Chapter 436: Section 223: Inventory of Treasures
Deep Sea Monster Fish.
Fat Tongue walked through the metallic passageway.
The lighting in the passageway was bright.
“All the treasures have been piled up here?” Fat Tongue wondered to himself in amazement.
The once spacious corridor could now barely allow him to pass through.
Because both sides of the passageway were filled with all kinds of treasures!
It was eerily quiet.
Aside from Fat Tongue’s footsteps, there was only the sound of his breathing.
When they had first emerged from Mysterious Monster Island, the survivors were all on this demon energy ship, and at that time, there was still some liveliness, even noisy clamor.
Now, the vast majority of the survivors were out at sea, leaving only Zi Di and Fat Tongue, who had secretly boarded the ship.
“Ch-Chairman, I’ve c-come,” Fat Tongue greeted Zi Di, as the door to the Alchemy Cabin opened.
The Alchemy Array continued to emit brilliance, and a large pot of brown-black potions bubbled in the demon agate medicinal tub at the center of the Array.
The black potion bubbled and boiled, emitting a strange smell.
Seeing Zi Di concocting Magic Potions, Fat Tongue quickly lowered his voice, not daring to disturb.
Zi Di withdrew her gaze from the medicinal tub and turned to Fat Tongue, “Elder, there’s no need to be nervous.”
“This Alchemy Array is mainly presided over by the Tower Spirit.”
“I am just observing.”
“Alas, we have only one Yellow Crab Alchemist. If the one from before hadn’t been damaged, our potion-making speed could have increased by at least 45%!”
Zi Di was concocting the potions for Cang Xu.
He was about to attend the Undead Gathering.
Cang Xu himself needed various potions as means, and he could also use these potions for trading at the gathering.
Unfortunately, Cang Xu was one of the living dead.
Many potions were not very effective for him; some could even have adverse effects.
Zi Di said to Fat Tongue, “I am running short on time. It would be fine if Cang Xu were here on the ship, but he has more important matters to attend to right now.”
“That’s why I called you here; it is to have you inventory our spoils of war.”
“We’ve just seized a lot of treasures from the deep sea.”
“When they were transported into the ship, I roughly sorted them, achieving a basic categorization.”
“But this is far from enough.”
“We need you to carefully divide them and calculate their values.”
“For some of the antiques and paintings among the art pieces, we also need to make market valuations.”
“Here is a preliminary inventory list; take a look.”
Zi Di handed Fat Tongue a list.
The list was thin, consisting of only three sheets of paper.
Fat Tongue took the list and saw the initial valuation, his eyes widening in shock, “630,000 Gold?”
Fat Tongue knew that the annual net income of a Viscount Domain in the Holy Bright Empire was roughly about 15,000 Gold. The average annual salary of a Silver Level Transcendent without land in the Empire was 100 Gold, and for a Golden Level, it was 300 Gold.
Therefore, it must have cost the survivors 50,000 Gold Coins to show off at the auction, outbidding everyone.
The auction at Twin Eyes Island seemed to have earned Hun Tong a lot, but that was not the case.
The scale of the previous auction was unprecedented.
Hun Tong had also made substantial investments.
Zi Di said, “I took a quick look and found that many antiques are quite valuable.”
“Though Twin Eyes Island has been in Hun Tong’s hands for only a dozen years or so, he indeed has great business acumen, and his subjects are quite wealthy.”
“These people are almost all devotees of wealth.”
“Also, pirates often bring in high-value goods to launder.”
“I suspect that there is a large quantity of such items in Hun Tong’s City Lord’s treasury, good items that are not usually convenient to deal in.”
“Take an inventory; the total price could break through 700,000 Gold.”
“7-700,000 Gold…” Fat Tongue let out a long breath, his face full of emotion, “I’m not unfamiliar with money on paper, but this is the first time I’ve seen so many treasures right before my eyes.”
“With this, we need not worry about the cost of the anti-surveillance Prophecy Array in the near future.”
Currently, every time the survivors used the anti-surveillance Prophecy Array collectively, it cost them over 100 Gold—a hefty price.
The power of this Spell diminished over time and needed to be replenished periodically.
The longer the time, the greater the survivors’ strength, and the higher the cost would become.
The team’s finances once teetered on the edge, verging on bankruptcy.
This underwater treasure, for the survivors, was not just a quench of thirst; it was like being granted a freshwater lake.
Zi Di’s tone was cold, “Although there is much treasure, it is all inanimate.”
“We still lack a stable source of income; our finances are not healthy.”
“Opportunities like Twin Eyes Island are hard to replicate.”
“We still need to generate stable profits.”
“At the same time, some of this treasure will be difficult to sell at an appropriate price.”
“The ransom note received no response, and with the exposure of our identities, the risks implied in using the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce are high, making me hesitant.”
Fat Tongue nodded, a hint of reassurance flashing in his eyes.
If Zi Di had not mentioned it, he would have had to remind her in a subtle way.
Now it seemed that the once young girl had truly grown up, becoming quite reliable.
“With time, she could become a better Chairman than her father ever was!” Fat Tongue harbored anticipation.
“There’s plenty of treasure, enough for our initial investment to start some business ventures.”
“However, I notice that the squad leader’s enthusiasm is not high.”
“If this event causes a rift between him and you, Chairman, that would be unfortunate.”
Fat Tongue brought up another matter.
Zi Di paused in her task at hand, then let out a deep sigh, “I’ve already anticipated that.”
“I know why he’s not enthusiastic.”
“On one hand, he pities those weak freedmen and poor who were robbed.”
“On the other hand, he is very disappointed with Hun Tong. During the previous chaos, Hun Tong acted very cunningly and despicably, keeping the Golden Shiny hidden until the pirates were about to leave the island. He intended to devour the wealth of everyone, plotting against his own people’s fortunes.”
“Because according to the laws of the Empire, anything taken from pirates counts as personal spoils of war.”
During the chaos, everyone’s attention was focused on the present.
Now that things had calmed down, no one was foolish; a simple review would reveal the motivations and strengths of all parties.
Zi Di continued, “There’s no doubt that salvaging the underwater treasure was the right decision.”
“If we didn’t salvage it, in the end, it would all benefit Hun Tong, that cunning and despicable Lord.”
“This was originally a multi-party game.”
“We were fully involved, and with a bit of luck, we got the biggest benefit, becoming the invisible greatest winner, which is indisputable.”
“According to the laws of the Empire, these are all spoils of war, not illicit gains.”
“If possible, I will propose to the squad leader, to privately gift some of the treasure to those who were robbed.”
“By doing so, his mood might improve.”
“But we can’t!”
“By doing that, it would go against the positioning of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and invite suspicion. If the treasure were recognized, it would be even worse.”
“In fact, Hun Tong will cover the bases. He will certainly aid his people. With his business acumen, he would know for sure: these people are his wealth!”
Fat Tongue nodded, “As far as I know, the teachings of the Justice Sect advocate for justice, not necessarily mercy.”
“He is an excellent leader!”
“He has fulfilled his duties as a leader, and acquiring this treasure is extremely beneficial for the future.”
“Yet, he is trapped in guilt and self-reproach, suffering in isolation.”
Zi Di revealed a tender smile, “Sometimes, I think he’s a bit silly.”
“But it’s precisely because he pursues justice and is kind-hearted and always self-reflective that we all trust him.”
“Do you know? Sometimes when I think about it, I feel very fortunate.”
“Our composition is too complex, with too many races and too many differences in faith.”
“He is the only one who can command the respect of everyone.”
“You wouldn’t even believe that this includes Half-Beasts, half-giants, goblins, and even an Undead Mage!”
“Even if Zong Ge were promoted to Golden Level, he could not achieve what he does.”
“He is special!”
Having said that, Zi Di’s eyes were full of love.
Seeing Zi Di like this, Fat Tongue’s face bloomed with a silent smile.
He was an elder of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, someone who watched Zi Di grow up.
He had witnessed Zi Di fall out with the Chairman, refusing an arranged marriage and fleeing from home.
He had also seen the resolute and sacrificial look in Zi Di’s eyes when she, as the Chairman, announced the alliance with the Hundred Needle Family; there was no love in her eyes then.
Now seeing the look in Zi Di’s eyes, anyone could tell, the girl was truly in deep love with the boy.