Chapter 282: A Sincere Exchange (Part II)

The value of Star Cherry Wood varies from person to person, depending on their perspective. In the past, most of the Star Cherry Wood was controlled by the Song Clan, and the shrewd business acumen of the Song Clan ensured that the price would always be a shock, not a surprise. However, due to the importance of the Revival Potion and the stark difference in its potency with or without Star Cherry Wood, the Empire’s military could only grit their teeth and bear it.

Now, three pieces of high-quality Star Cherry Wood lay before them. The potions made from these would have a near-resurrection effect for those below the rank of a God General. How should the lives of six Advanced War Generals be priced?

Lan Xincheng was stunned for a long time before he finally smiled bitterly, “Lord Qian Ye actually has Star Cherry Wood. This is quite a challenge. It must not have been easy to bring these three pieces out.”

“Indeed, they take up a lot of space.”

Star Cherry Wood occupied valuable storage space. For someone at Lan Xincheng’s level, having a cubic meter or two of space within their equipment was already considered excellent. Space for Star Cherry Wood might as well be filled with a few more jars of White Fruit Wine, which sold for a much higher price in the Evernight Realm than Star Cherry Wood. The fact that Qian Ye chose to bring back Star Cherry Wood spoke volumes.

Lan Xincheng sighed, “My lord has put in a lot of thought. How about this: each piece of Star Cherry Wood is worth half a box of Dragon Scale Moss. If my lord can provide three more, all the supplies will be yours.”

Qian Ye smiled, “I wish I could, but I don’t have that many.”

“That’s understandable. Star Cherry Wood is difficult to cultivate and mature. Any good ones are quickly harvested. With these three, we’ll be much better off in the Floating Land battle. To get the major families and clans to send their core forces, we need to give them some assurance,” Lan Xincheng said with a smile.

This was common sense. When figures like Zhao Yuying and Zhao Junhong went into battle, they needed life-saving items to ensure they wouldn’t perish in the chaos. The Revival Potion was one such effective item. Nothing was more convincing than a Revival Potion to get elites, who had been trained with considerable resources and time, to step onto the battlefield.

Lan Xincheng looked at Qian Ye expectantly, “We’re almost there. Just one and a half more boxes of Dragon Scale Moss, and everything on this list will be yours. There’s over a hundred tons of high-quality outer wall panels, and even more armor plates. The difficulty lies in the quantity. Getting a ton or two isn’t hard, but getting ten or more requires the approval of a Marshal.”

This was true. The Empire produced tens of millions of tons of various steel alloys annually, but only a tiny fraction could be used for warship plating. Based on the standards Lan Xincheng provided, these were even rarer, truly strategic resources. Otherwise, how could they be compared to Mountain Class engines and Mien Class main cannons?

Qian Ye pondered, “I do have some things, but it’s hard to put a price on them. Also, how do you value these training courses?”

“One hundred tons of warship plating.”

Qian Ye raised his eyebrows, “Only twenty people? Each worth five tons?”

“That’s certainly worth it,” Lan Xincheng replied unperturbed, “The Empire uses simulation arrays to train warship commanders. Just running the array is equivalent to a full-speed mother ship.”

“How big is the array?”

“At least large enough to cover your Dark Flame headquarters.”

“Quite an investment,” Qian Ye was slightly surprised. These simulation arrays, like the combat simulators in the Empire’s training bases, allowed two people to operate consoles at either end, battling through virtual images. The ones used for training warship commanders, however, were hundreds of times larger, immersing the users in an external battlefield, making the experience truly exceptional.

“It’s no wonder the Imperial Fleet can consistently win against stronger opponents and maintain control of the outer space.”

Qian Ye nodded. Having served in the Imperial Army, he knew that the outer space was another battlefield of invisible blood, even more brutal than the ground. If a warship suffered severe damage, the ordinary crew members in the void had almost no chance of escape. Even War Generals would perish if rescue was delayed.

When Qian Ye destroyed Lin Ji’er’s fleet, Lin Ji’er could only flee with a small portion of the crew. Most of the shipmates died when the warship was destroyed, with no hope of survival.

In such a situation, maintaining control of the outer space and protecting the safety of the Empire’s three continents was a testament to the superior command skills, combat proficiency, and the countless cold bodies of soldiers behind the floating fleet’s glorious achievements.

Hearing this, Qian Ye knew it was unrealistic to ask for instructors to be sent. He then asked, “Can these spots be transferred?”

“Transfer? Of course. But Lord Qian Ye, are you sure you want to transfer them?”

“I may not need that many. My friends might need them more.”

“Alright, the spots are yours to decide. But I must remind you, this training system requires at least three months of maintenance each year and has a limited capacity. Only a few hundred spots are available each year. Otherwise, how could one spot be worth five tons of warship plating?”

“I understand.” Qian Ye nodded.

Dark Flame did not have many worthy talents, and the loyalty of many was still questionable. If Song Zining were here, he could keep these people under control. But Qian Ye lacked that ability. As soon as Song Zining left, Nanqing City immediately encountered problems, showing that if Qian Ye alone had gone to the Great Vortex, Nanqing City would likely still be as it was, and Zhang Xuance would not have even entered the city.

On the other hand, Qian Ye didn’t really value the floating warships at the moment and didn’t need independent warship commanders. Instead, he needed qualified gunners, maintenance and damage control personnel, and a Marine contingent to accompany the ships.

Qian Ye needed a large amount of warship manufacturing materials for a different purpose, something he naturally wouldn’t disclose to Lan Xincheng.

Qian Ye searched within Andua’s space for a moment, then took out a small box. It was about the size of a palm, holding little. Lan Xincheng carefully picked it up, not daring to be careless.

The value of a treasure had nothing to do with its size. Qian Ye had already presented Dragon Scale Moss, White Fruit, and Star Cherry Wood. The remaining items were even more anticipated.

Opening the box, it was filled with transparent blue petals, almost filling half the box.

These were found on the native tribespeople, and their use was unknown. Even Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan couldn’t figure it out. However, just by looking at them, they seemed nice, and the natives treasured them, so Qian Ye took many, as they didn’t take up much space.

Now, Qian Ye wanted to see if Lan Xincheng knew the use of these crystal petals. After years in the Equipment Department, Lan Xincheng had seen countless treasures, his discernment far exceeding that of most appraisers.

However, after staring at the crystal petals for a while, Lan Xincheng pushed the small box to Fang Zhan, “Fang, you noble sons have a lot of knowledge about jewelry. What do you think these are?”

Fang Zhan took the box, opened it, and revealed a row of precision tools inside. He also had spatial equipment, though it seemed to have a small capacity.

Many of the tools in the bag were unfamiliar to Qian Ye, both in sight and name.

Fang Zhan smiled, “I have a small hobby: gemstone appraisal and processing.”

He took out a specialized tweezers, the tips covered in a soft, thin leather to avoid scratching the gem. Picking up a crystal petal, he placed it under a portable microscope, then adjusted a stand with a metal ball at the top. A beam of light shot from the metal ball, illuminating the crystal petal.

He brought his eye to the microscope, slowly turning the crystal petal, adjusting the brightness and color of the light beam.

This professional appraisal technique immediately changed Qian Ye’s impression of Fang Zhan. In his mind, most gemstone appraisers relied on their eyes, maybe with glasses or magnifying glasses. Just looking at the tools, Fang Zhan was in a different league.

It was clear why Fang Zhan had been given the assignment to the Neutral Zone. While a playboy might indulge in pleasures, a master delved deeply into their expertise.

After examining for a while, Fang Zhan sighed, his gaze softer as he looked at the blue petals. He coughed lightly, “If I’m not mistaken, these petal gems were once real petals, but for some reason, they turned to gems.”

Lan Xincheng’s heart stirred, “Like Lotus Born at Sea?”

“Something like that. But Lotus Born at Sea retains significant power even when solidified, while these petals may not have been very powerful to begin with, and are now just pure gems.”

“I see,” Lan Xincheng looked disappointed.

Fang Zhan, however, continued, “These petals are quite valuable. General Lan, look, the patterns inside and outside the petals are all natural, and no two are the same. In terms of color, shape, and purity, these are top-tier gems.”

Lan Xincheng understood the value of jewelry, but he didn’t particularly care for purely decorative items. Turning to Qian Ye, he said, “My lord, do you have any other treasures to show us?”

Qian Ye had no particular thoughts about the gemstone petals, and finding them to be ordinary gems made him even less interested. Since he had gained a lot from the Great Vortex, he was sure to find something valuable.

As he searched through Andua’s space, Fang Zhan discreetly pulled Lan Xincheng, “General, take these gemstone petals.”

“What… What use could they have?” Lan Xincheng was hesitant. After Fang Zhan’s appraisal, he knew the quality and value of these gemstone petals. A box this size could easily fetch over a hundred tons of high-quality warship plating. But he wasn’t a typical merchant, and the concept of exchanging strategic resources for jewelry was hard to swallow.

Fang Zhan lowered his voice, “General, these natural petal gems are unprecedented in the Empire. Apart from this box, there are none.”

Lan Xincheng hummed, not committing.

Fang Zhan, growing impatient, said bluntly, “Empress Li’s birthday is in two months. In the hands of a skilled craftsman, these petals could be turned into a unique set of jewelry. As a gift, it would be both valuable and artistically significant.”

Lan Xincheng was finally moved.