Translator: AnubisTL
At the Outer Sect Elder Hall of the Sunset Glow Sect!
"Old Liu, still in the mood for tea? By my calculations, Gu Feng and the others should have arrived by now. Aren't you worried at all?" Elder Wu from the Cultivation Method Hall walked over with a smile.
"What's there to worry about? We've done our part; the rest is up to fate!" Liu Wuxiang poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward Elder Wu, gesturing for him to take a seat.
"If anyone should be worried, it shouldn't be me. Prefect Chu personally selected him. If he's not in a hurry, why should I be?"
At these words, Elder Wu's hand trembled, nearly scalding his lips with the hot tea. He exclaimed in surprise, "How does Prefect Chu even know Gu Feng?"
"He's a father, after all. Gu Feng is cultivating the method given by Chu Youhuan. How could he not know?" Elder Liu said with a slight smirk.
"Is that the only reason?"
"Of course not. The more important reason is that I recommended Gu Feng to him. I don't know about the other sects, but I'm certain that if anyone can handle this tough challenge, it's that kid from our Sunset Glow Sect!" As he spoke, Liu Wuxiang's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"That's true. If even Gu Feng fails there, others would likely fare no better!" Elder Wu smiled faintly, as if recalling something.
...
"Senior Sister Chu, since you're so familiar with General Ning, will he give us special treatment?" Gu Feng tilted his head, his face filled with expectation.
"Of course he will!" Chu Youhuan blinked, her tone meaningful.
"Will it be half-price on Spirit Artifacts, or maybe even free?" Gu Feng asked excitedly.
"He'll be stricter than ever. Every item will be meticulously recorded and charged at military prices—not a single Spirit Stone less!"
"Why?" Gu Feng immediately jumped up.
"To avoid leaving any room for criticism!" Seeing Gu Feng's dejected expression, Chu Youhuan added, "The marshland is a stage, and you're the sole lead actor. Both sides of the game, including His Majesty above, are watching. Until the plot becomes clear, absolute fairness is essential!"
"And what happens after the plot becomes clear?"
"Guess!"
After walking for about half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two arrived at the armory.
Bang! Clang!
The sounds of hammering filled the air, and the atmosphere here felt as if it had been ignited, several levels more intense than the central camp.
"This is the armory of the Sharp Edge Army. Artifact Refiners are hard to come by, and since it's not wartime, the usual ratio of one Artifact Refiner for every two hundred soldiers has been reduced to less than half," Chu Youhuan explained as they stood at the entrance.
"So, there are two hundred Artifact Refiners inside?" Gu Feng was astonished. That number was absolutely staggering.
Just along this three-thousand-mile border, there were two hundred Artifact Refiners—several times more than the Sunset Glow Sect.
"Let's go in."
As they entered the armory, they were greeted by a group of bare-chested Artifact Refiners wielding large hammers. Each roar was accompanied by a sharp metallic clang.
The entire armory was ablaze with flames, and Gu Feng felt as if he had stepped into the mouth of a volcano.
"There's a Spirit Fire underground, specifically for refining artifacts..." Chu Youhuan explained as they walked.
Soon, she led Gu Feng to a white-bearded Artifact Refiner and respectfully handed him a document. "Master Pang, this is General Ning's order. We need to craft a few special Spirit Artifacts!"
Master Pang glanced at Chu Youhuan, took the blueprint, and asked indifferently, "Describe the Spirit Artifact you need."
Gu Feng stepped forward, bowed slightly, and described the artifact's shape, size, and function. The other party chuckled.
"You're planning to use this Spirit Artifact to catch smugglers, aren't you?"
Hearing this, Gu Feng was momentarily stunned, then nodded. A thought struck him, and he asked, "Has someone crafted this kind of Spirit Artifact before?"
"Do you think everyone is a fool? Of course, people have thought of it, and not just one," Master Pang said, taking a deep puff from the welding pipe hanging around his neck.
"This—"
"Did it work?" Gu Feng pressed.
"Yes, and no!" Master Pang exhaled a fancy smoke ring. The welding pipe in this world could almost be called a Spirit Pipe, as it didn't have a pungent smell but instead emitted a refreshing fragrance, making Gu Feng almost want to take a puff himself.
"Master Pang, let's find a quiet place to chat!" Gu Feng said softly, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he quickly slipped a bag of Spirit Stones to the old man.
The latter raised an eyebrow, giving Gu Feng an appreciative look, and secretly pocketed the Spirit Stones. His aged face bloomed like a chrysanthemum.
Master Pang, the head of the armory, led Gu Feng and Chu Youhuan to a tent dedicated to weapon research.
"You must be planning to use this Spirit Artifact to ambush smugglers in the swamp, right?"
"Master Pang, you hit the nail on the head!" Gu Feng complimented subtly.
Master Pang smiled smugly and began to elaborate.
After listening, Gu Feng furrowed his brows.
In this world, there was no concept of contraband. Smugglers bypassed official checkpoints solely to avoid paying taxes.
The swamp, with its unique terrain, was a paradise for smugglers. If converted into tax revenue, it accounted for nearly five percent of the entire northern border's income. For a border stretching 20,000 kilometers, this was an astonishing figure.
To combat smuggling there, successive garrison officers had tried every possible method.
Without exception, they all failed.
The Spirit Artifact Gu Feng described had been crafted by Master Pang more than once, but the results were minimal, and there was no follow-up.
The reason was that smugglers were also incredibly clever. After suffering a loss once, they devised a countermeasure: each smuggling operation involved a team of cultivators, with decoys leading the way. The real smuggled goods followed in the footsteps of the decoys.
If there was a trap, the decoys would fall into it first. But since they carried no contraband, even if caught, there was no evidence, and they had to be released.
Of course, that was the ideal scenario. In less ideal situations, the smugglers came prepared with tools to cut through the Spirit Nets, rescue their companions, and escape. This not only destroyed the nets but also left no one caught, resulting in a pointless loss.
Moreover, in a swamp spanning ten kilometers wide and eight kilometers long, a few nets couldn't make much of a difference. Over time, this Spirit Artifact was abandoned.
"Haha, young brother Gu, there are still over a dozen damaged Spirit Nets in the military armory, and their functions are quite similar to what you described!"
Gu Feng and Chu Youhuan exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Upon reflection, it indeed made sense. Smugglers were engaged in a life-and-death trade, and the reckless ones had already met their demise. Those who remained were all slippery characters.
This was a tough situation.
Gu Feng furrowed his brows in thought. "The spirit net needs to be at least three meters wide. If it's too small, it won't be effective. If the grade is too low, it can be easily cut. If the grade is too high, the cost would be unbearable..."
"If it really doesn't work, then forget it. We'll just have to rely on our real skills to catch them!" Chu Youhuan said softly.
"Real skills? Your cultivation level is the highest in the team. If you can't catch them, we certainly can't. There must be a way, let me think!" Gu Feng shook his head, dismissing Chu Youhuan's suggestion.
Master Pang leisurely puffed on his pipe, not rushing them. In his view, unless they were willing to invest heavily and set up a super-large net across the entire swamp area, periodically collecting it, it wouldn't be effective.
However, the cost of creating such a massive net was so high that even the Sharp Edge Camp couldn't afford it. Even if they gritted their teeth and bore the cost, the smugglers weren't fools. Once they knew about the net, they would simply avoid that route.
In short, it was an unsolvable problem.
White smoke filled the tent, carrying a fragrant aroma. Gu Feng watched the intricate smoke rings that occasionally appeared from Master Pang's mouth, and suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.
"Master Pang, how many Spirit Stones would it take to create similar mundane artifacts?"
"Mundane artifacts?" Master Pang was somewhat surprised but still quoted the price.
"Low-grade mundane artifacts cost five thousand, medium-grade cost fifteen thousand, high-grade cost fifty thousand, and top-grade cost eighty thousand!"
Hearing this, Gu Feng's eyebrows raised. This was much cheaper than the previously imagined high-grade Spirit Artifacts. With a budget of one million, even if they made top-grade mundane artifacts, they could get over a hundred!
"I want to create high-grade mundane artifacts!"
"How many?"
"Two hundred!" Gu Feng's eyes gleamed as he spat out the two words.
"Cough... What did you say? Two hundred? Are you out of your mind?" Master Pang's eyes widened in shock.
Chu Youhuan, standing beside him, was also stunned. High-grade mundane artifacts were practically useless against most smugglers at the Postnatal Realm and a few at the Innate Realm. They could easily shatter them with a bit of effort.
"Don't ask why. Just say I have too many Spirit Stones and want to spend some!" Gu Feng waved his hand grandly, stopping Chu Youhuan.
The latter twitched her lips, "You're the boss!"
"Brother Gu, you're truly generous!" Master Pang was only responsible for crafting. Whether Gu Feng could put them to good use afterward was none of his concern.
"Brothers, we have work to do! A one million Spirit Stone order, two hundred high-grade mundane nets, get them crafted within three hours!"
"Yes—"
(End of the Chapter)
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