Wen Zixing stood before the crowded council hall, scrolls unrolled across the glowing map table. Foreign envoys fidgeted in the back—Wu merchants, Huang nobles, Freeport captains—all eyes on the man who turned a taxless land into legend. Yue Zhilan guarded the door, spear silent. I nodded for him to begin.
"No taxes," Wen Zixing said simply, voice steady as stone. "That's our secret. Empires bleed their people dry. We let them breathe—and they repay us tenfold."
He tapped the first scroll. "Weapon trade. Vulcan's forges never sleep. Blades that cut mountains, armour laughing at saints. Allies buy exclusive—Wu pays gold rivers, and Huang sends rare ores. No rivals touch our steel."
Mo Han grunted approval. "Raiders feed the flames now."
"Protection contracts next," Zixing continued. "Caravans beg our escorts. Hellfire patrols, Moon Shadows scouting, Silver Drake overhead. Flawless delivery. They pay not in coin, but loyalty—grain shipments, beast cores, trade secrets."
Lin Dao smiled faintly. "Safety is the best tool."
"Border tolls without tax," Zixing said, tracing roads. "Free passage, but mandatory stops at our inns, forges, and academies. Merchants rest, buy, and hire. Gold flows naturally as rivers."
"Sect alliances seal it," he added. "Cultivators flock north—no tribute demanded. They guard our passes and teach academies in exchange for beast resources. We control hides, bones, and cores from endless hunts. Monopoly complete."
Vulcan bellowed from the forge yard outside: "My fires eat beasts whole!"
The hall murmured. Envoys leaned forward, eyes wide. This wasn't ruled by force. It was ruled by wealth that built itself.
"People migrate because they thrive," Zixing finished. "Farmers till richer soil. Kids learn qi for free. No whips, no tithes. They stay, multiply, and fuel the cycle."
I stood. "Questions?"
Wu's fat merchant bowed deeply. "Sovereign, how? No taxes means no army!"
"Our army earns its keep," I replied. "Yours bleeds you. Ours protects profit."
The first major trade boom hit like spring thunder. Caravans choked roads—silk from Huang, spices from Freeport, and spirit herbs from Wu wilds. Our waggons rolled heavy with steel, beast leather, and glowing artefacts. Markets overflowed; gold piled unseen in Vulcan's vaults.
Refugees flooded north by the thousands. Families dragged carts up mountain paths, eyes hungry for the tales: Land without lords taking half your harvest. Tents became villages overnight. Academies swelled—kids sparring qi sparks by lantern light.
Foreign kings couldn't ignore it. One by one, they knelt in tribute.
Wu's emperor arrived first, crown low, chests of tribute dragged behind. "Your roads saved my trade. Take alliance eternal."
Huang's empress sent her brother, kneeling with jade seals. "Sect masters, beg your beast cores. Name terms."
Even Freeport's council captain dropped to his knees in the plaza. "Our seas are yours. Escort fleets forever."
I accepted scrolls, not crowns. "Trade as equals. Loyalty over tribute."
Crowds cheered as waggons departed richer. The north boomed—forges roaring day and night, roads paved smooth, inns bursting.
But beneath the mountains, something stirred.
Lin Dao felt it first. "Earth qi shifts," he said quietly one dawn, the map trembling faintly. "Northern peaks. Ancient seal cracking."
Yue Zhilan's eyes narrowed. "I sense it too. Old evil. Sealed since the god wars."
Mo Han gripped his halberd. "Let it wake. We'll burn it."
General Meiyin melted from the shadows. "Moon Eyes reports tremors. Villages feel shaken. Refugees whisper of cave demons."
Wen Zixing paled. "Boom brings risk. More people, more mouths if disaster strikes."
I gripped Eternal Sovereign's Fang, the blade humming. "Investigate quietly. No panic. Trade continues."
Scouts vanished into deep caves—Moon Shadows leading, Vulcan's earth-sense guiding. Tremors grew. Rocks cracked with red veins glowing faintly.
That night, the first report arrived. Meiyin's girl, veil torn, knelt gasping. "Ancient demon sealed below. Abyssal Flame Wyrm. Waking slow, feeding on mountain qi."
Vulcan cursed. "That beast! I forged chains for it aeons ago!"
Yue Zhilan stood. "How strong?"
"Peak Divine Lord. Hungrier now."
Lin Dao marked depths. "The trade boom shook the seal forges, migrations, and qi flows. We woke it building paradise."
I exhaled slowly. "Plan?"
"Reinforce the surface first," Lin Dao said. "Academies train defences. Trade gold fund arrays. Shadows watch caves. Vulcan reforges the old chains."
Mo Han laughed darkly. "I lead the burn."
Refugees kept coming, unaware. Markets laughed louder. Kings knelt deeper.
The system chimed softly.
"Ding! Economic Miracle Achieved. Revenue +300%. Tribute Pledges: 7 Kingdoms. Hidden Quest Unlocked: 'Slumbering Beneath'—Seal the wyrm before awakening. Reward: Mountain Heart Core."
Outside, caravans rumbled under stars. Tribute chests gleamed. But beneath feet, a red glow pulsed faintly.
A kingdom without taxes rose on trade winds. Kings knelt willingly. People thrived freely.
Yet deep in northern stone, ancient eyes flickered open—hating the light above.
Boom brought wealth. Tremors brought truth: even paradise guards its roots.