Beast Taming Universe Survival Guide

Chapter 31 Black Market and the Ocean

So that's what she was planning. Jiang Yong understood.

He also knew something about the military in Yunqi City, but it was certainly not as detailed and comprehensive as the several large bags of information An Li had provided. Moreover, there were some things he had originally planned to let the black market know about, so it would be even better if he could exchange them for something now.

So he asked, "What kind of information do you want?"

"I don't know what you know either. Just tell me what you think you know, the more important the better." An Li shook the file bag in his hand, then added in a mature tone, "And let me remind you, I'm not completely clueless about Tiandu City, so don't try to fool me."

"Don't worry, I have no reason to lie."

Jiang Yong smiled slightly, then recalled the experience he had accumulated in his previous life while pondering how to best convey the information he knew.

After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke, "The smuggling of elite races is fabricated. Tiandu City's goal this time is to provoke conflict; trying to ease tensions through concessions won't be very effective. However, based on the information I have, there shouldn't be any large-scale direct conflict for at least three months."

"Fabricated?"

An Li tilted his head, puzzled. "Are you sure? Although I haven't found any signs of an elite-level arrest operation being prepared in the black market, Tiandu City also has no reason to take action. The situation is relatively stable right now. Even with this self-created opportunity, Tiandu City would have to suffer significant losses to deal with the black market. What are they planning?"

"...I don't know about that."

Jiang Yong's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

"All right."

She tossed a file folder to Jiang Yong, then stroked her chin: "Three months..."

"In addition, within a month, Tiandu City may significantly reduce salt taxes, while simultaneously increasing scrutiny and crackdowns on industries in small and medium-sized city-states in the eastern territory."

Jiang Yong casually took the file bag, weighed it in his hand, and continued speaking.

"Are you sure?"

An Li's expression changed, and he became even more serious.

If this information is true, it would be tantamount to cutting off the lifeline of the entire black market, directly striking at its core. However, Tiandu City itself would also suffer a significant backlash.

"It's basically confirmed."

Jiang Yong's expression remained unchanged: "Their attitude in causing trouble this time is exceptionally resolute; when they go crazy, they'll even hit themselves."

As is widely known, the Eastern Territory is the only land within human sphere of influence that leads to the ocean. The ocean of Carlo Star is a rich and mysterious treasure trove for humanity, endowing the Eastern Territory with irreplaceable strategic value. However, the ocean is also fraught with danger, as various unknown and powerful spirits hunt and compete within it, making it difficult for human contractors, who already lack understanding of and methods to deal with ocean spirits, to make any progress.

In addition, only fifteen years have passed since the "Final Battle" ended, and humanity as a whole has only just begun to recover some of its strength. Recently, it has also been mired in internal strife and does not yet have the ability to explore the ocean in depth in the short term.

In this situation, the resource that humanity can most easily obtain from the ocean—the one with the largest output and the most important value—is obvious.

Salt!

Lethal doses of salt!

Humanity, as an intelligent species, rose from humble beginnings in one of the most barren regions of the continent, where salt mines were scarce and had always been a major constraint on the development of civilization. Thus, when the ocean, an inexhaustible salt mine, presented itself to humanity, almost all city-states were blinded by immense profit, disregarding the order established by the confederation and frantically vying for control of coastal areas, while the weak and isolated central government of the confederation was utterly powerless to stop them.

This event led to two important outcomes.

Firstly, most coastal territories eventually fell under the control of four major city-states. Salt production was subject to exorbitant taxes and fees at each stage of transport inland, resulting in incredibly high prices once it entered the market. Ultimately, sodium chloride, a familiar commodity, once again became a classic example of smuggling—a cause for celebration indeed!

Secondly, it challenged the beliefs of two pivotal figures, prompting them to make up their minds and embark on their respective plans.

One of these two men was Vega Dona, the lord of Tiandu City. Although Tiandu City was a large city-state, it once strongly supported the policies of the Confederation's central government and attempted to curb the monopoly of the other three large city-states over the coastal areas. However, after realizing that he was ultimately powerless to change the status quo, he became completely disillusioned with the Confederation system and began to accumulate Tiandu City's strength by any means necessary, with the goal of unifying the city by force.

The other was the chief of the Confederation of Carole. He did not lose heart after that, but made several more attempts, including fighting for the right to mint coins and to establish a central bank. After all these plans failed, he began to secretly support the black market and turn it into the strongest weapon against the monopoly and oppression of the large city-states. He tried his best to mediate between the parties and maintain the balance of the entire Confederation.

Smuggling sea salt has always been one of the core businesses of the black market. If Tiandu City were to significantly reduce its salt tax, while it wouldn't make much difference to consumers, it would almost halve the black market's economic source. However, if only Tiandu City reduced its salt tax without consulting the other three major city-states beforehand, it could lead to the other city-states uniting against Tiandu City. Furthermore, Tiandu City has already profited considerably from salt taxes, so this move would be tantamount to cutting itself in two.

In summary, this move can indeed deal a heavy blow to the black market, but it also means that Tiandu City has offended almost the entire Confederation, and even its own bureaucrats and merchants, resulting in far too many side effects.

"……I see."

An Li nodded with a heavy heart, hesitated for a moment, and then handed Jiang Yong a file folder.

"In addition, Tiandu City is secretly collecting large quantities of high-end mechanical materials, and has been doing so for several years. They must be manufacturing something important."

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yong finally revealed some clues about the final plan of Tiandu City from another angle—all the people in Tiandu City who were in charge of matters related to the Necromancer Meteor were the city lord's confidants, and they were always meticulous in their work, leaving almost no clues outside.

However, the other materials used to create that artificial spirit were different. Due to the enormous demand, it was difficult to completely erase the traces, so they could only be concealed by mixing them into normal demand. Some of them were even purchased through the Yunqi Black Market. Once there was a direction for the investigation, it wouldn't be difficult for An Li to uncover clues with his abilities.

"The mechanical devices... I always feel they're inextricably linked to the recent anomalies in Tiandu City."

An Li nodded and casually handed over the last file folder: "Any more?"

After she finished speaking, she realized that she seemed to have used up all her bargaining chips. She paused for a moment and was about to talk about other conditions when she suddenly noticed that Jiang Yong's expression had changed to one of hesitation and confusion. She hesitated for a moment and then remained silent.

After a long while, Jiang Yong took a silent breath, as if he had made a great decision.

"Hmm... there's one more thing."