Chapter 428: Zi Di’s Advancement
The thought of conducting an investigation made Zi Di frown slightly.
The current situation was that she couldn’t find anyone reliable to handle the inquiry.
Zi Di sighed inwardly, there were still too few capable people she could rely on. The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had grown remarkably since its founding, and when assembled, it was truly a gathering of talent. Yet now, scattered across operations, even a slight expansion left them stretched thin.
In truth, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had always lacked intelligence specialists.
No matter how advanced the alchemy components or reconnaissance puppets, they could never replace human agents.
Every major organization maintained an intelligence apparatus. The Lion Dragon Mercenary Group primarily acquired intelligence through external purchases, with the Thieves' Guild serving as the survivors' main source of information.
This arrangement was clearly inappropriate.
From an outsider's perspective, the Lion Dragon Mercenary Group appeared merely a minor power, its strongest members barely reaching silver level, lacking even a single gold level individual.
For such factions or organizations, lacking an intelligence division was perfectly normal. Maintaining an intelligence department carried significant costs, which small factions struggled to bear. From a cost-benefit perspective, outsourcing to the Thieves' Guild was highly advantageous.
Yet Zi Di firmly believed that the current small-scale faction was merely the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' starting point. In the future, their organization would inevitably grow into a major power, even becoming a superpower was entirely possible.
This conviction stemmed not from wishful thinking or overreach, but from one primary reason: the Bloodcore.
With bloodlines, anything was possible!
"For us, establishing an intelligence department is essential. Intelligence personnel must be utterly loyal and reliable, so the sooner we establish it, the better."
“But that won't be my responsibility.”
"I have no clue about intelligence matters, nor is it my area of expertise. This issue is best left for the commander to consider!" Zi Di pondered inwardly.
For the survivors, the immediate priority was contacting the Bai Zhen Clan and building connections with the upper echelons of the Sheng Ming Empire to atone for their sins.
The secondary priority was Zi Di's business plan.
Funding was crucial for any endeavor.
The economy was the foundation for everything.
Establishing an intelligence division would demand enormous expenses. Offering monetary compensation to atone with the Empire's leadership was also a viable approach.
Though the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps held substantial funds, their loot from the Two Eyes Island skirmish had made them rich, their current expenditures were significant and would only grow.
Sitting on their laurels was not an option.
While they still held capital, aggressively expanding, investing, and establishing a stable cash flow was the wisest course.
Even if atonement failed, this foundation would allow the survivors to scrape by for a time.
The Ice Sculpture Kingdom lay isolated offshore, distant from the Sheng Ming Empire. Should the Sheng Ming Empire seek trouble with the survivors in the future, this location could still serve as a temporary refuge.
Once Zi Di successfully expanded her commercial empire within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, the benefits extended far beyond mere capital. Access to various scarce resources would become significantly easier. Just as before in Snow Bird Harbor, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps leveraged the city lord's connections to secretly acquire vast quantities of rare resources, far exceeding what could be obtained on the open market.
This applied not only to materials but also to human resources.
The dragonman youngster's victory over Teng Dong Lang had made the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps renowned throughout the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
Should Zi Di's commercial plan succeed, the group's financial standing would gain widespread recognition.
With both fame and fortune, more people would acknowledge the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps as an organization. Consequently, the survivors could leverage the Ice Sculpture Kingdom to access better human resources, such as accomplished alchemists, masterful pharmacists, or genuine intelligence operatives willing to pledge allegiance.
Most talents only became recruitable once an organization possessed sufficient strength.
As the saying went: a wise man finds the best opportunities available, and a wise bird chooses the best tree to nest in.
Without sufficient strength, talented individuals simply would not consider them.
Having a rare talent like Bu Quan join the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was merely an exception.
“Speaking of which, we owe Bu Quan a debt of gratitude this time. She optimized the production process for the dragon rider potion, boosting output severalfold.”
“For her, such refinements are merely foundational skills, right?”
Zi Di knew she herself could never achieve such feats.
Not long ago, when she learned the news through a letter, she was genuinely delighted.
The significant increase in output gave her greater confidence in implementing her business plans.
“All my previous efforts to persuade her were not in vain.”
Zi Di admired Bu Quan's alchemy talent deeply, yet without a trace of envy.
As a merchant, she understood the concept of human resources very well.
With Bu Quan joining them, it was a tremendous boost for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. The current profits were already substantial, and they were likely to grow even higher in the future!
Of course, Zi Di was well aware of Bu Quan's affection for the dragonman youngster.
But the ghost girl placed greater faith in the bond between herself and the dragonman youngster. Their experiences on Mystifying Monster Island and the secrets of the Bloodcore formed the foundation of their relationship, and also the distance between the dragonman youngster and Bu Quan.
“The potion market in Blood Kin City has been thoroughly observed these past few days.”
“Next, we'll select several individuals to remain at the shop in Blood Kin City.”
This was part of Zi Di's business plan, designed to strengthen her connections with each sales point.
Those chosen to accompany Zi Di were all handpicked by her.
Some were mercenaries who joined earlier on Snake Rat Island and Two Eyes Island. Others were snow elves recruited at Snow Bird Harbor. Most were humans and snow elves, though there were also oxmen, dogmen, and water pigmen.
Having their own people embedded to oversee operations was essential; relying solely on the Li Jian Clan's personnel risked being manipulated.
Zi Di decided to station one dogman and one snow elf.
The snow elf could blend into the environment, while the dogman maintained distance, ensuring loyalty to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Over-integration was unwise; it invited manipulation and defection. The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were outsiders; this was a snow elf kingdom. Dispatching snow elves to every sales point alone was unsafe.
Overemphasizing loyalty while becoming too isolated from the outside world was equally unwise. Failure to integrate would hinder business expansion. Beyond financial losses, it could spark severe conflicts—even leading to violent incidents like local residents storming shops.
Opening branches was no simple task.
Zi Di had to meticulously construct the team structure, building a moat of authority to lay a solid foundation for long-term, stable business.
Though lacking hands-on experience in this area, Zi Di came from a merchant family and had observed operational methods from her father. Having been immersed in this environment, Zi Di possessed abundant confidence in herself.
"In every city we reach, I'll leave behind several people. By the time we reach the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, our sales network will be largely established."
"Zong Ge disdained the combat strength of the people I selected. Back in the Cold Wind Valley, he even considered using them as bait. Little did he know, I had secretly tested each of them. They are all talents who can become the cornerstone of my business plan."
Forming a partnership with the Li Jian Clan was an absolute breakthrough for the survivors!
None of the survivors grasped its significance, except Fei She. Upon hearing of Zi Di's success, he trembled with excitement, his eyes gleaming as he sighed deeply: Looking at Zi Di before him felt like seeing the old president!
Leveraging the Li Jian Clan, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps spread like vines grafted onto a sturdy trunk, drawing nourishment and flourishing rapidly. This allowed the survivors to leapfrog their initial vulnerable phase, saving precious time, seizing critical opportunities, and positioning themselves more effectively to capture market share across the entire kingdom.
Blood Kin City and Snow Bird Harbor were quite close. The two individuals Zi Di had selected were considered relatively weaker. In the future, when they reached more important cities, Zi Di would select those she deemed more promising to stay behind.
“Once the first caravan from Snow Bird Harbor successfully delivers its goods to Blood Kin City, we can leave,” Zi Di planned.
“Of course, we must remain cautious when departing.”
They were still unaware of the ambush awaiting them.
"Therefore, capital alone is utterly insufficient. In fact, excessive wealth can become a source of trouble. Military might is the true safeguard of everything."
Putting her scheming aside for now, Zi Di retrieved a soul crystal and began her daily cultivation practice.
As she absorbed its essence, the crystal steadily shrank in size.
A peculiar fluctuation emanated from Zi Di's body.
The ghost girl's body trembled slightly. At that moment, her magician level advanced by one level.
She advanced from bronze level to iron level!
Zi Di felt not the slightest surprise.
Her promotion to an iron level necromancer had long been within her expectations.
She had been an iron level magician in life. After death, her soul had been reshaped by negative energy and, through Cang Xu's Soul Summoning Spell, successfully transformed into a ghost.
Her life level had always been iron level. However, her original magic pool remained within her body, while her magician level reset to zero.
She had no choice but to rebuild her magic pool and recommence her magician training.
Her prior experience and iron level life level provided immense assistance to her magician cultivation.
“I'm finally back to the iron level,” Zi Di murmured softly.
Transcendent cultivation usually involves gradual accumulation leading to a qualitative leap.
But considering the time, Zi Di's cultivation period wasn't actually that long. The primary reason she felt it was so long and agonizing was her urgent need for a higher magician level.
Because she was constantly pretending to be a silver level magician while relying on her bronze level magician level, the pressure was immense.
Now that she was iron level again, the hidden pressure had eased considerably.
“On the other hand, it also conserves Pearl Bubbles.”
This was easy to understand.
Pretending to be a silver level magician as a bronze level was much harder than someone who was already an iron level.
“But my soul crystals are running low.”
As a ghost, soul-devouring was an instinctive act of sustenance. Doing so risked memory confusion, personality shifts, even loss of sanity and descent into madness, all negative states.
The fate of most ghosts was to succumb to this primal urge. The more they fed, the deeper they sank into instinct, corrupted by negative energy until they became beasts that despised all life.
Soul crystals were different. They were utterly pure, the perfect substitute. Not only did they satisfy hunger, but they also enhanced a ghost's foundation and strengthened its spirit power without any adverse effects.