CHAPTER 365: CHAPTER 28 INFINITE SNAKE CLAN, GRAY ELEPHANT CLAN

Compared to the Gray Elephant Clan, the Infinite Snake Clan, with their more complex origins and higher intelligence, were considerably harder to manage, so Chen Jiuge contacted them first.

On the silver Communication Talisman belonging to the Infinite Snake Clan, an emblem was etched with a snake biting its own tail, said to symbolize infinity.

As Mana was infused into it, the silver Communication Talisman slowly levitated, and a light screen gradually unfolded.

The Clan Leader of the Infinite Snake Clan, She Wanbang, who had large patches of blue-green scales on his face, appeared on the screen, somewhat restrained.

"Greetings, Divine Son. I am She Wanbang, Clan Leader of the Infinite Snake Clan."

Chen Jiuge waved his hand casually. "My Spiritual Beast told me you’re willing to submit?"

When it came to serious matters, She Wanbang’s expression turned solemn. "Divine Son, I know my clan is insignificant to you, but I must secure a place for my people to survive."

"Understandable. Tell me what you can offer, and then tell me what you want."

She Wanbang obviously had a plan prepared. A long list appeared in his hand, documenting the entire clan’s top combatants. In truth, such an action was very risky, but it also showed She Wanbang’s desperation and sincerity.

"This is a general display of my clan’s strength. As long as the Divine Son grants my clan the same treatment as other races that have submitted to the Asura Clan, I am willing to personally lead two-thirds of our combat power into battle for you."

Before making this decision, She Wanbang had already learned about the generous rewards of the Asura Clan. With sufficient contributions, obtaining a resource-rich territory was not difficult. The resources of this Shadow Domain were not abundant. If the Infinite Snake Clan wanted to develop further, they needed more resources.

Chen Jiuge poured a cup of Spiritual Tea and took a gentle sip. "You can’t expect to receive the same treatment as those races who have already submitted. After all, they’ve proven their loyalty with blood."

"However, I can offer you fifty percent of the benefits. Serve me for a thousand years or make a significant contribution, and your benefits can be quickly improved. Consider it carefully."

A hint of struggle appeared on She Wanbang’s face; he seemed to want to negotiate further. But upon seeing Chen Jiuge’s slightly reddened eyes, he suddenly realized, Have I gone mad? The entire clan’s fate is in his hands! I should be grateful just for the opportunity to negotiate, and here I am thinking of haggling. Damn it!

"Divine Son, I agree. In a few days, I will personally lead a group to pledge our allegiance," She Wanbang said with utmost respect.

Chen Jiuge was a bit surprised. She Wanbang had clearly been struggling just a moment ago, yet he changed his mind in an instant. The thinking of alien races is indeed hard to predict!

After terminating their communication, Chen Jiuge seized the moment and took out the Gray Elephant Clan’s Communication Talisman.

Unlike the Infinite Snake Clan, the Gray Elephant Clan was quite ordinary. Even the image on their Communication Talisman was merely a few hasty strokes, barely distinguishable as an elephant’s head.

The light screen appeared.

Chen Jiuge looked bewildered as several elephant heads vied to appear on the screen. Before any of the emerging Gray Elephant people could introduce themselves, they were dragged away by others.

Amidst the struggle, three Gray Elephant people started fighting.

Thick trunks swung wildly, giving Chen Jiuge a glimpse of a novel way to slap faces. It truly was an eye-opener.

An hour later, the victor appeared on the screen.

"Divine Son, my name is Elephant Dragon. I’m the Clan Leader now. I want to lead my folk to submit to you, but there’s one issue," Elephant Dragon said, swaying his somewhat swollen trunk, a faint blush appearing on his honest face.

The rustic accent made Chen Jiuge realize that most of the Gray Elephant Clan were probably simpletons.

"Go ahead and ask."

"Divine Son, if I lead my folk to submit to you, will we have enough to eat?" Elephant Dragon asked, his eyes full of hope.

"Hahaha, mere food? I can certainly provide that," Chen Jiuge laughed heartily.

"Then I have no more questions! As long as we can eat our fill, we’re willing to do anything. Divine Son, we’ll be right over," Elephant Dragon said jubilantly, ending the communication with animated gestures.

Chen Jiuge couldn’t help but chuckle. Such a bunch of simpletons indeed. But that’s fine; they’re only needed for labor, after all. No need for them to be too clever and try to skimp on work or materials.

「...」

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!

That afternoon, while Chen Jiuge was inspecting the city wall foundations, his Dharma Eye suddenly lit up as he heard a thunderous sound shaking the earth.

He saw nearly a hundred Gray Elephant people, each around three meters tall, charging across the land, followed by more than ten huge gray elephants with shoulder heights of ten meters.

SCREECH!

An abrupt halt caused many Gray Elephant people to tumble to the ground. Chen Jiuge even saw one Gray Elephant person get stepped on by a large gray elephant, which then stealthily hid behind its companions.

Elephant Dragon swayed his large trunk, his eyes full of joy. "Divine Son, I’ve brought our folk!"

Chen Jiuge took a closer look and noticed that these elephant people seemed rather malnourished. Even Elephant Dragon, the clan leader, looked as if he hadn’t eaten his fill in a long time.

CHOMP, CHOMP.

Tian Que, nibbling on beast meat, curiously observed these strangely-shaped elephant people and asked, "Master, who are these people?"

Patting Tian Que’s little head, Chen Jiuge said with a smile, "There, there, little one, don’t worry about too much. Off you go, get to work."

"But Da Bai can’t keep up with the Artifact Refining! I’ve moved so much stuff that the Artifact Refining Room is about to be piled full," Tian Que said, looking up as he swallowed the meat in his mouth and gestured.

GULP, GULP.

The incessant sound of swallowing filled the air. Tian Que looked a bit uncomfortable at the beast meat he had just taken from his Storage Ring and hesitantly asked, "Are you all very hungry? Do you want to eat this?"

Gazing at the meat presented before him, Elephant Dragon looked pitifully at Chen Jiuge. "Divine Son, may we eat it?"

"Tian Que, give them something to eat," Chen Jiuge said, unable to bear the elephant people’s pleading and quickly stepping back a few paces.

Tian Que didn’t refuse. Anyway, there was plenty of food. Besides, he had accidentally roasted too much meat and was looking for a change of flavor. With these big eaters to help, the task would be quicker.

SWISH!

Seven or eight mountains of meat, each ten meters high, appeared in an instant. Chen Jiuge was somewhat speechless. "You’re just one beast, why do you have so much roasted meat? Can you even finish it all?"

Tian Que munched on meat, mumbling indistinctly, "I can eat it slowly."

Watching the elephant people wolf down their food, Chen Jiuge said, "Tian Que, later, take them to Mo Yu and see how she arranges things for them."

"Elephant Dragon, you follow Tian Que later, understood?"

Lifting his head from a pile of meat, Elephant Dragon said with a satisfied expression, "No problem, Divine Son! I will follow Lord Tian Que."

Chen Jiuge shook his head, planning to deal with the foundation issues. After all, the Asura were a warrior race. Even with the help of the Purple Butterfly Clan’s master builders, the foundations they laid still had many problems.

Tian Que patted the feasting Elephant Dragon. "What did you just call me?"

Although somewhat displeased that Tian Que had interrupted his meal, Elephant Dragon still said respectfully, "Lord Tian Que?"

Tian Que felt a thrill ripple through him at being addressed as ’Lord.’ He shivered involuntarily, a pleased sound escaping him. So this is what it feels like to be called ’Lord.’ Say it a few more times!

Swallowing his mouthful, Elephant Dragon said, "Lord Tian Que, can we talk after I’ve finished eating? It’s almost gone."

Elephant Dragon looked at the rapidly disappearing pile of meat, his face full of urgency.

Tian Que grabbed Elephant Dragon’s trunk. "It’s just some meat. I have plenty more."

With a wave of his hand, another mountain of meat appeared, leaving Elephant Dragon stunned. The image of Tian Que in his heart instantly became monumental. This is a god of our Gray Elephant Clan!

「Three days later」

In the still-under-construction Horned Shadow City, She Wanbang, leading his clansmen, spotted the hardworking Gray Elephant people and the giant gray elephants from afar. His heart sank. A miscalculation, we were too slow! Aren’t all the Gray Elephant people simple-minded? How did they suddenly understand to strike first?

After straightening the last crooked foundation, Chen Jiuge sighed in relief. "These foundations should be fine now. Da Bai should have refined plenty of city bricks by now, right? We can start building the city."

Mo Yu took out a Communication Talisman and contacted Da Bai. After getting a reply, she said, "Brother Chen, we still don’t have enough. With the addition of the Gray Elephant Clan, the city bricks Da Bai has refined will probably be used up in one day."

"Divine Son, if it’s about Artifact Refining, I think I might be able to help," She Wanbang said with a fawning smile.

Chen Jiuge had naturally noticed She Wanbang’s arrival. However, much like the Gray Elephant Clan, despite the Infinite Snake Clan’s more significant origins, this particular tribe wasn’t very strong. The clan had only one Golden Immortal, and the Clan Leader was merely a Heavenly Immortal, not even a match for the Gray Elephant Clan. After all, Elephant Dragon and the Gray Elephant King were both Golden Immortals.

"Oh? What solution does Clan Leader She have?" Chen Jiuge asked, a bit surprised.

"Actually, I also know a little about Artifact Refining. This time, the clansmen I’ve brought include several dozen Artifact Refiners," She Wanbang said modestly.

"Very well. Mo Yu, they are yours to manage."

"As long as you can accelerate the city’s construction, this will count as a merit for your clan," Chen Jiuge told the apprehensive She Wanbang.

"Thank you, Divine Son! Thank you, Divine Son!" She Wanbang exclaimed joyfully.

After Chen Jiuge left, Mo Yu’s smile faded, her expression turning serious. "For now, your dwellings will be with the Gray Elephant Clan in the barracks in the eastern corner. Someone there will explain the basic compensation for military enlistment."

"Now, gather your clansmen who are Artifact Refiners and follow me to the Artifact Refining Room."

Although She Wanbang’s Cultivation was higher than Mo Yu’s, his attitude was exceedingly respectful. After all, he intended to submit. It was natural to investigate the important figures under Chen Jiuge. This woman before me is the Divine Son’s Contracted Divine Beast!

「...」

CLANG, CLANG.

With the fall of a massive hammer, a freshly forged city brick took shape.

Da Bai wiped the sweat from his brow, a trace of irritation on his face. "How much more is there?!"

An Artifact Refiner from the Purple Butterfly Clan answered cautiously, "We’ve already refined a third for today."

"Damn, just a third? Isn’t this going to work me to death?" Da Bai complained.

"Alright, stop complaining. I’ve brought you some help this time," Mo Yu said with a smile as she entered with dozens of serpentfolk.

"These new submissions from the Infinite Snake Clan are all Artifact Refiners. Their Clan Leader here can even Refine Immortal Artifacts."

Hearing this, Da Bai exclaimed joyfully, "Really?"

"Of course. I’ll leave this to you. Clan Leader She, Da Bai is in charge here. Just follow its orders daily. If you notice anything amiss, you can also report to me," Mo Yu instructed.

After Mo Yu’s figure receded, Da Bai stroked his chin and circled She Wanbang, scrutinizing him until She Wanbang felt thoroughly uncomfortable. Finally, Da Bai asked, "Can you really Refine Immortal Artifacts?"

"Just a little, Lord Da Bai," She Wanbang responded with a smile.

"Then show me," Da Bai said, still skeptical. A super genius Artifact Refiner like myself can’t even Refine Immortal Artifacts yet, and this scaly-faced fellow claims he can? No way it’s true.

She Wanbang stiffened for a moment. "Now? Refining an Immortal Artifact takes a very long time. Didn’t you say we need to prioritize refining city bricks?"

Hearing this, Da Bai couldn’t very well force him, so he feigned sudden understanding. "Oh, right, right! Then let’s refine city bricks."

"But since you’re a Heavenly Immortal and can Refine Immortal Artifacts, your speed should be faster, right?"

She Wanbang didn’t understand Da Bai’s hostility but nodded earnestly. "I’ll do my best."

Green Spiritual Fire transformed into sparks that fell upon the unrefined Shadow Stones. Slowly, refining patterns emerged on their surfaces. A quarter of an hour later, a large quantity of Seventh Rank city bricks was refined.

Their quality was not in the least inferior to those refined by Da Bai; in fact, they were somewhat better, and the speed was ten times faster than Da Bai’s.

Witnessing the brick refining process firsthand, Da Bai finally had to believe that this rather unattractive serpentfolk might indeed be an Artifact Refining Master. His face turned sour for a moment, but then, realizing he wouldn’t have to work himself to death anymore, his mood lifted instantly.

"Heh heh heh, I was just joking. We’re all colleagues here, so let’s work well together."

Watching the suddenly cheerful Da Bai, She Wanbang was somewhat baffled. What a quick change of face.