Chapter 78 – Franchise Shops

Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)

Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

Yuling City (Jade City)

Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)

Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)

…

Several visiting traders had completely lost their minds. Ever since they completed the glass deal, they'd been arguing for days and still couldn't decide what else to buy.

Gua Pi Mao said anxiously, "I think bicycles will be a huge hit in Xuanwu City. Big bro, we need to buy as many of them as we can!"

Hua Ma Gua wasn't having it. "I think tricycles are more practical. They can carry goods and people, and they don't need demon beasts to pull them. They've got an extra wheel compared to bicycles!"

Scarface hesitated. "But I think buses are more convenient. You can fit so many demonfolk in one go."

Gua Pi Mao shrieked, "Buses are too expensive! If we buy one of those, we'll be flat broke!"

They had only just arrived in Black Dragon City — were they going to be sent packing already?

The three of them bickered in a frenzy.

Xuan Yi furrowed his brow. Which one should they choose?

…

Fengxiu explained, "Flamefeathers are unique to the Azure Luan Tribe. Worn close to the body, they emit warmth."

Finally, something useful — food and furs were now the least valuable of the bunch.

Yin Jixue thought to herself, Isn't this just the material for down jackets?

"Send this to the textile factory. I'll draw up a design and have them follow it." Winter might be coming to an end, but the weather was still chilly. A jacket made from flamefeathers sounded perfect.

Besides, they had plenty of flamefeathers, and one jacket wouldn't require that many.

Fengxiu left with the design and the materials.

As for the dried meat... Yin Jixue took a small bite — and couldn't even chew through it. It was hard enough to hurt her teeth.

But just that tiny piece warmed her entire body and gave her a faint feeling of fullness.

"This is pretty good," she muttered. She set it aside to keep as an emergency energy supplement.

Finally, there was the "immortal brew." The wine jar was only about the size of a soccer ball. Yin Jixue poured out a small cup.

"Crystal-clear green fruit wine?" She took a tiny sip — and immediately stuck her tongue out.

"So spicy! It looks like a juice drink but tastes like wasabi water!"

Of course, there was some alcohol in it, but it was more like medical-grade ethanol than anything else.

There were a few other miscellaneous items too. Yin Jixue sorted through all of them — and to her surprise, she now had enough ingredients to make soap and shampoo.

Ah, the perks of having a system. As long as she scanned materials, they would be recorded. Once there were enough to craft a specific item, the system would notify her.

Since arriving in the Demon Realm, Yin Jixue had been using soap nuts she brought from the Yin Dynasty. But the supply was running out fast.

Her hair was practically splitting from the lack of proper shampoo — especially since it was long. She sorely missed the days of using proper hair products.

"Soap and shampoo — let's make both!"

She carefully sorted the ingredients, all of which came from the local demon lands. Finally, she could produce something without relying on the system.

Daily-use products would only become more and more important. With a wave of her hand, she pushed the Daily Chemical Factory project onto the priority list.

Yin Jixue hadn't expected the visiting merchants to finally snap after holding back for so long.

"They want to see me?"

To be honest, Yin Jixue didn't want to meet them.

Ruoshui said, "Yes, they say it's about trade matters and they'd like to meet you in person."

"Send them to the Censorate. Seeing me won't solve their trade issues anyway." The Censorate was already a mature administrative institution. She was just a figurehead giving the final stamp of approval.

Besides — the Queen of the Black Dragon Clan wasn't someone you could meet just because you wanted to!

She had to maintain some decorum, especially now that she had the upper hand — no need to beg them to buy anything.

When she put the Daily Chemical Factory project into motion, she also asked Ruoshui to find her two clever and nimble demonfolk — ideally ones in the middle of switching professions and still unsure of what to do.

Ruoshui moved quickly. In less than half an hour, she brought five people.

She had only intended to bring more for the Queen to choose from, but Yin Jixue ended up taking all of them.

"Here's a recipe. Whoever finishes it first will be in charge of the Daily Chemical Factory."

Most of Black Dragon City's factories were technically palace-owned. The public "managers" were just nominal figures — the real factory head was always Yin Jixue.

The few job-seeking demonfolk were overwhelmed with excitement — they'd been given jobs by the Queen herself!

Then news came from the Censorate: the merchant group wanted to purchase a bus. Of course, Yin Jixue had no intention of selling one — the materials for buses were limited to just three sets, all reserved for Black Dragon City.

"The bus is not for sale. But don't let them lose hope. The Mechanical Factory still has sports cars — have them bring a sample over for the merchants to see."

Yin Jixue remembered she still hadn't finished reviewing all the business applications.

"Wait before you go — take this with you." It was a signed application for a franchise shop submitted by a demonfolk resident. Yin Jixue wasn't just making empty promises when she said she was assigning jobs — she reviewed it quickly and stamped it.

"Tell them to take the stamped application to the factory supervisor."

It was time to kick off the launch of the commercial district.

The merchants were stunned to learn that the bus, the one they had agonized over for days before finally choosing — wasn't even for sale! That only confirmed how valuable it was. Black Dragon City didn't want to let it go.

But they were told there was another kind of vehicle — similar to the bus, just not as spacious.

They decided to at least take a look.

While the merchants were inspecting the cars, the construction team returned from Black Dragon Mouth with news — the new housing was complete, and they had discovered a new material that could reinforce the city walls more effectively.

Yin Jixue told them to go ahead and use it.

With the buildings at Black Dragon Mouth finished, she still had road construction in mind. The four gates of Black Dragon City each led to one of the other four cities — it was just that the routes were too remote and underdeveloped.

She asked Tengshe and Gouchen to help scout the paths, marking each kilometer as they went. The shortest route would be repaired first.

One day, she'd be able to drive a sports car and go on a joyride with the Demon King.

The merchants gasped in awe when they saw the sports car — it looked far more stylish than the clunky bus.

The mechanic explaining the vehicle proudly said, "Only the Queen owns one in all of Black Dragon City." It was a symbol of status.

Of course, the merchants didn't believe that the sports car belonged to the Queen. They figured it had to be the Demon King's. How could a regular woman like something like this?

As long as they could take one home and claim it was the same model as the Demon King's, it would cause a sensation — even more than the glass.

Sure, the Black Dragon Clan might be poor and backward, but the Demon King had a huge fanbase in the Demon Realm — in other words, fans.

Demons admired strength — and who was stronger and more handsome than the Demon King? The wealthy female demons of the Azure Luan Tribe would probably fight each other for it.

So the merchant group settled for second-best, requesting to purchase: one sports car, ten bicycles, and five tricycles.

Just as they were wrapping up their discussion, Ruoshui arrived with a message from the Censorate.

When the merchants finished their requests, the Censorate's envoy smiled and said, "The deal is finalized. No need to run back and forth here anymore. If you want to check on the delivery progress, your street now has franchise shops. Just take this slip and find the shop owner."

The demon folk who had been slacking around at home — scratching their feet with nothing to do — jumped into action the moment they heard work assignments had come through. They immediately contacted the factory supervisors and cleaned up their storefronts.

Franchise shop owners didn't need to stock goods themselves. As long as they had samples and a signboard, they could open for business. Their profit came from commissions.

Every sale of a piece of clothing, a roll of fabric, or a vehicle earned them a 20% cut.

Gua Pi Mao thought they were just brushing him off. "That street didn't have any shops when we got here."

The Censorate envoy didn't even blink. "That was just now. Her Majesty stamped the applications, and the franchise shops are official."

Back in ancient times, when wealthy families married off their daughters, they sent everything useful with them — from the biggest to the smallest items, including daily necessities. Even if the daughter fell out of favor, she could survive just on her dowry.