Secondly, Zhao Ya also told Kong Xiangdong to ensure his own safety and act according to the situation.
If this state continues for a few more days, he should lead the team to leave the Northern Realm Snowfield.
The reason Zhao Ya said this is because he knows Kong Xiangdong must be under immense pressure at this time.
On one side, other Sea Gatherers are making profits every day, while he can only guard in front of the Great Snow Mountain.
This stark contrast is something only a leader like Kong Xiangdong, with a heavy reputation, can handle.
If it were anyone else, the followers would have already been in an uproar.
Even so, Zhao Ya can guess the pressure Kong Xiangdong bears.
If this situation continues for a few more days, even with Kong Xiangdong’s usual high prestige, it might be hard to keep everyone in line.
After all, nothing compares to the stark reality of profits.
Indeed, Kong Xiangdong can temporarily control the situation.
But prolonged suppression will only lead to a loss of morale, eventually causing the team to fall apart, and by then it would be too late to salvage the situation.
If Kong Xiangdong is still not at ease, he can retreat beyond the Northern Realm Snowfield and observe the situation through that Free-Loading Bird leader.
After writing all this, Zhao Ya carefully checked again, making sure nothing was missed, then put it into a message bag and tied it to the carrier pigeon’s leg.
Throughout the process, the pigeon waited patiently, watching Zhao Ya with its beady black eyes.
Zhao Ya chuckled, reaching into his coat to pull out some jerky, which he fed to the pigeon.
"Keep it in your belly, digest it slowly on the way!"
After hearing the instructions, the pigeon seemed to understand, nodded slightly, flapped its wings, and flew into the sky, circling above Zhao Ya.
"What a lazy one!"
Zhao Ya commented playfully, then moved the air in front of him again.
Immediately, an invisible ripple of spiritual power pushed the pigeon from behind, helping it swiftly descend the mountain.
It was like a ship sailing with a favorable wind at sea, greatly saving energy.
With Zhao Ya’s current power, he could send the pigeon over a hundred miles away.
Of course, this was also thanks to the pigeon’s small size, light weight, and willingness to cooperate.
Initially, Zhao Ya tried this as an experiment, and the pigeon remembered it, waiting for Zhao Ya to give it a "ride" every time it returned.
After watching the pigeon fly away, Zhao Ya smiled, shook his head, and left the small courtyard to head towards the former Sect Contribution Department, where he continued discussing and organizing Azure Dragon Temple’s supreme skills with Shen Yunshen and Qin Jianji.
The distance from Azure Dragon Temple to the Northern Realm Snowfield is over twenty thousand miles if traveled on foot.
But it’s different for the pigeon, as it flies at high speed, avoiding mountains and predators, traveling in a straight line.
Even then, the straight-line distance is beyond ten thousand miles.
For a carrier pigeon, even an Exotic Beast one, this distance is a challenge, requiring four days of full-speed travel.
Meanwhile, as the pigeon flew towards the Northern Realm Snowfield, a group of people were drinking and chatting inside a tent at the camp before the Great Snow Mountain.
Due to the mountains blocking the sun, the area of the camp had fallen into darkness, even though the sun hadn’t set yet.
A light snow had fallen in the evening, making it a bit cold, but for these Sea Gatherers used to rough living by the Wuyang Beach, it was nothing.
For instance, inside the tent, some people were drinking bare-chested.
The liquor was premium, and even the dishes were things these Sea Gatherers wouldn’t indulge in previous years.
But this year was different.
Especially with the help of that Free-Loading Bird leader, Kong Xiangdong’s Sea Gatherers had reaped significant benefits, spending lavishly.
Yet, despite the good food and drink, the atmosphere in the tent was slightly odd.
If previously these Sea Gatherers were nothing but grateful to their leader, with time, many now harbored different feelings.
Particularly after hearing about the daily bountiful hauls of those remaining at Wuyang Beach, many had quietly changed their minds.
"Today, the head leader sent Xiaoliuzi to scout the sea, and he reported that the Sea Gatherers at the beach were making insane profits, catching at least three big barrels of dried fish daily, not to mention other gains," someone said in a low voice while drinking.
The remark made the tent’s atmosphere even more stifling.
Some people’s eyes gleamed with envy.
After all, that’s money!
Even with the best yields this year, they only averaged a little more than a barrel of dried fish per person daily, with other gains no different from previous years.
It was enough to make them ecstatic.
Imagine how frenzied those catching two to three barrels a day must be.
Suddenly.
Someone slammed the table, complaining, "I really can’t understand why the head leader is so cautious."
"Just because the temperature is higher than usual and the polar night is delayed, instead of seizing this heavenly opportunity for a windfall, we’re hiding before the Great Snow Mountain for so-called safety, watching others make money, it’s truly frustrating."
The speaker had a full beard but seemed quite reputable among the Sea Gatherers, drawing resonance from many with his words.
"Exactly, I don’t get why the fearless head leader is suddenly scared. Could it be last year’s fog incident scared him?" someone echoed.
"The ascending fog was indeed terrifying, but with scouts on the lookout, it’s nothing significant," the bearded man said.
"I heard the head leader thinks this unusual weather signals something ominous, so we’re hiding here."
"Then why not leave outright? Are we here to watch others get rich?" someone snorted coldly.
The comment was quite blunt, and everyone looked at the speaker, realizing it was a new young member this year.
"Shh, that’s our head leader, watch your words!" someone warned.
The young man realized his slip and temporarily closed his mouth.
"I also heard the head leader is staying here and sending people daily to monitor the latest developments, to report back to that young master from last year."
Hearing this, many fell silent, even the initial grumbling Qiu Ranke said no more.
Everyone present was indebted to Zhao Ya, not just for saving their lives last year, but this year’s profits were largely due to the Free-Loading Bird leader Zhao Ya "gifted" to the head leader.
So, hearing it involved him, they said nothing.
But the young man cared less about such things.
Being new this year, with no ties to Zhao Ya, he felt unbothered.
So he spoke first, "Regardless of who it’s for, dragging on like this isn’t a solution!"
"All of you have earned money over the years, holding some savings, you can afford to wait, but not me. I’m in debt, counting on a turnaround this time."
"I don’t know about you, but I’m planning to sneak to the beach tomorrow, see if I can get something. Anyone interested?"
Hearing the young man’s words, many displayed a hint of intent.
But recalling Kong Xiangdong’s authority, they hesitated.
Seeing this, the young man sneered.
"Fine, I’ll go alone tomorrow, heading to sleep, goodbye."
As he stood to leave, the tent door was pulled open, and Kong Xiangdong entered from the outside.