Shangguan Ziqi was arranging for himself and his group to settle down in the inn.

Another conspiracy was also quietly underway.

At the same time, on the other side of this port city, there was a tall temple on a mountain outside the city.

The high priest of the temple, Cassim, is listening to the report from his men.

"The foreigners' ships are huge, like moving palaces." A spy, wrapped in black from head to toe, knelt on the ground and described.

"The cloth they brought was thinner than morning mist, and I heard it was made of silk spun by insects. The porcelain they brought was more beautiful than the most beautiful altar in our Shenduo country.

Their appearance is also very different from ours. Their women are petite and their skin is much whiter than ours. They are very beautiful. "

Cassim's eyes widened as he heard this. He paced slowly, stroking a snake-shaped pendant hanging on his chest with his fingers.

As the high priest, he has absolute power in the city of Dofas.

Since he came here to be the high priest, he has used local women as sacrifices every three years and has never used foreign women.

But only he knew that he had enjoyed those women privately before offering them to the gods.

At this moment, a desire that he had never felt before burned in his heart.

Those outsiders have no roots here at all, so it wouldn't be easy to control them, right?

"Their goods were bought by Rajiv and Ajay." The man continued to report.

Kasim listened and nodded.

Since they have already bought it, he will naturally have a share of the temple, so he doesn't have to worry about that.

"How many of them are women?"

"Five adult women and a child of a few years old. But one of the women is dressed particularly luxuriously, so she must be of noble status. Her husband should be the leader of the fleet."

"What about the other four women?" Qasim frowned and asked.

"It should be a maid."

"What gods do these foreigners worship?" Cassim thought for a moment and asked in a gloomy voice.

"According to observation, they did not conduct any sacrificial activities, and no statues of gods were seen on the boat. However, they were extremely respectful to the elders and seemed to attach great importance to tradition."

The spy observed for a long time.

We also saw how Shangguan Ziqi took care of Emperor Qiqi and the old prince.

A cold light flashed in Kasim's eyes: "No sacrifice? No respect for the gods? Such people have not been cleansed by the gods, they must be barbaric and inferior people."

He suddenly stopped and continued, "Three days from now there will be a grand ceremony to worship the gods, and we need four women as sacrifices.

And A'la had come to me several times to make a fuss because her daughter was chosen, and I couldn't bear it.

Aren’t these foreign women the sacrifices given to us by the gods? They are being given to the gods to be cleansed by them.”

The spy looked up, fear and awe in his eyes: "What does the high priest mean?"

"Keep an eye on those four foreign women and bring them to me when you get the chance. They are just maids, not important people.

Remember, don't let anyone notice.

The sacrificial ceremony must be performed perfectly, which will determine the weather and harvest in the coming year."

"Yes, sir."

"No, I have to see it myself. If those female gods don't like us, they will punish us." Cassim was a little worried again.

It wasn't about whether the gods liked her or not. He just wanted to confirm whether she was really as beautiful as the spies said.

——

Shangguan Ziqi settled down.

Along the way, Emperor Qiyi also saw the differences between the Shenduo Kingdom and the Wei Dynasty.

I feel deeply moved.

"It is true that traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books. Next time, I want to bring my eldest grandson out to see the world. This world is really huge."

"Your Majesty, you must have gained a lot from this trip, right?" The old prince was also curious.

He also regretted not bringing his little daughter with him, and next time he wanted to bring his princess and daughter with him.

Emperor Qi nodded and said, "Although the guy named Rajiv is a bit cunning, he is honest. He gave us the real price for the goods we brought according to our requirements."

"Well, the purpose of our trip has been achieved. After the transaction, we will stay here for a while and then go back." The old prince nodded in agreement.

He suddenly thought of the few people he saw when he first came ashore, and turned to Shangguan Ziqi who had just walked over.

"Ziqi, did you notice the men in black robes on the shore when you were on the deck just now?"

Shangguan Ziqi was startled: "The king saw it too? I was just about to report this. Those people are not like ordinary people. They kept staring at us, especially Chunhua and the others."

"Yes, I suspect they have other intentions. You should be on guard."

"Yes, son, I'll arrange it right away." Shangguan Ziqi immediately became alert.

"Chunhua, you guys, try not to act alone." Shangguan Ziqi turned around and gave special instructions.

The four girls looked at each other, nervous and excited.

They were still immersed in the novelty of exotic customs and had no idea of ​​the potential crisis.

"Your Majesty, Prince, why don't we go on a family tour today? This will allow the children to see the world, and they can also observe the local customs and folkways firsthand." Yu Yuanzheng suggested when she saw that they were about to finish their talk.

It's a rare opportunity to come to this foreign country, so of course I have to appreciate it.

Emperor Qi stroked his beard and thought for a moment: "Yes. But we must double our protection and not be careless."

The next morning, the Shangguan family and Emperor Qi walked out of the inn accompanied by ten elite guards.

The guide sent by Rajiv had been waiting for a long time, ready to take them to visit the most prosperous part of the city.

The market was bustling with people, and the sounds of various vendors could be heard one after another.

The air was filled with a mixture of spices and cooked food.

Shangguan Yajing held her mother's hand tightly, but her eyes were too busy to take in all the wonders.

"Mother, that man is swallowing fire!" she exclaimed, pointing at a street performer.

Yu Yuanzheng is more concerned about the lives of ordinary citizens.

Some women from many countries wore veils and moved in a reserved manner; others wore brightly colored clothes and traded openly in the market.

"Mother, why do they put things on their heads to move them?" Shangguan Changyu watched along the way and found that both men and women liked to move things in this way.

"This is their custom, a habit that has been formed from ancient times to the present." Yu Yuanzheng could not explain this problem and could only attribute it to custom.

In a spice shop, Emperor Qi was attracted by all kinds of exotic aromas. The owner was an old man with wrinkles on his face. Seeing the distinguished guest coming, he immediately introduced the spices enthusiastically.

He took out a small piece of black resinous substance, scraped off a little powder with a knife, and motioned for Emperor Qi to smell it.

"This is the best agarwood!" Emperor Qi said in amazement, "I have been in the palace for many years, and I have only seen this quality a few times."

Seeing that the customer seemed to like it very much, the owner happily gave a thumbs up and then gestured a price with his hand.

The guide gestured carefully again, and Emperor Qi finally understood how much it cost.

Even the old prince's eyes widened. This price was 70% cheaper than that of Wei.

Just as Emperor Qi was about to buy, the market outside suddenly became quiet.

The crowd automatically made way for a path, and several people in black robes slowly walked over. The leader was none other than Cassim, the snake-shaped pattern on his forehead glowing coldly in the sun.

The guide immediately warned in a low voice: "It's the high priest of the temple. Please keep quiet and don't look directly at him."

Unfortunately, Emperor Qiyi did not understand, but he saw the guide immediately bowed, with a serious face, waiting for the group of people to pass by.

Emperor Qiyi guessed that these people might be some important figures in the local area.

Cassim walked to the spice shop, glanced at the Wei delegation, and paused slightly when he saw Yu Yuanzheng and four maids.

He walked in, picked up the piece of top-quality agarwood, and said a few words to the owner.

The shop owner immediately knelt down and bowed, saying with great fear and trepidation that this spice should be donated to the temple.

Cassim nodded with satisfaction, glanced at the four maids again, a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then he left with his entourage.

"That person's eyes look at Chunhua and the others very strangely. It makes people feel very uncomfortable, as if being stared at by a poisonous snake." Yu Yuanzheng whispered to Shangguan Ziqi.