Chapter 916: Obedien (1/2)

Elder Xue said, “Can we think about it for a while?”

“Fine.”

“Can you let Brother Du Yun go first? He’s merely hot-headed, he doesn’t mean any harm.”

“No problem.” Qianye drew East Peak back, but the red-faced elder still couldn’t stand up. Only under the support of Xue Wu and another elder did he manage to clamber up and return to his seat, gasping for breath.

The red-faced elder had expended most of his origin power during that brief exchange. East Peak’s pressure was so terrifying that he simply had no way to resist—all he could do was hold on using origin power. The three seconds just now was enough to exhaust him entirely.

They had claimed they wanted to discuss this matter, yet everyone here, including Xue Wu, could only look at one another in silence, not knowing where to start. The item Qianye had brought out was simply too astonishing. Those present were all knowledgeable people, so they could easily imagine countless usages for this type of alloy. And the deeper they thought about it, the more shocked they became.

With this kind of formula and mature processing technology, Ningyuan Heavy Industries could easily crush Seagaze’s industrial foundations. No matter what angle they considered this matter from, Seagaze simply had no power to compete with Dark Flame. It was obvious that the families of Seagaze would have, literally, no business in whichever field this mercenary corps decided to set foot in. They would have to pick up the less profitable stuff that Dark Flame didn’t want to do.

This was what everyone here dreaded. Qianye’s bitter fights and killings would only destroy the families’ leaves and branches, but Song Zining’s move, on the other hand, would completely uproot their foundations.

The worst part was that Seagaze wasn’t too far from Southern Blue and there were no major powers to act as a buffer between them. How many major families of Seagaze City could refuse the allure of Dark Flame’s wealth in the future? The one that could drag things out until the end was the Xue family. They were still, in name, the number one family of the city, and it was this empty fame that would come back to bite them.

Xue Wu was actually the more decisive one; he nodded slowly toward Elder Xue. The latter glanced at everyone’s expressions and found either helplessness or indifference on their faces. Even the red-faced elder only heaved a long sigh.

Elder Xue cupped his hands at Qianye, saying, “Sire Qianye, our families will refrain from overestimating ourselves since this is an unavoidable trend, else it’ll be like the proverbial mantis trying to stop a cart. We would like to know, however, what it is that you want us to do?”

Qianye nodded. “It’s great that everyone is willing to cooperate. Otherwise, it’ll be more work for me if I have to visit the managers of the trade companies.”

Everyone exchanged glances, secretly feeling relieved that they hadn’t shed all pretenses just now. Otherwise, the curtains would rise over a new play in Seagaze City—one detailing the fall of old clans and the rise of new ones.

A suitcase appeared in Qianye’s hand, which he duly opened up on the table. “The contents of our cooperation are here.”

Everyone noticed several components arranged within the container. Their shapes were similar to the previous ones, but the surfaces were coarse and uneven, apparently unfinished products that had just been cast. Everyone had their guesses after seeing these, but there was an extremely complicated component at the center of the case, and no one knew what it was for.

Qianye pointed at the surrounding parts. “These are all semi-finished products, requiring the final processing touches. What everyone needs to do is set up related workshops according to our requirements and work on the late-stage processing for these parts.”

The elders were half worried and half delighted after hearing this. There was almost no limit to the demand for such components, so much so that they could even sell them back to Evernight or the Empire. A steady stream of wealth would be rolling in without a doubt. What worried them was the fact that this sizable fortune would come at a steep price.

As expected, Qianye smiled, “These new workshops will be split 60-40, with Dark Flame holding the majority.”

A commotion broke out in the room, but Xue Wu said, “Our Xue family agrees.”

Elder Xue was startled, but he didn’t object to this after careful thought. The other elders also contemplated on the matter and realized that they didn’t even have a choice. They would be knocked out of Seagaze if they failed to catch this train.

Qianye pointed to the complicated component at the center. “These parts, I’m sure everyone knows already, requires an expert’s origin power to process. We hope you can provide us with a steady supply of them—this is also the foundation of our cooperation.”

This caused all the other families, except for the Xue, to reveal rueful smiles. The construction of such components was extremely demanding on origin power. If Dark Flame wanted a large number of them, all the families’ experts would have to exert themselves every day, effectively keeping them tied down in Seagaze City and preventing them from affecting the bigger picture. Smaller families were doubly affected due to their relatively smaller lineup of experts, while larger families like the Xue enjoyed a larger roster and thus had more leeway to reassign people.

Xue Wu immediately replied, “We can also agree to that, but since we must mobilize our experts for this, I hope Sire Qianye will provide suitable remuneration. Additionally, the quota should also be within the scope of our power.”

“Naturally.”

With the two most important terms decided, everything else went smoothly. Qianye produced a preformed plan and placed it in front of everyone. Even Elder Xue couldn’t help but gasp after seeing the contents. The plan required them to build twenty workshops, ten in Segaze and ten in Southern Blue. This was a massive investment, basically involving ten years of accumulated wealth. Only then did everyone realize just how grand Dark Flame’s ambitions were.

Qianye’s tone became much more relaxed at this point. “The moment these workshops are constructed, we’ll be one big family. This plan is just a small fraction of the bigger scheme. Before long, you’ll see the skies of the Eastern Sea under our control.”

As for how to split the twenty workshops among themselves, that was for the families to worry about. Qianye had no intention of meddling with that. He stood up, ready to leave, when Xue Wu caught up to him and whispered, “Sire Qianye, you must be careful inside the city.”