Beside him, a middle-aged man was scrutinizing the raw ore with a magnifying glass, examining every detail. Hearing the young man’s words, he interjected, “It’s not just that. Once a crystal iron vein forms, it might also be accompanied by other rare minerals. Look at this yellow dot; if I’m not mistaken, this is probably Telan Gold.”
Upon hearing the name Telan Gold, everyone’s eyes lit up even more.
Telan Gold was a disorderly companion mineral, and before mining, one could never predict where it would appear in the ore veins. Even a small amount of Telan Gold, when added to general alloys, would significantly boost their performance. Many high-level original force weapons, above sixth grade, contained Telan Gold, and for those above seventh grade, it was indispensable. However, Telan Gold’s production was extremely low, and the known mines had long been divided between the giants of the two factions.
If this vein truly contained Telan Gold, it wouldn’t take much. Just a piece the size of a finger would be enough to forge the lowest eighth-grade weapon.
“No wonder Ningyuan Group has been so active lately, taking on several top-tier weapon orders. They must have found a crystal iron vein. If we hadn’t been asked to keep an eye on the Blackstream City, we might not have discovered this secret.”
“It seems the vein is within the Blackstream City’s combat zone, and most likely in the sealed-off Wolf City.”
“Should we take action now?”
The elder seated in the center remained silent until now, slowly saying, “We can’t act rashly. Song Zining has already secured a place in King Qingyang’s advisory council. Although His Highness doesn’t often need the advisory council when he’s not leading troops, this young man is adept at scheming. It’s said that when Zhao Jundu sought to cause trouble for him, Zhang Mianian stepped in to smooth things over. Zhang Mianian is King Qingyang’s own nephew! If we act recklessly and are seen as an affront to His Highness, there will be no place for reason, and that would be disastrous.”
The youngest man in the room immediately became anxious, “Such a large crystal iron vein, and we’re just going to watch it fall into that kid’s hands? Even if… even if…” But, despite his bravery, he did not dare to finish his sentence.
At this moment, the middle-aged man put down his magnifying glass, smiled, and said, “Old Shi only meant that we cannot act openly. In other words, even if it’s us who do it, we must ensure that no one knows it’s us, or that there’s no evidence linking it back to us. This isn’t too difficult. The Eternal Night is a desolate place, but it’s never short of bandits and mercenaries.”
The young man was taken aback, then said, “What use are those useless mercenaries?”
The middle-aged man smiled, “They may be useless, but our people are not. And we can recruit more capable individuals.”
The young man instantly understood.
The elder then slowly continued, “We should leak some information to the Expeditionary Force headquarters. Those vultures feast on the dead. A juicy piece of meat like this, they won’t let go.”
“But that would mean we’d have to share the crystal iron?”
The elder gave a faint smile, “A piece of meat this big, we can’t eat alone. We’ll have to share some. It’s not really a problem. No matter who owns the mine, the things dug out will only be sold to us.”
The middle-aged man praised, “Brilliant! Those Expeditionary Forces are old hands at playing bandits and ruffians.”
Another person hesitated, “Those seasoned soldiers and scoundrels of the Expeditionary Forces, surely they wouldn’t dare touch someone connected to King Qingyang, right?”
The elder sneered, “Money talks. The Eternal Night is a lawless land, and they’ve played emperor for so long. What do they have to fear? Besides, even if they want to sit on the sidelines… what if there’s evidence pointing to them? Do you think they’ll join in and get a slice, or futilely try to clear their names?”
Everyone understood, and their eyes were filled with admiration and fervor as they looked at the elder.
When Qian Ye returned to the base, many gazes were drawn to him.
The base had become even more bustling, with a constant stream of teams entering and exiting. From a distance, the base was still expanding, seemingly never having enough space and facilities. The arrival of many noble family squads had nearly doubled the population, and the demand had surged several times over.
As Qian Ye approached, the bustling crowd suddenly hushed, a change that others noticed. Some, though not recognizing Qian Ye, could sense the cold, deadly aura emanating from him.
Qian Ye walked into the base, undisturbed by the gazes. More eyes fell on the box on his back, nearly as tall as him. Despite its weight, it didn’t affect his stride, leaving people to wonder what it contained.
Once Qian Ye was out of sight, everyone felt a sudden lightness, as if a heavy, invisible stone had been lifted. Many true powerhouses were shocked: “Such a strong killing intent! How many people has he killed?”
The entrance returned to normal, the brief pause disappearing into the crowd. However, many unconsciously avoided discussing Qian Ye.
The base was teeming with people, and Qian Ye felt slightly out of place walking down the main road. Whenever someone approached, he subconsciously focused on their weaknesses and vital points, a habit formed over the past half-month.
He couldn’t remember how many times he had charged alone into the ranks of the dark race armies, surrounded by enemies, each moment threatened by countless swords, battle blades, and original force bullets. Fighting and counter-attacking had become instinctive, each strike aimed to eliminate the deadliest foe with ruthless efficiency.
Now, this habit caused a small problem. At least ten noble family squads, with no shortage of strong fighters, were currently at the Li family base. Though Qian Ye kept his gaze straight ahead, focusing on others’ weaknesses made them naturally aware, especially the more powerful ones.
The battle-hardened generals felt as if an ancient beast had marked them, almost instinctively flaring their fighting spirit. Qian Ye realized the issue within a hundred meters, and began to suppress his focus, ignoring the passing crowd, thus avoiding any disturbance.
Qian Ye went straight to the exchange area, heading for an unoccupied counter.
The supply officer, seeing Qian Ye, blurted, “You again?”
Seeing the plump, round face, Qian Ye frowned. What an unpleasant coincidence—this was the same supply officer he had knocked out last time. He looked miserable, and his sullen mood wasn’t solely due to Qian Ye’s appearance; he seemed to be in a bad mood already.
Qian Ye said directly, “I’m here to exchange for military merit, and these are the supplies I need, which I must take away immediately.”
“Immediately?” The supply officer adjusted his features into a somewhat passable expression. Taking the list, he couldn’t help but ask, “Strong squads usually need some time to recover after returning.”
The eerie environment of the Mist Forest, even without combat, left one feeling oppressive after a while.
“Immediately,” Qian Ye replied.
The supply officer shrugged, “You’re really pushing for the top of the merit board. But let me advise you, the waters run deep, and without a strong background, it’s best to stay out.”
“Understood, thank you.”
The supply officer finally glanced at the list, jumping up and exclaiming, “So much?!”
His shout attracted many curious looks. The exchange area had about a dozen semi-open counters, most occupied, and quite a few turned to look.
Qian Ye nodded, confirming, “That’s all, not much.”
“Not much? You’re planning to single-handedly take down a barony, aren’t you?” The supply officer sighed.
Qian Ye’s list was indeed substantial, including a hundred rounds of various types of mystic silver anti-magic bullets, and five hundred rounds of standard short-gun original force bullets with a trace of mystic silver!
Additionally, thirty sniper bullets for Thunder and five Luminous Silver Sunfire bullets. Even a noble family’s squad of a hundred would require only slightly more, and Qian Ye was working alone.
The supply officer couldn’t help but ask, “Sir Qian Ye, are you sure… you can use all these original force bullets?”
He spoke cautiously. High-grade original force guns consumed a lot of force, and even a twelfth or thirteenth-grade warrior might not use up a hundred rounds in ten battles. To the supply officer, these bullets would last Qian Ye for half a year.
Qian Ye smiled, “It’s fine, I need this much.”
The supply officer wiped his forehead, saying, “This quantity exceeds my authority. I need to report to a superior for authorization. Please wait a moment.”
Qian Ye nodded, pulled up a chair, and waited quietly.
A few moments later, the supply officer returned with a lean colonel. The colonel gave Qian Ye a once-over, asking, “You’re Qian Ye?”
His tone was noticeably rude. Qian Ye’s brows furrowed, “Yes, what is it?”
The colonel’s smile was tinged with malice, “Although General Qian Ye wants a large amount of supplies, our Li family base has sufficient stock. But what will you trade for these bullets? Coins, equipment, or military merit?”
Qian Ye pondered briefly, then said, “Military merit.”
The bullets were expensive, and Qian Ye didn’t have enough imperial coins. The two Shadow Blades he had given to the Li family still hadn’t been settled, so he wouldn’t hand over more high-end equipment.
There were plenty of wealthy noble family squads in the base, and he could easily sell his gear to a few of them.
Hearing Qian Ye’s answer, the colonel’s face showed disappointment. Without coins or equipment, he lost an opportunity to squeeze some profit.
The colonel motioned for the supply officer to bring the register, glanced at it, and said, “General Qian Ye, your military merit isn’t enough to cover this amount.”
Qian Ye replied, “Merit? I have more.” He lifted the box beside him and slammed it onto the counter. The hard wooden counter cracked, revealing the box’s immense weight!
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