The Rise of the Titan

The boy in front of him was very likely Emperor Ironland's illegitimate child. According to the rules, each emperor of the Uranos Empire must be the strongest of their generation in terms of bloodline. The golden eyes of this boy were identical to the Emperor's and even seemed brighter.

"Lord Sandro." Seeing the instantly ingratiating expression on the chubby merchant's face after meeting him, Muria had some suspicions.

"Your Highness, please just call me Sandro. I really don't deserve the title 'Lord'." Startled by Muria's address, Andrew quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

This boy before him, whom he had never heard of before, was undoubtedly a member of the royal family. Just by his appearance, it was clear his bloodline purity was extremely high. According to royal regulations, such a person already had the qualifications to compete for the throne.

And this prince, whose name had not been circulated in the empire, had a considerable amount of capital. Looking at the cloud islands he was transforming and the monster tribes living on them, these were the foundations of a great empire.

Aside from lacking a legitimate title, this prince was a strong contender for the throne. His secretly developed forces were not inferior to those of the other princes and princesses, possibly even surpassing them.

The most crucial aspect was Emperor Ironland's attitude. By sending Andrew to deliver benefits, it was clear that the Emperor favored this untitled son. When the other princes and princesses were developing their forces, the Emperor had not given any assistance.

At the moment Andrew saw Muria's appearance, he had already linked many thoughts. He slightly bent his body, making himself appear more humble and respectful. He had decided to support this prince with all his might, betting everything on him.

If his bet paid off and this prince ascended the throne, the benefits Andrew would receive would be unimaginable. He might even be able to escape his status as a first-class citizen and receive a hereditary noble title, bypassing the empire's strict non-military merit rule for ennoblement.

"Alright then, I'll call you Sandro." Seeing the humble demeanor of this merchant who had arrived with a fleet, Muria's eyes narrowed slightly, giving him a better understanding of his identity.

"It's my honor," Andrew beamed. "Your Highness, is there anything you need me to purchase or help you sell?"

"There are some worthless things. I'm not sure if you'll be interested." Given the merchant guild's grand appearance, Muria felt a bit unsure if his items were too low-end.

"Your Highness, please provide me with some samples. As for the price, our guild's appraisers will need to evaluate them."

"Bring some dwarf-forged weapons." Muria waved his hand, and soon a team of dragons carried boxes of metal containers and placed them in front of Muria.

Seeing how these dragons were so docile before Muria, Andrew's thoughts grew stronger.

"Go, appraise the quality of the weapons and estimate the price." Following Andrew's command, a few well-dressed middle-aged men stepped forward. With the help of the guild's guards, they opened the heavy metal boxes and began their meticulous evaluation.

Having received prior instructions to go through the motions, one appraiser stepped forward to report to Andrew after their assessment: "President, these weapons are all finely crafted by dwarves, with runes inscribed by elves. Each one is a masterpiece, perfect for gold and silver-level warriors. I recommend purchasing them in large quantities."

"Good, good. You did very well." Andrew laughed, pleased with the youngest appraiser's understanding. Such an astute individual would be worth nurturing.

"Your Highness, how many of these high-quality weapons do you have? I'll take them all." Already having seen the weapons' glow and determined their good quality, Andrew spoke generously.

"I have over thirty thousand of these weapons. How much are you willing to offer?" Muria asked calmly. During his two years of fighting evil on the sea, Muria had obtained a large number of weapons from those evil forces, most of which were given to the dwarves to reforge. These were just a portion of the finished products.

"What price do you suggest for the purchase?" Andrew looked at the understanding appraiser.

"I suggest a minimum of three elemental crystals per weapon, maybe even up to five," the seemingly honest appraiser recommended.

"I see," Andrew pondered for a moment, then looked up at Muria. "Your Highness, I'm willing to purchase each weapon for four elemental crystals. What do you think?"

"Are you taking me for a fool?" Muria looked at the two in front of him with a complicated expression. Their offer was exceedingly high.

Muria had originally planned to sell the weapons at four per elemental crystal, a fair and reasonable price. These weapons, while not bad, were not outstanding either. They were suitable for gold-level human warriors at best. As for soul-level, their own qi-formed weapons were far superior.

Four crystals per weapon? Nonsense, even soul-level weapons cost that much.

"Do you think the price is too low, Your Highness? I can add another crystal," Andrew said after a moment of reflection.

"It's not low; it's too high," Muria stated directly. In his view, for a transaction to be sustainable, both parties should benefit. One-sided profit and consistent losses for the other were unsustainable.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, this price is very reasonable. Anything below three crystals would be us taking advantage," the appraiser interjected, earning an appreciative glance from Andrew.

"What's the point?" As someone with golden dragon blood, Muria had a constant lie-detection ability. Those with lower strength could not lie in front of him. Although the appraiser looked serious, Muria had already seen through him.

"Your Highness, this price may seem high to you, but it is very reasonable in the Uranos Empire," the chubby guild president insisted, lying through his teeth.

"Then three crystals it is!" With Andrew pushing to give him money and his own pockets empty, Muria accepted the offer on the second try, not pretending any longer.