Chapter 92 - 74: Exchanging Secret Manuals
Chapter 92: Chapter 74: Exchanging Secret Manuals
Night had fallen over the town in Li Hua’s territory.
Inside a large, antique-style wooden tavern, Lord Li Hua, his retinue, and the members of Lin Kong’s team were gathered for a feast. The wine flowed freely, and the atmosphere was boisterous.
Li Hua was hosting a banquet for Lin Kong’s team. As a territorial lord, a position comparable to a minor king in ancient times, it was only proper for him to extend such hospitality. After all, an exploration team serving as an external unit for its territory was akin to a diplomatic mission.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Hua dismissed the attendants and formally began to discuss the trade with Lin Kong.
"Brother Lin, what is your territory prepared to offer in exchange for my Star Technique?"
"Lord Li, our territory has just acquired a Cultivation Technique—a breathing method."
"Not interested." Li Hua curled his lip, about to get up and leave.
’Treating a mere breathing method like some kind of treasure... What an uncultured bumpkin...’
"Wait!" Lin Kong quickly stopped him, speaking rapidly. "Don’t dismiss it as just a breathing method. It’s extremely versatile. It doesn’t require any specific aptitude; any creature that breathes can use it."
"And its effects are very powerful. It can absorb Spiritual Energy, then use that Spiritual Energy to strengthen the body, increase potential, and refine one’s bloodline."
"I see your territory still has many ordinary people. With our breathing method, your territory’s potential would be greatly enhanced. You might even be able to have every single one of your people begin cultivating!"
"Even you haven’t been able to cultivate, have you, Lord Li? With our breathing method, perhaps you could start."
Lin Kong’s words were extremely tempting. Li Hua’s breathing grew heavier after hearing them, but his loss of composure lasted only for a moment.
"No matter how effective it is, it’s still just a breathing method—the most basic part of cultivation. It’s not enough to trade for my Star Technique."
Li Hua’s tone was dismissive, but he sat back down on his stool.
"My Lord, that’s not quite right. Tall towers are built from the ground up. Without a solid foundation, you can’t build high, nor can you travel far. Our breathing method will help everyone in your territory lay a firm foundation, allowing your domain to go much further in the future, wouldn’t you agree?"
Lin Kong chuckled and retorted.
"What’s so great about a good foundation? A fat man can’t walk far anyway! My Star Technique is a pair of wings. With it, you can fly high even with an unstable footing."
...
The two engaged in a war of words, haggling back and forth, each claiming the other’s offer was insufficient.
In the end, Lin Kong was the one to concede. After all, his territory urgently needed to improve its cultivation methods. Besides, obtaining a specialized Technique might unlock new research projects.
"Alright, I’ll concede a point. You’ve seen Rose’s abilities. They can purify Death Energy over a large area."
"With them, your territory won’t have to take any risks when attacking the zombie necropolis. In fact, with your territory’s strength, you could conquer the zombie necropolis on your own, without even needing to ally with other lords."
"For the next half month, until the end-of-month settlement, our territory can lend you 10 Tree-men. They will help you attack the zombie necropolis."
This was a very tempting offer. Although Li Hua’s territory was quite strong, he hadn’t managed to break into the top ten in the previous two months, a fact that greatly vexed him.
Thus, for a rare moment, he hesitated.
"One hundred. I want 100 Tree-men. And not as a loan—I want you to trade them to me directly."
"Impossible!" Lin Kong shook his head. "The Tree-men are a strategic resource for our territory. We will not sell them. If you insist on these terms, then we’ll have to give up on the deal."
Seeing Lin Kong’s resolute attitude, which didn’t seem like a bluff, Li Hua sensed he had likely hit the other territory’s bottom line. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally gave up on the idea of trading for the Tree-men.
"Then lend me 200 Tree-men!"
"That’s too many. A Tree-man’s ability has a large range. An un-upgraded Tree-man’s purification can cover a 100-meter radius. You would only need a few Tree-men at most for a single battle. You have no use for that many."
"The most we can lend you is... 50 Tree-men!"
"180!"
"50!"
"170!"
"50!"
Li Hua: "..."
"Damn it! Why aren’t you following the script? 100 Tree-men, minimum. Otherwise, the deal’s off."
"Deal!" Lin Kong clapped his hands together and cheerfully grasped Li Hua’s hands.
"o_O???" Li Hua’s expression was one of utter constipation. He felt like he’d been played.
"A pleasure doing business with you!"
"A pleasure doing business!"
Next, Lin Kong wrote down the "Sun and Moon Breathing Technique," which had been fully developed in his territory, from memory.
This was one of the benefits of skills developed through the Technology Tree. As long as a target within the territory met the relevant conditions, they could acquire knowledge of the skill as if through a memory transfer, which was extremely convenient.
Li Hua, in turn, took out a jade slip that recorded the Star Technique.
The two exchanged Techniques. Li Hua handed the "Sun and Moon Breathing Technique" to one of his attendants. The attendant took the piece of paper with a look of disdain, glancing at Lin Kong as if he were looking at a crude country bumpkin.
He looked down on this minor faction that only had a single breathing method to its name, but bound by his lord’s command, he still began to read the "Sun and Moon Breathing Technique" seriously.
The moment he started reading, it was a different story. He simply adjusted his breathing according to the Technique and immediately felt the astonishing effects of the "Sun and Moon Breathing Technique." He scrambled to pull out a blank jade slip and imprinted the contents of the paper onto it.
"How is it?"
"My Lord, it’s truly effective. It’s simple and easy to understand, with no aptitude requirements. The effects vary from person to person, but it’s more than enough to open the door to cultivation. Even my own efficiency in absorbing and utilizing Spiritual Energy has improved."
"So, my territory’s breathing method is pretty good, right? You didn’t get the short end of the stick!" Lin Kong chimed in from the side.
"It’s alright. Aren’t you going to look at the Technique we gave you?" Li Hua replied nonchalantly.
"No need, no need. I have complete trust in Lord Li." Lin Kong waved his hand.
In truth, the moment he received the jade slip, Lin Yu, far away in his own territory, saw a new research project appear in the Technology Tree.
[Name]: Path of the Stars
[Category]: Spiritual Energy Application
[Description]: The territory’s residents have learned a breathing method to absorb and manipulate Spiritual Energy, but they are not satisfied. One night, a resident was observing the celestial phenomena and had a sudden inspiration. Since the sun and moon can be utilized by a breathing method, could the vast starry sky also aid our cultivation? At that very moment, a method for utilizing Star Energy appeared before him.
[Effect on Completion]: Obtain the Spiritual Energy application skill—Star Technique.
When used in conjunction with the Sun and Moon Breathing Technique, it accelerates the conversion of Spiritual Energy into experience points.
Greatly improves Spiritual Energy manipulation, allowing the use of Spiritual Energy to enhance offense and defense, simulate starlight to attack enemies...
Unlocks the Path of the Stars for the territory. Each time a project on this path is completed, there is a chance to unlock a new research project related to the Way of the Stars.
-----------------
Therefore, he had no need to confirm the strength of the Star Technique. The goal of exchanging Cultivation Techniques had been achieved; nothing else mattered.
...
「The next day.」
A small troop arrived at Li Hua’s territory.
"Lord Li, these 100 Tree-men are on loan to you. Please don’t let them get hurt; they’re absolute treasures. It costs ten thousand Light Gold Coins to recruit a single one, so you’ll have to compensate us for any losses."
"Of course, of course. I’ll take good care of your territory’s million-coin men."
Lin Kong brought 100 Death Devourers and handed them over to Li Hua.
Before the handover, he instructed the Death Devourers not to reveal their skills. During the loan period, they only needed to absorb the Death Energy from the Death Zombies and the necropolis.
Li Hua cheerfully accepted command over the 100 Death Devourers.
Before Lin Kong had gone far, a group of lords surrounded Li Hua.
"Lord Li, now that the Tree-men are here, let’s hurry up and divide them. We still need to go tackle the necropolis."
"Yeah, yeah, we agreed on it last night. Don’t go back on your word!"
...
The implication, between the lines, was that after finishing his trade with Lin Kong last night, Li Hua had contacted these other lords and sold off the command of the Death Devourers.
"Come, come, everyone, don’t panic. I’ll distribute them in order. There’s enough for everyone, enough for everyone."
"Lord Shen, your 4 Tree-men; Sect Lord, your 4 Tree-men; Lord Lu, here are your 4 Tree-men..."
When the dust settled, Li Hua had only kept 12 Tree-men for himself. The rest had all been distributed.
"Hey, don’t forget, we agreed you’ll give me a thirty-percent cut of the treasure chests."
"We remember. We won’t forget."
After the lords gave Li Hua their affirmative replies, they each departed with their Death Devourers.
Lin Kong stood to the side, watching this entire scene unfold, dumbfounded. He was deeply impressed by Li Hua’s methods.
He contacted his main body mentally, and after a brief discussion, he walked up to Li Hua.
"Lord Li, you are truly impressive!"
"Hahaha, I’m nothing special. 100 Tree-men was indeed a bit much. I’m just maximizing their value. They wouldn’t have much to do just sitting around my territory anyway. It’s good for them to go out and be put to good use. I’m sure they’re happy about it too."
Li Hua replied with a chuckle. This maneuver would earn him a lot of treasure chests. He reckoned the other lords wouldn’t dare to withhold his rightful share.
"Lord Li, what you’ve done is a little... unscrupulous, wouldn’t you say? Our agreement didn’t say you could subcontract the command of the Tree-men."
"But it didn’t say I *couldn’t*, did it?"
"Regardless, what you did wasn’t exactly proper, was it? You admit that, right?"
"Admit what? Didn’t you tacitly approve? Without your silent consent, I don’t believe they could have taken the Tree-men away."
Lin Kong’s eyes widened. After a moment of silence, he continued, "How about this: you agree to one thing, and our territory won’t pursue this matter."
"State your terms! But let me be clear, I don’t have any other Cultivation Techniques."
"You must know many of the nearby lords, right? Could you help us spread the word that our territory is leasing out large numbers of Tree-men who specialize in purifying Death Energy? They allow lords to clear out the necropolis without fear of the zombies’ stacking Death Energy. The price is the same as yours: just a thirty-percent cut of the treasure chests. How about it?"
Li Hua thought about it. Seeing as it wouldn’t negatively affect him, he agreed.
"Fine! But, let’s be clear, I’ll be taking a five-percent commission as a finder’s fee. Any problem with that?"
"Done!" Lin Kong thought for a moment and agreed.
As for why he didn’t just advertise in the chat channel, there were several reasons.
First, many lords were too far away and lacked Teleportation Arrays. By the time they walked over, the month would be nearly over.
Second, Lin Yu lacked credibility in the chat channel. Everyone knew him as a resource merchant and was in unanimous agreement about his weakness. Now, if he were to present a unit that could purify Death Energy, no one would believe him, no matter how much he hyped it up. And he certainly couldn’t post a screenshot of the Death Devourers’ information.
In addition, many people in the channel were currently hawking Holy Light-type units and buildings. His rent-only, not-for-sale model wouldn’t find much of a market.
Therefore, he needed to leverage Li Hua’s credibility with the nearby lords to market the leasing of his Death Devourers.