I appeased the merchants of Gourd Immortal City. After all, this trip had frightened them badly, so some soothing words—and even financial compensation—were unavoidable. Although Li Poxiao and Xia Ruize's assault on the city had caused controllable losses, they were still enormous. We had basically lost all the money we'd earned during this period.
Fortunately, not many immortals had been killed or wounded. That was worth being thankful for. However, without a doubt, a wave of resistance against Gourd Immortal City would soon sweep through the Nine Immortal Lands. They could simply choose not to trade with us or restrict their immortals from coming to Gourd Immortal City.
Even if I guarded the entrance to the Taiqing Ruins and refused entry to anyone who wouldn't come to Gourd Immortal City, that would only treat the symptoms, not the root. Once the continent gradually descended completely into the Nine Immortal Lands, this advantage would vanish as well. The Taiqing Ruins were simply too vast. It was impossible to guard every immortal entering and leaving this interface. In the end, Gourd Immortal City was but a drop in the ocean of the continent, merely a comprehensive transit station.
If the immortals of the Nine Immortal Lands came here at all costs to explore and carried their findings back to their respective immortal lands, I truly had no other way to restrict their freedom. Therefore, I had to sign contracts with the various Immortal Venerables of the Nine Immortal Lands as soon as possible—at the very least, get them to acknowledge that I occupied a neutral territory, so everyone could come here for trade and transit.
The Nine Immortal Lands could each take what they needed and barter with one another. If they routed their goods through Gourd Immortal City, it would actually