Translator: AnubisTL
After disconnecting the communication with Mentor Clark, Jieming sat in his chair, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk.
The matter of the seventh-tier elemental pool couldn't be resolved immediately, but that didn't mean he should remain idle.
"The elemental pool issue can be addressed gradually," Jieming mused. "But the development of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane is urgent."
He reopened his magic net terminal and accessed the internal hiring platform of Noren Workshop.
While acquiring large-scale equipment would take time, he could immediately begin preparing the necessary manpower.
He needed a highly efficient construction and exploration team to conduct detailed surveys of the mineral vein distribution, establish preliminary bases, install essential protective facilities, and prepare for future large-scale development and transformation.
Through Noren Workshop's channels, Jieming found a logistics team composed of dozens of low-tier wizards.
Most of them had recently completed their military service, lacked the resources for advancement, or were low-tier wizards recovering from battlefield injuries.
Given the vast number of planes requiring transformation, such specialized teams were both experienced and plentiful.
More importantly, the workshops acted as intermediaries, helping to draft and sign contracts, ensuring a high degree of trustworthiness.
Jieming briefly communicated with the leader of the construction team.
They developed a detailed plan, including conducting preliminary geological surveys, installing various Permanent Magic Arrays, and collecting mineral samples for analysis during the construction process.
Since this was merely the initial groundwork, Jieming hadn't given it much thought. However, reality soon struck him hard.
Even for just a small portion of the plane's development, he once again faced the issue of merit points.
The low-tier wizard team was indeed highly professional, equipped with all the necessary protective gear, basic alchemy equipment, short-range transportation tools, and supplies to sustain them in the Purgatory Sulfur Plane.
But without a doubt, these costs would ultimately fall on Jieming.
Moreover, developing even a small portion of the plane required vast quantities of materials.
Although the Purgatory Sulfur Plane contained abundant metal resources that could substitute some common building materials and fuel, the specially processed wizard-grade materials and components for intricate magic formations still needed to be purchased from the workshops in staggering quantities.
Even though the Purgatory Sulfur Plane could be partially self-sufficient, the remaining procurement costs were still substantial.
Moreover, hiring these wizards wasn't cheap either.
Though they were low-tier wizards, their time and labor were clearly priced within the workshop.
The combination of high labor costs and the expenses for materials to construct the Permanent Magic Array and various basic structures meant the total merit points required were considerable.
Jieming checked his remaining merit points and embarrassingly discovered that, after years of expenditures, he only had enough to cover the initial deposit.
"It seems merit points are the greatest obstacle facing wizards," Jieming sighed helplessly.
He felt like a wealthy man sitting on a mountain of gold, yet lacking the cash to hire a mining crew.
"Money flows like water," Jieming muttered softly. "In the blink of an eye, I'm broke again."
However, Jieming wasn't bothered by this; in fact, he was quite pleased.
A wizard's power was always built upon vast resources, and every resource required merit points to acquire.
The stronger one's abilities, the greater their earning potential—but also their spending capacity.
During his time as a wizard apprentice, Jieming's spending habits were relatively modest. But upon reaching the wizard level, his spending became increasingly extravagant.
Every merit point he spent ultimately transformed into his own strength. The more he spent, the stronger he became.
Without hesitation, Jieming used his remaining merit points as a down payment to hire an engineering team of dozens of wizards. He then outlined a preliminary development plan for the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, including establishing a temporary base in a relatively stable area, deploying high-temperature protective magic arrays, and initiating basic mining operations for exposed low-grade metal ores.
Staring at his empty merit point balance, Jieming began brainstorming ways to earn more.
After years of accumulation, Jieming possessed numerous profitable technologies, but few offered the potential for truly substantial earnings.
"Whether something can make money boils down to two factors: demand and the ratio of its inherent value to its production cost."
For example, the adamantium that had sustained Jieming for so long had extremely specialized properties. Though classified as a fifth-tier material, it possessed the corrosion resistance of a sixth-tier material, ensuring consistently strong sales.
After all, being able to purchase a material with sixth-tier properties at the price of a fifth-tier material made it the top choice for most fifth-tier wizards, regardless of its specialized attributes.
Even after the Shadow Plane was conquered, many wizards remained fond of this material.
Moreover, its extremely low production cost had sustained Jieming's operations until now.
If an ordinary wizard held the patent for this technology, they could easily profit even from fifth-tier wizards.
But for Jieming at his current stage, adamantium's profit margins were still too slow!
"The nature of adamantium itself is the problem," Jieming thought, closing his eyes in contemplation. "It can't be mass-produced on an industrial assembly line, so each piece requires my personal time and effort."
In truth, this wasn't just true for adamantium. All materials and finished products related to the immortal cultivation world required the involvement of spiritual energy during their creation, inevitably demanding Jieming's personal attention.
Given the advanced state of wizard civilization, the extraction of many raw materials could be fully automated with detailed technical blueprints.
This remained Jieming's sole disadvantage.
"Therefore, selling new raw materials is pointless. It's far more profitable to sell finished products with higher profit margins."
With sufficient skill, the profit margin between raw materials and finished products could span an unimaginable chasm.
As various creations from recent years flashed through his mind, Jieming quickly settled on two targets: "First, the aptitude-enhancing magic potion refined from Eastern Purple Qi..."
After a moment's consideration, Jieming shook his head regretfully and abandoned the idea.
While the aptitude-enhancing potion's effects were indeed potent, and its high price would undoubtedly attract buyers, its fatal flaw lay in the limited availability of its raw material.
Although extracting Eastern Purple Qi was cost-free, the daily yield was restricted to a single strand, severely capping the potential profits from the potion.
"Then it's the second option..."
With this thought, Jieming retrieved a vial of vibrantly colored magic potion from his internal space.
This potion, refined from ordinary Mortal Dust Qi, held the key to a new revenue stream if its effects matched his predictions.
"Unfortunately, I can't test its specific efficacy yet. I'll have to wait until next month. Fortunately, the elemental pool matter isn't urgent, so I have plenty of time."
"Sigh... why can't I control my hands?!" Jieming couldn't help but slap his wrist.
The other items were manageable, but the price of a seventh-tier large elemental pool was nearly equivalent to the value of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane itself.
Mentor Clark's earlier warnings hadn't been unfounded. For a simple wizard tower's energy source, a fifth-tier large elemental pool would have sufficed; even a sixth-tier model would have been overkill.
But... that was only if it were just a "wizard tower."
What Jieming intended to create was far more than that.
If it were just an ordinary plane, Jieming wouldn't have acted so impulsively.
However, the Purgatory Sulfur Plane was a subordinate plane within the Elosia Plane Cluster, which meant... it contained a natural Divine Power Faith Network.
Though incomplete, this imperfection was actually an advantage for the idea that had recently taken root in Jieming's mind.
"Forget it, forget it. What's the point of living if you don't have dreams?"
After some contemplation, Jieming decided to temporarily set aside his research and focus on refining adamantium to secure the initial funds for his "construction team."
For the entire following month, Jieming completely isolated himself in the underground laboratory beneath the Golden Garden, immersing himself in the monotonous work of refining adamantium and earning merit points.
This wasn't the kind of research he enjoyed; to Jieming, it was merely tedious and repetitive manual labor.
Unfortunately, bound by the contract, he felt it was best to prioritize stability.
After refining each ingot of adamantium, he sold it through the workshop's recycling channels, watching the merit points on his magic net terminal slowly and steadily increase.
Time slipped away swiftly amidst the roar of the furnace fires, and Jieming nearly lost all sense of time.
It wasn't until the alarm he had set on his magic net terminal rang out sharply that he was jolted awake from his near-mechanical routine.
"A month already..." Jieming set down the adamantium ingot and rubbed his aching temples.
He stretched languidly, focusing on his inner self.
The lingering fatigue from his previous exposure to Mortal Dust Qi had completely dissipated, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and vitality.
His spirit was invigorated, and his soul felt pure.
Jieming knew it was time.
It was time to test the efficacy of the potion he had refined from Mortal Dust Qi and Hundred Flowers Dew.
This potion carried his greatest hopes, perhaps holding the key to resolving his current predicament.
He carefully retrieved the vial, which radiated a seven-colored halo, from his storage space.
All prior toxicological tests on the potion had been completed; all that remained was to experience its effects firsthand.
Jieming took a deep breath and, without hesitation, drained the potion in one gulp.
The potion entered his mouth without the violent impact he had experienced when his soul was directly immersed in Mortal Dust Qi.
Instead, it carried the characteristic refreshing fragrance and warmth of Hundred Flowers Dew, gliding down his throat like sweet spring water before rapidly permeating the depths of his soul.
Even after drinking the potion, he could still clearly sense the chaotic flow of emotions.
Joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hatred, affection, enmity, birth, aging, illness, death, joy, sorrow, separation, reunion... they continued to flash through his mental world with vivid realism, like slides in a projector, allowing him to personally experience the myriad facets of mortal existence.
Yet Jieming immediately sensed a difference!
(End of the Chapter)
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