Castle of Black Iron

Zhang Tie slightly accelerated his flying speed. It took him a bit more than 20 minutes to arrive at Embracing Tiger City from Golden Light City.

Among the former 8 cities of Huaiyuan Palace in Waii Sub-continent, Yiyang branch built a new city in Yanghe Prefecture——Embracing Tiger City.

Geographically, Embracing Tiger City looked a bit similar to the former Yiyang City as they were both coastal cities and depended on marine trade. Yiyang City leaned against Yiyang Mountain while Embracing Tiger City cradled Embracing Tiger Mountain. Although Embracing Tiger City had just been established, its potential was greater than that of Yiyang City. The environment of Embracing Tiger Harbor was better than that of Yiyang Harbor. All this indicated that Huaiyuan Palace had spent a lot here.

The coastal area of Youzhou Province in the east was mountainous. Embracing Tiger Harbor was one of the two big harbors of Youzhou Province. Besides being used to develop marine trade with the other coastal provinces in the territory of Taixia Country, Embracing Tiger Harbor was also an important harbor hub that linked the Chaosang Sub-continent in the northeast of Eastern Continent to Taixia Country. It had a distinctive geographical strength, namely, exchanging south with the north in Taixia Country and link Chaosang Sub-continent, which was the real description of Embracing Tiger Harbor and the foundation of its prosperity.

During the period when he was in Golden Light City, Zhang Tie gradually learned about Youzhou Province and Taixia Country.

On the land, Youzhou faced a vast wild province in the north. Having not been established, the wild province only included some sparse small cities and human inhabited areas. The borders of the wild province had not been clearly marked in the north, east and west. There were vast grey and black regions which had not been explored or developed in the wild province on the map. As the largest city in the wild province was called Liaocheng City, according to the customs of Taixia Country, the wild province was called Liaozhou Province for the time being.

The policy that Taixia Country adopted about wild provinces completely followed the thoughts of Taoism——take actionless action that had been carried on since ancient times. Taixia Country didn’t dispatch any officer to wild provinces or levy a single copper coin from wild provinces. Wild provinces had to maintain the social orders themselves or depend on the bounty hunters of the local Bright Road Pavilion. With this policy, all the wild provinces across Taixia Country would develop at the fastest speed and display a great vitality. Wild provinces in Taixia Country always gathered various talents. Besides Gold and Power Law, all the other 6 of the top 7 major sects in Taixia Country occupied one wild province like the local emperors. Taixia’s ruling power also made a compromise to the 6 major sects in this way.

Taixia Country treated lower provinces such as Youzhou Province with slightly stricter policies. However, it was still too loose compared to that of medium-sized or upper provinces. The imperial court of Taixia Country barely interfered with the underdeveloped regions and granted them with greater freedom than that of medium-sized or upper provinces. Take selecting provincial governor for Youzhou Province as an instance, only lower provinces could enjoy such a special treatment. In medium-sized or upper provinces, provincial governors were usually appointed by the imperial court, although there were also competitive relations between the candidates. The opinions of the imperial court were critical in appointing provincial governors for medium-sized provinces or upper provinces. As the 9 major immortal provinces of Taixia Country were directly affiliated to the imperial households of Taixia Country, their provincial governors, namely imperial chancellors were directly appointed by Emperor Xuanhuan.

Chaosang Sub-continent was bizarre. After coming to Youzhou Province, Zhang Tie was told that Chaosang Sub-continent admired the prosperity and profound culture of Taixia Country so much that they would dispatch diplomatic corps to Taixia Country every year and requested to merge in the territory of Taixia Country. They expected Taixia Country to dispatch a provincial governor to Chaosang Sub-continent so that citizens in Chaosang Sub-continent could call themselves citizens of Taixia Country. In Zhang Tie’s opinion, Taixia Country had no reason to refuse such a request. However, Zhang Tie was shocked by Taixia Country’s response——all the imperial chancellors in the imperial court of Taixia Country directly ignored their request.

’Even Taixia Country was picky about benefits!’ Zhang Tie finally learned about Hua people’s honor and pride after arriving at Taixia Country.

The Embracing Tiger City at the foot was brightly lit and very boisterous at night. Even though other sub-continents were troubled with battle flames, Youzhou Province, as a remote lower province in Taixia Country, was still as prosperous as usual. The so-called holy war could not influence this place even a bit.

Zhang Tie was shocked by the greatness of Taixia Country.

Someone might have noticed Zhang Tie’s arrival as a knight’s qi loomed in the Embracing Tiger Mountain as if it was greeting Zhang Tie. After sensing that qi, Zhang Tie directly flew towards Embracing Tiger Mountain like having received a cruise signal.

A complex of pavilions and palaces with cyan tiles and flying eaves were seated in the most magnificent place of Embracing Tiger Mountain. Among the buildings, Zhang Tie caught sight of the Shrine Palace of Huaiyuan Palace at once, which remained unchanged.

Elder Muen was waiting on the stage outside the gate of the Shrine Palace. Zhang Tie landed on the terrace outside the gate.

"Elder Muen!" Zhang Tie cupped his hands towards Elder Muen.

"Elder Mushen!" Elder Muen replied with a smile as he also cupped his hands towards Zhang Tie, "Congratulations! After a few years, given the momentum of Elder Mushen in the sky, I know that you’ve already made a great progress in cultivation base!"

"Thanks, Elder Muen!" Zhang Tie smiled modestly, "I wonder about the reason for calling us here."

"As Elder Mushen had just returned to Yanghe Prefecture from Waii Sub-continent and reunited with family members, Huaiyuan Palace would not call you up if not a major event. This event is about competing for the position of provincial governor of Youzhou Province; it’s related to the development of Huaiyuan Palace in the next 100 years; therefore, we needed to call up all the elders of Huaiyuan Palace to negotiate with the next plan after receiving the message!"

Zhang Tie was shocked inside, "Have other elders arrived?"

"Elder Muray is in Liyuan City, which is a bit far from here. Besides Elder Muray, all the other elders have arrived!" Elder Muen replied.

Liyuan City was established by Huaiyuan Palace’s Stars Viewing branch in the westernmost part of Yanghe Prefecture. After moving to Youzhou Province, the former Stars Viewing branch which ran the largest slave-trading center in Huaiyuan Prefecture restarted their slave trade in the Yanghe Prefecture. Non-Hua slaves also existed in Taixia Country. Additionally, the slave trade was legal here. Youzhou Province and Liaozhou Province were both vast but sparsely populated; especially Liaozhou Province, which had a high demand on slaves. Non-Hua people who sold themselves as slaves in the territory of Taixia Country and those slaves from Chaosang Sub-continent and the other sub-continents even people in border regions of Taixia Country were greatly demanded in the slave trading market of Liaozhou Province and Youzhou Province.

After hearing Elder Muen’s words, Zhang Tie nodded before entering the Shrine Palace.

After entering the Shrine Palace, Zhang Tie gasped in admiration. This Shrine Palace remained as same as before. When he entered it, Zhang Tie thought that he had returned to Yiyang Mountain.

"Elder Mushen..."

Elder Muyuan, Elder Muan and Elder Muyu had already arrived. Watching Zhang Tie coming in, they all moved their eyes on Zhang Tie and greeted him.

After greeting the three elders, Zhang Tie sat on his seat.

Those elders gasped in admiration about Zhang Tie’s mediocre and majestic look, ’All knights are top elites!’

"Before Elder Mushen arrived, we were discussing the event in Waii Sub-continent. During those years when Elder Mushen guarded in Huaiyuan Prefecture, Hurricane Corps made a great progress; Huaiyuan Palace’s interests in Waii Sub-continent were also guaranteed to the largest degree. In the holy war, Huaiyuan Prefecture ran in good order under the rule of Elder Mushen; our forces also evacuated from Huaiyuan Prefecture with the least losses among those major clans in Jinyun Country. Those border Hebrew people in Youzhou Province are eulogizing the majesty and mercy of Elder Mushen. Because Elder Mushen handled Huaiyuan Prefecture properly, those people are very docile; they settled down here soon. Elder Mushen has made the greatest contribution for Huaiyuan palace to settle down in Youzhou Province!" Elder Muan watched Zhang Tie and said seriously. The other two elders nodded at the same time.

Honestly, Zhang Tie’s achievements were completely out of the elders’ imaginations during those years when Zhang Tie guarded in Huaiyuan Prefecture; especially after making a contrast with that of the other major clans in Jinyun Country. In the later phase before Waii Sub-continent was collapsed by demons, after realizing that the methods adopted by Huaiyuan Palace were very effective, all the garrison elders and corps of the other major clans in Jinyun Country almost copied Zhang Tie’s methods in Huaiyuan Prefecture, including the mode that he divided Hurricane Corps into three levels, the special military administration and circuit military courts that he adopted in garrison cities, even stabilizing refugees’ heart by providing free porridge to them. They made the same nice achievements. After his rotating chakra ceremony, Zhang Tie’s reputation spread over the major Hua clans in Jinyun Country and Qilan Country once again, making Huaiyuan Palace extremely outstanding.

"In the battle, you defended demons and strengthened forces; in defense, you stabilized commoner’s hearts and created wealth. Elder Mushen, you indeed made great achievements during the period when you guarded Waii Sub-continent!" Elder Muyu praised as he stroked his mustache.

"I was just lazy. All the achievements that I made were benefited from the forever majesty of Huaiyuan Palace and the dauntless commissioned officers and soldiers of Hurricane Corps. I believe that you would have done it better if you guarded it!" Zhang Tie replied with a smile.

Watching Zhang Tie being so humble and easy-going, the other elders liked him more. They started to approve Zhang Tie’s position as a clan elder deep in their hearts. To be honest, even though Zhang Tie had promoted to a clan elder after the rotating chakra ceremony, the other elders still felt a bit uncomfortable to see him being on the equal footing with them. The achievements that Zhang Tie made during the period that he guarded Waii Sub-continent helped him completely consolidate his place in Huaiyuan Palace.

"We heard that Waii Sub-continent had been turned into a hell by a black-robe knight Gorath. As Elder Mushen returned to Waii Sub-continent recently, can you tell us about the situation over there?" Elder Muyuan uttered while the 3 elders moved their eyes onto Zhang Tie once again.

After thinking for a short while, Zhang Tie exposed all the information that he heard about Waii Sub-continent from Sacred Iceland Kingdom.

After hearing such a miserable situation facing Waii Sub-continent, Elder Muyuan became speechless, Elder Muan let out a sigh of relief while Elder Muyu let out a deep sigh.

Closely after that, with two light beams outside the Shrine Palace, Elder Muray and Elder Muen entered with the familiar qis...