Castle of Black Iron

Zhang Tie really didn’t lack money now. Money and land didn’t mean too much for him and couldn’t relieve his current problem at all. Through Guan Qianchong’s help, he covered his secret that he was the apprentice of Zhao Yuan; additionally, Guan Qianchong helped him win an airboat from Feng Yexiao, a grand elder of Taiyi Fantasy Sect. Actually, Guan Qianchong had helped him twice indirectly. Therefore, Zhang Tie was not joking. Although the members of Guan Clan might be unwilling to give him such a wide area of bounty land to Zhang Tie, Zhang Tie really didn’t care about that.

Even though he had over 60,000 square miles’ bounty land, he could only sleep on one bed. Even if he had mountains of wealth, he could only have some food by chopsticks. When he had enough wealth, his happiness and sense of achievement would have nothing to do with wealth. Zhang Tie had already passed the period of seeking for wealth.

’I’ve not imagined that Fire Dragon Hermit directly gives up the bounty land which has arisen so many quarrels between our clan elders. Now that he could win the bet with our forefather and could be closely followed by the princess of Lord Guannan, he’s indeed not an average person.’ The two people from Guan Clan threw a glance with each other as they both saw a bit admiring and bashful look from each other and showed a bit more reverence to Zhang Tie sincerely.

”Fire Dragon Hermit, you’re too generous!” The elder from Guan Clan cupped his hands towards Zhang Tie with a solemn look, ”Thanks for your good intention, Fire Dragon Hermit. However, as it’s the award that you won from Guan Qianchong the forefather of our Guan Clan and our forefather has told us to do this job well, we’ve already brought you the relevant documents!”

When this Guan elder uttered, he drew his hand over the table while some thick documents appeared on the teapoy in between. These documents were made of special material, which was more senior than silver paper. All the documents were giving out a dark golden light. Additionally, there were watermarks and three-dimensional concave-convex grains on the surface of those documents, making each paper of these documents unique. Generally, these special grains would appear on gold notes of super great par-value. Contracts would even be marked with secret codes that could only be identified by difference engine and pass the notarization and backup of relevant authorities in Taixia Country; any correction had to undergo a series of procedures; therefore, it was very hard to forge them.

The Guan elder took the first document.

”This document is the certificate of the ownership of all the rest lands in Yangui Mountain Range besides that of Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory. According to the forefather, our Guan Clan bought the rest part of Yangui Mountain Range covering 1 million square miles as the compensation for the wager!”

After putting the first document in front of Zhang Tie, the Guan elder took the second document.

”This document is the asset appraisal report about the total value of the 10 cities inside Fire Dragon Bounty Territory made by the four major asset appraisal agencies in Taixia Country. The total value about the 10 cities varies from 664 million gold coins to 683 million gold coins. They have fully considered the investment cost for the traffic logistics system, the urban asset premium brought by the natural commercial system and demographic dividend and the current urban building cost in Taixia Country. The 4 major asset appraisal agencies would like to assume the collateral responsibilities for the losses that you will suffer because of the adoption of their appraisal report. Guan Clan adopts the maximal value of your asset made by the 4 major asset appraisal agencies in Taixia Country.”

After putting the second document in front of Zhang Tie, the Guan elder took the 3rd document.

”This is a document about the drawing right delivered from the Hua People Banks Federation. Anyone who possesses this document could withdraw the deposit of 690 million gold coins or precious metals of the same amount of value from any bank of Hua People Banks Federation. Hua People Banks Federation will provide a guarantee for this amount of money. The deposit of 690 million gold coins has been optimized. If not withdraw them, it would become a fixed deposit in the bank. You will enjoy the interest rate of fixed deposit. If you want to withdraw it partially, the part of deposit that you withdraw would be available to current interest rate while the rest part of deposit still sticks to the fixed interest rate. This amount of money is equal to the compensation for the wager of your 10 cities!”

This was how major clans in Taixia Country behaved!

Watching the three documents in front of him, Zhang Tie sighed with emotion inside, ’How nice! It’s perfect. The land area of the rest Yangui Mountain Range is much larger than that of his Fire Dragon Bounty Territory; the drawing right of the 690 million gold coins is more valuable than that of the 10 cities in Fire Dragon Bounty Territory.’

After thinking about it for a while, Zhang Tie only took that document of the ownership of the rest land of Yangui Mountain Range as he pushed the other two documents back to the front of the Guan elder decisively. After that, he said, ”I only want to take the rest land of Yangui Mountain Range. Please take back the drawing right of 690 million gold coins. I intend to make friends with Guan Clan, will Guan Clan do me a favor?”

”Erm...” The two people from Guan Clan threw a glance with each other. The Guan elder then replied with a bit embarrassed look, ”As we’re following the order of our forefather, I really can’t make a decision!”

”Could you contact Commander Guan right now? I will talk to him!” Zhang Tie said as he threw a glance at the finger ring on the hand of the Guan elder.

The silver finger ring was wide. There were some beautiful square grains around the finger ring. Compared to common remote-sensing crystal finger rings, this finger ring looked more delicate and senior as it integrated with more than one top-quality remote-sensing crystals. With such a finger ring, he could contact many people at the same time. Zhang Tie estimated that this Guan elder might be able to contact Guan Qianchong directly; therefore, he posed this question.

”Well, I will contact our forefather right away!” The Guan elder nodded before throwing a glance at the document about the drawing right of the 690 million gold coins.

It was 10 cities. If he could save the 10 cities for Guan Clan after contacting his forefather, this Guan elder would definitely be glad to do that.

Like instant messaging tools, they could communicate with each other by remote-sensing crystals very conveniently. After injecting his spiritual energy into one remote-sensing crystal, the Guan elder became silent for one minute in front of Zhang Tie. After that, he became reassured as he took off that finger ring and passed it to Zhang Tie. Meanwhile, he pointed at one square grain on the finger ring before saying, ”You could contact my forefather with this remote-sensing crystal in universal plain code!”

After taking that finger ring, Zhang Tie immediately injected his spiritual energy into that piece of remote-sensing crystal and sent a message to the opponent.

”Hi, Commander Guan, I’m Cui Li!”

”Fire Dragon Hermit, according to my juniors, you will accept the rest land of Yangui Mountain Range; however, you want to return the drawing right of the 690 million gold coins to us?”

Given the polite diction, Zhang Tie knew that it should be Guan Qianchong.

”Yes!”

”Why? Do you fear that Guan Clan cannot afford it or have another purpose?”

”Haha, what purpose could I have from Guan Clan? I have enough land and money. Do I want to be the son-in-law of Guan Clan or what? Zhang Tie joked with Guan Qianchong.

”If you really want to be the son-in-law of Guan Clan, given the 10 cities that you returned to Guan Clan, I promise you that you could select 100 women from the young generation of Guan Clan as your wives, how about it?”

Zhang Tie was almost choked by Guan Qianchong’s words. As for Guan Qianchong, his juniors were just a matter of figure. Even though those people shared his bloodline, it was nothing serious for him to give 100 of them to others. What a mentality! Was it the mentality of an emperor or a queen ant?

”Haha, Commander Guan, I will not play jokes with you. Just take 690 million gold coins as my return to your favor. Without your care, I could barely win an airboat from Taiyi Fantasy Sect in Lion Fortress. I always give kindness for kindness and hatred for hatred!”

”It’s a good reason. I’m glad that you don’t want the 690 million gold coins in case of those short-sighted juniors in Guan Clan to quarrel with each other at home which is really boring. We knights don’t treasure money too much. The higher level the knights are, the more they neglect those gold and white things. By contrast, commoners think that the value of money is limitless. On the road of cultivation, the more unpromising the guys were, the more they would treasure money. As too many commoners depend on Guan Clan, such a great amount of money would survive them for a period. I, Guan Qianchong, owe you a favor this time!”

”Commander Guan is credible. Guan Clan does a good job. Therefore, you made me a bit bashful!” After sending this message, Zhang Tie continued, ”Commander Guan said that too many commoners depended on Guan Clan. I’ve got a business; I wonder whether Guan Clan is interested in it or not?”

”How large is the business?”

”Given Guan Clan’s ability, if you want to do that, you could easily make 100-200 million gold coins a year!”

”If one could make a big fortune easily, the business must be illegal or violating the universal laws. Guan Clan knows many businesses like this; many people want to cooperate with Guan Clan too. However, Guan Clan would never make such kind of money even if we’re starved to death!”

Guan Qianchong’s words turned sharp.

Zhang Tie replied with a smile, ”Commander Guan, you’re right. But besides being illegal and violating the universal laws, actually, there’s another exclusive, bright and legal business that you could make a big fortune. Won’t Guan Clan do such a business?”

”Is there any business like this in Taixia Country?”

”Previously, there isn’t. But since I’m here, there is!”

”If you want to cooperate with Guan Clan, Guan Clan want 50% of the profit as this business is in Taixia Country!”

”No way! But I could consider to promise you the franchise right in one or two provinces of Taixia Country. As Guan Clan are not that influential in other provinces and prefectures of Taixia Country, I will choose other cooperative partners!”

”With only the franchise right in a couple of provinces could Guan Clan easily make 100-200 million gold coins a year?”

”Might be more than that!”

Guan Qianchong was shocked. Although he was a shadow knight, it didn’t represent that he was otherworldly and didn’t understand the value of 100-200 million gold coins.

At this moment, Guan Qianchong finally understood why Zhang Tie didn’t care about the drawing right of 690 million gold coins. If Zhang Tie really had such a business, 690 million gold coins were really nothing serious in Zhang Tie’s eyes. If he could easily make 100-200 million gold coins in one or two provinces a year, how much he could make across Taixia Country annually?

If it was told by a commoner, Guan Qianchong would definitely think that one was boasting. However, as it was told by Zhang Tie, who had defeated him in a bet, Guan Qianchong had to treat it seriously.

”What’s that business?”

”It’s a secret for the time being. But I promise that this business is legal or doesn’t violate the universal laws!”

”Well, Guan Clan will do this business. What does Guan Clan need to do?”

”I’ve not thought through yet. Commander Guan could have someone contact me. He’d better be able to make decisions in case of troubles!”

”Well, give your finger ring to the one who gave it to you! And, I will tell you a good news for free. The general has to know that you enrolled Liu Xing and the other 6 black-armor fighters as your apprentices. General has a good impression of you and speaks highly of you!”

After hearing Guan Qianchong’s words, Zhang Tie became slightly stunned. The one who could be called general by Guan Qianchong must be Du Guyi, the Demon-Suppression General, also a legendary figure in the Earth-elements Realm. Zhang Tie had not imagined that even Du Guyi could receive the news that he enrolled Liu Xing and the other 6 black-armored fighters as apprentices and have a good impression about him. ’Does good people always have a good fortune?’

...

When Zhang Tie contacted Guan Qianchong, the two representatives of Guan Clan didn’t know what Zhang Tie said to the forefather of Guan Clan. As knights had very powerful spiritual energy and consciousness, even though they used a plain code, they could still communicate much faster than the mouth. Only after taking that finger ring for half a minute, Zhang Tie had returned it to the elder of Guan Clan.

Only after taking that finger ring for a few seconds, the Guan elder had thrown a shocked glance at Zhang Tie. Closely after that, this Guan elder took in a deep breath before standing up with a solemn look once again. Under the amazed look of the other Guan representative, he bowed deeply towards Zhang Tie, ”According to our forefather, I, Guan Qianyu will stay with Fire Dragon Hermit for your order from today on!”

Not until then did Zhang Tie know that this Guan elder was called Guan Qianyu. Given this name, Zhang Tie immediately knew that the representative word of Guan knights should be ”Qian”. Therefore, all the human knights with the word ”Qian” in the middle of their names should be the knights of Guan Clan.

In Taixia Country, a business that could produce hundreds of millions of gold coins per year would attract the attention of knight-level elders of a clan for sure.

Watching the Guan elder who bowed towards him, Zhang Tie knew that he finally got his first powerful ally in Taixia Country...