"Controlling resources is easy—economic binding," Xu Cheng said with a light chuckle.
"Economic binding?" Jing Hongchen seemed to hear a new term and asked with curiosity.
In past court discussions, he had heard similar ideas from those pedantic civil officials—statements about national economies and such—but it always felt like child's play to him. In his eyes, only strength, the power and number of soul engineers, truly measured the strength of a nation.
Those officials were nothing but wine sacks and rice bags. Was it really that hard to maintain people's livelihoods? Did it need so many people?
The fact that they earned salaries comparable to soul engineers was, in his view, the true tragedy of the Empire.
But since Xu Cheng brought it up, he had to take it seriously.
"Exactly. Financial harvesting only works between small nations, between large nations, or from large to small ones—but never from a small to a large nation. Fortunately, we are a large nation. So, no matter who we face, we have the capital and strength to harvest them without getting burned," Xu Cheng said with a grin.
"And at the core of finance is 'currency'. Don't underestimate this little Gold Soul Coin—there's a lot behind it." Xu Cheng snapped his fingers, and a gleaming gold coin appeared in his palm.
"The key to financial warfare is 'binding'. Only when bound can something be harvested."
"For example, look at this Gold Soul Coin. How many of itself is it worth?"
"Uh…" Jing Hongchen's eyes narrowed as he instantly grasped Xu Cheng's point (market value vs. nominal value). "In the world of soul masters, the material of this coin isn't even worth a tenth of a Gold Soul Coin. After all, gold, copper, and iron are far less precious than rare metals, so the currency's value has multiplied dozens of times beyond its actual worth."
"Then who decided this currency value?" Xu Cheng smiled.
"Originally, the three nations of the continent each had their own. Our Sun-Moon Empire used the Sun-Moon Coin. But after surrendering, we were forced to sign an agreement and adopt the Gold Soul Coin as the standard. From then on, the Sun-Moon Coin depreciated dramatically, becoming worthless, littering the streets with even the highest denominations…" Jing Hongchen recited the history fluently.
Clearly, the Sun-Moon people still held deep resentment over this chapter of history.
After all, the collapse of a nation's financial system brings catastrophic trauma.
During that time, the Sun-Moon Empire was nearly torn apart, its people displaced and starving by the thousands.
Even today, many Sun-Moon children learn about this in their very first history lesson.
"Right. With the new currency system, they forcibly bound us, then flooded the Sun-Moon market with cheap Gold Soul Coins in exchange for our expensive rare metals and resources. The original three nations made off like bandits. Fortunately, one of our emperors stepped up to stabilize the situation, or the Sun-Moon would have been utterly defeated," Xu Cheng sighed.
"So, what's your plan? Promote a new currency? Revive the old one?" Jing Hongchen mused.
"No, Master Jing. I heard that Mingdetang once heavily promoted a soul power condensation technology. It was even perfected to the point where counterfeiting was nearly impossible. But then it vanished. Why?" Xu Cheng asked, smiling.
"There was such a project. Due to political strife and internal conflict, it was affected and eventually abandoned. Plus, the advent of milk bottles made the tech obsolete. But the blueprints are still in the core of Mingdetang—under my care. What, you want to use it as a new currency?"
"Not exactly. Rather, I propose using the 'Mingdetang Standard Soul Power Condensation Block' as an anchor for a new Sun-Moon currency. One standard block = 1,000 Sun-Moon Coins = the purchasing power of 1kg of mithril. Then we can manipulate the supply (limit production or simulate 'technical issues') to create artificial deflation, forcing the other nations to sell rare metals cheaply in exchange for liquidity."
"To recover the resources we've lost to the three nations—without shedding a drop of blood."
"What if they resist?" Jing Hongchen hesitated.
After all, convincing people to accept a new currency is no easy feat. Asking the three nations to switch from a currency used for thousands of years?
"Heh, easy. Dump counterfeit precious-metal coins onto their black markets—engraved with remote-disintegration runes. Destroy their domestic currency credibility. If 70% of Gold Soul Coins in circulation are actually Sun-Moon forgeries, their purchasing power will plummet 300% in three years, triggering something like the '500,000 Mark Rye Bread Riot'," Xu Cheng chuckled.
"In that chaos, the stable, soul-power-bound Sun-Moon Coin will become every merchant's first choice."
Jing Hongchen was drenched in sweat, staring at Xu Cheng in disbelief, his throat dry.
This was his first true glimpse into the terrifying power of finance.
All this destruction—achieved through mere words and schemes.
"Every financial fluctuation is an opportunity for harvest." Xu Cheng's lips curled into a grin.
"There are other methods, too, like overproduction followed by recapture. Once Elder Cheng finishes creating artificial soul rings, we can offer them to the three nations for free. Once they become dependent and stop hunting soul beasts, we'll propose a 'Peace Treaty' banning forest hunting. Whether they agree or not—doesn't matter. Once we monopolize, we raise the price 500%, forcing soul masters to mortgage their soul bones or other resources for payment. Will they dare go back to the forest? No. The treaty will forbid humans from entering."
"Also, we can install monitoring devices in the three nations to short critical resources in advance—like during the Douling Empire's Arctic Fish season. So many strategies."
Xu Cheng shrugged. "I have at least a hundred ways to deal with them. But I'm impatient—so I'll use the most reliable one first."
"Understood. I'll expedite the refinement of that soul condensation device…" Jing Hongchen felt dazed, like his worldview had just collapsed under the weight of Xu Cheng's theories.
"It's not over yet. That was just how to harvest. I haven't said how to increase efficiency," Xu Cheng added.
"What do you mean?"
"The Starlink Railway Project."
…
"The Starlink Railway Project—is it like Mingdu's light rail?"
Mingdu.
In a royal courtyard, Wang Dong'er's eyes widened as she curiously examined the design plans given by Elder Kong. They were filled with complex soul engineering terminology—barely comprehensible to her as a Level 2 Soul Engineer.
"It's a bit like that—but the tracks aren't rails. They're made of air. The trains float in midair, and the routes are set manually. They're fast and cheap. Just a few dozen transfer stations can cover the entire Sun-Moon Empire and dramatically increase transport speeds," Elder Kong sighed. "But Cheng rejected the sky rail and chose to go underground…"
He had spoken to Xu Cheng. The message matched what Jing Hongchen heard.
Financial harvesting was happening in parallel—but that was just short-term gain. Strengthening themselves was the real goal. Their true enemy wasn't the three nations—it was the gods behind Shrek.
"I see…" Wang Dong'er's beautiful eyes shimmered with astonishment.
Clearly, this girl had great interest in this "modern" and even futuristic soul technology.
"Kong Lao, long time no see."
A figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard.
Xu Cheng smiled at the two and ruffled the girl's hair like a cat, surprised at how tall she'd gotten. In just half a month, she'd shot up to nearly 1.7 meters.
"Ugh… Brother Cheng, it's been so long since you visited." She pouted, cheeks slightly flushed.
"You're already a Level 37 Soul Elder?" Xu Cheng suddenly asked.
"Yep! I've been working hard at cultivation," Wang Dong'er replied proudly.
"Very good." Xu Cheng nodded, but with some hesitation in his heart. "I came today to ask—are you willing to walk a different path?"
"To abandon the traditional soul master or soul engineer path, and instead… become a Spirit Forgemaster. It's a main profession capable of forging metals with special properties. The forged spirit tools may resemble soul tools—but their potential far exceeds them."
In the original story, a secondary profession—Forge Master—emerges in the future.
But while building the transfer stations, the system offered him a reward—he could become a Spirit Forgemaster. A once-in-ten-years opportunity.
According to the system, Spirit Forgemasters are a rare advanced form of regular forgers—even the original protagonist Tang Wulin never unlocked it…
After much thought, among those born with forging potential (like those with the Haotian Hammer), the most trustworthy one was Wang Dong'er. She was still young enough that he could guide her growth. And as with any training-sim game—he played those well.
"If you're willing, once you reach Level 5 Spirit Forgemaster, your spirit tools will rival Level 7 soul tools." Xu Cheng said seriously.
Because Spirit Forgemasters bring metal to life.
With powerful buffs and a unique furnace core, the crafted spirit tool will gain its own consciousness, utterly surpassing traditional soul tools.
Of course, his ultimate goal was to cultivate a top-tier Spirit Furnace Master to prepare for the true Starlink Railway Project.
A future where the empire connects the cosmos.
Linking star systems within his domain would be essential—requiring trains that could cross space and travel between interstellar stations.
Perhaps by then, ordinary soul tools could do it via spatial technology—but if the system offered Spirit Forgemasters, it meant their creations had irreplaceable value.
"This is a path no one has walked before… and one with no visible end," Xu Cheng said softly.
"If you choose it, you may waste your life… or perhaps, ascend to godhood."(End of Chapter)