21: Chapter 21 Land Deed!

"Land deeds?"

Shen Yi's eyes flickered as he looked at Steward Zhao before him with a strange expression, speaking with a half-smile.

"These are borderline items... The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce actually sells things like this?"

"Aren't you afraid of getting your head chopped off?"

Undoubtedly, the aura radiating from this land deed definitely belonged to the Sanchuan Sand Sea.

This had to be said—the Jing Dynasty had some rather unique customs when it came to land enclosure.

Back then, the Jing Dynasty had spent an unknown amount to conquer the Sanchuan Sand Sea... but when it came time for development, they faced a very awkward situation.

The Sanchuan Sand Sea at that time was the land of the Yao Race. It was fertile year-round; even ordinary plains could grow Grade-1 spiritual items, let alone those blessed mountain valleys.

The Jing Dynasty had set its sights on this land and led troops to conquer it.

It took hundreds of years to finally take it... Under the trampling of millions of soldier-Cultivators and horses, the Spiritual Qi began to become chaotic.

That wasn't the final straw that broke the camel's back. It was the Great Experts of the Immortal Dao.

The Yao Race refused to let go, and the Jing Dynasty wanted to hold it in their hands. The only way was to fight.

Purple Mansion Cultivators and Golden Core Immortal Masters attacked frequently. Mountains and rivers cracked.

The rolling fertile soil turned into yellow sand... The Spiritual Qi withered and became scarce. The earth veins no longer favored the Sanchuan Plains.

Before the Yao Race left, a Saint-Grade Great Yao unleashed a massive attack, wiping out the vitality of half the Sanchuan Sand Sea.

The Jing Kingdom had plucked the peach, but it was a rotten one!

Facing such harsh conditions, continuing to invest large amounts of manpower and resources was naturally a loss. The masters of the Jing Dynasty came up with a solution.

That was to outsource the Sanchuan Sand Sea.

Yes, you heard that right!

Outsourcing... using the Development Edict, distributing it to noble families as merit... as a reward for their service.

Dividing the territory and turning it into the fiefs of noble families... hoping that the noble families would spend money, relocate commoners, and subsequently nourish the Sanchuan Sand Sea.

Hmm... the key was that many noble families were actually quite willing.

Besides the coercion and temptation from the Jing Dynasty, it was also because the Central Plains were already overcrowded.

The Sanchuan Sand Sea had crises, but the opportunities were also huge. There was no shortage of Yao Beasts or territory here... and one could act as a local warlord. Who wouldn't want that? Everyone wanted it!

And so... many noble families began to take office.

But it was very obvious that many noble families had overestimated their own foundations.

They had to face... the channeling of Spiritual Qi, guarding against bandits, resisting Yao Beasts, preventing natural disasters, diverting water for irrigation, and the poor harvests of the five grains—a multitude of natural and man-made disasters.

Therefore... quite a few noble families were dragged down and ruined.

After being ruined, they wanted to give up... but the Jing Kingdom's Development Edict didn't allow for freebies—you couldn't just walk away without a penalty. Their investments here couldn't be taken back, and they couldn't even relocate the commoners!

The choices they faced were either selling it to the imperial court at a very low price... or... selling it to other noble families or factions.

There were also some noble families that did it to develop mineral resources. Once the mining was finished, the usefulness of the towns dropped to freezing point. Being useless to the noble families, they were naturally abandoned.

And the ones appearing in Steward Zhao's hands... their origins were mixed, so one had to distinguish them carefully. But they had one advantage... they were cheap!

Shen Yi asked, "There won't be any trouble, right?"

"If I touch things that shouldn't be touched... the imperial court won't come for me, will they!"

Steward Zhao shook his head with a smile.

"The imperial court's targeting is directed at those noble families... This was a plan devised by the court to weaken the noble families."

"If Lord Shen takes them over... the court won't blame you; on the contrary, they will highly praise you!"

"After all, Lord Shen is genuinely taking over this mess..."

Shen Yi immediately understood... this was asking him to clean up the mess? However... he had to look at the return on investment!

At the same time, he had some strange questions.

"Then what is the current situation of the towns in these land deeds?"

Steward Zhao's expression became somewhat unnatural, and he coughed.

Shen Yi's expression turned ugly. "Steward Zhao... are you trying to scam me?"

Steward Zhao hurriedly said, "What are you saying?"

"Lord Shen, please rest assured... My Four Seas Chamber of Commerce never cheats customers, so everything is clearly marked!"

Shen Yi took the land deeds in his hand!

[Shisha Town, you have chosen Shisha Town. Here, yellow sand covers the sky and earth; there isn't even a water vein... Return rate (21%)]

[Xuelin Town, you have chosen Xuelin Town. Here, there is a snow forest on the verge of extinction; Return rate (11%)]

[Heshu Town, you have chosen Heshu Town. Here, there is a dried-up riverbed, with only a little water source left; Return rate (46%)]

Shen Yi shook his head repeatedly while looking at them, but then asked a key question.

"If I buy the land deeds, can I relocate the commoners from them?"

Steward Zhao nodded. "Naturally, you can... Those restrictions are aimed at those noble families; as an official of the Immortal Dynasty with a clean record like yourself, you naturally won't be affected."

"Besides, the vast majority of the fiefs in the Sanchuan Sand Sea are wilderness. Forcibly staying there is just waiting for death!"

Seeing this, Shen Yi nodded... Suddenly, he rubbed a land deed, and his heart stirred.

[Shuhe Ancient Town, you have chosen Shuhe Ancient Town. Beneath your feet lies a ruin, along with a large-scale Shuhe stone mine; this item can inhibit the evaporation of moisture... Return rate (233%)]

Shen Yi's heart stirred, and he randomly picked up another land deed.

[Pingshu Town, you have chosen Pingshu Town. This is located inside a hollowed-out mountain, with negligible mineral resources and hundreds of dying commoners... Return rate (98%)]

Shen Yi suddenly beamed with joy, but on his face, he remained unmoved.

"Then I'll take these two land deeds..."

Steward Zhao picked up the two land deeds, his eyes somewhat suspicious.

"Very well... A total of 10,000 copper coins."

"Why don't you just go rob someone?"

"Where is robbery as fast as doing business?"

"One thousand!"

"Just kill me instead!"

"I wouldn't dare!"

"Are you being sincere or not?"

"It is you who are being intentional!"

"Which 'sincere' do you mean?"

"The sincerity of being honest..."

"You should have said so earlier!"

"Final price, 7,000 coins..."

"Deal!"

Steward Zhao saw Shen Yi put the items away and said, "The first time a land deed is used, you can use a one-time teleportation array, which can support one round trip."

"If Lord Shen needs it, you can purchase a permanent directional teleportation array from the Ministry of Works or my Four Seas Chamber of Commerce."

"It only costs 15,000 copper coins... It comes with a 30-year warranty~"

Shen Yi's face darkened.

"Next time, for sure."

"Anything else you need?"

"Some miscellaneous items..."

"Leave it to me."

"By the way, I see Lord Shen brought quite a lot of lingyuan rice?"

"Don't you even think about it... I'm counting on it for my promotion!"

"This... alright..."

"Lord Shen, if you want some cheap, able-bodied men... why not ask the Ministry of War? They have a new batch of deserters and prisoners."

"I don't know if they are useful, but relatively speaking, they are cheaper!"

Seeing this, Shen Yi nodded.

Afterward, led by Wang Teng, Shen Yi traveled without stopping to the Ministry of Works and purchased ten Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses. It cost 1,000 copper coins.

He felt very rich right now... but also not that rich.

Subsequently, under an introduction... he arrived at the Ministry of War.