SEC Chapter 61 Space Merchant
Chapter 61 Space Merchant
As the days went by.
The total population of the Demon Cave has officially exceeded 400,000, and the army has expanded to 50,000. There are now a total of 350,000 civilians in the Demon Cave. Food is also starting to run out.
The soil on Planet Gela is not very fertile, and the crops grown can barely feed half the population. The other half can only survive on stored food. But the stored food is dwindling day by day, and Zhao Chen calculated that it can only last for a maximum of three months.
Food supplies are dwindling day by day.
Goron began submitting daily accounts, and the numbers grew increasingly grim. Four hundred thousand mouths were waiting to be fed, but food reserves were dwindling. Hunting and gathering plants could provide some relief, but it was far from enough. Zhao Chen had considered various solutions, but his demon lair produced no food, had no trade routes, and was penniless—truly, even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice.
Just as Zhao Chen was pondering whether he should personally make a trip to the inner region to seize some food, a man named Marcus arrived.
It was when a dilapidated transport ship suddenly landed outside the demon's lair that Zhao Chen was practicing his "Eye-Catching Technique" on the mountaintop. A sudden, almost imperceptible sensation made him open his eyes prematurely, and his piercing gaze swept across the area—instantly spotting the spaceship. There was only one person on board, unarmed, and he didn't seem to sense any malice.
After finishing his work, Zhao Chen flew to the spaceship's landing point and waited quietly.
The spaceship hatch suddenly opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. He was dressed in filthy interstellar travel clothes, and his face bore the weariness typical of someone who had been traveling a long way, but his eyes were bright. He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the orc soldiers and dwarven blacksmiths, before finally settling on Zhao Chen.
"Are you the boss here?"
They all call me "Golden Flame Demon King," Zhao Chen said. "You can just call me Demon King."
"Demon King," Marcus repeated, nodding. "My name is Marcus, and I'm a merchant. I'm just passing through and thought I might be able to do some business with you."
"Where are you from?"
"The Inner Region. Planet Tero," Marcus said. "I've been running the border for fifteen years now, and I know this star system like the back of my hand. Back when the angels were stationed here, I often delivered supplies to them. Now that the garrison has been withdrawn and the flight path is empty, I figured there must still be a civilization here, so I came to take a look."
Zhao Chen did not respond.
Marcus didn't seem to care and continued, "I see you have quite a few people. Do you have enough food? What about medicine? What about tools? I brought some goods with me; you can take a look."
He opened the cargo hold, which was filled with bags of grain, several boxes of medicine, and a batch of construction tools.
Zhao Chen glanced at it and got a sense of what was going on.
What do you want?
"Ore," Marcus said. "Dark copper, meteorite iron, void crystal cores, anything will do. These things are quite valuable in the inner domain; I should be able to sell them for a good price if I bring them back."
Zhao Chen nodded: "I'll take all the food. The medicine and tools too. I'll trade them all for meteorite ore." He turned to Goron and instructed, "Take him to the mine and let him get them himself."
Marcus paused for a moment: "Aren't you going to ask about the price?"
"I'm the only buyer in the border region right now. Take it or leave it."
Marcus grinned. "Alright. The Demon King is so straightforward."
Goron took Marcus to the mine. Zhao Chen stood there watching the cargo on the ship. The grain wasn't much, but it was enough to last for a while. Most importantly, they had made contact with Marcus.
---
Marcus stayed in the Demon's Lair for three days.
On the first day he was still at the mine, on the second day he had already gone to the forge, and on the third day he began to wander around the camp, chatting with orcs, drinking with dwarves, and figuring out the situation of the demon cave pretty much.
Zhao Chen didn't stop him. The more Marcus knew, the more goods he could bring next time.
The night before he left, Marcus came to ask Zhao Chen for drinks. But Zhao Chen didn't drink, so he just poured him a glass of water.
Marcus wasn't picky. He picked up the glass, took a sip, and said, "Demon King, I want to tell you something about the inner realm. Do you want to hear it?"
"you say."
"The uprising has escalated," Marcus said. "You've probably heard of her, haven't you? The female angel who escaped from Hua Ye's prison."
Although Zhao Chen remained outwardly calm, his heart stirred slightly.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She's assembled a force specifically to raid Hua Ye's supply lines and depots. I heard she already has tens of thousands of men under her command, and they're giving Hua Ye a real headache," Marcus said, deliberately lowering his voice. "There's a rumor going around the inner region that Hua Ye might have to take action personally."
Zhao Chen didn't reply. Keisha's rebel army was developing faster than he had expected, but it was also within reason. With He Xi's skills, Liang Bing's guerrilla tactics, and the equipment and data he had previously stolen, it wasn't unexpected.
"Is there anything else?"
“There’s another one… who can freeze people,” Marcus said. “Hua Ye has put a bounty on him, an incredibly high one. But I heard that guy suddenly disappeared a few days ago and hasn’t been seen for months. Some say he was killed by Hua Ye’s men, others say he escaped.”
Zhao Chen picked up his water glass and silently took a sip.
"Have you seen him?" Marcus asked.
"no."
Marcus chuckled twice and didn't ask any more questions.
The next morning, Marcus loaded a ship full of meteorite ore and flew away. Before leaving, he said, "I'll come back in a month, and bring plenty of food with me."
Zhao Chen stood on the mountaintop, watching the transport ship slowly disappear into the horizon.
Goron suddenly leaned closer: "Your Majesty, can this man be trusted?"
"He's unreliable," Zhao Chen said, "but he's useful to me now. As long as he's useful, that's enough."
Goron didn't ask any more questions.
---
Although the food problem has been temporarily alleviated, Zhao Chen has a new concern in his mind.
Keisha's side is doing well, but once Hua Ye gets serious, the pressure on the rebel army will increase exponentially. And he still has 400,000 mouths to feed. He can't leave yet, at least not now.
Zhao Chen refocused his attention and continued his cultivation.
He has already mastered seven of the Seventy-Two Transformations of Earthly Fiends: Staff Transfer, Staff Dissolution, Disaster Relief, Head Regeneration, Head Sprouting, Demon Slaying, and Water Entry. He doesn't plan to learn the rest all at once. He'll learn the rest first, mastering these few techniques to perfection.
Every night, Zhao Chen would fly to the outer layer of Gela Star to absorb the power of the stars. The bottleneck of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm was slowly loosening, albeit slowly, but very steadily.
During the day, he handled affairs of the demon's lair, and occasionally flew out to patrol and intercept any approaching void creatures. Each interception was a devouring act, his spatial perception became increasingly acute, and the baleful aura on the God-Slaying Spear grew stronger.
Days passed by like this.
The population of the Demon Cave continues to grow. When Marcus came a second time, he brought more food and medicine, as well as news—Hua Ye was going to attack Keisha, and this was no longer a small-scale skirmish, but a serious offensive. The army of Tiancheng Star was assembling, and Sumali had already led the vanguard to set off first.
After hearing this news, Zhao Chen remained silent for a long time.
"Demon King?" Marcus called out tentatively.
"It's alright," Zhao Chen said. "Leave the grain, and the ore is at the mine. Go and pick it yourself."
Marcus wisely turned and left.
Zhao Chen stood atop the North Mountain, gazing at the distant starry sky. It was the direction of Tiancheng Star, where the starlight still shone brightly. Although he knew Keisha wouldn't lose easily, Hua Ye was no match for Sumali; he possessed a peak third-generation divine body, the strongest fighting force in the entire Angel Civilization.
Zhao Chen thought, "Once he breaks through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, once the Demon Cave has gained a firm foothold."