Free Web NovelChapter 1715: Travel Pass Fee
"The War King personally taking action? What kind of figure do you think the War King is? He commands the entire battlefield of the realm, not the affairs of a single, insignificant scrap of land."
The one who answered Fang Chen was not the enthusiastic cultivator from the neighboring boat, but a monk from the Kudu Monastery who had just boarded the Immortal Boat. The speaker was the captain of the five-man squad, a fourth-transformation immortal.
"Even if his direct bloodline has fallen, he would never lightly alter his existing tactical layout. Who knows if this entire situation is simply a trap? For you to harbor such thoughts, Benefactor, it is clear your vision is still limited to the petty squabbles of children." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Fang Chen did not argue. He smiled and cupped his fist politely. "Senior is correct, I was indeed short-sighted in my considerations."
"Where do you hail from and where is your destination? Do you intend to settle on Mingwang Star or are you here to borrow the Starry Teleportation Formation?" asked the lead monk nonchalantly.
Fang Chen had suppressed his aura to that of a mere second-transformation immortal. As for Old Sheng, despite being a sixth transformation, he had also masked his presence as a second transformation. These five monks, including the fourth-transformation captain, could not see through the deception.
"Senior, my servant and I are from the Feiyu Constellation. We have spent many years traveling as merchants and explorers. Now that business is bleak and our Expedition Team has disbanded, we intend to return home," replied Fang Chen.
The monk narrowed his eyes. "Feiyu Constellation? That is a great distance from here."
He scrutinised Fang Chen as if judging the veracity of his words. "How did your Expedition Team disband? Are you the only two aboard this boat?"
"The Taicang Realm is at war, right? Our team was unfortunate to have wandered onto a battlefield and was caught in the crossfire," answered Fang Chen. "As for this boat, only my servant, a spiritual pet, and I are aboard."
Fang Chen pulled out the sleeping Mi Yu to give the monk a brief look before tucking it back away.
The lead monk nodded. He then ordered his four subordinates to search every corner of the boat. Seeing no contraband and no hidden stowaways, he finally offered a faint, cold smile. "Since you two wish to enter Mingwang Star, you understand the rules, yes?"
Fang Chen nodded. "Naturally. We have to purchase the travel passes."
"Good. Remember to pay the full amount of immortal crystals at the border. Do not cause trouble."
Having said that, the monk led his men off to inspect the next boat.
Fang Chen noted that while the security appeared strict, it was actually quite loose. They hadn't asked for proof of his origin in the Feiyu Constellation, nor had they grilled him on where he had been before arriving here. Their primary concern was ensuring he didn't stir up trouble when paying the fees. It was clear that the Kudu Monastery and the Fallens behind them had one sole objective—squeezing out funds for the war effort. They didn't seem to care if spies slipped into their territory.
Soon, Fang Chen's boat reached the border. The one collecting the fees was another monk from Kudu Monastery.
"You have two people and one spiritual pet. That requires three travel passes. One hundred immortal crystals each," said the monk flatly.
His gaze was arrogant and observed Fang Chen and Old Sheng's faces for a reaction to the steep price.
"The spiritual pet requires a fee as well?" asked Fang Chen with a strange expression
He did not immediately hand over the money.
"The pet is with you, so naturally it must pay the fee. If you wish to save a hundred crystals, you can enter Mingwang Star and abandon the pet outside," replied the monk with a frown.
Seeing the monk's impatience, Fang Chen simply produced three hundred Immortal Crystals and handed them over. After counting the crystals, the monk tossed three passes to them. The passes were inscribed with the two words: Mingwang Kudu. They carried a faint trace of Buddhist light—a specialised aura of the Kudu Monastery used as an anti-counterfeiting measure.
"What?! A hundred crystals each?!"
A loud cry of shock came from the neighboring boat. It was the talkative cultivator from before, voicing his outrage at the exorbitant toll.
"Fellow Daoist, these are a hundred immortal crystals, not a hundred low-grade spirit stones! Do you know how many years we have to toil outside to earn that? Even with good luck, it takes decades. With bad luck, you can go centuries without a profit, or even lose money!"
The next moment, several fourth-transformation monks descended from the sky and stared down icily at the man.
"If you are unwilling to pay, you may return the way you came. Do not enter Mingwang Star. If you cause a disturbance here, you will be treated as spies and detained permanently."
"I'll pay! I'll pay!"
The talkative cultivator immediately conceded and handed over the crystals with a look of immense physical pain. Fortunately, he was alone on his boat, so he only had to pay a hundred.
Once the money changed hands, the monks vanished into the sky. Fang Chen retracted his gaze, asked for the coordinates of the Starry Teleportation Formation, and steered his boat toward it.
The enthusiastic cultivator, whose name was Lin Qiang, also happened to be heading toward the same direction. Seeing they were on the same path, he kept pace with Fang Chen, chatting as they traveled. Since Lin Qiang seemed well-informed, Fang Chen invited him aboard his boat to save them the trouble of communicating via transmission between boats.
After a while, Fang Chen asked casually, "Is Daoist Lin one of the Fallen?"
Lin Qiang laughed and cursed, "If I were one of them, would those bald donkeys at Kudu Monastery dare charge me a fee? I'd be the one collecting from them!" He then sighed. "A pity. I once encountered a demonic calamity, but I hadn't awakened. If I had, my status in the Taicang Realm would be nothing to scoff at now."
He continued, "I heard the Fallen have an alliance that governs sixty to seventy percent of the Taicang Realm. Many loose cultivators who started with nothing have landed lucrative positions just by awakening. Their status has skyrocketed. It's truly enviable." He glanced at Fang Chen. "Daoist Jiang, you aren't one of them either, right?"
Fang Chen smiled and shook his head. "I am not."
Lin Qiang sneered. "I figured. If you were, you wouldn't be paying tolls. These monks of Kudu Monastery are shameless—defecting to the Fallen and then using that as an excuse for personal gain. How many crystals do they rake in a year?"
"Daoist Lin seems to despise the Fallen, so why come to Mingwang Star? You could have gone to the Wandao Immortal Sect. The territory they guard is also vast," opined Fang Chen.
"Who doesn't despise them? If not for them, would the Taicang Realm be in such chaos? But despite the hate, my home is here. Where else can I run? Fortunately, these Fallen are somewhat compassionate. As long as you don't resist them, you'll be fine. You can even curse them a few times and they won't care," said Lin Qiang helplessly.
Fang Chen nodded silently. Compassionate? In the eyes of the awakened demons, everyone was merely a fellow unawakened clansman. Unless necessary, why would they slaughter their own kind?
Several days later, the boat arrived above a colossal city. The Starry Teleportation Array was visible at its center. Fang Chen stowed the boat, and the group flew toward the formation.
However, when they reached the formation, they found it had been manually sealed. Lin Qiang froze, hurried off to gather intel, and returned to Fang Chen with a bizarre expression.
"Daoist Jiang, we aren't leaving anytime soon. The Fallen are hunting a major fugitive and the Starry Teleportation Formation has been temporarily suspended. What rotten luck!"
