"Y-Yes!" the man shrieked in fear before beginning to speak. "We call this the decaying plant. It only grows in old homes that are on the verge of ruin and hadn't been maintained. Besides that, it hardly has any medicinal properties other than alleviating rashes a little."
"Suppose I wish to buy this in bulk. Do you have the means to arrange them?" Krune asked.
"Lord, you wish to buy this in bulk?" The man was shocked before saying hurriedly upon seeing Krune getting angry, "Yes, I'll definitely be able to arrange for this. There are plenty of abandoned villages where a lot of this grows."
"Alright," Krune said soon after, dropping a bag with 100 Silver Xian in it. "Bring me content worth this first. If you do a satisfactory job, consider a long-term contract."
"Lord where should I bring them?" The man stared at the bag of money, shuddering up seeing it filled with silver, gazing at Krune with a mild sense of fear.
"The Liu Estate." Saying so, Krune turned around to leave. "If you dare elope with the money, you should understand the consequences. There won't be a place under the heavens for you to survive."
"I'll definitely satisfy you, my Lord!" The man prostrated on the ground, only getting up after Krune had left the street. He then looked at his son, cursing, "Why are you wasting time? Go, prepare! If we do this well, even you'll eventually live in a freaking mansion!"
"So, his greed is good enough to seek a long-term benefit." Standing at the roof of the shop, Krune heard their discussions, nodding as he left. "If his greed was short-sighted, I would have beaten him then and there."
He purposely didn't give a date, wishing to see the man's efficiency. Just to curry favor with him, he would work with all his might.
'Now that the Yin Dragon's food supply is taken care of, I'll have to find a way to make it permanent.' He sighed. Based on the description of this plant, it only grew in ruins that didn't have any human contact.
He didn't know any other detail regarding it, not to mention its name. So, he first wished to trail after the man from the shop to the location and see how they grow in nature.
After that, he wished to replicate such a scenery in their manor to ensure there was a protected supply for the Yin Dragon. Only then can he state with confidence that the food issue was solved.
Yin Beasts had their respective food. The Yin Dragon typically preyed upon animals and the likes in the wilds. However, it wasn't a suitable food for it. Or, to be more exact, it was normally enough, but insufficient for his plans.
So, for it, only the most beneficial food was necessary. This plant was the perfect fit for that.
Thinking as such, Krune trailed after the shopkeeper, seeing him meeting up with his friends before engaging in hushed discussions. Then again, Krune overheard every single word they uttered.
Once the shopkeeper said the type of work they had to do, all of them were surprised as their eyes lit up, glinting at the smell of money. With that, they quickly pooled their resources and left town, traveling in a worn-out carriage while everyone carried the tools necessary for the operation.
Krune casually trailed after them, easily keeping up with the speed of the carriage by heading to the skies from time to time.
Soon, after half a day's worth of travel, the group arrived at an abandoned village. It was a large village with stone buildings. It had once been prosperous. But alas, a nightmare had appeared there, destroying it overnight.
By the time the nearby Imperial Meister arrived, it was too late. As a place attacked by a nightmare, none wished to settle down here, feeling fear whenever they passed by it.
So, it was an abandoned ghost town.
"Tethlea!" The shopkeeper exclaimed in surprise immediately upon reaching the village's entrance. It was the plant he was looking for. There was a batch situated at the entrance already.
"When you're plucking it, ensure that you plant some of the Tethlea's flowers into the ground. That would ensure to make them grow there once again." the shopkeeper said. "Also, make a note of all the spots where they grow. We must never disturb them. They are our cash cows, our hope for becoming rich."
"You don't need to stress it that much." One of their colleagues laughed. "We aren't idiots. We'll never shoot our own foot."
"Yeah, everyone will be careful."
Saying so, they began to gather the plants, ensuring to not even disturb the atmosphere of the place.
"This place has a deathly energy" Krune muttered, sensing the atmosphere of the place. "Only when a Nightmare commits a massacre would it become like this."
"It'll be hard to replicate." He frowned, continuing to investigate the place before returning with the ground during nightfall.
Thanks to his arrangements, the group was allowed entry into the Liu Estate as Krune received the batch they brought, making a general estimate that they had brought enough for the money he had given.
"Bring this amount once in every two days, understand?" Krune said, watching them nod in response. "Also, ensure to deliver the goods at the same time. This has to be kept secret. Otherwise, your lives well, you don't need me to remind you that, right?"
"Yes, Lord!" Everyone prostrated on the ground, leaving immediately once Krune waved his hand. Nevertheless, while leaving, their faces were beaming with smiles.
Even after the cost of transport and other necessities, each one of them still ended up with a sizeable sum, way larger than what they made from their shops.
It was then and there that they decided to keep this secret and take it to their grave. After all, they would be idiots to spread their money-making strategy.
"We'll head towards another village after two days. I know of six such villages in total. If we rotate, the plants would finish growing in the meantime, allowing us to harvest in a proper cycle without depleting the goods," the shopkeeper said as everyone nodded.
Satisfied, he returned to his house, habitually picking up his bottle of alcohol before throwing it away. "I'll become rich in the future.. As a winner, I should make a habit of drinking tea instead."