Chapter 2330 - 2067: Courting Death in a Big Way

"The standard cost exceeds two hundred thousand for top-quality armor," Fa Zheng remarked helplessly, "It’s estimated to produce over a million sets, valued at two hundred billion coins."

The others present were speechless upon hearing this, having never seen such extravagance.

"Hey, hey, hey, why do you all have that expression? You don’t need to worry about this; it all falls under my logistics. I’ve already produced four hundred thousand sets, and honestly, there’s no real cost. Just remember to sell off the leftover iron blocks," Chen Xi shrugged, indicating that they shouldn’t concern themselves with such matters.

"It’s just too extravagant," Lub Su sighed, "A lot of things haven’t been accounted for, but thinking about it, Zichuan, you’ve really spent a lot of money."

"The problem is I earn even more. This thing produces over ten thousand tons of scrap iron a year. In previous years, I sold a lot of kitchen knives, axes, and farming tools. Hundreds of thousands of various farming tools each year, and recently, the popular iron pot never has trouble selling," Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, displaying a disdainful expression suggesting they didn’t understand the profit involved.

But to speak frankly, compared to the top-quality steel required for weaponry, the rest can casually use scrap iron. With technological advances, the production of scrap iron far exceeds that of the genuine product, and it never has trouble selling.

Unfortunately, Chen Xi also noticed that with the rise of Heaven and Earth Essence, mining costs are increasing annually, forcing him to invest more manpower to quickly excavate shallow mines based on the Central Plains and Four Barbarians mineral maps he acquired from the Chen Family’s secret vaults.

The speed of this manpower-driven transformation is running out of time compared to the industrial age, so even without steel refinement, Chen Xi plans for the future by mining and storing ore now to avoid the insane difficulties of future mining.

"..." Li Youu and the others were speechless; it’s true, compared to the production of weaponry that caps at a few hundred thousand sets, the demand for sickles, hoes, and rakes is immensely high.

And considering things like kitchen knives and pots, people who couldn’t afford them before used stone pots and knives. Now, as Chen Xi gradually raises living standards and removes restrictions on cutlery, every household has a couple of kitchen knives. If Chen Xi lowered his standards a bit for so-called specialization, kitchen knives would need tens of millions of pieces.

"Overall, how can such things cost money?" Chen Xi tilted his head and waved his right hand dismissively, "If this costs money, wouldn’t it just be a joke?"

Fa Zheng silently bowed his head, suddenly regretting having Qii’s New City built at the intersection of the Qingzhou routes, wishing it was closer to Lub Central Mine, where Fa Zheng truly entered politics and where he regularly returns to visit.

Back then, Fa Zheng personally organized the city’s relocation, and New City was built bit by bit by Fa Zheng himself. Situated on a major transport artery, it has become a bustling city, akin to a capital city-level metropolis in the past.

So the people who helped Fa Zheng build the city still remember his kindness, as being on a major transport artery brought considerable benefits to the city.

"Indeed, your method is always to solve complex issues with the simplest approaches," Li Youu shook his head, "But most people can’t possibly complete your simplified complex procedures."

"Ha, that’s considered a talent of sorts; I even developed several types of armor. Even among blacks, there’s matte black and shiny black; matte black doesn’t reflect light," Chen Xi replied with a certain pride upon hearing Li Youu’s words.

"This isn’t just about talent anymore," Lub Su retorted helplessly, "Your core comprehension of Military Strategy is spot-on, but your methods are truly bizarre."

"Dong, dong, dong!" At this moment, a series of urgent clock chimes rang from the side wall, naturally drawing the gaze of Lub Su and the others to the clock on the occasional table against the wall.

"No matter how many times I see it, it feels like a masterpiece," Lub Su again admired the clock, accurately divided into twelve hours with precise time markings. Lub Su was utterly satisfied with it; with this device, you can instantly catch someone trying to claim it’s time to leave.

"My suggestion, crafted by Ma Deheng’s production," Chen Xi remarked with some pride, having long wanted to create a clock. The concept wasn’t difficult, and gears were no longer a problem, as long as the precision issue was solved, aside from winding it daily.

"Uh, I remember the raffle prize this year was this thing, and Cao Mengde got a great deal. Given the aristocratic family’s disregard for money, each piece could easily go for millions," Lub Su mused, "How many have been made now?"

"Five so far, but there’s no way to invest a lot of Heart Power in this since it’s meant as a decoration. I’ll hang one in the library and wait for a batch to be made; then everyone can buy one," Chen Xi pondered thoughtfully.

"We even have to buy them? Hey, hey, hey, Zichuan, that’s going too far. I can’t afford something costing millions, and don’t think we don’t know the cost of this thing. Do you really think slapping Ma Deheng’s name on it can fool us?" Guo Jia said discontentedly.