111: Chapter 111 Hidden Old Files, Distinguished Guest Arrives

Governor Xue Zhen's Envoy arrived on the morning of the third day.

At the Outer Port of Blue Moon Island, a gray speedboat flying the banner of the East Sea Governors Office pulled into a berth.

The speedboat was small and lacked spirit cannon ports on its hull; on the deck stood only a boatman poling the craft and a middle-aged scholar dressed in dark blue official robes.

When the scholar disembarked, he carried the archive box himself—he brought no attendants, displayed no ceremonial guards, and did not even accept the boatman's help.

Lu Changyuan was waiting for him in the council hall.

There were only three people in the hall—Lu Changyuan sat in the main seat, Su Qingli stood beside him, and a blank registry was spread out on the table.

The Envoy entered, presented the box with both hands, and bowed in a strictly standard official manner.

Every movement was half a beat slower than the standard etiquette—the depth of his bow was two inches deeper than prescribed, and his timing for rising was one breath later than usual.

When Lu Changyuan took the archive box, he noticed the Envoy's fingers pressing against the edge of the box until his knuckles turned white.

"Governor Xue Zhen has ordered this official to deliver the complete old files of the Liyuan Ferry military depot to Domain Lord Lu."

The Envoy's voice was steady, but his Adam's apple bobbed after he finished saying the word "complete."

"There are forty-seven pages in total, bound in three stacks by year. The seal is intact. Please inspect them, Domain Lord Lu."

Lu Changyuan tore open the seal and opened the box.

The old files were neatly stacked by year.

The top stack contained personnel transfer orders and material dispatch records from the Liyuan Ferry military depot seventeen years ago—the "temporary dispatch order three days before the incident with the Sealed Fleet" that Governor Xue Zhen mentioned was on the very first page.

The paper had yellowed, and the ink had settled into a dark brown; in the signature column at the end of the dispatch order, Governor Xue Zhen's name was upright and clear.

Su Qingli took the old files, opened the registry, and began to check the serial numbers page by page.

She stopped when she reached the third stack.

The third stack consisted of the attachment pages for the dispatch orders—according to the military depot's filing rules, each dispatch order should be followed by an attachment page detailing the flow, listing which warehouse the order was ultimately sent to, who signed for it, and the date of execution.

The attachment pages for the first two stacks of old files were complete—each dispatch order had a corresponding flow detail.

Behind the first dispatch order in the third stack, that page had been cut out.

Su Qingli spread the text of the dispatch order on the table.

The text was complete—the issue date, material name, quantity of Sealed Fleet formation materials, and transport route were all clear.

Below the four characters "This order sent to—" at the end of the text, the cut was neat, the paper edge clean, and it had clearly been done with an official paper cutter.

It was the same cutting technique as the one on the Yongtai Firm shipping manifest.

Su Qingli looked up at Lu Changyuan.

Lu Changyuan said nothing and flipped the old file back one page—the page before the cut-out one contained Governor Xue Zhen's signature, and the one immediately following it was a purchase list.

The cut was positioned exactly between the two documents, not cutting a fraction too much or leaving a single character too little.

"Where did this page go?" Lu Changyuan looked up at the Envoy.

The Envoy lowered his head.

The fine beads of sweat on his forehead shimmered in the light filtering in from the window.

"This official... does not know. The old files were like this when retrieved. The Governor sealed the box himself."

Lu Changyuan closed the old files.

"Did Governor Xue have anything else to say?"

"The Governor said..." The Envoy's Adam's apple bobbed again, "All the old files are here. If Domain Lord Lu feels anything else is needed after reviewing them, you may send a message to ask him at any time."

He said the four characters "all are here" half a breath slower than the others.

Lu Changyuan looked into his eyes.

The Envoy's gaze lingered on the corner of the table for two breaths before shifting away—not toward the window, but toward the tips of his own shoes.

An Envoy from the East Sea Governors Office did not dare to look up at anyone in the Blue Moon Island council hall.

Su Qingli flipped over a page of the third stack of old files.

She gently pressed her finger against the edge of the cut paper, then brought her finger to her nose to sniff it.

She said nothing, only extended her finger toward Lu Changyuan.

There was a faint, fishy scent of ink on her fingertip—fresh ink.

Old ink from seventeen years ago should have long since dissipated.

On the paper edge where the cut was made, the color where the new ink and old paper met was half a shade darker than elsewhere.

Governor Xue Zhen had opened and looked at it himself before sealing the box.

Lu Changyuan put the old files back into the box and closed the lid.

He stood up and said one sentence to the Envoy.

"The Envoy should rest in the side hall for now. I have accepted the old files—after I have finished reviewing them, I will personally send a message to Governor Xue."

The Envoy was led into the side hall by Su Qingli.

Lu Changyuan stood by the council hall window, watching his back—a middle-aged man wearing the official robes of the East Sea Governors Office, walking on the stone-paved road of Blue Moon Island, his shoulders slightly slumped.

When Su Qingli returned, she had a freshly written note in her hand.

She placed it on the table; there were not many words on it.

"Is Governor Xue Zhen not afraid of us investigating further—but afraid that we won't? No. By withholding a page, he is testing whether we dare to accept it. If we accept it, it shows we have the confidence to proceed. If we don't—he will know the matter ends here."

Lu Changyuan finished reading the note, folded it, and tucked it into his sleeve.

"He is not testing whether we dare to accept it—he is testing whether we can afford the consequences."

He placed the note into a hidden compartment, alongside Commander Tie Zhan's reply and Zhou Laogen's testimony.

"The missing page in the old files stated who the dispatch order was ultimately sent to. Governor Xue Zhen saw that name—he thinks we might not be able to handle it."

"So, will we accept it?"

"No rush." Lu Changyuan stood by the window, "Let's first see what the other guest today has to say."

At the Outer Port Pier, a three-story treasure ship painted in deep red and gold was dropping anchor.

The hull was longer than the largest berth at the Blue Moon Island Outer Port.

The prow was carved with a golden bird spreading its wings, its eyes inlaid with two dragon eye-sized red Spirit Stones—the light was visible even in daylight, casting two dark red patches of light on the water.

The deck was stacked with neatly arranged cargo boxes, branded on the lids with the mark of Jubao Pavilion—a copper coin pattern surrounded by a ring of Outer Sea navigation symbols.

A crowd of curious islanders had already gathered on the Pier.

The treasure ship sat deep in the water—the cargo boxes were not empty.

Manager Song Yuan, the chief manager of Jubao Pavilion's East Sea region, stood on the Pier waiting.

He was not wearing the silk robes common among merchants, but a gray-blue coarse cloth short shirt—the material was spirit cotton cloth worn by ordinary Cultivators, but the tailoring was extremely well-fitted, and the stitching at the cuffs and collar was so fine it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

He was followed by two attendants.

Each was carrying a Storage Pouch, the bags bulging, the spirit-sealing ropes at the mouths tied loosely—it looked as if they had been packed casually, not like specially prepared gifts.

When Lu Changyuan arrived at the Pier, Manager Song Yuan was looking at the water outside the berth.

"Domain Lord Lu." Manager Song Yuan turned around and cupped his hands—a merchant's greeting, neither bowing nor bending at the waist, "Manager Zhou caused some offense a few days ago. I, Song, have come personally today for two matters—first, to apologize, and second, to discuss business."

He took a flat, black-lacquered wooden box from his sleeve and opened the lid.

Inside lay six pale cyan beads the size of dragon eyes—the surface of each bead had a layer of flowing water patterns, as if a small patch of the sea were sealed inside the bead.

"Water-Avoiding Beads—six of them. They are not top-grade, but they are enough to ensure a round trip in the Deep Water Zone of the Outer Sea. Consider it an apology."

Lu Changyuan glanced into the box.

Although Jubao Pavilion's Outer Sea East Route was known for driving down prices, Manager Zhou had already lowered his stance when sending the private letter—now that the chief manager had come personally and brought Water-Avoiding Beads, the apology carried significant weight.

"We shall not speak of the apology." Lu Changyuan made a gesture of invitation, "Manager Song, please come inside and sit."

In the reception hall, Su Qingli served spirit tea—it was ordinary Snow Bud tea produced on the island, not high-grade tea for guests.

Manager Song Yuan picked it up and took a sip.

"The tea is average. But the water used to brew it is good."

He set the teacup down and looked out the window, "Domain Lord Lu—this patch of seawater was not this color before. I traveled through this sea area ten years ago, and the seabed was grayish and dull. Now it is clear."

"It cleared slowly."

"Only what clears slowly is valuable. Water that turns clear overnight likely has something in it."

Manager Song Yuan turned the teacup.

He took a second sheet of paper from his sleeve—not a contract, but a market report for the Outer Sea civilian spirit liquid market.

The paper was the pale yellow, large-print paper used by Jubao Pavilion, with fresh ink.

It listed the names, grades, and estimated monthly sales of seven or eight types of spirit liquids in the civilian channels.

"purification liquid—Jubao Pavilion has spent half a month assessing demand at the Outer Sea Loose Cultivator Piers and long-haul merchant fleets."

He pushed the market report to Lu Changyuan, "Here are the results. Outer Sea Loose Cultivators, long-haul fleets, and small island chain markets—combined, the monthly demand is no less than that of the military.

The military uses it for frontline anti-demon efforts, focusing on wound cleaning, toxin purification, and talisman paper preparation.

The civilian channel is for daily use—cleaning ship hulls, washing wounds, and maintaining water quality for long voyages. The two sides do not conflict."

"And the price?"

"The military gives you fifty-five Spirit Stones per bottle." Manager Song Yuan picked up the teacup and set it down again, "For the civilian channel—I offer forty-five."

Forty-five Spirit Stones—ten Spirit Stones lower than the unit price of the military long-term contract.

But the military only accepted goods of military specifications, whereas the civilian channel could handle volume.

"How much will you take per month?"

"I will take as much as you can produce. For the first three months, we will test the waters of the civilian channel—no less than eighty bottles per month. After three months, we will adjust the volume based on channel feedback."

Manager Song Yuan took the contract from his sleeve and spread it on the table, "There are only three terms in the contract.

First, Jubao Pavilion is responsible for Outer Sea transport and channel distribution; shipping costs and channel losses are borne by Jubao Pavilion.

Second, pricing power belongs to Blue Moon Island—whatever price you set, I will sell at that price.

Third, sign for one year, settle monthly—on the first day of each month, Jubao Pavilion's ship will arrive at the port on time to pick up the goods and settle the previous month's payment on the spot."

Su Qingli read through the contract clause by clause.

After she finished, she calculated a few lines in the ledger—calculating at forty-five Spirit Stones per bottle and a monthly production of eighty bottles, that was three thousand six hundred Spirit Stones per month.

Forty-three thousand Spirit Stones per year.

That was just the civilian channel.

With the military long-term contract producing one hundred fifty to two hundred bottles per month at fifty-five Spirit Stones per bottle—combined, Blue Moon Island's annual Spirit Stone income would multiply their past total assets several times over.

She pushed the ledger to Lu Changyuan.

Lu Changyuan glanced at it but did not express an opinion.

"The terms offered by Manager Song—are more than a grade higher than that three-year exclusive sale contract from Manager Zhou previously."

Lu Changyuan pushed the contract back half an inch, "But I have one condition."

"Please speak."

"We will not sign a three-month trial supply. If we sign, we sign for a year. But there is one condition—"

Lu Changyuan shifted his gaze from the contract to Manager Song Yuan's face, "I need to take Manager Song to see something first. After you see it, you can decide whether you want to agree to this condition."

Manager Song Yuan's eyebrows twitched.

"See what?"

"See how we make the purification liquid."

Manager Song Yuan set down the teacup.

Outside the window, in the chimney of the Trial Workshop, Chen Mo had just lit the first fire of the afternoon—the smoke rising from the chimney was a very faint cyan, containing no Impurities.

"Very well." Manager Song Yuan stood up and brushed the non-existent dust from his hem, "I also want to see—what a Workshop capable of producing purification liquid of this grade actually looks like."