The Interdimensional Reseller – CH216

Chapter 216: Cloth-Dyeing Ability User

Chu Feng returned to the castle district with Illya and summoned Jocelyn and Manning.

Jocelyn took a deep breath and said, “You’re going after the Mulberry Maiden Tribe?”

Chu Feng rolled his eyes. “What do you mean ‘going after’? You make me sound like some kind of thug.”

Jocelyn thought privately: Sometimes, Chu Feng does act like a thug…

“I just want to have a proper business talk with them—see if we can help expand their production. They can sell more, I can buy more. I’m doing them a favor.”

Jocelyn puffed his cheeks. “Really?”

“Of course,” Chu Feng said seriously. “This is about mutual development and progress—helping them get rich sooner so they can live better lives. You’re too ignorant to understand.”

Jocelyn: “…”

Chu Feng teleported with the group to the location marked on the map.

They found themselves in a deep forest. Clear birdsong echoed faintly through the valley.

Chu Feng checked the map. “Did Lan Hu get scammed into buying a fake map?”

Illya shook his head. “Not necessarily. Before coming, I asked Riye. According to him, the location of Rainbow Silkworm Village is very secretive. They only trade with a handful of familiar merchants, and those merchants keep the location hidden to maintain their monopoly. Lan Hu probably only knows the general area.”

Chu Feng blinked. If Rainbow Silkworm Village was this secretive, the Mulberry Maiden Tribe’s location must be even more hidden.

They teleported several more times, but still saw no one.

Suddenly, a light lit up on the device Illya carried.

“Why did the device suddenly react?” Jocelyn asked in confusion.

“There’s another ability-user nearby,” Illya explained.

The device was a wide-range ability-user detector—something Chu Feng had spent a fortune to acquire from the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities.

“Let’s go check it out,” Chu Feng said.

If there was an ability-user here, they might belong to the Rainbow Silkworm Village or the Mulberry Maiden Tribe.

Following the device’s signal, they arrived at a village hidden among towering trees.

The village was extremely well concealed. Hundreds of rolls of light silk floated in the air. The silk looked thin and soft, of the highest quality.

“What beautiful silk,” Chu Feng remarked.

Manning blinked. “The rainbow silk of Rainbow Silkworm Village is famous across the land—I’ve heard of it. Back when I was working as a servant, I heard people talk about Cloud Brocade. Many wealthy people take pride in wearing clothes made from it.”

Chu Feng noticed a bolt of white silk that, when brushed by the wind, turned golden.

“Cloth-dyeing ability-user,” Illya murmured.

“…A supernatural power just for dyeing fabric?” Chu Feng thought. “With that, you could save a lot on dye costs.”
As one bolt of white cloth turned golden, another nearby slowly shifted to purple…

“Who’s there?” A shout rang out. Several people from the Rainbow Silkworm Village rushed out with weapons, looking ready for battle. In moments, Chu Feng and his group were surrounded.

Seeing their tense, confrontational stance, Chu Feng waved his hand. “Easy, easy. I’m just here to buy some cloth.”

“There’s no cloth for sale here,” said Sang Tian.

Chu Feng felt a bit annoyed. There’s so much fabric drying here—what’s the harm in selling a bit? I’d heard the people of Rainbow Silkworm Village were cold, but I didn’t think they’d be this cold.

Jocelyn stepped forward. “We mean no harm.”

The moment Jocelyn appeared, several villagers’ expressions changed. Chu Feng noticed some young villagers blushing, and a few young women staring at Jocelyn with sparkling eyes, lovestruck.

Hah… beauty really is the best passport anywhere, Chu Feng thought. Though I’m quite handsome myself—these people just have no taste.

“Sir, are you an elf?” the village chief, Sang Tian, asked after studying Jocelyn.

Jocelyn nodded. “I am.”

“How is it you’re with humans? Were you taken captive?” Sang Tian asked nervously.

“…What’s that supposed to mean?” Chu Feng fumed.

Jocelyn glanced at Chu Feng and shook his head. “No.”

A young man hid behind Sang Tian and whispered something to him. Chu Feng recognized him—it was the cloth-dyeing ability-user from before.

The old chief looked at Jocelyn. “You’re an ability-user?”

“Yes,” Jocelyn replied.

“You’re an elf—are you perhaps a plant-ability-user?”

Jocelyn nodded, raised a finger, and directed his power at a spindly mulberry tree nearby. The tree quickly grew taller, and its leaves became lush and plentiful.

“Ohhh…” Several villagers gasped in awe.

Really? It’s just a plant ability, Chu Feng thought. Look at these country bumpkins getting all worked up.

After seeing that display, the villagers’ attitude toward Jocelyn grew noticeably more respectful.

“So it’s a friend from the elven race! Welcome, welcome,” Sang Tian said, now a bit sycophantic.

“They’re acquaintances,” Jocelyn said calmly. “They’re not bad people.”

“Would you care to visit our village?”

“Thank you,” Jocelyn said, “but I have my friends here…”

“Our village doesn’t allow outsiders in,” the chief said, looking troubled. “The elves are a friendly race, so you may be an exception, but…”

Jocelyn gave Chu Feng a helpless look.

Chu Feng rolled his eyes. “Fine, I won’t go in. You talk to them.”

“Alright,” Jocelyn agreed.

Jocelyn was led into the village, while Chu Feng and the rest stayed outside.

Perched in a tree, Chu Feng grumbled, “The people of this village have no idea how to treat guests. Not letting me in? Please. High-end hotels beg me to show up and I refuse, but this tiny village dares to put on airs? Ignorance really is fearless.”

Illya glanced at him. “Bear with it. In history, there have been incidents where mysterious villages invited humans in, only for entire villages to vanish afterwards. Their caution is understandable.”

Chu Feng rolled his eyes again. “These Rainbow Silkworm people sure know how to discriminate. Jocelyn gets the royal treatment.”

“Jocelyn’s an elf,” Manning said flatly.

“What’s so great about elves?” Chu Feng asked.

“Everything,” Manning replied. “They revere peace, they’re beautiful, they’re skilled in cultivating spirit herbs—wherever they go, they’re welcome.”

Chu Feng shot Manning a look. This guy has no sense. Forget about a promotion in this lifetime.

“They say the elves and the Sang Maiden Tribe are allies. The chief probably needs something from him.”

When Jocelyn used his power earlier, the chief’s emotions were all over the place—like someone who’d just had a pie fall from the sky, but was afraid the pie might be poisoned.

Inside the village, Jocelyn was taken to the ancestral hall to meet with several elders.

Villagers chattered nearby:

“An elf! I never thought I’d see one.”
“Just as beautiful as the legends say.”
“How did an elf even find this place?”
“Among the four who came, one looked like a half-elf.”
“Aren’t elves and half-elves supposed to dislike each other? They dislike humans even more—how’d they end up traveling together?”
“Well, there are always a few elves who think differently.”
“Most elves who end up with human nobles were captured, but there are some who truly fall in love.”

“Does this mean our old mulberry tree might be saved?”

The Rainbow Silkworm Village had an old mulberry tree over a hundred years old. Recently, a violent thunderstorm had split it in two. The tree had nurtured countless silkworms over the years, and its loss was deeply felt.

When Jocelyn finally emerged, Chu Feng asked, “So, how’d it go?”

“Pretty much settled,” Jocelyn said. “The jade silkworm thread is produced by the Sang Maiden Tribe. In this village, only a few elders know where the tribe is. Normally they’d never reveal it to outsiders, but it seems they’ve run into some trouble. They had no choice but to tell me.”

“Are there not enough Mulberry Trees?” Illya asked.

Jocelyn nodded. “Right. Quite a few of them froze to death.”

“From what the people of Rainbow Silkworm Village told us, the population of the Mulberry Maiden Tribe has been declining year after year. If they run into some kind of natural disaster or calamity, this little tribe might just disappear.” Illya looked at Jocelyn. “Do they need your help?”

Jocelyn nodded. “Yes, but my power alone isn’t enough. So I mentioned Boss Illya’s ability to them, hoping to work together to save the Mulberry Trees.”

“The people of Rainbow Silkworm Village agreed?” Chu Feng asked.

Jocelyn shook his head. “No. They don’t really trust us. They want to test your ability first, Boss Illya.”

“How do they want to test it?” Chu Feng crossed his arms.

Jocelyn looked over at Illya. “The village has an ability-user who can dye fabric out of thin air, but he can only dye two bolts at a time. They want to see if you truly have a supportive ability.”

“Assist in dyeing cloth?” Chu Feng snorted. “These people sure have a lot of demands. Are they trying to get Illya to work for free?”

Jocelyn shook his head. “No. The bolts of fabric dyed with Illya’s help can be given to us.”

Chu Feng raised an eyebrow. “That’s more like it.”

He gave Illya a fierce look. “Don’t hold back—help dye every last bit of silk they have. We’ll make a killing off this.”

Jocelyn shot him a look. “Boss, you’re already rich. Do you really need a bit more silk?”

Chu Feng folded his arms. “This isn’t about silk.”
It was about pride.

These villagers dared to put on airs with him, so naturally he had to show them a little something in return.

Jocelyn took a deep breath and, in his heart, felt a pang of sympathy for the villagers. Shaking his head, he said, “Let’s go. Don’t keep them waiting.”

Chu Feng nodded. “Alright.” The sooner this was over, the sooner he could get back to the real world to collect witch stones—his time was precious.

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