Chương 117: Chapter 117: Amy's Time to Shine
At the base entrance.
The sound of horses neighing and people shouting filled the air.
A group of merchants was busy unloading crates from their wagons, working up a sweat.
Nearby, a steward was loudly reminding them, "Be careful, handle it gently! These are valuable goods. If you break anything, your salary for a whole month won't cover it!"
Among the crowd were over a dozen burly individuals with prominent beastly features and thick body hair, each easily carrying a heavy crate, looking relaxed.
Mu Zhuo observed from a distance, nodding to himself.
It seemed that accepting these beastmen was a wise decision. They served as both guards and laborers, working hard without complaint. One salary could hire the equivalent of two or three human workers, making it very cost-effective.
After the Beastmen Calamity, beastmen found it impossible to stay in the Starlight Duchy, facing hatred and expulsion wherever they went.
Thus, beastmen began migrating to neighboring countries.
Many settled in the Thornflower Duchy.
Thanks to Ota's plea, Mu Zhuo decided to take in a group of beastmen, causing some controversy within the merchant guild at the time, but it turned out to be the right choice.
As he pondered, a rumbling sound caught his attention.
The base gate slowly opened, and towering clay golems emerged.
Each carried several stacked crates, looking extremely heavy.
Approaching the caravan, the clay golems gently placed the crates on the ground, yet still produced a dull thud, causing the nearby merchants to exclaim quietly.
"These big guys are really strong!"
"Those crates must weigh a ton!"
"I heard these are called golems."
"Amazing!"
The merchants whispered among themselves, pointing at the clay golems.
Especially those seeing them for the first time, who stared wide-eyed in curiosity.
"Lord Shaman."
Mu Zhuo's eyes lit up as he spotted someone emerging from the base, and he quickly approached.
Compared to a few years ago, when they first met, Shaman now exuded a calm and steady aura that commanded respect.
"Long time no see, President Mu Zhuo."
After exchanging pleasantries, Shaman gestured to the crates on the ground and said with a smile:
"These are the metals for this transaction, all smelted into ingots. Have your people check them, and if everything's in order, we'll proceed at the previous price."
After successfully developing the mineral veins around Yohu Lake City, the trade between the Fire Fox Merchant Guild and Sunan expanded beyond potions to include metals.
With five mineral veins (including the silver vein in the cave) and the high efficiency of clay golem mining, the monthly output of iron, copper, gold, and silver was astonishing. Shimmer Territory alone couldn't consume it all, so most had to be sold externally.
Mu Zhuo nodded, instructed the steward to check the goods, then turned back to Shaman, deliberating before saying, "Lord Shaman, I received a letter from Lord Sunan about increasing the quantity of potion transactions. Is this..."
"The teacher already informed me."
Shaman smiled slightly.
"Starting today, the base will double the number of potions sold externally. Can the Fire Fox Merchant Guild handle it?"
"Of course!" Mu Zhuo replied firmly.
Joking aside, they had to manage it somehow.
Since opening the potion trade route, the Fire Fox Merchant Guild's profits had skyrocketed.
The potions sold by the base were highly popular in the Thornflower Duchy, in short supply.
Monopolizing this trade meant the Fire Fox Merchant Guild was raking in profits.
Under such circumstances, Mu Zhuo couldn't allow others to share in their gains.
Even if the guild's capacity was stretched by the doubled potion supply, they could develop agents to distribute some of the potions, earning a profit margin.
Anyone with common sense knew what to do.
"That's good to hear. Finding another trustworthy business partner would be troublesome." Shaman said with a smile.
"Rest assured, Lord Shaman, we at the Fire Fox Merchant Guild can handle any increase you send our way!"
Mu Zhuo patted his chest in assurance, then cautiously added:
"A few days ago, I sent a letter to Lord Sunan, mentioning the possibility of acting as an agent for wizard potions. What did Lord Sunan say?"
When Mu Zhuo referred to wizard potions, he wasn't talking about the diluted ones, but genuine wizard potions.
The diluted potions were treasures for ordinary knights, but less effective for Grand Knights.
Only undiluted, genuine wizard potions could pique Grand Knights' interest, expanding the customer base and increasing profits.
Shaman smiled: "The teacher agreed to your request, President Mu Zhuo, allowing the Fire Fox Merchant Guild to receive a certain quantity of zero-level potions each month, but there are two conditions."
Mu Zhuo perked up and quickly said, "Please share them!"
"The first condition is that the zero-level potions provided to the Fire Fox Merchant Guild must not enter the Starlight Duchy. If they're discovered there, for any reason, the zero-level potion agency will be terminated."
Mu Zhuo hesitated briefly, then nodded in agreement: "No problem!"
As a president of a large merchant guild with connections in many countries, he kept a close eye on the situation in each nation.
He was well aware of the current delicate relationship between Shimmer Territory and the Starlight royal family.
In the near future, a war might break out, so it was understandable that Shimmer Territory didn't want to aid the enemy.
Shaman's condition was manageable, requiring strict control over trading partners.
After all, the wizard potion trade was intended for high-end clients, a limited group, so with some effort, it was feasible.
"The second condition is that all zero-level potion transactions must be paid for in equivalent value gemstones."
Mu Zhuo was momentarily taken aback but quickly understood, agreeing without hesitation.
Though puzzled about the insistence on gemstone payment, this condition was simpler than the first, so there was no reason to refuse.
"Here's to a successful partnership, President Mu Zhuo."
"We'll deliver the first batch of zero-level potions with the next transaction."
"Thank you, Lord Shaman."
With the main objective achieved, Mu Zhuo was in high spirits. As they shook hands, he discreetly handed over a small pouch of gemstones.
Shaman glanced at it but didn't refuse, accepting it with a smile.
The base was currently mass-producing various golem puppets, leading to a shortage of gemstones for crafting soul cores. Otherwise, the teacher wouldn't have stipulated gemstone payments.
This small pouch of gemstones was enough to create a dozen soul cores, earning a tidy sum in contribution points.
Two hours later, the transaction was complete.
Watching the caravan depart, Shaman ordered the clay golems to move the goods back to storage, then headed to Magic Plant Garden No. 4.
Magic Plant Garden No. 4 was newly established three months ago. Today marked the first harvest of magic plants, which he needed to collect and bring back to the base.
As more students learned to craft zero-level potions, the base's demand for various basic materials increased.
In response, the teacher established two new magic plant gardens.
One was near Shimmer City, and the other, he heard, was in the Underground World.
It's said that locations for Magic Plant Gardens No. 5 and No. 6 are currently being scouted for construction.
Since joining the base, Shaman had observed all its changes, feeling the prosperity and growth.
Perhaps in the near future, the base could become the wizard tower described in books.
He hoped to witness that day.
In the Underground World, Yohu Lake City.
Central Palace, Study.
The quiet study was filled with the faint fragrance of calming flower tea.
Sunan sat at the desk, focused on writing and drawing, with a cup of calming flower tea beside him.
Tea with calming flowers helped center the mind, improving focus, beneficial for experiments and research.
However, its more common use was aiding meditation. Only Sunan, with three magic plant gardens and two more under construction, could afford to brew calming flower tea.
After a long while, Sunan set down his quill and drank the flower tea in one gulp.
Setting the cup aside, he looked at the new blueprint on the desk, a satisfied smile on his lips.
After months of research, he finally combined the gemstone golem and golem miniaturization technologies to design a new puppet.
The new puppet's body, muscles, bones, and organs were primarily made of diamonds, with mithril replacing blood vessels and tendons. The heart was crafted from a high-level rune gem, supplemented by various rare metals and basic materials like silver and gold.
The resulting puppet not only had an indestructible body but also possessed the ability to manipulate energy particles through the high-level rune gem.
Additionally, it would be inscribed with multiple zero-circle, one-circle, and two-circle spells, granting it spell-casting abilities.
According to Sunan's design, the final puppet wouldn't reach a full-fledged wizard's level but would be much stronger than an average level-three wizard apprentice.
Someone like Hebb wouldn't stand a chance against the new puppet!
"The only issue is the cost."
Despite reducing costs significantly, crafting such a puppet was preliminarily estimated to require sixteen kilograms of mithril, over a thousand standard units of diamonds, around twenty high-level rune gems, and a large amount of basic materials.
Most importantly, it needed a small soul crystal as the soul core.
Overall, the total cost was at least 80,000 gold!
"Diamonds and high-level rune gems are manageable, as they can be gathered over time. Small soul crystals can be synthesized from miniature soul crystals, needing about twenty to thirty."
"The real problem is mithril."
Sunan currently had two silver veins, both containing small amounts of mithril.
However, both were small veins, and even if fully mined, would yield only about eleven or twelve kilograms of mithril.
The rest would need to be collected elsewhere.
Sunan had already announced his intention to purchase mithril at the Forest Cabin gatherings, but he didn't expect much response.
After all, such a precious material as mithril was rarely traded by wizard apprentices.
"If I could find one or two more silver veins, even small ones, I might gather enough mithril."
Sunan sighed softly, picking up a list nearby.
It was an inventory list compiled by Gree, detailing this month's material inflows and outflows.
The majority of outflows were various diluted potions.
Despite the massive profits from the veins, Sunan continued potion sales, even expanding the scale.
After all, no one would complain about having too many income streams.
"Five magic plant gardens around Shimmer City is the limit. Any more would interfere with each other, reducing yields."
"The environment around Yohu Lake City is unsuitable for magic plants, so one garden is enough."
"New magic plant gardens would need to be established elsewhere."
The Goldrock Province had plenty of suitable locations for magic plant gardens.
The key issue was that if new gardens were too far from the base, they would require stationed troops, needing a substantial number of golems.
Currently, most of Sunan's and the base's golems were committed to the Underground World, yet there were still gaps to fill.
Moreover, war with the Starlight royal family might break out soon, necessitating another round of golem production to expand the golem army, leaving no extra golems for new gardens far from Shimmer City.
This plan would have to be postponed.
Fortunately, the current magic plants were sufficient for the base's use and potion trade.
"Meow!"
A familiar call suddenly rang out, and Sunan felt a weight on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Amy perched there, holding a dull gray stone in her mouth.
Though the stone seemed unremarkable, Sunan sensed a rich concentration of energy particles within it.
"This is... Earth Gray Stone!"
Sunan took the stone, examining it before recognizing its origin.
Strictly speaking, Earth Gray Stone was an elemental crystal, formed from earth elements accumulating over time, typically buried deep underground and hard to find.
"Where did you find this?" Sunan asked Amy, surprised.
"I dug it up underground, meow." Amy proudly lifted her head. "While I was walking nearby, I sensed strong energy particles underground, so I got Karolena to help dig it up, and we found this."
Sunan realized, recalling Amy's ability to sense energy particle fluctuations.
"Is it useful to you?" Amy looked at Sunan expectantly.
"Very useful." Sunan smiled, nodding, as he petted Amy's head.
Earth Gray Stone had many uses, in potion crafting, magic item creation, puppet crafting, and array setups, similar to magic stones.
"Meow, that's good."
Amy rubbed against Sunan's hand, seeming to enjoy it.
"The Underground World is much more interesting than above. If I find more good stuff, I'll bring it to you."
The little one seemed very excited, as if she'd found her calling.
Sunan chuckled softly.
He recalled coaxing Amy back to Shimmer City.
At the time, he intended to use Amy's ability to sense energy particle fluctuations to find wizard legacies or rare materials. However, he'd been too busy to explore, and now things had worked out unexpectedly.
If Amy could find rare materials in the Underground World, it would indeed be a delightful outcome
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