196 – The Hague Port
Although Kongfang Ao and Yang Feng were congenial, but they hadn’t know each other for a long time. He naturally wouldn’t gift Yang Feng with such a precious secret method. But after being saved by Yang Feng and then overcoming a critical situation together, Kongfang Ao felt much closer to Yang Feng and thus chose to gift the other the secret method.
“Thank you, Brother Kong. This is a small token of my appreciation. I would like you to accept it”.
Yang Feng tossed a Dimensional Crest to Kongfang Ao. Inside, there was a level-4 extraordinary life form Fire Lion and a level-4 extraordinary life form Ice Domain Demonic Snake.
Kongfang Ao received the Dimensional Crest, took a look inside, and then praised: “Brother Yang, your uncle’s Alchemy is really amazing. He is even able to refine secret treasures with such a large space. In the Great Cloud Dynasty, such an Alchemist would be regarded as very outstanding.”
Yang Feng smiled lightly without following-up on the topic.
A few days later, after riding the Barromán Electric Sea Eel through several territories, a very imposing port appeared before them.
The Hague Port was a large port located in the the Hague City, it was a large transshipment port.
Enormous armed merchant ships were anchored at the Hague Port, many of which were even bigger than Zheng Gong’s D-class armed merchant ship.
There were many subcontinents around the continent. These armored merchant ships were used to leave for the subcontinents to do trade. Although these subcontinents were far less prosperous than the continent, but each subcontinent had their own specialty products. Through sea trade, these specialty products would be transported to the continent, where they would yield great profits.
When the Barromán Electric Sea Eel reached the distance of fifty kilometers from the Hague Port, three terrifying, Starry Sky Warlock rank, fluctuations suddenly erupted and earth-shaking scanning spells swept in its direction.
“I’m the Phoenix Cry Merchant Group’s Captain Zheng Gong! This is my identity jade card! We were attacked by a formidable beings in the Sea of Monsters and therefore, had no choice but to ride this alchemical golem to reach the Hague Port.”
Zheng Gong jumped out of the Barromán Electric Sea Eel’s cockpit, took out a jade card, and lifted it high in the air.
The jade card burst out with traces of radiance, which then intertwined with the scanning fluctuations.
“You are indeed the Phoenix Cry Merchant Group’s Zheng Gong! Take your people and enter the Hague Port according to the procedures!”
A faint voice rang in the sky. Shortly after, the formidable spirit fluctuations that had locked on Yang Feng and company disappeared.
Zheng Gong said: “Yang Feng, you just arrived at the Great Cloud Dynasty, so you should first take care of the identity jade cards. With the identity jade card, a lot of things will become much simpler. Otherwise, even getting an inn will become troublesome. I still have some influence in the Hague Port. Stay here for a day or two and I will help you settle this.”
Kongfang Ao also said: “That’s right, Brother Yang, the Great Cloud Dynasty’s registry supervision is very strict. Without an identity jade card, it can be said to be difficult to move an inch in the Great Cloud Dynasty. In any case, we are not in a hurry, so let’s stay here for a day or two. You can take this time to experience the differences between the Great Cloud Dynasty and the Turandot Subcontinent.”
Yang Feng readily accepted: “Alright!”
As soon as they entered the Hague Port, Yang Feng’s ears were assaulted with mechanical rumblings. Within the port, there were all kinds of heavy machinery, such as cranes, carrying a variety of goods.
Magic sports cars of all kinds of shapes and colors drove around the port while transporting all kinds of goods, issuing fluctuations of magic power.
In the port, many workers were casting a variety of spells to load and unload cargo as well as to do a variety of other things.
Yang Feng felt like he arrived at a different world with a higher degree of science, technology, and civilization than that of Earth as well as exceedingly formidable magic. This civilization was extremely developed.
Yang Feng pointed at the workers casting various kinds of spells and asked Kongfang Ao with some disbelief: “These workers are all Warlock? How could this be? Isn’t it very difficult for warlocks to practice cultivation, so how come there are so many Warlocks here?”
“It is indeed difficult for official Warlocks to emerge in backward places like the Turandot Subcontinent, but in the Great Cloud Dynasty, we have a ratio of one official Warlock for one hundred ordinary people on average.
As for why there is such a disparity, that’s because civilizations in these two places are fundamentally at different levels.”
“In the Great Cloud Dynasty, a twelve-year-long compulsory education is basically the norm. Every one that reaches the school-age can go to school and learn a variety of basic knowledge. Students that passed the university entrance exam are basically guaranteed to be at the Apprentice Warlock rank. While some outstanding students, would be promoted to official Warlocks at the university.”
“In the Great Cloud Dynasty, inferior magic stones, intermediate magic stones, superior magic stones, and even top-notch magic stones are used on a variety of extraordinary plants for mass synthesis. An inferior magic stone, is worth one hundred gold coins in the Turandot Subcontinent, while here, it can be purchased for one silver coin. Here the exchange rate between magic stones is 100 to 1. As long as you have enough inferior magic stones, you will be able to redeem top-notch magic stones.”
“In the Great Cloud Dynasty, children of noble families in general use top-notch magic stones to practice cultivation once their cultivation base reached the level-1 Warlock rank. When they reach the boundary to the Great Warlock rank, they use inferior magic crystals, which are superior to top-notch magic stones, to practice cultivation. The most common junior high students can also use inferior magic stones to practice cultivation.”
“Level-1 to level-4 spell models can be purchased in the Warlock shops, not to mention that the Great Cloud Dynasty’s spell models were streamlined and optimized by countless geniuses, simplifying their cultivation.”
“Although much of the knowledge of the 8 Great Warlock Dynasties was lost in the successive wars which led to the collapse of the dynasties, but most of it was still passed down.
The Great Cloud Dynasty, is one of the most powerful human Warlock dynasties. If it was not the case, then it would be long since annihilated by the powerful beings from other planes biding their time.” Kongfang Ao’s words revealed a sense of pride for being a resident of the Great Cloud Dynasty.
Kongfang Ao then said indifferently: “The Turandot Subcontinent is still the same it was tens of thousands of years ago, it’s too backward.”
Yang Feng mused. As Kongfang Ao had mentioned, compared to the Great Cloud Dynasty, the Turandot Subcontinent was indeed quite backward. The gap between the Turandot Subcontinent and the Great Cloud Dynasty, compared to the gap between primitive tribes and american imperialists on Earth, was more than one thousand times greater. Although both parties inhabited the same plane, but the world they came in contact with was completely different.
In the Turandot Subcontinent, a level-2 Warlock could already become the overlord of a faction. In the Great Cloud Dynasty, on the other hand, a Level-2 Warlock was just regarded as a fairly powerful sailor or soldier.
Kongfang Ao said: “Of course, the physical constitution of humans can’t compare with that of beings such as fiends, deities, dragons, and high elves. Even in the Great Cloud Dynasty, ordinary people are the most numerous, while Level-1 Warlocks and level-2 Warlocks are elites, level-3 Warlocks are first-rate elite, Great Warlocks were experts, and only Starry Sky Warlock rank experts have the qualifications to rule over a faction.
As for the powerful Warlocks above the Starry Sky Warlock rank, whether it is in the great Cloud Dynasty or the Western World Portman Dynasty, they are regarded as true experts who could contend with gods from other planes.”
Yang Feng asked in curiosity: “Since the Great Cloud Dynasty’s civilization has progressed so much, then why is the Turandot Subcontinent’s civilization still so backward?”
“Heh heh! It’s because the Great Cloud Dynasty and the Turandot Subcontinent’s rulers are not willing to see the subcontinent’s civilization advance!” Kongfang Ao smiled contemptuously and said meaningfully: “The more backward a place was, the more resistant it would be to the spread of an advanced civilization. Moreover, resistance often comes from the top.”
“In the future, if you go to those planes controlled by gods, you will come across many planes full of misery with backward civilizations. In fact, the reason behind this is very simple, for only ignorant, backward people from places full of misery would have faith in gods. We of the Cangzhi Plane don’t have faith in gods, we only believe in our own strength!”
“Among the 7 Great Warlock Emperors, I admire the Time Emperor the most. With the bones of countless ancient gods and the might of a Warlock dynasty, he forged the God Murdering Spear. Since then, in the Cangzhi Plan, no one can ascend to godhood. It was precisely because of this that the Cangzhi Plane’s formidable beings were forced to pursuit evolutionary paths without ascending to godhood, creating resplendent and flourishing Warlock civilizations.”
“At that time, if the Time Emperor had chosen to become a god, then with his terrifying strength, the entire Cangzhi Plane might have slowly transformed into his divine country. We would have been turned into slaves and sheep of a god, becoming backward and ignorant! We would only have faith in him and only live to have faith in him!”
After listening to Kongfang Ao, Yang Feng understood why the Turandot Subcontinent was so backward.
Previously, all of the Turandot Subcontinent’s power and knowledge had been under the control of the 6 Great Warlock Groups as well as the Warlock groups of different sizes attached to them. These Warlocks were top dogs among humans. If a civilization like the Great Cloud Dynasty were to spread over, their monopoly on knowledge and status would become a thing of the past. Therefore, they unconsciously resisted the influence of the continent’s civilization.
And the Great Cloud Dynasty was also happy to let the Turandot Subcontinent continue with its ignorance so that it could make huge profits through the sea trade.
Yang Feng asked in curiosity: “If level-1 to Level-4 spell models can be purchased in Warlock shops, then what about the spell models and knowledge above level-4?”
Kongfang Ao replied: “The spell models and knowledge above level-4 are too formidable, they are in the hands of the major forces. You can choose to join a sect or directly join the court. If you serve the court, then according to your contributions, you can get different secret methods and various powerful spell models.”