, cannot break the rules.”
“But…”
At this point, Sha Ji’s tone shifted once again.
“While the treasure inside this chest is not the most valuable one, it is still very precious.”
“One could even say, it is more suited to us than that other treasure.”
“This parchment scroll is black inside and out, it is the skin of a Legendary Black Scribbler.”
“As for this white pen, according to the information left by the creator, it is called a signal pen.”
“The black paper and white pen need to be used together to unleash the capabilities of this set of alchemy items.”
“This was an accidental discovery made by the warriors of our clan during an exploration of a relic.”
“The specific way to use it is to tear this piece of black leather paper in half, separating them by distance. As long as one uses the signal pen to write on one half of the black leather paper, the text will appear simultaneously on the other piece no matter where it is.”
“At the moment, we have not yet tested out the communication’s ultimate range.”
“Let’s put it this way, even if we are separated by a vast ocean, with you on Fire Island and me on the Frost Continent, we can still communicate through this scroll of paper. The time difference is almost zero, and the content doesn’t distort.”
“As far as I know, the current time delay in information transmission by the Imperial Navy’s highest grade Magic Communication Device is around half a day to a day.”
Qie Ya nodded slightly, “What you refer to is the usual mode of communication for the Imperial Navy. They certainly also have means for emergency communication, similar to this one, which cannot be used frequently.”
Qie Ya picked up the piece of black leather paper and began to study it with alchemy magic once again.
Before long, she had some results, “The black scrawl is a Magic Beast from the Shadow Plane. The reason this alchemy item can transmit messages so quickly is that it utilizes the Shadow Plane. It’s like taking a shortcut, which is why it can achieve what regular advanced communication devices cannot, with minimal cost.”
“And it’s also because of this, if someone discovers its operating principle, they could target it through the Shadow Plane.”
“Once targeted, this alchemy item could easily become ineffective, or even worse, transmit false information.”
Sha Ji’s smile stiffened again at the implications of this revelation.
But Qie Ya changed tack, “It uses Biological Alchemy, and in this field, the War Merchants are probably the best in the world right now. Neither I nor the clan elder are skilled in this area. If we hand this over to the elder, perhaps it could provide her with some inspiration and new ideas.”
Sha Ji laughed heartily, looking deeply at Qie Ya, “If this treasure can provide some assistance to the Great City Lord of Fire City, it would be our honor.”
“However, I would prefer that we use this treasure to exchange information between us.”
Qie Ya immediately frowned.
Sha Ji spread his hands, chuckling, “Even if our marriage alliance falls through, it doesn’t mean we can’t collaborate, right? We can still be friends. There’s nothing strange about friends corresponding, is there?”
Qie Ya’s frown deepened.
Sha Ji sighed, “Actually, Miss Qie Ya, there’s no need for such wariness.”
“My caravan has been stationed in Fire City for some time, and we haven’t been idle during our stay.”
“There have been numerous excellent giants whom the City Lord of Fire City invited in an attempt to form a marital alliance with you, all of whom have been rejected.”
“Among them, some even had better conditions than me.”
“You’ve rejected them all; I was prepared for failure from the beginning.”
“The exchange of letters and future communication isn’t an attempt to continue clinging to you.”
“But rather because our sides have great potential in cooperation and can support each other as outstanding allies!”
“Fire City… is not large, it could even be said to be weak. Just like my own race, we should stick together and assist each other even more.”
Qie Ya couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, scoffing, “Are you saying that my Fire City… is weak?”
“Of course,” Sha Ji replied, raising an index finger, “It’s important to note that strength and weakness are relative. Comparatively, Fire City has the City Lord and outstanding giants like yourself, Miss Qie Ya, which makes it superior to most powers. But compared with the Holy Bright Empire, it is indeed weak.”
Qie Ya scoffed again, “The Empire is the strongest power in the Main World, everybody is weak in comparison.”
“That’s correct,” Sha Ji retracted his hands, placing them on his knees, sitting up straight, “Precisely because we are weak, we need to save ourselves. In my view, the noble’s foundation in Fire City is already precarious, and if we don’t seize this final opportunity to find a way out, the future of the nobility could be dismal, and even lead to an end.”
Qie Ya’s expression turned ugly, “You’re being alarmist!”
“Of course not!” intensified Sha Ji’s tone, abandoning the previous gentleness. His posture became serious, with a heavy gaze fixed unmovingly on Qie Ya.
“I am very familiar with the history of the nobility, which was once quite glorious. On the Red Earth Plateau, there was even the embryonic form of a Kingdom.”
“But unfortunately, before the foundation of the kingdom could be completed, it met with the expansion of the Holy Bright Empire.”
“You are the last and largest giant kin of the Holy Bright Continent. Facing the immensely powerful Empire, your only choice was to submit. Resistance would lead to destruction, and to flee would mean being hunted. The Great Emperor’s gaze is omnipresent.”
Qie Ya retorted, “At first, we were prepared for an all-out war. It was the Holy Emperor himself who came and negotiated with our clan elders. Only after paying a certain price did we agree to the alliance proposed by the Holy Emperor. Since then, our kin became allies of the Holy Bright Empire.”
“Allies?” Sha Ji revealed a mocking smile, “So, how does the Empire treat its allies?”
“The Red Earth Plateau was once vast and rich in minerals, the homeland of the nobility.”
“And what about now?”
“The plateau is filled with humans, with towns of the Human Race.”
“And the nobility?”
“Why are they confined to this island?”
This time, it was Qie Ya’s turn to fall silent.