Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 30 The Storm Is Brewing

The earth dragon carriage is somewhat of a double-edged sword. For those who are truly strapped for cash, walking or renting a horse-drawn carriage is far more cost-effective than renting an earth dragon carriage. For wealthy merchants and nobles, they would rather travel in more powerful and safer vehicles pulled by centuries-old or even millennia-old spirit beasts. For this reason, the earth dragon carriage is mainly used in cities. The earth dragons' broad hooves provide great comfort, and travelers are not as price-sensitive for short-distance travel.

Compared to the exhaustion Huo Yuhao experienced when he traveled alone to the Star Dou Forest, the sturdy and stable earth dragon played a significant role in the journey. Unless they encountered particularly rugged and muddy roads, the experience of riding in the dragon was quite pleasant for both Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er most of the time.

After five days of travel, Huo Yuhao was still in relatively good spirits, but Huo Yun'er was ill and getting on in years, so she was clearly lacking in energy. Fortunately, they were not far from Shrek City.

To be honest, the journey was not peaceful. Even though the group mostly traveled on official roads unless there were special circumstances, they still encountered bandits twice. Fortunately, the coachman was a level 28 Great Soul Master. He released his white and yellow soul rings, and at the same time, two plumes of thick smoke shot out of the nostrils of the earth dragon pulling the carriage. In the end, they forced the two groups of restless bandits back.

"Master Li, pulling a rickshaw isn't very safe these days. You've run into bandits twice in five days. You don't earn your money easily."

Huo Yuhao handed over a cigarette, and the coachman, whom Huo Yuhao called Master Li, immediately accepted it with a smile, but did not light it, instead clipping it to his ear.

"The situation in the last two years is worse than in previous years. It feels like things are about to fall into chaos. We are still a bit better off here in Xingluo, since farming can guarantee three harvests a year, so no one will starve. But it seems that things are not so peaceful in Tianhun and Douling. I have many friends in junior soul master academies who are still in contact with me. They all say that pulling carts is getting harder and harder, and they are considering whether to change their livelihood or come to Xingluo to work."

Perhaps because he knew that Huo Yuhao was also a Soul Master, Master Li's tone did not have the arrogance of an ordinary Soul Master. Instead, he chatted with Huo Yuhao like an ordinary middle-aged man in his forties next door.

"If you ask me, Xingluo is still the best. It has mountains, rivers, and a good climate. Moreover, the generals are good at fighting, and the common people can farm in peace and not starve. Naturally, it's not as chaotic as Tianhun and Douling."

Huo Yuhao knew exactly what topics to talk about with this older man. Sure enough, after hearing Huo Yuhao's words, the man immediately started talking excitedly, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"That's why they say even a dog should be born into a good place. Let me tell you, our Xingluo..."

Huo Yuhao nodded repeatedly, indicating his agreement with the other person's point of view, while pondering the potential value in the other person's words.

One must learn to see the big picture from small details; this skill may bring rich rewards at some point. After Huo Yuhao first stormed the castle tower, he wandered around Ashina Castle for a while, and that's when he heard about the salt shortage in Ashina.

Ashina is located deep in the mountains, and its own salt production is likely limited to mountain salt. In the past, it still needed to trade with merchants from outside to meet its needs. Now, the sudden shortage of salt is most likely because Ashina and the Interior Ministry's army are in a stalemate, or even have had small-scale conflicts. Therefore, they need a sufficient amount of salt for disinfection. Ordinary merchants are most sensitive to crises and are unwilling to continue doing business in Ashina, which has further led to the salt shortage in Ashina.

This intelligence not only made him aware of the increasingly frequent actions of the Interior Ministry and the frequent small-scale conflicts with the Ashina forces, but it also led him to contact a daring merchant who wanted to profit from the war in Ashina. He made a fortune from this, and it was because of this that Huo Yuhao developed the habit of writing down whatever he found out.

Although he didn't know why the environment outside the three empires had started to deteriorate, Huo Yuhao had already made a plan in his mind: once he settled down in Shrek City, he would try not to leave Shrek City unless he needed to hunt soul beasts. You know, Master Li, who pulls the rickshaw, is a level 28 Great Soul Master and has a hundred-year soul ring. Even he has started to feel that the business of pulling rickshaws is becoming difficult. You can imagine how dangerous it is for ordinary people to leave the city.

It's important to know that long-distance driving, especially long-distance earthen carriages, is always a lucrative business. Unlike the drivers in the city, these long-distance drivers have multiple jobs, including escorting goods, so their income is quite high. On a good month, they can earn more than twenty or even thirty gold soul coins. Even on a bad month, they can still earn about ten gold soul coins.

This is a considerable sum of money. You should know that whether it's Star Luo or the other two empires, the annual subsidy for Soul Masters is only one Gold Soul Coin. For Soul Masters, this amount of money is not much. However, for a single man who toils in the fields, one Gold Soul Coin is basically enough for a person's expenses for a year.

For these low-level Soul Masters, long-distance driving is inherently a dangerous job. Some risks are commonplace for them. Higher risks mean higher profits. Take this trip for example. Although they encountered bandits twice during the short five-day journey, it was still nothing to Master Li. However, it is conceivable that the danger level for Master Li's complaining friends when driving for Heavenly Spirit and Battle Soul is probably quite high.

Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but think of his divine son. The other party always liked to read all kinds of books in the study, and was especially fond of the poetry of that mysterious Western country. Because the other party liked to recite some poems when he was in the mood, Huo Yuhao was also passively memorized a few lines.

"The clouds rise over the stream as the sun sets behind the pavilion; a mountain rain is brewing, and the wind fills the tower."

Huo Yuhao couldn't help but recall this line of poetry. He had once asked the Divine Child what it meant, and the Divine Child told him that before the storm arrived, the gale had already filled Xianyang Tower, which meant that on the eve of a major change in the situation, many signs would appear around everyone in some other form.

"We're almost at Shrek City, kid. What are you spacing out for? You don't think we have to walk for another day, do you?"

Master Li's voice brought Huo Yuhao, who had been lost in thought, back on track.

During the new book's release period, I need all my dear readers' continued reading. Please, please! Currently, it has 300 favorites and 70 readers following it, which is pretty good overall. I'm asking for your continued investment and support. After it's officially released, I'll be writing 10,000 words daily, with plenty of content to read.

(End of this chapter)