Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 781 - 748: What a Ingenious Scheme! (Part 2)
"After tonight, the name of the Five Great Merchants of Silver Valley will have to change." He gestured for silence, smiling pleasantly, "Although I don’t know if there will be four, three, or even just two families left, the Shi Family is certainly first..."
Before he could finish, a powerful oppressive force suddenly descended from the sky.
"Gao Yi, Centurion of the Demon Realm Alliance’s Law Enforcement Hall, is here to handle a case. Idle cultivators stand aside! Where is the Shi Family of Silver Valley? Surrender at once!"
The subsequent commanding inquiry filled with authority caused all demon cultivators and demon beasts in the city to be nearly terrified out of their minds. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Old Master Shi reacted quickly, sensing that the situation was turning unfavorable, he immediately took out a Teleportation Talisman to flee.
Although he didn’t know why the Demon Realm Alliance would dispatch soldiers to Silver Valley, from the sound of it, it sure wasn’t good, he decided to escape first!
However, the Teleportation Talisman wouldn’t move. His dim eyes finally noticed the entire city was covered by a Barrier, and suddenly the unpleasant terms "catching turtles in a jar" and "shutting the door to beat the dog" flashed through his mind.
The wilderness had not yet descended, and the people of Silver Valley were still too afraid to step out, but upon suddenly hearing such a loud commotion, all craned their necks to look outside.
"Oh my god! What kind of alliance is this that is so formidable, as majestic as celestial soldiers, each one with an awe-inspiring presence!"
"The Demon Realm Alliance, I heard about them working at the Liang Family, is the most powerful place above the wilderness. Every demon cultivator who joins the alliance is capable of shaking one side with power!"
"Handling a case? Is it because the Shi Family committed some crime, so they came to arrest people?"
"Good! Good! Finally, Hao Tian has opened his eyes today, it’d be great if they captured all the Five Great Merchants!"
"Shut up! You fool, if someone hears and reports you, you won’t escape with just severe punishment..."
...
The oppressive force in the air grew stronger, and the elites within the Shi Family’s courtyard dared not even breathe loudly, all concealing their auras for fear of being targeted.
The vast mansion suddenly turned chaotic, but it quickly grew eerily silent.
"Noisy." Gao Yi snapped his fingers.
The mouths of everyone in the Shi mansion were shut as if glued, and in the somber silence, he descended from the sky step by step like a grim reaper, the heavy clanking of his armor striking terror in all who heard it.
"Go!"
He flicked his right hand, sending a disc-shaped Magical Treasure flying, spinning a few times before heading straight towards the courtyard where Shi Kesong lived.
Moments later, with a "buzz," it unfurled a backtrack light curtain.
In the scene, Li Dehai said something that enraged Shi Kesong, causing him to leap up and move to kill.
Gao Yi saw this and squinted slightly, the Hall Master had specifically instructed; if a backtrack could retrieve only the scene as evidence, then that would suffice and nothing else was necessary.
The murder evidence was now obtained; next was the evidence of Li Dehai’s collusion with the Five Great Merchants.
"Next, answer truthfully whatever I ask." He glanced over, fixing his gaze upon Old Master Shi, the most highly cultivated, flicked his fingers to undo the "gag" spell, and coldly questioned, "Is the Shi Family of Silver Valley collaborating with Li Dehai of the Xinhuo Trade to run a firestone business together?"
Feeling a release at the corners of his mouth, and his throat able to make sound again, the trembling, tear-streaked Old Master Shi cried out, "Senior, we are wronged, our Shi Family..."
Swish!
A bright light flashed, and abruptly the old man was beheaded. His head rolled to the ground, lips still faintly moving, as if trying to finish pleading.
The icy gaze swept over the terrified crowd, "Who here understands human speech?"
Selecting another at random to lift the gag, he questioned again.
"Yes! The Shi Family did collaborate with Li Dehai in the firestone business, that’s right." The witness, having seen the horrifying death of Old Master Shi, didn’t dare utter another unnecessary word, stammering the answer out.
Gao Yi, quite satisfied, continued, "Where is the large amount of pre-paid funds you collected?"
The individual was dumbfounded, funds?
"I-I don’t know, the Patriarch manages all of that, I have no authority over..."
Swish!
Another one died.
Everyone was terrified to death, unable to escape, couldn’t even cry, and could only nervously pray that they wouldn’t be the next.
After three executions, finally, someone clearly answered the question word for word.
"The Shi Family criminals have confessed: the Five Great Merchants of Silver Valley allied with Li Dehai to hoard incomes collected massively over the past three to four years, using them to purchase Magical Treasures, Cultivation Techniques, and for daily expenses, with any remaining stored in the treasury. Search for the illicit funds!"
After preserving evidence, within the time it takes for a cup of tea, the Law Enforcement Hall violently confiscated everything of value in the entire manor, leaving not a penny behind, even the storage bags each demon cultivator carried were taken away.
"As for these remaining demon cultivators..." Gao Yi glanced around unable to find the murderer or Patriarch Shi Kesong, randomly choosing one to ask, "Where is your Patriarch Shi Kesong?"
The person had no idea, forced to bite the bullet and say, "Just heard the Old Master say, he left with the other four patriarchs to handle some business."
Gao Yi nodded slightly and turned to leave, "If that’s the case, kill them all."
Behind him, a bloodied horror ensued, as he approached the gate peering out. There weren’t many prominent manors, so he raised his hand pointing to the nearest one, commanding, "Proceed to the next family."
"May I ask, senior, are you here to handle the Five Villainous Merchants?" Just as he walked onto the street, a beggar woman tremulously said from a corner, "Good! How wonderful! Finally, a savior has come for us in Silver Valley!"
Gao Yi immediately glanced at his subordinates, "Memory Stone, where is it? Hurry and record the evidence."
Turning back toward the old beggar woman, his icy face relaxed a notch, and his tone was less severe, "Granny, could you repeat what you just said? We’re dispatched from the Demon Realm Alliance’s Law Enforcement Hall to arrest the Five Great Merchants of Silver Valley, have they been sinister in their deeds?"
"Yes indeed!" the old woman slapped her leg in anger, "They’re utterly wicked! The entire citizenry of this city are mere slaves to these Five Villains! They control the Teleportation Array and protective Array; we have nowhere to escape to.
There’s no end to recounting their evil! You from the alliance, it’s great that you’re getting rid of them, only then can the people of Silver Valley have a way out..."
Unexpectedly gaining an extra reward, beneath his perpetually stoic facade, Gao Yi was quite pleased.
But having failed to capture the murderer and bring them to justice was ultimately less than perfect.
Thus, while interrogating the Qi Family members, besides securing evidence, he inquired about Patriarch Qi Lao’s whereabouts.
"Please wait here a moment; if the five patriarchs return, arrest them right away. I’ll be back shortly." Following the Hall Master’s directives on the cleanup process, Gao Yi confiscated, annihilated all of the Five Families;
Additionally, from a Qi Family Elder attempting to bribe him, he learned the location of the firestone mine.
Determined to carve out a career within the Demon Realm Alliance, he couldn’t care less about disputes over mineral resources or money.
Teleporting to Sand Hill City was to capture the five murderers.
As the Teleportation Array’s radiance faded, Gao Yi only felt a searing heat; not far ahead was an ancient city, even devoid of guards on the walls. However, as he approached, a familiar aura hit him.
"Array of the Demon Realm Alliance!" Faceless, within he was struck by tremendous shock, instantly grasping why the Hall Master cautioned him to leave no living witnesses.
This wasn’t an ordinary Array; it was perhaps only accessible to high-ranking alliance elders, the same as the Trapped Snake Island Array.
Ironically, this Array was protecting a city that produced firestone; in other words, Sand Hill City was backed by some high-ranking alliance elder.
Intently staring at the Array, he marveled inwardly, "What a cleverly devised scheme!"
The Xinhuo Trade’s prepayment collections had been going on for three to four years. Surprising it erupts now and becomes such a big issue, reasons worth pondering.
"The patriarchs of the Five Great Merchants, are probably dead already, right?" Gao Yi promptly realized the reason, it was simply some elder coveting the firestone business, specifically framing the treacherous merchants of Sand Hill City for exploitation.
The result is: the Five Villainous Merchants, hated by Silver Valley’s residents, were wiped out; the debts from Trapped Snake Island merchants were recovered; and the firestone business conveniently had a new Shopkeeper take over.
Truly a win for everyone!
With a flick of his finger, the backtracking Magical Treasure flew out again, subsequently unfurling an image on the light curtain, momentarily startling Gao Yi’s usually impassive face!
"Who is this... senior? An enigmatic elder even within the Demon Realm Alliance?" The light from the Celestial Fire on the backtrack light curtain obscured Jiang Yuan’s face, but the aura of the Celestial Fire reflected through the magic mirror; as he watched the effortless transformation of demon cultivators to ash, sweat instantly rolled down his forehead.
Many demon beast bones are even crafting materials for weapons, and one can only imagine how tough these bones are, especially when considering a Great Demon like Shi Kesong, it isn’t frightening to slay him easily, but terrifying to reduce him to ash in an instant!
How powerful must that Celestial Fire be?
