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"Speaking of which... Brother Wei, you must be someone with a status, right?"

In the vast ship cabin, at a corner, Luo Yi covered his nose and looked around. He wasn’t a delicate person, but the current environment was just too harsh.

The cabin crammed with hundreds of people, the ship was large but the interior was not well-ventilated. The mix of body odor and foot odor, along with the occasional smell of dry food and the vomit of those seasick, blended together to create a truly ’refreshing’ atmosphere.

It really made him, an imperial official of more than twenty years, quite uncomfortable.

Even Weichi Peng, who often stayed in military camps, frowned a bit. He had his own body scent and normally had a certain immunity to some strong odors, but now it was just too much to bear...

Wei Gongcheng just smiled lightly, "There’s no helping it.

Nowadays, many people use ships, and there simply aren’t enough of them.

All three shipyards are rushing work, but alas, there are too few professionals.

With the current business opportunities in Jiangnan, I estimate there will be a ship shortage for the next two or three years. "

The words piqued Weichi Peng’s interest, "Are there three shipyards in Jiangnan capable of building this type of ship now?"

"Hmm..." Wei Gongcheng smiled as he looked at him, knowing that Weichi Peng once dreamt of being a naval admiral, so he patiently said, "The ship you see now is designed half a year ago. The new ships are going to be much larger, and the academy has begun to research a type of ship that can generate its own power instead of relying on sails. I estimate that by the end of the year at the latest, you’ll be able to see them. "

"Oh?" Weichi Peng, who had studied maritime affairs, suddenly brightened up, "Generate its own power, not relying on sails?"

Wouldn’t such a ship be able to go wherever it wished on the sea?

Is it really possible for such a thing to exist in this world?

"Academy?" Luo Yi was more curious about this term, as this wasn’t the first time he had heard it.

Lately, many merchants in Nanming Prefecture have come to trade new commodities in addition to the usual tea, alcohol, and grains; intriguing items such as clocks, telescopes, and some jewels that carry elemental power to provide relief from the summer heat.

When he asked about their origin, the merchants uniformly claimed they were researched and developed by the young scholars at the academy.

This piqued his curiosity.

The quality of Jiangnan’s grain was clearly higher; the tea and alcohol both had obvious spiritual power-enhancing effects.

The jewelry and clocks had magical functions, and even the silk clothing worn had functions and colors that ordinary clothes did not possess.

All these items... were researched at the academy.

"Mister Wei, could you tell me more about this thing?"

"Hmm... Well..." Wei Gongcheng glanced around; he clearly sensed that on this ship, there were several scholars who were cautiously eavesdropping on their conversation.

"The academy was personally established by Lord Chen Qing to train professional magicians."

"Professional magicians?"

That statement... not only stirred something in Luo Yi, but also made a few scholars nearby move a bit closer.

"The academy is called Lyuzhou Yin Yang Academy," Wei Gongcheng said with a smile.

"Lyuzhou Yin Yang Academy?" Luo Yi immediately laughed, "That’s a bold claim!"

Graduates from any sorcerer academy hold a deep sense of pride towards the Imperial Court-established Yin Yang Academy, with the most magic techniques, the most comprehensive categories of technique, and the best senior magicians giving lectures; it is the holy ground in the eyes of all young magicians.

And now a mere Lyuzhou dares to share its name?

Does Chen Qing understand what the four characters of Yin Yang Academy represent?

"Isn’t there the addition of ’Lyuzhou’ in front?" Wei Gongcheng spoke with a smile, "There’s no intention to compare. Besides... even if there were a comparison, it’s not like we can’t compare..."

"Oh?" Luo Yi immediately laughed in exasperation, "It seems that the recent defeat of the Imperial Court has made Mister Wei quite arrogant..."

"Hmm?" Wei Gongcheng appeared curious, "The Imperial Court was merely probing this time; they didn’t send their elite forces. What’s there to be arrogant about after beating them?"

Weichi Peng: "...."

"So it seems Mister Wei isn’t a frog at the bottom of a well!" Luo Yi said coldly, "How else could you say those words just now?"

"Because it is the truth..." Wei Gongcheng replied with a smile.

"The truth?" Luo Yi grew angry, "You say that Lyuzhou Academy is a place for training magicians. What kind of magicians are you talking about in your mouths? Are they just master craftsmen and inventors? Even tea, alcohol, and food were developed by magicians. Your Jiangnan’s magicians are indeed quite unique! "

"Master craftsmen and inventors are also a type of magician..." Wei Gongcheng answered nonchalantly, "Aren’t the magicians of the Ministry of Works the treasures of major families?"

"Is that the same?" Luo Yi frowned, "The items made by the Ministry of Works benefit all people in the world!"

"We are no different..." Wei Gongcheng said, "This ship that you’re sitting on has made maritime trade in Jiangnan even more prosperous, and the frequency of maritime circulation has increased.

The food you ate a few days ago allows Jiangnan to feed millions of people with very little farming land.

If this is not benefiting the people, then what is? "

Luo Yi: "..."

He felt he couldn’t win the argument with the other party...

"The magicians we cultivate are indeed different from those of the Imperial Court. As for how they are different, Lord Luo will know once he sees for himself."

"Really?" Luo Yi could only mumble in response, "Then I shall wait and see!"

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The waterway between Lyuzhou and Nanming Prefecture wasn’t particularly close; usual boats took at least half a day to travel the distance. But for some unknown reason, this ship, perhaps due to a special power, arrived at the Lyuzhou port in less than two hours.

When disembarking, the bustling port, crowded with people, stunned the merchants who had witnessed the prosperity of Jiangnan in the past.

It seemed that many of them had visited Lyuzhou two years ago when it was nearly desolate. They never expected that in just two short years, its prosperity and liveliness would surpass even its previous peak.

They had predicted that, after the outbreak of the living dead, other regions of Jiangnan would not be as strong as Nanming Prefecture, and that one in a hundred of the common people could survive, creating an inferno on earth.

But to their surprise, so many people were still here, and from the looks of it, they were living quite well.

The port was a hive of activity; everyone seemed robust. For a moment, it felt not like Jiangnan, but rather as if they had traveled to the lands of Qin, with everyone having a healthy, ruddy complexion and vibrant spirit.

Nanming Prefecture was the pinnacle of Jiangnan’s livelihood.

Even in the entire Great Jin, the ordinary people’s living standard was ranked in the top three.

Yet, looking around, most of the common folk were still pale-faced.

The porters at the docks, even the robust ones, were only slightly better off than the average person.

Not so with the people before them; each person was strong as an ox, with a ruddy complexion and bright eyes, as though they were even better off than the martially trained sons of the wealthy merchants.

As for the dazzling array of goods on the docks, it was even more exaggerated. There were many items they couldn’t even name, and their eyes dazzled at the sight!

"Brother Feng, what is this?" an affluent merchant quickly pointed to six ice-blue gemstones that another merchant had just received.

Calling them gemstones seemed insufficient; they were more akin to jadeite, for only jadeite could possess such a crystalline and clear color.

Yet, they had never heard of blue jadeite, and the color was stunningly beautiful, as if it were the mythical Netherworld Icy Jade mentioned by storytellers.

Furthermore, from a far distance, they could feel the cool aura emanating from the gemstones. They felt a pleasant chill and comfortable relief from the heat as soon as they approached it.

"Oh, that..." The Feng surnamed merchant glanced over and said, "That is jadeite..."

"Really jadeite?" A group of people were immediately astonished, "But... how could jadeite be blue?"

"Because it’s enchanted."

"Enchanted?" A new term that none of them had heard of left the group gaping, "What does that mean?"

"This is the special ability of the teachers from the Earth Character Courtyard of Lyuzhou Academy. They can endow certain objects with special functions, which they call enchanting. The best materials for enchantment are jadeite, jade stone, and some jewels from the Southern Sea..."

Looking at the blue jadeite, Feng surnamed merchant continued, "That thing is very sought after now. It has a cooling effect in summer, and you can carry it with you. Even under the scorching sun, your surroundings will remain cool. It’s a luxury item!"

"There’s something like this?" The group’s eyes lit up.

During the sweltering summer heat, many wealthy merchants would use ice to keep cool, but ice easily caused heat illnesses.

Moreover, busy as they were with social engagements, they lacked such a miraculous item.

Just thinking about the gemstone that made the surroundings so cool and was so beautiful made them realize that if they showed it at a social gathering, it would garner more face than any rare treasure.

Especially for noblewomen, during summer, when they wear cool, lightweight dresses, make-up easily gets ruined by sweat. Many scenic places become annoying because of the heat, but with that item...

Without thinking, they knew that if this item appeared in the Capital City or other wealthy cities, it would be sold at sky-high prices!

Fearfully, they thought that once their families learned of such an item, they would be pressured into buying a piece at all costs.

"A fine thing indeed, it truly is a fine thing!" The group of merchants was amazed, and their distrust towards Gu Beiquan and the others deepened. Jiangnan had hidden so many treasures, and those damned people were really holding them tightly!

Suddenly, they felt lucky that the Imperial Court hadn’t successfully taken over Jiangnan yet!

"Brother Feng mentioned that gold and silver have devalued severely here, and aside from the unique Fragrant Silver issued by Lord Chen Qing, the best currency is jadeite and gemstones? Does this have any connection with the so-called enchanting?"

"Hehe... Brother Zhang sure catches on fast," the Feng surnamed merchant nodded, "Indeed, about half a year ago, when the Earth Character Courtyard started enchanting, high-quality jadeite and jade stones became in demand, for the enchanted items are incredibly magical.

They can keep away heat, repel cold, provide fragrance, remove odors, and even. .. some can fly."

"What did Brother Feng just say?" The others were dumbstruck, for a moment they all thought they had misheard.

"Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it?" the Feng surnamed merchant said proudly, clearly pleased about the ignorance of the once sophisticated people of Nan Ming.

"Just wait and I’ll show you soon!"