Economic Suppression

"Boss, we bought the house."

After entering the city, Jiang Hao parked at an empty spot outside a hotel, where the entire convoy stopped to rest. He had sent Shadow Bro, Qian Jun, and Blade-Pointing Bro to buy a residence.

They had not earned many Gold Soul Coins lately, but the scattered sums added up to six hundred thousand. More than half of that was Jiang Hao's own savings.

"Need to hurry up and make money." Jiang Hao shook his head.

Fortunately, houses here were not expensive. They had bought a sizable residence for just two hundred thousand, and it would serve as Soul Hall's future Stronghold within the city.

Jiang Hao still intended to build a Stronghold for his Clones outside the city, toward the Far North.

City houses were too expensive, costing a hefty number of Gold Soul Coins. Besides, he had so many Clones that three or four hundred had arrived at once.

In the future, the Clones he kept in plain sight might even number over a thousand.

The Far North was unlike the Star Dou Great Forest. Its harsh conditions meant he could not leave Banner Bro living in a tent long-term. He needed safe snow shelters and a camp.

Lost in thought, Jiang Hao followed Shadow Bro as they drove the many carriages to the residence.

Looking at the thick white walls, Jiang Hao nodded. "Not bad. Houses here cost much less than in Shrek City. You can buy the same sort of residence for nearly half the money."

Two welcoming pines stood in front of the residence. Though the house faced the street, it was not a busy one.

Few people or merchants passed by, making it a fine place to rest and recuperate.

As cartloads of supplies were carried inside, Jiang Hao gathered his key people.

The Clones sat around the coffee table on the living room sofas. Owl Bro had sent Qingzhu to inspect the goods, so she would not notice anything unusual here.

Those gathered were Baozi Bro, Tree Bro, Owl Bro, Swallow Bro, Cannon Bro, Hoe Bro, and Master's Bro.

And Banner Bro, whom Jiang Hao had brought out of his Spiritual Sea. Ever since he had gained the Fire Gazing state,

Jiang Hao no longer feared that anyone would detect the evil attribute clinging to his body, so he had brought Banner Bro along. Only Ice Sword and Pagoda Bro were absent.

"You're all key members among the Clones, and there are some things I want to discuss with you.

"I don't dare use the Fatui name Master's Bro gave his group anymore, given its reputation. The Xuanming Sect is also hunting the Thirty-Person Group, so we can't use that name for now.

"From here on, our organization is Soul Hall, with Owl Bro still at its head. Let's work to help Soul Hall grow strong.

"This time, we'll focus on Soul Tool research and medicine production. Resources will go to Master's Bro so he can perfect the stamina-enhancing potion as soon as possible and sell it in batches.

"That will be our main source of income." Jiang Hao tapped his fingers on the table as he spoke.

A stack of documents from Master's Bro lay there. "Next, I'll introduce the team's newest members and assign them work."

Jiang Hao clapped, and several Clones came in through the door.

"Their Martial Souls are all rather unusual. Once we've settled in, we'll head straight to the outskirts of the Far North and build a camp for Soul Hall.

"Flame Bro and Fire Dragon Bro, you'll be responsible for that. Your fire attributes give you greater resistance to the cold.

"You'll lead a team of Soul Masters with suitable attributes as the vanguard and build defenses there.

"Banner Bro, you and your people will help too. Your main job is to train Soul Masters with strong combat potential.

"Draw up a list of Soul Masters with strong fighting ability and high-quality Martial Souls, then give it to Owl Bro so he can assign them. I'm putting the newcomers, Blade-Pointing Bro and Wooden Fish Bro, under you. Train them well.

"As for you, Hoe Bro, farming in the Far North is in a sorry state. I plan to split your people into two groups. One will grow seasonal fresh vegetables in greenhouses, using plant-type Soul Masters and Plastic Greenhouses, then sell the produce in the city for Gold Soul Coins. The other will mine wild ore deposits outdoors and provide the organization with mineral resources and income."

Jiang Hao had noticed the problem throughout his journey north: the closer he got to the Far North, the more expensive vegetables became. Here, they already cost almost twice as much as in Shrek City.

Even Soul Tools had not changed that.

Storing vegetables required Soul Tools capable of holding cargo. Those were generally expensive and needed plenty of space.

Yet vegetables did not sell for much, so hardly any merchant caravans chose to transport seasonal produce with Soul Tools. It would be like using a priceless pearl as a slingshot pellet.

A sheer waste.

Hoe Bro made an OK sign, accepting the task.

Master's Bro suddenly raised his hand. "I need people to assist with my experiments. I need Banner Bro and Training Bro. They're both exceptionally good at mental control, and I need them to control Soul Beasts so I can obtain experimental specimens."

As Master's Bro spoke, Jiang Hao frowned.

"Wouldn't other Mental Attribute Soul Masters do? Banner Bro already has a lot on his plate."

Master's Bro's sudden request put Jiang Hao in a difficult position. Soul Tools and injections were the most profitable projects by far, potentially earning more than twice as much as all the others combined.

But that was also the project that gave him the biggest headache. Apart from Master's Bro, with his innate talent for dissection, probably no one else could do that kind of work.

Master's Bro thought for a moment, then said, "I shouldn't need them for long.

"They'd only help me catch Soul Beasts occasionally. The rest of the time, I'd rather have Soul Masters with high Spiritual Power.

"Both Soul Tool research and injection experiments require care and concentration. High Spiritual Power can greatly improve the results."

Jiang Hao nodded as Master's Bro finished. "All right, then. If any of you need anything, contact me through the Spiritual Sea whenever you can.

"Now, to continue the introductions.

"Wooden Fish Bro's Martial Soul seems to have a holy attribute. It specializes in countering Evil Soul Masters, so Banner Bro, train him well. Blade-Pointing Bro seems to be a Mental Attribute Soul Master. He can shatter his blades and make the fragments float.

"He should be quite strong in a fight.

"You two follow Banner Bro and learn from him. Build up your combat strength.

"You can also take my body-tempering method. Practice it if you can; if you can't, don't worry about it."

By now, Jiang Hao had given up hope for that method. There was no way he could use it to improve every Clone's physique.

Not one of them had managed to learn it. The fundamentals seemed to work only for him.

"Boss, can we really make suggestions?

"I want to open a restaurant. My Martial Soul is cookware. It can only serve its purpose and help me cultivate in a restaurant."

After Pot Bro spoke, the other Clones chimed in.

"Exactly. It's hard for us Food-type Martial Soul users to cultivate without improving through practice.

"This isn't the Star Dou Great Forest, and it's freezing outside. I doubt anyone will go out there before the camp is built. Are we supposed to do nothing but stay in the Spiritual Sea all day until then?"

The Clones' feedback caught Jiang Hao's interest. He had quite a few Food Type Soul Masters. What if they opened a buffet on the continent?

Hmm... Jiang Hao fell silent. The idea that had just struck him was brilliant.

Zero cost. Absolutely zero cost. Food-type Martial Souls could produce food by consuming Soul Power, so the cost was practically nothing. If he had thought of this sooner, he might already have made a fortune.

Jiang Hao quickly went through the Clones' information. Their Food-type Martial Souls included all sorts of common fruits and vegetables, as well as various processed and unprocessed meats. All of them would work nicely.

An inaugural buffet run by them would make money hand over fist. "Good, good! Owl Bro, Pot Bro! Come with me this afternoon to rent a storefront."