Chapter 534: Expenses (2/2)
”Yes, Your Majesty!” A guard hastily left the King's study.
Sun Sieha tapped his finger rhythmically on his desk, thinking about the report he had just received. The report informed him of the conflict between the 1st Legion's Du Feng and the cold weaponsmith. Du Feng's defeat did not surprise him. If the weaponsmith could not hold his own against the Brigade Commander, he would not have been able to force Sun Sieha to an agreement that day.
How would this conflict affect future events? This was what he needed to consider.
Just then, a guard interrupted him, ”Your Majesty, Master Karu is here.”
”Let him in,” Sun Sieha said.
Master Karu was 77 this year, and one of Eastern Cloud's most prestigious weaponsmiths. Sun Sieha had gotten to know the man when he was young. He was confident of the man's skills.
Master Karu entered the study and bowed to Sun Sieha, ”Your Majesty, you summoned me?” Master Karu's hair had all turned white. He looked sharp despite the deep wrinkles sprawled all over his face. He was obviously unimpressed by Sun Sieha interrupting his work.
Sun Sieha smiled, unoffended, ”Master Karu, please have a seat. I have something to ask you.”
Master Karu nodded and sat down.
”Have you seen the cannon array, Master Karu?” Sun Sieha asked.
When Karu heard the question from Sun Sieha, his eyes lit up immediately. He replied quickly, ”I have, I have! I've done a round of tests on the cannon array. It is truly powerful! Where did you obtain this powerful and huge cannon array, Your Majesty?”
Sun Sieha smiled and did not answer him immediately. Instead, he continued calmly, ”I have seen the abilities of that weapon, but, from your professional viewpoint, Master Karu, you must surely understand more about it. Could you explain the weapon to me briefly?”
”I see,” Master Karu nodded, his eyes shining enthusiastically as he spoke more quickly, ”Begging Your Majesty's indulgence, but this officer of yours has never seen anything so powerful and yet so lightweight. It's built with advanced technology, and the design is unique. I have never heard of anything like it. The most interesting part of the cannon array was its internal structure. I believe that it is designed based on knowledge that is far beyond everything we have learned in the field. It's much smaller than our main cannons, and much lighter. Some of our more powerful aircrafts can probably lift these cannon arrays. If we can produce these cannon arrays on a larger scale, our military strength can be improved by at least five-fold. However, I regret to inform Your Majesty that despite all the hours of studying the weapon, there are still many aspects about it that I cannot figure out.”
Sun Sieha was at first overjoyed, but his mood took a nosedive at Master Karu's final sentence. ”Master Karu, do you think you can reproduce this weapon?”
Master Karu confessed, ”Your Majesty, there are still many things that I do not understand about this weapon. The weaponsmith behind this cannon array must be truly extraordinary! May I enquire as to how Your Majesty came to obtain this weapon?”
Sun Sieha had hoped that Master Karu could at least reproduce the cannon array, but his hopes were dashed. He was heavily disappointed, and replied dismissively, ”I bought it.”
”You bought it?” Master Karu was shocked. ”What country could possibly come up with such advanced weaponry?”
Sun Sieha shook his head and explained, ”It's not a country, just a weaponsmith.”
Master Karu was even more surprised now. ”Which weaponsmith? Who is the person behind this masterpiece?”
”His name is Ye Chong.”
”Ye Chong? I have never heard of the name,” Master Karu sighed, ”To think there could be such a talented man in this world. This Master must be skilful enough to start his own school of teaching. What a capable man, but unknown to the world. He must not think highly of fame and status. Where is this great man now? If it pleases Your Majesty, I would like visit him as soon as possible to know more.”
”Great man?” Sun Sieha had an odd expression his face.
”What is it, Your Majesty? This Master is many times more capable than this officer of yours. I am more than willing to admit that,” Master Karu said solemnly.
Seeing Master Karu's seriousness and his white hair, and comparing the old man with the cold young man, Sun Sieha could not help but explained, ”Master Karu, this great man you speak of is in fact only in his twenties.”
”Impossible!” Master Karu rejected the idea immediately. He looked straight at Sun Sieha and said, ”Your Majesty, please do not jest with me in this matter. It is not funny.”
Seeing how serious Master Karu was, Sun Sieha could only clarify, ”I'm not lying. He really is only about 20 years old. He had come to Su City with me, and now lives in the vicinity of the capital.”
Master Karu saw that Sun Sieha was being honest. He muttered to himself with an unreadable expression, ”20 years old! 20 years old! Can there really be a person who was born a genius?”
He gathered himself and asked urgently, ”Please introduce me to this weaponsmith, Your Majesty.”
Sun Sieha thought of Ye Chong's cold and uninviting face. He frowned and said helplessly, ”Let's set this matter aside for the moment. We'll talk about it later. Don't worry, Master Karu, I will put you in touch with him.”
Master Karu was puzzled by Sun Sieha being troubled by the matter. He asked gently, ”With such a talented man by your side, why would you feel troubled, Your Majesty?”
”I am worried about the cannon arrays.”
”If that weaponsmith is willing to sell, then Your Majesty can always purchase more. What's there to worry about?” Master Karu could not understand.
”He's only willing to sell two of them every month. Moreover,” he took a glance at Karu with a pained expression and continued, ”Each cannon array costs 20 million ao.”
”20 – 20 million ao …” Master Karu was speechless.
Sun Sieha nodded and added, ”That's 20 million ao for each cannon array. It's alright to buy a few more of them, but it will be impossible to arm the entire military with it.”
”This price ...” Master Karu could not say another word for a long while. Finally, he managed, ”What a sky high price! I have inspected the cannon array. Based on the materials used, it should cost no more than 8 thousand ao.”
When Master Karu revealed this, Sun Sieha felt even bitter about it. He was silent for a long moment before groaning angrily, ”What a thief!”
Master Karu mused quietly, ”It's expensive, but the technology is worth the price. Your Majesty, you should be careful, if another country is able to procure one of these weapons …”
Sun Sieha nodded, understanding him. ”Don't worry, I have an agreement with him. Eastern Cloud has exclusive rights to purchase his weapons.”
The guards in the Royal Palace saw a strange scene today. As Master Karu left His Majesty's study, he looked listless, muttering to himself, ”Just 20 years old … A genius … 20 million …”
The day also became even more difficult for the guards because of their King. After Master Karu had left, His Majesty looked so grim that the sky seemed to darken as well. All the servants and guards behaved warily as the atmosphere in the Palace turned heavy with tension.