Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
******
"What counts as a legitimate use?" Su Wen asked, his brow furrowing.
If he had to detail exactly where every scrap of metal was going after purchase, then the Sun Moon Imperial Family's grip on these materials was excessively tight—bordering on paranoia.
"My Lord, it works like this," Liu Ye explained. "Any amount exceeding the established individual limit requires a declared purpose. Furthermore, once the Pavilion's total daily quota for controlled substances is met, any subsequent buyers must also clarify their intentions."
In truth, this wasn't unreasonable. On the Sun Moon Continent, where the Soul Tool industry was heavily monopolized, such regulations were actually considered an act of "extraordinary grace." Any engineer who wasn't there with malicious intent was usually grateful for these rules because they provided a legitimate channel to acquire metals that were previously completely unobtainable.
However, Su Wen was not a local engineer. He felt no "gratitude" for the Pavilion's supposed benevolence.
"Has the Pavilion already reached its quota for these rare metals today?" Su Wen asked, quickly grasping the mechanics of the system.
"My Lord, ever since the Pavilion opened the channels for controlled rare metals, the daily quotas have been reserved well in advance."
Su Wen was speechless. Then what's the point of calling it an 'open channel'?
Perhaps a freelance High-Level engineer could craft a device right in front of the Pavilion staff—or even partner with them to sell the finished product back to the shop—to bypass the restrictions. But Su Wen couldn't do that. For him, this "open channel" was utterly useless.
"When I say I'm collecting rare metals, I mean I'm collecting them. I have no intention of using them on the spot."
Su Wen's demand for materials was immense. "Give me the manifest. I'll buy a batch of rare metals."
Taking the list from Liu Ye, Su Wen began checking off items rapidly, selecting a massive quantity of various rare metals.
"My Lord... are you certain you wish to purchase this much?" Liu Ye's expression grew heavy. Su Wen's order was simply too large.
"Why? Is the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Treasures no longer in the business of selling common rare metals?" Su Wen countered.
Liu Ye forced a thin smile and took the list to begin the preparations.
Half an hour later, dozens of storage Soul Tools were piled before Su Wen. As the birthplace of Soul Tools, this continent produced storage devices with incredibly high capacities, some reaching hundreds or even thousands of cubic meters. Su Wen had upgraded his own storage capacity long ago; during his time in Ninghai City, he had studied the core formations of storage tools and used that knowledge to modify his Illusory Realm into a functional storage space.
The space within the Illusory Realm was vast. Even with rare metals being "wholesaled" by the ton, he easily transferred the contents of the dozens of storage tools into his realm.
As soon as Su Wen departed, Liu Ye's face turned grim, and she hurried to report to her superior.
"You're saying a soul master of at least the Soul Emperor level just bought a massive quantity of rare metals?"
"Yes, Deacon. Converted to standard units, it was at least ten thousand units," Liu Ye said respectfully.
On the Sun Moon Continent, different rare metals had different prices, so a "Unit" had been established as a universal measure of value. While not used for every transaction, it was a highly convenient metric. One unit of any rare metal held the same monetary value; the volume and weight simply varied. For reference, one unit was valued equally to one cubic meter of Deep Silver.
"Also... he asked about the availability of Mithril and other controlled metals."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Deacon Sun narrowed his eyes. As a deacon at the Radiant City headquarters, his soul power was at the Soul King level. He respected Soul Emperors, but he wasn't intimidated; his status as a deacon and a top-tier Mid-Level Soul Tool engineer put him on equal footing with most High-Level engineers.
"Ten thousand units of rare metal... how did he carry it all out?"
"He put it all into storage Soul Tools."
"All of it?" Deacon Sun brushed this detail aside for a moment, assuming Su Wen had simply used a large number of devices. "Send people to follow him."
Ten thousand units of rare metal was, in a sense, a strategic quantity. One unit could potentially produce five to ten Low-Level Soul Tools or one Mid-Level Soul Tool. Ten thousand units meant the potential for ten thousand Mid-Level Soul Tools—or over fifty thousand Low-Level ones. Even accounting for failure rates, one could still expect two or three thousand Mid-Level devices.
If used to arm a soul master corps, the result would be terrifying.
"What did he use to pay?" A purchase this large suggested the buyer was no ordinary individual. "Investigate! I want his identity found immediately!"
With the war between the Imperial Family and the Cult looming, such a massive purchase might not change the overall course of the war, but it could certainly create significant ripples. And after the war, every such ripple would be scrutinized. If the Imperial Family suffered a setback because of these ten thousand units, Deacon Sun and his superiors would be held accountable.
"Liu Ye." Deacon Sun stared at the beautiful, well-proportioned woman, but there was no lust in his eyes—only simmering fury.
Liu Ye shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, her face pale with dread.
"An order of this magnitude... why didn't you report it before the sale?"
Liu Ye's face drained of color. Only now did she realize the gravity of her oversight. Deacon Sun's heart sank as he watched her reaction.
The worst-case scenario had occurred. The man had come prepared.
Illusion!
The buyer was a master of illusions. On the Sun Moon Continent, most people with high mental strength chose to become Soul Tool engineers. Pure illusionists were incredibly rare, unless they pursued both paths—but both required such immense focus that dual-specialization was nearly unheard of.
Because Soul Tool engineering was the most respected profession, illusionists were almost non-existent. And yet, today, Liu Ye had been influenced by an illusionist, bypassing her superiors to sell ten thousand units of metal to a Soul Emperor?
Wait... ten thousand units? Does Liu Ye even have the authority to move that much?
Even if the Pavilion's restrictions on common metals were loose, every staff member had a hard limit on the volume they could authorize. Even on a monthly basis, Liu Ye's quota shouldn't have exceeded three hundred units, let alone ten thousand.
"Hiss—"
Deacon Sun sucked in a breath of cold air.
This situation was far more severe than he had first imagined. Liu Ye hadn't been the only one under the influence of that illusion.
(End of Chapter)