Chapter 151: 【western Pill】 Brutally Beats 【eastern Magic Potion】
“Ah! Speaking of the soon-to-be-officially-launched [New White Feather], which we internally call [Taixi-63]. I have a batch of tasks here that aren’t very difficult and can be easily handled, but they can also be exchanged for organizational internal ‘contribution points.’ I wonder if anyone is willing to step forward and take them on proactively?”
Yuan Zhu, wearing a mask, suddenly raised a finger and looked toward the cult members in the banquet hall who were eating, drinking, and fiddling with the [Insect Pill] in their hands.
This ragtag bunch seemed like a tower of sand but was actually scattered loose. They had no sense of belonging to the new organization, relying entirely on two rounds of team-building freebies and free eating and spending in [Yellow Millet Town] to keep them from rushing to leave; instead, they shamelessly stayed to watch and wait.
Of course, among the small fry, there were a few ambitious ones. Some were truly foolish (Ms. Mei), swayed by Yuan Zhu’s persuasion and developing a bit of belonging; others were ambitious like Zheng Hao, wanting to climb up this line.
So after hearing the cult leader propose task assignments, many perked up, looked up at him, and waited for more. If there was really no risk and they could easily earn ‘contribution points’ while gaining some favor in front of the cult leader, they were naturally willing.
Seeing the atmosphere warming up nicely and successfully motivating a small group, Yuan Zhu struck while the iron was hot and said:
“Our [New White Feather] is equal and free internally. As cult leader, I will continuously bring benefits to everyone, mainly in three aspects. First, I will screen out safe and reliable deities worth worshiping for you, not the irresponsible and crude summons of illegal evil spirits like the [Old White Feather Association]. In the future, I will solicit everyone’s opinions and regularly hold voluntary safe sacrifices. I’ll help connect you to get blessings from different deities.”
“The second benefit: this cult leader will use private channels to find and screen rare and uncommon ‘products’ with positive supernatural buffs for everyone. Like the [Blood Eggplant] last time and the [Kunlun Spirit Pill] this time. The specific transaction method requires ‘contribution points’ within the church as the exchange threshold. No contribution, no rights.”
“The third benefit: [New White Feather]’s public identity in Running City is a chamber of commerce organization. I will invest and support you from the business field in a series of ways. For example, Ms. Mei is a dancer at the opera house; if she agrees, I will provide funds to help her with related professional training.”
“If any of you are interested in running a theater, I can also help compete for theater ownership. Ultimately, we’ll make Ms. Mei the lead dancer at her theater. The same goes for others in other industries. My goal is to build a secretive group of mutual help and benefit, progressing together!”
The three major benefits of the [New White Feather Association], the first one prepared for [Tiger Demon, Mao Mao King] and more demon god friends in the future (Buddha Tomato?).
He figured it out: the eighteenth-tier wild gods in the [Bubble Layer] or even the [Spirit Layer] were extremely eager to connect with the real world.
The [New White Feather Association] he set up seemed low-class, playing house with a bunch of mortals. But in the eyes of third-rate demon gods at higher dimensions, it was a juicy piece of meat they coveted but couldn’t eat.
Benefit 2 was to find buyers for local specialties from [Happy Home, Animal Husbandry Village] and more [Bubble Worlds] in the future. By the way, act as a middleman between [Space of Gods] and the real world, selling exchanged items at a markup. If this business continues, it can continuously attract newbies to join and expand the [White Feather Association]’s numbers.
Benefit 3 was naturally to pave the way for [Anti-Law] in advance. At the same time, he also had the idea of doing some small business in the present world, in Running City, to establish a public identity.
Gaining a chamber of commerce chairman identity to continuously generate wealth revenue; then using the supernatural identity of a Holy Light Cultivator to protect it… continuously increasing influence. It would fulfill his predecessor’s little boss dream of getting rich.
Hearing the cult leader’s PPT vision, some cult members confident in [New White Feather] grew emotional and eager.
Zheng Hao, the most enthusiastic, spoke up: “Cult leader, what are the ‘simple tasks’ you mentioned? Can I take one?”
Yuan Zhu nodded: “Of course. This first batch of tasks is extremely low difficulty, just a bit tedious—internal welfare. I need you to go back to Running City, contact suppliers, collect and procure a batch of common supplies. Finally, hand them over to me after summarizing. You can choose the specific procurement categories yourselves. The only hassle is advancing the fees yourselves.”
At this moment, he happened to think of the ‘business opportunity’ discussed with Meng Xiyue when exploring the underground world.
Procure a batch of cheap supplies lacking in Insect City from Du Ling, smuggle them to the bubble world, exchange for excess ‘supernatural materials,’ then sell to [Space of Gods] or bring back to Du Ling.
The supply types summarized by Meng Xiyue were numerous and in great demand. If Yuan Zhu had to handle each one personally—visiting suppliers one by one and negotiating item by item—it would consume a lot of time and energy.
If handed to this ragtag bunch, difficulty zero, risk zero. Moreover, they worked in various industries with better connections than him. As for advancing fees, it was also testing the cult members’ confidence and sincerity toward the [White Feather Association].
If they only knew to keep taking without giving, avoiding danger or contributing power, then such garbage wasn’t worth cultivating.
Conversely, after multiple tests of advancing fees, sunk costs accumulate bit by bit, sharing hardships and prosperity with the organization. Then they would become more united and reliable—this is the backbone talent [Anti-Law] needs!
Hearing it was just acquiring some supplies on the market, with the only difficulty being ‘advancing fees,’ some members with family wealth and expectations for ‘New White Feather and new cult leader’ stepped forward, expressing willingness to contribute to the organization.
It wasn’t some troublesome or dangerous task; plus earning contribution points and gaining presence in front of the captain—hell yeah!
Yuan Zhu thought briefly, then called Little Spicy Stick to list out the ‘smuggling supplies’ summarized by Meng Xiyue.
Among them, the cheapest but massive in quantity [drinking water, grain crops] were all passed.
Currently, no method found to open smuggling channels in the [Nightmare Layer], which doesn’t support bulk goods smuggling transactions. Only the [Running City-Happy Home-underground world] route is viable, with limited carrying capacity, so select small-volume, easy-to-carry, high-value-added products.
So he quickly selected what he wanted: [medicine, syringes, stethoscopes, medical equipment. Small precision instruments… watches, microscopes, precision balances, calipers… luxury goods: music boxes, spices, fountain pens, massive refills…]
The list from Meng Xiyue was all things available on the market, small and easy to carry, but extremely scarce in the [underground world].
Even Little Spicy Stick cleverly suggested: “Could consider introducing unbelievable vertebrate divine beasts [IKUN eggs] to the underground world whose ecosystem only has various bugs. Let Insect Race Cultivators fully experience the mysterious egg shock from the West Coast! This will be the top luxury good in the underground world.”
Yuan Zhu also thought carrying a batch of fertilizable fertilized (chicken) eggs to the underground world, maintaining and hatching them with ‘Qi Threads,’ cultivating chickens with True Qi pollution attributes, then continuously laying eggs, would surely shock the supply-scarce Insect City with unprecedented otherworldly food!
Rarity makes value—this shit would sell for sky-high prices, right?
After hearing the contents of supplies Yuan Zhu wanted to procure, and that due to carrying limits, quantities per product were few, the atmosphere immediately livened up.
Even the onlookers skeptical of the [White Feather Association] and Cult Leader Yuan joined in. After all, the cost was too low, and the ‘points’ after completion were very attractive.
“Cult leader, pick me! My lover works at a pharmacy.”
“Cult leader, I have channels for buying watches and pocket watches; I can get radios at low price too!”
“Cult leader, leave the spice procurement to me!”
Seeing everyone’s positive attitude and willingness to advance fees, Yuan Zhu cheerfully selected a batch of people and assigned these low-skill procurement tasks. This crappy organization finally had some use.
…
During task assignment, he had a brief chat with a part-time surgeon working at an old-brand traditional pharmacy in Running City, and discovered some eerie phenomena he hadn’t noticed before.
Since descending, he’d never gotten sick or taken medicine. His only hospital visit was for [Holy Light Demon Extermination Department] exorcism treatment, so he was unfamiliar with Running City’s medical industry.
After chatting with industry insiders from the folk, he realized that Running City, the entire New Continent West Coast, and the eastern nations of [Geng Continent] all took [ancient medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine)] as mainstream in his mind.
Unlike the dominance of Western medicine on Earth, [ancient medicine] on Du Ling Star held absolute mainstream dominant status globally, with the greatest influence.
The foundation maintaining [ancient medicine]’s hegemon status was precisely the [alchemy] backed by the [Kunlun System].
The fame of [Kunlun Elixir of Immortality] was known to all from the [Star Realm] rife with alien illegal immigrants to the inner world’s [Nightmare Bubble Layer].
In Du Ling Star’s present world, the world wonder connecting to the heavens, [Peaches Tree], truly stood at the Kunlun mountain peak in central continent, producing batch after batch of [immortal pills] that could lead to ascension upon consumption.
Thus, [ancient medicine pills] held ruling status in the present world. From immortal elixirs to ordinary pills, all had powerful effects. The medical system of observation, auscultation, interrogation, palpation, acupuncture, pulse diagnosis, ancient prescriptions, folk alchemy… passed down for millennia, very reliable.
On today’s market, ordinary pills for treating various diseases, along with ‘marrow-cleansing pills, Foundation Establishment pills’ with supernatural properties… appeared together in pharmacies on every street corner.
Corresponding to West Coast [ancient medicine], it wasn’t his previous life’s Earth [Western medicine].
Today, the eastern nation’s (East Ocean White Barbarians) medical industry also had a set of ancestral techniques that were unremarkable 400 years ago in ancient times.
Until the first batch of magic races traversed to Du Ling, bringing ‘gradually failing’ magic civilization knowledge inheritance, hybridizing a [magic potion system] similar to [alchemy], allowing the eastern nation (East Ocean White Barbarians) to barely stand against the western world (Xi State remnants).
As for the [Western medicine (chemical synthesis type)] in Yuan Zhu’s mind, it had risen during the Second Epoch ‘supernatural industrial revolution.’
Unfortunately, the [supernatural pill path] strongly backed by Kunlun System, and the hugely influential First Epoch [magic potion system], had long taken root deeply on Du Ling Star after primitive accumulation.
The emerging ‘chemical synthesis drugs’ had just been born when, due to affecting Western medical conglomerates (Xi Dynasty remnants)’ interests, they were jointly sniped by Western medical forces and Eastern magic potion groups, dying in the womb.
In this world with gods and demons, supernatural powers, there was no more ‘technology is the primary productive force.’ [Supernatural Pollution] was the core competitiveness!
Big Brother and Second Brother fiercely clashing, their shockwaves easily killing off the just-developing Third, Fourth, Fifth Brothers…
…
Compared to the [magic civilization] heritage inherited, pollution-transformed and re-adapted to the new environment, increasingly perfected [Eastern Magic Potion System].
Evolved from Kunlun Mountain’s [Western Alchemy (West Coast Alchemy)], it had completely detached from [Kunlun System]. [Pill Masters] holding exclusive alchemy secrets could combine strengths of various pollution systems to refine ‘custom pills’ for supernaturals of other systems.
Simply put, top pill masters could, without relying on Kunlun immortal herbs and spirit medicines, use ‘polluted monsters, plants’ from unknown strange systems as ingredients. Through simple trials, determine ‘medicinal herbs” basic quality and properties, then bypass [Kunlun Immortal Method] to forcefully refine unknown but effective [pollution spirit pills].
For example, a senior pill master could assess materials and animals polluted by [Holy Cough], combine their properties, and refine a [Holy Light pill] custom-made for Yuan Zhu. Or refine custom pills for ‘Insect City cultivators, Xihong Realm Buddha Tomato…’
With such heaven-defying skills, the [ancient medicine system] naturally dominated the West Coast. Mysterious [magic potions] from the Eastern world always couldn’t compete.
The local ‘medical track’ already occupied by two supernatural giants [pills, magic potions], naturally left no chance for third parties to rise.
In the ‘supply list’ Meng Xiyue gave Yuan Zhu, the medicine category was mainly mysterious [Eastern Magic Potion].
Why not choose the widely used West Coast ‘herbs, pills’? Naturally not because she admired foreign things, but [Eastern Magic Potion] penetrated the Western market, slashing prices and margins, with extremely cost-effective value.
Besides the bizarre path of [medicine], anatomy, surgery, pathology… etc., hadn’t been overly suppressed in the recent century.
Instead, under promotion by folk hospitals, universities, and batches of Earth transmigrators, they vigorously developed a somewhat similar-to-Earth-civilization bizarre ‘surgery system.’
As for genetic engineering, too advanced; his predecessor didn’t know. But since Du Ling Star hadn’t had a third industrial revolution, appliances not popularized, it probably died out.
However, his predecessor had heard of [bloodline research], evidently taking a new direction different from Earth’s gene path.
After figuring this out, Yuan Zhu entrusted his faithful believers to separately acquire batches of common cheap civilian pills and degraded magic potions from the market.
A small place like Running City wasn’t Taixi, didn’t have very cheap [Eastern Magic Potion], still mainly [Western herbs and pills].
Realizing he was the New Continent’s Westerner, while the mysterious eastern nation housed a bunch of pale-skinned foreign barbarians, he felt extremely stifled but had to accept it.
