The vast, primordial wilderness scrolled by far below, a sea of ancient green and jagged, black mountains. Spine, the Gargantuan Spined Sea-Dragon, flew with a silent, majestic grace, his colossal form a dark, draconic shadow against the endless sky. On the steady, island-like expanse of his back, a pocket of calm air surrounded the three figures, a testament to the sovereign's effortless control over his domain.
This was not a frantic race. It was a meticulous, rolling reconnaissance mission. Fat Pig, in his new role as Vice Guild Master of a continental enterprise, was no longer just a bandit who saw caravans as targets; he was a merchant who saw the entire world as a potential marketplace.
"Wise Host," he explained on the second day of their travels, unrolling a large, beautifully detailed map. "The Boreal Frost Empire is a land of immense, specialized wealth. But it is also a land of harsh climates and treacherous terrain. To establish a profitable, long-term trade route, we must first understand the veins of commerce that already exist. We must know what the people need, and what they have to offer."
And so, they stopped. Their first major destination was a small, bustling city nestled in a wide, grey river valley, a place called Stonehaven. The city was famous for one thing: its quarries. The entire city was built from a beautiful, pale green stone, and the air hummed with the sound of cutting arrays and the chipping of hammers.
Spine descended in a hidden forest miles away, and the trio proceeded on foot. They did not disguise themselves. They walked into the city as they were: a powerful, portly merchant whose robes spoke of immense wealth; a quiet, handsome youth whose calm demeanor felt profound; and a woman of such elegant, mature beauty that she drew every eye.
Their arrival at the city gates immediately drew the attention of the city guard. Fat Pig, his face a mask of cheerful, commercial goodwill, stepped forward and presented a simple, yet exquisitely crafted, jade slip to the guard captain. It was sealed with the golden turtle shell and black crab claw of the Golden Shell Guild.
"Greetings, Captain!" he boomed. "I am Zhu, Vice Guild Master of the Golden Shell Guild, here on a tour of potential trade partners in these fine northern lands. This is my esteemed business partner, Li Yu, and our associate, Lady Cyra."
The captain's eyes widened at the name. Even in this remote city, the whispers had arrived. The new, terrifyingly powerful merchant guild that had crushed the Riptide Legion and made the Boreal Frost Empire bow its head. He took the jade slip with trembling hands and, after confirming its authenticity, immediately became the most gracious host in the world.
Fat Pig spent the day in a state of commercial bliss. He was granted an immediate, private audience with the city's lord and the masters of the quarry guilds. He spoke of partnership, of distribution, of opening their local 'River Jade' to the vast, wealthy markets of the southern seas. His offer was not one of overwhelming, dizzying profit, but of something far more valuable: fairness and stability.
"Your River Jade is of excellent quality," Fat Pig had explained, his tone reasonable and shrewd. "But your production is throttled. You sell to a few local merchant families who dictate the price, knowing you have no other buyers. They buy low from you and sell high elsewhere, and you see none of that profit."
He let that simple, painful truth sink in before continuing. "The Golden Shell Guild operates on a different principle. We propose a long-term partnership. We will become your primary distributor, using our southern sea routes to introduce your River Jade to new, wealthy markets. In return, we will offer you a purchase price that is thirty percent higher than what you currently receive. It is a fair price, one that allows you to expand your operations and pay your workers better, and it still leaves a respectable profit margin for us. We do not seek to bleed our partners dry; we seek to grow wealthy together."
The city's leadership were left with a profound sense of relief and a deep, unshakeable respect. In a world of predatory merchant guilds, the Golden Shell Guild's offer was a revolutionary act of fair dealing. They agreed without a moment's hesitation, their gratitude absolute.
Meanwhile, Li Yu and Cyra explored the city. Li Yu found himself fascinated by the river that gave the jade its name. He stood by the riverbank, a place where the water flowed milky-white with stone dust, and opened a small, discreet portal to his sanctuary.
'Ying, Zhao. Caihong. See what you can find.'
The three beasts slipped into the river, a fleeting rainbow flanked by two midnight-blue shadows. Li Yu waited patiently, enjoying the bustling atmosphere of the city. After nearly an hour, his three scouts returned. Caihong projected a feeling of mild disappointment; the river was rich in common life, but held no hidden treasures. He recalled them, a quiet smile on his face. Not every river held a lost fortune.
He then spent some time exploring on his own, his spiritual sense gently probing the depths. He soon returned to his companions, his Koi's Sanctuary now home to a breeding pair of Stone-Skinned Gudgeon—a bizarre, bottom-dwelling fish whose scales had the texture and durability of smooth river stones—and a colony of Grit-Shelled Snails, whose shells were infused with the same mineral essence as the precious jade.
That evening, in the city's best inn, Fat Pig was scribbling furiously on a scroll. "We have secured the exclusive distribution rights, Wise Host," he reported, his eyes gleaming. "A stable, long-term partnership that will provide a consistent thirty percent profit margin. It is a solid foundation for our northern materials division."
They continued their journey north, their next stop a smaller, more specialized town famous for its potent Fire-Whiskey, a spirit brewed in volcanically heated hot springs. Here, however, they met a failure, there were many such failures in the business. They couldn't always be the lowest cost trader, or offer a price that was what people were looking for. The town's entire Fire-Whiskey production was controlled by a single, ancient family who had brewed it for five hundred years. They were proud, stubborn, and utterly uninterested in mass production.
"Your offer is generous, Vice Guild Master," the family patriarch, a wizened old man, had told Fat Pig. "But our whiskey is an art, not a commodity. We brew one thousand barrels a year. No more, no less. We will not compromise our quality for any amount of spirit stones."
Fat Pig, after an hour of fruitless negotiation, had simply bowed and walked away. "A shame," he muttered to Li Yu later. "But he is right. The volume is too low, and their price is too high. The profit margin is razor-thin. It does not fit our business model of large-scale, efficient trade.
A good merchant knows which deals to walk away from." Li Yu, for his part, still managed to acquire a breeding pair of Fire-Gut Salamanders that lived in the geothermal vents, another unique species for his collection.
Their next major destination was a grand, sprawling metropolis known as Silverstream City, famous for its powerful and ancient alchemy guilds. Here, Fat Pig's methods changed. He hosted lavish dinners for the heads of the smaller merchant families, his generosity and good humor winning them over.
He visited the alchemy guilds, not as a buyer, but as a potential supplier, offering them samples of rare demonic herbs from the Asura Clan, creating a demand for goods only he could provide. He was weaving a complex web of commerce with a master's touch. He was of course discussing these things with Kui and together they were planning their empire.
Li Yu, meanwhile, was drawn to the rivers. The water was icy cold, flowing down from the high, snow-capped peaks that marked the true beginning of the north. He found a quiet, secluded tributary and, using his own profound connection to the water, spent an afternoon exploring its depths. The aquatic life here was sparse, but what he found was of incredible quality. He returned with a single, precious breeding pair of Silver-Gill Frost Trout, a beautiful Rank 4 beast whose scales shimmered like polished silver and whose flesh contained a pure, gentle trace of ice-elemental energy, a priceless ingredient for alchemists.
On their final night in Silverstream City, Fat Pig's report was grim. "The war is hitting this place hard, Wise Host," he said, his usual cheerful tone gone. "The alchemy guilds rely on a steady supply of Frost-Lotus from the imperial territories. But the Third Prince's blockades have cut off the supply. Their reserves are dwindling. They are desperate. This is both a great danger, and a great opportunity."
He had learned what he needed to. After a full week of travel, they finally left the civilized lands behind and flew into the true, untamed north. The landscape became a harsh, beautiful vista of snow-dusted forests and towering, ice-capped mountains. After another two days of flying on Spine's back, they saw it.
It was not a simple city wall; it was a monument to imperial power. A colossal, hundred-meter-high wall of solid, blue-tinged ice, reinforced with glowing runes of immense power, stretched from one side of a massive mountain pass to the other. Towers carved from the same ice glittered in the cold, northern sun, and upon them stood soldiers in the full, intimidating plate armor of the Boreal Frost Empire. This was Frostgate City, the southern gateway to the empire, and the current military headquarters of the Third Prince's faction.
Spine descended in a hidden, snow-filled valley several miles away, and the trio proceeded on foot. The checkpoint at the main gate was a scene of tense, military efficiency. Every caravan was being meticulously searched, every traveler's identity papers scrutinized by grim-faced officers.
When it was their turn, the guard captain, a hardened Foundation Establishment expert, looked at their group with suspicion.
Fat Pig stepped forward, a warm, disarming smile on his face. He presented the same jade slip. "Greetings, Captain. I am Zhu, Vice Guild Master of the Golden Shell Guild. This is my business partner, Li Yu, and our associate, Lady Cyra. We have come on a matter of important business. We have sent notice of our arrival to both His Highness the Third Prince and Her Highness the Seventh Princess. I believe you will find our papers are in order."
The captain's eyes widened at the name of the Guild and the mention of both royal siblings. He took the jade slip as if it were a hot coal. After examining the authentic, powerful seal, his entire demeanor changed. The suspicion was gone, replaced by a wary, almost fearful, respect.
He barked an order, and a runner was sent into the city. A few minutes later, a high-ranking military officer arrived, his own expression a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
"The Guild is welcome in Frostgate City," the officer said, his bow stiff but correct. "Word has indeed arrived from both the Prince's and the Princess's command. The Prince's chief steward has been instructed to receive you. An envoy from the Seventh Princess is also en route to the city. Please, come with me."
They were escorted through the gates, the crowd of waiting merchants and travelers parting before them, their whispers a buzzing cloud of awe and speculation.
Once inside the city, Li Yu turned to his Vice Guild Master. "Fat Pig, you will handle the initial negotiations with both sides. You are the face of the Guild here. Be shrewd, but be fair. We are here to do business, not to be conquerors."
"Of course, Wise Host!"
"But you will not go alone," Li Yu continued. He focused his will, and a shimmer of energy appeared beside Fat Pig. It was Spine, now in his ancient, parchment-skinned human form, his aura completely retracted, appearing as nothing more than a frail, harmless old man. "Spine will accompany you as your personal bodyguard. His presence will ensure that your negotiations remain respectful."
Fat Pig's grin widened. With a 7th-level Core Formation expert as a silent bodyguard, he could negotiate with a dragon and still get a fair price. He and Spine were led away by the imperial officer, heading towards the city's central military command.
Li Yu watched them go, then turned to Cyra. "Now then," he said, a quiet, curious smile on his face. "Let us see what this frozen city has to offer."