Chapter 27: Elephant Demon
It was about three hundred kilometers from Wind Wolf Town to Kali City. Rushing day and night, with Tang San and Wang Yanfeng's speed, they could arrive in about three days.
Following the gravel road, the teacher and student didn't dare to delay and traveled quickly. The Wind Wolf Lord had ordered them to deliver the message and be back within ten days.
If there was a delay, Wang Yanfeng would be punished. Moreover, if they were faster, they would naturally be able to stay in Kali City for a little longer.
While traveling, Wang Yanfeng asked Tang San, "Let me quiz you, what is used for trading among the big cities?"
Tang San quickly answered, "In villages and towns, most transactions are just bartering. And in the big cities or the entire continent, it's all done with coins made from rare minerals or plants. On the Empyrean Dominion's side, it’s mainly mineral coins. On the Solstice Empire's side, it’s mainly plant-based coins. The biggest advantage of these coins is that they contain energy, which can be directly absorbed and used to strengthen bloodlines, so they cannot be counterfeited. In other words, the coins themselves are valuable."
Wang Yanfeng nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad, you are remembering quite clearly. What about the monetary system on the Empyrean Dominion's side?"
Tang San said, "There are five main currencies in the Empyrean Dominion. The highest level is the amethystine coin. It's crafted from a special purple-gold metal. It is said to contain a considerable amount of energy. Even Great Demons and Great Nymphs could use it for cultivation. Amethystine coins are rare and generally not circulated on the market. Their value is more on a symbolic level."
"One amethystine coin is approximately equal to one hundred empyrean coins. The empyrean coin was named after the Empyrean Dominion, and its material is made of six rare minerals put together. These rare minerals possess the six elemental attributes of Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, and Darkness. Combining them is a difficult task, and the energy contained within them is tremendous. It is very effective in stimulating the strength of a bloodline."
"One empyrean coin is, in turn, equal to ten naturae coins. Naturae coins are categorized into six types, the same six attributes that comprise the empyrean coins. The quality is slightly lower than the same variety of minerals used in the empyrean coins. This is also the most mainstream higher currency circulating in the market. It has extreme purchasing power."
"Below the six elemental coins are the aetherhorn coins. They are made from a kind of ore known as Aetherhorn. One naturae coin is approximately equal to one hundred aetherhorn coins."
"As for the lowest form of currency, they are collectively named demonshard coins. Their value is measured in terms of energy strength. Minerals that contain about one percent or more of the bloodline power of a first-order demon can be used as demonshard coins. There are many kinds of demonshard coins because of the different demon races that produce them. The exchange rates between demonshard coins and aetherhorn coins differ, requiring more complicated calculations. Most of the time, big cities still use aetherhorn coins for transactions."
Wang Yanfeng nodded again, very satisfied with his pupil. "Your memory is very good. Wind Wolf Town's biggest source of income is a wind spirit mine next to the town. The fist-sized wind spirit stones from this mine are approximately equivalent to one-fifth of the value of an aetherhorn coin. It isn't considered a precious mineral, but it still has its worth. The mined stones are handed to the Wind Wolf Clan annually. The strong-bodied slaves are all sent to be miners."
Tang San had naturally seen wind spirit stone, a greenish-gray ore. The wind elemental formation in Wang Yanfeng's room relied on this kind of ore.
While the ore had its impurities, it was rare because it contained only one element: wind.
Wang Yanfeng lightly sighed and said, "A fist-sized wind spirit stone weighs about one kilogram. Our tribute list promises five thousand kilograms of wind spirit stones this time. That's more than two-thirds of the city's production. It is the same situation every year."
"Is the Wind Wolf Clan very powerful?"
"To us, they are. The Overlord of the Wind Wolf Clan is a strong contender for the top ten of the Wolf Demon Clan, and while he's not at the very top, he is still highly skilled. It is said that he is already at the tenth order or higher. A strong leader in the demon clan often determines the clan's survival.
"Survival of the fittest," Tang San said plainly.
"You're right; it's a world where the weak are preyed upon."
The path from Wind Wolf Town to the main road was rather deserted, and they encountered no demons. A day later, the path finally converged with the main road.
The main road leading to Kali City was much broader. It was fifty meters wide and was the smoothest path Tang San had seen. It was still paved with gravel, but it was surprisingly flat, with jungle and hills on both sides.
Now that they were on the main road, they could see a lot of different races present.
There weren't many slaves, but the various demon races were genuinely eye-opening for Tang San.
He had mainly seen wolf demons in Wind Wolf Town. Pig demons were present also but were considered to be a subordinate race. Demon races who were not good at combat were generally under the rule of another race.
Now, within just half a day, Tang San saw more than ten types of demons on the busy road.
Among these demons, there was one that left a deep impression on him.
It was a massively built creature It moved on all fours with powerful limbs, but could also stand upright, revealing a somewhat humanoid body shape. When it was upright, it towered over everyone around, at over eight meters. Its nose, over five meters long, swung as it moved, and its massive head was covered in thick horn-like layers.
Its eyes were a pale purple, exuding an aura of immense power.
Wang Yanfeng waited for the monstrous creature to pass before he dared to explain to Tang San.
That was an elephant demon, a strong one at that.
The Elephant Demon Clan was not as intricately divided as the Wolf Demon Clan, possessing only one main lineage. Their numbers were also much lower compared to the Wolf Demons. However, unlike the Wolf Demons, the Elephant Demons ranked within the top ten super clans.
A newborn Elephant Demon already possessed strength of the third order. Adult Elephant Demons were even more formidable, boasting seventh-order or higher strengths. The massive and powerful creature they had just encountered was merely an ordinary adult Elephant Demon.
Assessing the strength of an elephant demon involved more than just looking at their size; the color of their eyes was also important. Ordinary Elephant Demons had pale purple eyes, while those of the eighth order had deep purple eyes. When the elephant demons reached the ninth order, their eyes turned red. It was said that the eyes of Elephant Demons of the tenth order and above were golden, and they were known as the Golden War Elephants. They were famous for their formidable combat abilities.
Although only at the seventh order, this particular Elephant Demon exuded an intense vitality that Tang San could sense as it passed. Coupled with its burly physique, one could imagine how incredible this Elephant Demon's combat ability was.
Seeing such a mighty demon race, Tang San increasingly understood why demons and nymphs held a dominant position in this world. Their innate strength made them virtually unbeatable.
To him, the so-called demon race was essentially a bunch of demonic beasts that had awakened their spiritual intelligence, which was something he had seen in his previous life as well. On the Daemon Continent, there were also demonic beasts that hadn't awakened their spiritual intelligence. These beasts were enslaved and controlled by the demon race.
There was sometimes a subordinate relationship between a species of demonic beasts and a closely related demon race. Basically, the demonic beasts were vassals to their more intelligent counterparts. Also, these vassal demonic beasts actually held a higher status than human vassals. After all, demonic beasts were more valuable in the eyes of the demon race.
Under Wang Yanfeng's lead, the two traveled along the very edge of the main road. Human vassals were not allowed to walk in the center of the road, or they could be easily trampled to death by whatever demon happened to gallop by, and nobody would even bat an eye.
They hastened their journey as much as they could, and after a day and a half of braving the elements, the two finally arrived at their destination.
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