Chapter 551

Chapter 551: The Return of the Minister of Commerce

"Pang Fu! Where have you been hiding?"

"I’ve had people search all the fairy cities you usually hang around!" Xu Fan exclaimed with excitement.

Ever since getting the Star Ship, Xu Fan hadn’t stopped looking for his minister of commerce.

Every time Spirit Cut ventured into the human stars in the Extreme Void Domain, he’d spread the word about searching for Pang Fu.

But there had been no luck.

“Grand Elder, I’ve been stuck in Water Cloud Fairy City all these years. When I first got there, the whole place was sealed off,” Pang Fu said, his voice filled with frustration.

He had gone to that fairy city for business, never expecting to get trapped.

“Water Cloud Fairy City? No wonder we couldn’t find you all this time,” Xu Fan said, noticing how much thinner Pang Fu looked.

It was like he’d dropped from 300 pounds to 200.

“You’ve clearly had a rough time. Look at you,” Xu Fan said sympathetically.

Hearing Xu Fan’s words, Pang Fu’s tears started flowing.

“Grand Elder, these decades have been hell. I’ve dreamed of coming back to the sect every single day,” Pang Fu said, his voice trembling.

“In Water Cloud Fairy City, I had no connections, no resources. I barely scraped by with the spirit stones I had and a small business I started, but I was constantly pushed around.”

“It took me 70 years, but I finally saved enough spirit stones to rent a Star Ship and come home,” Pang Fu said, his voice heavy with emotion.

“It’s okay now. You’re back, and you’ve got support from here on out,” Xu Fan said, feeling a pang of guilt as he imagined the hardships Pang Fu had endured.

Yet, despite everything, Pang Fu had managed to gather enough spirit stones to rent a Star Ship.

Xu Fan didn’t know the exact amount, but he was sure it was a fortune.

“Grand Elder, here’s the spirit stones I’ve earned over the years. Please take them.”

“And give me another batch of our Hidden Spirit Sect’s specialties—puppets, treasures, pills, whatever you’ve got.”

“Give me one hundred years’ time, and I’ll bring a Star Ship back for the sect,” Pang Fu declared with determination.

With the entire cultivation world’s space sealed, having a Star Ship was essential to securing a foothold in the commerce sector.

Xu Fan looked at Pang Fu, who was already thinking about the sect’s future, and felt a wave of regret for how he’d treated him in the past.

“That Star Ship can only stay here for three days. After that, I need to head back to Spirit Heart Fairy City—that’s where Hidden Spirit Commerce is based,” Pang Fu explained.

“Let that Star Ship go. Our Hidden Spirit Sect has Star Ships now, and we’ll make sure you have one of your own,” Xu Fan said with a sigh.

“We have Star Ships now?!” Pang Fu exclaimed, both shocked and thrilled.

“Our sect has grown a lot over the years. You won’t need to rent a Star Ship to come back anymore,” Xu Fan said, giving Pang Fu a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Can our Star Ship mine?” Pang Fu asked.

“Of course it can mine! Isn’t that the bare minimum?” Xu Fan replied, a bit confused.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of Star Ships that were just converted Sea Ships. They claim they can mine in the Extreme Void Domain, but in reality, they can barely handle a fast flight without falling apart.”

“Every time I had to board one of those, it was a gamble with my life,” Pang Fu said, shuddering at the memory. He’d been on one once and almost didn’t make it.

“Don’t worry. Our Star Ships are the real deal. They can handle the inner area of the Extreme Void Domain without a problem.”

"I’m not the kind of person who would create something unsafe," Xu Fan said with a dismissive glance at the poorly equipped Star Ship in the distance.

"Let that Star Ship go first. You’ve had a long journey; take a few days to rest at the sect."

"Check with Grape about the situation after the spaces of various fairy cities were sealed. I’ll arrange another Star Ship for you to continue your journey."

"Our sect is in desperate need of resources, and we urgently need you, the minister of commerce," Xu Fan said with a smile, feeling like a gift from the heavens had arrived just when he needed it most.

"Then I’ll go and have the Star Ship return my spirit stones," Pang Fu said excitedly.

He found it strange; when he left, even building a Sea Ship was a struggle for the sect, and now, just a few years later, they had a Star Ship waiting for him.

"What do you mean ‘return’? You’re going to be the minister of commerce for the Hidden Spirit Sect; you need to think bigger," Xu Fan said grandly.

"12 million top-grade spirit stones, and that’s just the return cost," Pang Fu muttered.

"Grape, send a team of Core Formation Stage Puppets to follow the minister and prepare the railguns in the sky for targeting," Xu Fan ordered; 12 million spirit stones were no small amount.

"Grand Elder, wait for me; I’ll be back soon," Pang Fu said as he steered his small spiritual boat toward the distant Star Ship.

After a friendly chat with the respected elder piloting the Star Ship, Pang Fu managed to get back 11 million top-grade spirit stones.

"Grape, make a list of items we can sell from the sect and show it to Pang Fu," Xu Fan instructed, watching the enthusiastic Pang Fu.

"Grand Elder, give me three… no, two days, and then I’ll set off to earn spirit stones for the sect," Pang Fu said eagerly.

"No rush; take a few days to rest first," Xu Fan waved his hand, knowing the sect was short on resources but not wanting to overwork anyone.

"Grand Elder, I’ve looked at the list. Our sect has excess production and urgently needs other resources. I can’t just sit around; I need to put those unused resources to work and maximize our profits."

"Give me two years, and I’ll fill the sect’s treasury for you," Pang Fu said, brimming with energy as if he had rediscovered his youth.

"No need to hurry; it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Let’s catch up first."

"Tell me about your experiences over the years; I’m curious," Xu Fan said.

Building such a large enterprise from scratch in a foreign fairy city must have been full of thrilling and complicated stories.

"Since the Grand Elder wants to hear, I’ll tell you," Pang Fu replied.

Xu Fan waved his hand, and a lounge chair appeared beside him.

"It’s still morning, and the sunlight is perfect. We can talk all day," Xu Fan said with a smile.

"Back in Water Cloud Fairy City, I didn’t have many spirit stones, and the samples I brought were just a few puppets and treasures from the sect."

"At that time, looking at the resources I had, I suddenly remembered the concept the Grand Elder shared with me back at the Hidden Spirit Sect."

"Then, I met a genius in artifact crafting, and then…"

As Pang Fu’s story unfolded, Xu Fan’s expressions grew more and more intrigued.

The artifact crafting genius Pang Fu first encountered proposed rebuilding communication and introduced some advanced ideas.

Then, with Pang Fu’s passionate speech, they gathered a group of small businesses and formed a communication alliance. The reason they didn’t attract larger businesses was that they looked down on the idea and demanded too much equity in return for investment.

After much effort, the communication alliance of these small businesses managed to open trading routes and establish communications with the surrounding four fairy cities, only to face suppression from the larger businesses in Water Cloud Fairy City.