Chapter 215
National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities.
Shen Yutong looked at Chu Feng, a little surprised.
“Master Chu, what a rare guest!” Chu Feng had far too many special qualities. Normally it was the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities coming to him for help—rarely did he seek them out.
“I’m here because I have something to ask.”
“I wonder what Master Chu wants to know?”
“I heard there have been quite a few recent rumors about demons and monsters. Is it true?”
Shen Yutong frowned, sighed, and said, “It’s true. For now, there aren’t many documented cases, but there are some powerful beasts that seem able to transform into humans and mingle among ordinary people. These beasts have intelligence no less than humans. What’s even more frightening is that some demon beasts like to eat people, and after eating them, they can gain part of the human’s memories.”
“Quite a few demon beasts seem interested in the human world. They transform into human form and come into our cities to go shopping or eat.”
Chu Feng frowned. “I haven’t seen any news like that out there.”
Shen Yutong nodded. “The authorities are currently suppressing the information. After the earthquake, public sentiment is already on edge—they don’t want to cause more panic.”
“If cases like this increase, I doubt the news can be contained for long.”
Chu Feng asked, “So the higher-ups are…?”
Shen Yutong nodded. “Yes. The higher-ups are actually considering establishing diplomatic relations with the demon race to discuss the possibility of harmonious coexistence.”
Chu Feng gave her a doubtful look. “Harmonious coexistence? Is that even possible?”
Shen Yutong shook her head. “I don’t know either. I just hope it is.”
Chu Feng thought to himself: If establishing relations between humans and the demon race is feasible, then perhaps he could bring over large numbers of beastmen under the identity of demonfolk.
Shen Yutong said with concern, “Based on the latest intelligence analysis, if building relations with the demon race fails, things may get worse and worse…”
Chu Feng asked, “What do you mean?”
Shen Yutong took a deep breath. “There’s a high possibility that the earthquake could happen again.”
Chu Feng frowned. The first earthquake had already killed plenty of people. If another happened, even more ferocious beasts could be shaken loose—and more people would be harmed. The balance would tilt, and humanity’s situation could grow more dire.
“When does the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities predict the next earthquake will be?”
Shen Yutong hesitated, then said, “About a year from now.”
Chu Feng exhaled in relief. “Good. At least there’s a year of buffer. In that time, humanity should be able to train a few more capable ability-users.”
Shen Yutong smiled at him. “No matter how the situation changes, with your strength, Master Chu, I’m sure you’ll be able to navigate it with ease.”
Chu Feng sighed. “There’s always someone stronger out there. In fact, when I was in Kunlun, I encountered an opponent.”
Shen Yutong looked surprised. “Kunlun? You’ve been to Kunlun?”
Chu Feng looked puzzled. “What about it?”
Shen Yutong frowned. “The National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities detected extremely rich witch stone deposits there. The higher-ups sent several elite teams with heavy weapons inside. After they entered, there was no further news.”
Chu Feng frowned. “Did those elite teams have any recording equipment?”
Shen Yutong shook her head. “The environment in Kunlun is special. Many high-tech products fail mysteriously once inside, possibly due to magnetic field interference. The information we’ve gotten is very limited. But there’s one troubling matter.”
Chu Feng asked, “What is it?”
“The weapons may have fallen into the hands of the beasts inside,” Shen Yutong said.
Chu Feng was startled. “They can use them?”
Shen Yutong nodded. “Very likely. Many beasts in the mountains are unlike normal animals—they have extremely high intelligence.”
Chu Feng drew in a deep breath. Many demon beasts already had extremely tough bodies. Humanity’s main advantage was weapons. If demon beasts could also master weapons, humanity’s chances would drop even further.
“Master Chu, with your strength, if humanity were on the brink of extinction, you might be the one to turn the tide.”
Chu Feng gave a wry smile. “I’m not as great as you make me out to be. I just want to live an easy life.”
He stood up. “Thank you for clearing that up, Miss Shen. I’ll be going.”
“Wait,” Shen Yutong said.
Chu Feng looked at her in puzzlement. “What is it? Is there something else?”
Shen Yutong hesitated. “I heard you have a special fabric in your possession—very rare—that can block ability detection.”
Chu Feng: … Last time Jocelyn came over, it seemed he had exposed quite a bit. These careless people.
“Is the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities interested in this fabric?” Chu Feng asked.
Shen Yutong nodded. “Yes. If possible, we’d like to study it. The isolation containers we’ve developed so far still can’t completely block the aura of witch stones.”
“The cloth is very precious, and I don’t have much of it,” Chu Feng sighed.
The green silkworm silk not only concealed the aura of ability-users, but was also top-notch in warmth and protection.
Shen Yutong asked curiously, “Do you know who produces this fabric? Could they make more of it?”
“How could it be that easy!”
But… maybe it wasn’t entirely impossible. When he went over there, he’d have to ask.
Shen Yutong smiled. “It might be hard for others, but for someone like Young Master Chu, I imagine it’s no great difficulty.”
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. “Miss Shen, you really overestimate me.”
Shen Yutong smiled again. “You deserve the praise.”
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes, thinking: I really should make some plans…
Chu Feng brought Illya to the other world, where they saw newly cultivated spiritual fields. Winter had finally passed there, and it was now early spring.
The fields were planted with various crops, full of vitality and growth.
Shaman Qiu Luo came out and said, “You’re here.”
Chu Feng nodded. “It’s only been a few days, but things look very different now.”
Qiu Luo smiled. “I had everyone clear more land nearby and plant seeds. From now on, you won’t have to work so hard bringing food here.”
With the high-yield crops they now had, the harvest should be plentiful, and food shortages would be a thing of the past.
“The soil I brought—has it been spread over the fields?” Chu Feng asked.
Qiu Luo nodded. “Yes, part of it was spread in the fields. This soil is extraordinary—anything planted grows fast. The rest was used for the Tree of Life. That tree needs a lot of it and seems to like this soil very much.”
“Do you need more soil?” Chu Feng asked.
“Not for now, but it wouldn’t hurt to stockpile some,” Qiu Luo replied after a pause.
“I understand.”
Qiu Luo then took out a vial of Life Essence. “This is your share for this time.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Thank you, Shaman. Actually, this time I also want to purchase more green silkworm silk.”
“Running out?” Qiu Luo asked.
“Yes,” Chu Feng said.
Qiu Luo shook his head. “Have you been making more money lately and now want to make extra sets of clothes to swap around?”
Chu Feng thought about it. “If I could, that wouldn’t be bad.”
Qiu Luo glared at him. “That’s too extravagant.”
“…” Chu Feng had to admit it was a bit extravagant. But wasn’t living about enjoying oneself?
“As for green silkworm silk, I really don’t know much about it. It’s expensive, and only nobles could afford it. Our Crescent Village has always been isolated—before, we couldn’t even think about such things.
“Now, with all the beautiful clothes you’ve brought, no one’s been thinking about green silkworm silk for the time being.
“You should ask Lan Hu about it—he’s been doing business in Tianhai City recently and knows a lot of people.”
At that moment, Jocelyn walked over. “What are you talking about?”
After going on a business trip, Jocelyn had grown closer to Chu Feng and the others, and now fully fit in with Crescent Village.
“We were talking about green silkworm silk,” Chu Feng said. “Do you know anything about it?”
Jocelyn nodded. “A little. Green silkworm silk comes from jade silkworms, which are raised by mulberry maidens. They’re very delicate and only eat the leaves of jade mulberry trees. If there aren’t enough leaves, the jade silkworms will starve to death rather than eat anything else.”
Chu Feng’s face darkened. “That picky? They’d rather starve than eat something else?”
Jocelyn nodded. “Exactly. That’s why the silk is so precious. In the past, the elf tribe had contact with the mulberry maiden tribe and even helped grow jade mulberry trees.”
“Do you know where the jade mulberry trees are now?” Chu Feng asked.
Jocelyn shook his head. “No. That was hundreds of years ago. Both the elf tribe and the mulberry maiden tribe have moved many times. Several mulberry maiden tribes may have disappeared entirely.
“Centuries ago, green silkworm silk wasn’t as valuable as it is now. Nowadays it’s sold at sky-high prices, and the mulberry maiden tribe has likely declined a lot.”
Chu Feng thought for a moment. “I’ll have to gather some information about the mulberry maiden tribe.” Lan Hu might know something…
Chu Feng took Illya to Tianhai City. When Lan Hu saw them, he was delighted.
“Boss, it’s been a while since you last came!”
Chu Feng smiled. “I’ve been busy. How’s business at the firm?”
“Not bad,” Lan Hu replied.
“I came to ask about green silkworm silk,” Chu Feng said.
Lan Hu’s expression shifted. “Green silkworm silk… I’ve been collecting it, but those bastards know I need it, so they’ve been raising the price higher and higher. It’s getting harder and harder to find.”
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes. “I want to know if you know where it comes from. I’d like to go straight to the source.”
Lan Hu grinned. “That’s my boss for you! Going straight to the source means no middlemen taking a cut. Green silkworm silk comes from Rainbow Silkworm Village, but as far as I know, it’s not actually produced there.”
“What do you mean?”
“The people in Rainbow Silkworm Village are great at raising silkworms—many kinds, producing all sorts of high-quality silk collectively called Cloud Silks. Cloud Silks are already excellent, but they’re nothing compared to green silkworm silk.
“It’s said that only mulberry maidens can raise jade silkworms, so Rainbow Silkworm Village might not be able to produce it themselves.”
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, “You mean the Rainbow Silkworm Village has ties with the Mulberry Maiden Tribe.”
Lan Hu looked a bit surprised. “Boss, you know about the Mulberry Maiden Tribe too?”
Chu Feng asked curiously, “Is it strange to know about them?”
“This tribe fell into decline hundreds of years ago. Nowadays, very few people even know of the Mulberry Maiden Tribe. Some say they’ve gone extinct,” Lan Hu said.
Chu Feng frowned. “Extinct? How did that happen?”
“It’s said that the women of the Mulberry Maiden Tribe have skin like ice and jade—exceptionally beautiful. There was a time when they were treated as precious goods and were sold in large numbers,” Lan Hu explained.
Chu Feng thought to himself: This sounds a bit similar to the fate of the elves…
“The Mulberry Maiden can only live long lives in special mulberry forests. Those captured and taken outside would die before long.”
Chu Feng: “…”
“For a time, the Mulberry Maiden Tribe was hunted everywhere, forcing them to hide deep in the mountains. Gradually, news of them disappeared, and now very few people have even heard of them,” Lan Hu continued.
“Is the Mulberry Maiden Tribe made up only of women?” Chu Feng asked.
Lan Hu nodded. “Yes.”
Chu Feng asked with some curiosity, “If it’s only women, then how do they reproduce? Asexual reproduction?”
“When the breeding season comes, they go outside to ‘borrow seed.’ If they give birth to a girl, she stays in the Mulberry Maiden Tribe. If it’s a boy, he remains outside.”
“For so many years, there’s been no news of them, so most people think they’re extinct. But some believe they haven’t completely disappeared—just gone into hiding,” Lan Hu said.
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes. “Could the Rainbow Silkworm Village be connected to the boys abandoned by the Mulberry Maiden Tribe?”
Lan Hu nodded. “It’s possible.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Alright, I get it. Do you know the location of the Rainbow Silkworm Village?”
“Not exactly, but I can guess the general area.”
“That’s good enough,” Chu Feng said.
Lan Hu took out a map and handed it to Chu Feng. “Roughly here. With your abilities, Boss, knowing the general location should make finding the village easy.”
Chu Feng nodded. “That’s not bad.”
If he knew the rough area, he could just teleport around a few times and look.
Lan Hu looked at him and said, “The people of Rainbow Silkworm Village are a bit xenophobic. You might not be welcome there.”
Chu Feng smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m loved by everyone.” After all, the people of Crescent Village hadn’t welcomed him at first either—now he was their boss.
Lan Hu grinned obsequiously. “With your good looks, Boss, of course everyone loves you.”
Chu Feng chuckled. “Really?”
Lan Hu nodded. “Of course.”
Chu Feng thought: Lan Hu’s gotten much better at flattery since becoming a boss himself.
