NOVEL WEB Chapter 81: Resource Integration
Qingqiu Li's face was less than cheerful, as he squeezed the words through clenched teeth.
Beside him, Long Ang also wore a cool expression, remaining silent.
If it were the doing of any faction within the Principality of Shumu, even the Grand Duke Mufeng or several marquis could be challenged. They’d dare to entertain schemes to claim a tiny portion of the metaphorical pie.
But...
The Heavenly Dou Empire... that was a different matter. As a sovereign nation, it was unpredictable when a soul master family with deep roots might emerge and sweep away their humble existence.
In the domains of the Principality of Shumu, relations, no matter how convoluted, held some semblance of decency.
However, such connections serve little when it comes to affairs between a sovereign state and its subsidiary.
The truth universally acknowledged: a weak nation has no diplomacy, a principle unchanging across all realms.
Not to mention, they, mere blacksmiths, had no standing to represent the Principality of Shumu, being only part of its lower echelons.
In this world, small nations look up to great powers with reverence, and the people of small nations regard those from great nations with awe. Why would those from great nations kneel before the inferior citizens of small states?
"Wouldn't that be as disgraceful as forgetting one's roots?"
"Heh heh—"
Ling Yi chuckled quietly as he observed the demeanor of the two strongest blacksmiths from the Shuimu Principality.
If he didn't first throw up such an insurmountable 'brick wall,' how would these two obstinate blacksmiths ever really lower themselves to cooperate with him?
Even though Fu Shan had the backing of the Shuimu Principality's military, and Li Qiang was supported by the court led by Grand Duke Mufeng, neither held positions that commanded the genuine respect of their peers.
After all, at the end of the day, both Fu Shan and Li Qiang were nothing more than high-ranking employees. The families they served were merely the chairman and general manager within the small clique of Shuimu Principality.
Their low-ranking subordinates might fear them, but the mid-level employees, possessing enough skills to jump ship at any time, only needed to show them enough respect.
Thus, unable to rely on their titles to wield genuine power or influence, Ling Yi could only bestow a narrative of tumultuous external conditions, prompting those intending to sail with him to contribute their strength steadily. Upon reaching the new world, riches would be shared by all.
Of course, this embellishment needed to be measured carefully, lest it truly scare people away. After all, competent sailors were hard to recruit in this age, let alone veterans capable of holding crucial positions like boatswain or combat leader.
Once Qingqiu Li and Long Ang calmed down a bit, Ling Yi continued with a smile, "There's no need for you two seniors to worry; the Heavenly Dou Empire didn't come to Shuimu Principality to do business proactively..."
Ling Yi paused. Once the two had collected their thoughts and turned their attention back to him, he spoke again: "According to my discussions with blacksmiths across various regions, it turns out that the nearly 800,000 gold soul coins in iron trade transactions are actually purchases made voluntarily by the soul master families throughout the Shuimu Principality from the nearest boundaries of the Heavenly Dou Empire..."
"Voluntarily?"
"Purchases?"
Qingqiu Li and Long Ang both frowned simultaneously, a glimmer of realization flashing in their eyes.
Earlier, they had been solely focused on the alarming possibility of foreign powers from the Heavenly Dou Empire meddling in the principality’s iron market. They had overlooked the fact that due to the intricacies of forging, advanced blacksmith workshops across the principality were often overwhelmed with orders, sometimes scheduled far into the future.
Because the skill levels of each master vary, people instinctively prefer to have their tools forged by a highly skilled master, avoiding the ordinary workshops run by lower or intermediate level blacksmiths.
Ling Yi had personally witnessed such situations numerous times in the iron workshop of his senior brother, Wang Meng, years ago.
Unless, as in the case of Beikou River Town, where everyone had no choice due to the location, the business for Master Jiang, who is also an intermediate blacksmith, remained quite good.
Apart from the complex "clingy fan," "goddess," and "wealthy and handsome" relationships between buyers and sellers in the iron trade, which introduced external "paratroopers" into the local market and disturbed it, there was also a downside to the blacksmithing profession.
Blacksmithing is a technical craft.
Besides natural talent and inherent power, another crucial factor influencing the growth in forging skills is the number of times one can wield the hammer.
It's similar to how sharpshooters are trained by countless bullets—without sufficient metal to work with, even a prodigy like "Copy Soul Master" Ling Yi could not have achieved the astonishing feat of becoming a blacksmith master at fourteen.
Indeed, it's quite astonishing. Even the future king of craftsmen, Lou Gao, under the tutelage of the great craftsman Iron Pagoda and with unlimited resources from the Blacksmith Association, became a blacksmith master in his twenties.
Returning to the topic of improving blacksmithing skills—ample materials and numerous forging attempts ensure that an apprentice, guided by a master, steadily improves until reaching their natural talent ceiling or their master's highest level, where they might face bottlenecks.
However, take Wang Meng, Ling Yi's fifth senior brother, for instance. Although capable of crafting exquisite weapons with eight hundred folds, he mostly works on orders for blades around five hundred folds.
Over time, keeping his skills from deteriorating is considered a success.
It's not that Wang Meng doesn't wish to craft weapons over eight hundred folds regularly, but the material costs are simply too exorbitant!
Only when soul master clients place orders can Wang Meng showcase his skills and fully utilize his expertise.
The materials for a single eight hundred-fold sword often equate to those needed for four to five five hundred-fold swords!
This is the metal material loss ratio for Wang Meng. Masters Jin, Fu Shan, and Li Qiang maintain it between a 1:2 and 1:3 ratio.
With the guidance of Lou Gao, Ling Yi was able to achieve an impressive score of 1.8, mirroring his mentor's accomplishments.
As the skills increase, each increment of 0.1 becomes a steep climb.
Ling Yi straightforwardly explained the situation of the ironware market and the status of the blacksmiths in the Duchy of Shuimu to Qingqiu Li and Long Ang, laying bare the reasons and potential consequences on the table.
Looking towards Master Jin, Fu Shan, and Li Qiang—the three esteemed blacksmith masters by his side—Ling Yi, with a resolute face, turned to the leading figures from 'Cold Wind City' and 'Azure City' and extended an invitation:
"Senior Long, Senior Qingqiu, I humbly invite you both to establish the 'Blacksmith Association: Duchy of Shuimu Branch' with us. Let us unite all the blacksmiths in the duchy. By considering both supply and demand, we can allocate orders to the most suitable blacksmiths, ensuring that low and mid-level blacksmiths have enough business to sustain them...
Moreover, allow high-level blacksmiths to receive orders that match their skill level, presenting them with the opportunity to further advance their craft."
"Regarding the profits, honestly, a single weapon forged five hundred times is more lucrative than ten weapons forged a mere hundred times to the same specifications."
"The buyers for weapons forged over five hundred times are essentially powerful soul masters. As we all know, unlike ordinary people, soul masters possess more golden soul coins and spend wisely on what truly matters—!"
"How much can you earn from mere silver and copper soul coins of ordinary people?
To make wealth, aim for the gold soul coins earned by soul masters—!"
This is the end of this chapter.
(End of Chapter)
