A few weeks after the attack on Thousand Flower City, people from the Immortal Association arrived and rebuilt the teleportation array. Dragon Flower Province was once again connected to the rest of the subcontinent. Another connection that was reestablished was the one to Moonlight City. It had a smaller teleportation array that was only connected to Thousand Flower City. Thus, during the attack, it was inoperable and could not receive help from outside.
Now, that deficiency was fixed. The array within Moonlight City was improved. It now connected not just Thousand Flower City but the neighboring provinces. If anybody wanted to attack the province again, they would have to siege both cities. Unlike Thousand Flower City, Moonlight City, as the capital of a kingdom, had proper city walls and a defensive garrison that numbered in the tens of thousands. It wouldn't be such an easy target.
"The bill for the upgrade to the teleportation array in Moonlight City comes out to four million taels of gold. We were lucky. Lord Chen was able to bargain with those people a little since we are already paying five million taels for the replacement array in Thousand Flower City."
The person who spoke was Mo Yanmi, one of the directors of the House of Paradise. She was sitting at a small table, facing two other people who formed a triangle in the middle of the room. Behind her, some disciples of the House of Paradise carried paper booklets and scrolls of notes, ready to provide them if needed.
At this time, Mo Yanmi looked completely different from before. Gone were the colorful dresses and seductive outfits used to draw the hearts of men and satisfy their desires. Instead, she wore a muted but noble attire made of the highest quality silk. She exuded class in her looks and the way she spoke.
To one side of her sat Zhou Lai, the highest-ranking elder of the Zhou Clan. He was quite old but still energetic. He wore blue, a color favored by the clan and Zhou Ziyun. He brushed his long, thin beard as he listened to Mo Yanmi's report.
Her purview encompassed the House of Paradise but also Moonlight City. After all, Chen Wangyin, a former director of the House of Paradise, was now the queen of the Bright Moon Kingdom. She had recently given birth to a healthy boy, thus securing a descendant for the kingdom.
"Mmm. The additional cost will be taken care of." Zhou Lai said after going over some numbers, "We will be in deficit but only for a few months. The Clan Head has promised me that she will receive an additional ten million taels of gold in funds within a year. With that, there is no need to worry even if we continue to spend at our current levels."
"That's good. Then, that is settled."
Mo Yanmi was very happy. The upgraded teleportation array had another benefit. After the establishment of Thousand Flower City, Moonlight City, which used to be the jewel of the province, suddenly became a second-class city that was far less desirable. Everyone wanted to live in Thousand Flower City, even the nobles and royals of the Bright Moon Kingdom.
This decreased the influence of the House of Paradise which was mainly based on its control of the Bright Moon Kingdom. On the other hand, Thousand Flower City was managed by the Zhou Clan and thus experienced exceeding prestige.
With the upgraded teleportation array, Moonlight City's standing would be similar to that of Thousand Flower City. Well, maybe not exactly, but it would be close enough. They could also attract businesses from outside provinces and reap the benefits as the whole province bloomed like a flower.
"And in return?" Zhou Lai asked.
"In return," Mo Yanmi said and took out a scroll, "The kingdom has decreed that the Zhou Clan's tax burden will be further reduced, from one-half of the full amount to one-fifth, for the next five years."
"Good. Good." Zhou Lai laughed and received the scroll happily, "I appreciate the Bright Moon Kingdom's haste in this matter."
Mo Yanmi nodded and the two shared another laugh.
After that, the two turned to the final person sitting with them.
She was none other than Nalan Wan'er, the only nominal disciple of Wu Qianyu. She had been recently invited to this meeting, thus finally forming this triad, which consisted of deputies of the top three disciples of Ten Thousand Flower Valley. Together, they represented the three most influential people in the province behind the immortal sect master himself.
Mo Yanmi gave Nalan Wan'er a friendly smile, "Miss Nalan, do you have any matters to bring up? Don't worry if it is a small matter or not. Your master, Senior Wu, is a part of the triad. Thus, you naturally have the right to sit here with us."
Nalan Wan'er wasn't nervous and carried herself gracefully. As the young mistress of a wealthy family, she had a proper upbringing and was well-versed in many areas. She had also experienced many hardships after her family fell so she was not a helpless little lamb.
Nalan Wan'er bowed respectfully, "Miss Mo, Senior Zhou. I am humbled and thankful to be in your presence. I have heard many things about you. I am eager to listen and learn and strive for our shared goals."
Zhou Lai nodded approvingly, "Very good, Senior Wu has found a good person."
"Thank you, Senior Zhou," Nalan Wan'er said and took out some notes, "The only thing I wanted to report on was the Green Leaf Alliance. As you know, it is an alliance of grass-roots cultivation sects that have developed through a shared admiration of my master, thus naming the alliance after her past sect. They are mostly located to the south and south-east but have been expanding quickly."
"In the past few months, they have accepted five new members to the alliance. They are Bluewind Island, the Moon Praying Sect, the Shang Clan, Three Feather Mountain, and the Fu Xing Cult. The alliance currently stands at thirty-two members."
"Thirty-two…" Mo Yanmi laughed and shook her head, "What are they doing? What's the point of an alliance that has so many?"
She looked at Zhou Lai but the older man wasn't smiling. Instead, he had a thoughtful expression.
Nalan Wan'er continued, "Aside from the new alliance members, they also somehow found out about me. Since my master has never responded to their letters, they have instead tried to contact me. They have even nominated me as the Green Leaf Alliance Deputy Master. I asked my master about this and she said just to do whatever I want with them, so… here I am."
"Oh? Do you have something for us?" Zhou Lai asked.
"Yes."
Nalan Wan'er handed over a scroll. Mo Yanmi took it and examined it. She then gave it to Zhou Lai to read. His eyebrows raised as he saw what was written within.
"Eh? Preferential treatment… and special discounts for alliance members?" He snorted, "At the end of the day, don't they just want money? They think we give out so much money due to the immortal sect master's generosity and they feel like they should get some as well? Ridiculous!"
Mo Yanmi frowned but didn't say anything. If anybody was a charity case, it would be the House of Paradise. They had recently started making a profit but their overall expenditure was still heavily negative.
"It's like this," Nalan Wan'er said with an even voice, "This alliance isn't something that will go away. As more and more people hear about them, more sects will join. It would be better to give them some small benefits so that we can control them instead of letting them run wild."
The three people looked at each other, each with their thoughts. Zhou Lai was worried about another massive expense that the Zhou Clan had to manage. Mo Yanmi was thinking of the shift in the balance of power if this alliance gained a real foothold in the province. Nalan Wan'er was simply worried about the alliance growing so large that it became uncontrollable.
Zhou Lai sighed, "This is a big decision, I cannot make it by myself. I have to consult the clan head."
"That's fine, I just wanted to bring the issue to everyone's attention." Nalan Wan'er said.
"Mmm. Looks like Miss Nalan learns quickly." Mo Yanmi said with a smile.
Nalan Wan'er bowed, "Not at all, I am still inexperienced and need your guidance."
With that, the triad meeting came to a close. The members left on friendly terms, as always. After all, there were no enemies in that room. They were all working together for the future of the province and Ten Thousand Flower Valley. It was just that they each had their own goals, their own people to worry about.
Nalan Wan'er was perhaps the most carefree. She was the only disciple under Wu Qianyu. She had no real responsibilities except cultivation and now, this triad matter.
She now understood why Wu Qianyu had dumped this task on her. It was much easier living a life of only cultivation, without the worry of mundane matters such as money, interests, and politics. But it was a task she would carry out faithfully. At least she owed her master this much.
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