Chapter 35: The Closed System Stole Too Much Mass from the Greater World |
Thirty-five spirit stones to buy a piece of spiritual material for artifact refining.
That was basically impossible.
The Wang Clan's prestige with Wu Jinyan was only enough for him to smile and chat amiably with Yulou. It certainly was not enough to make him take a loss on spirit stones, not even a single one.
"Yulou, you should know that the prices of all sorts of spiritual items and materials have risen sharply over the past few years. Thirty-five spirit stones definitely will not buy you base materials for artifact refining.
How about this: if you have anything else that can be exchanged for spirit stones, I can take a look. Transactions in the ghost market do not require paying taxes to Clear Stream Market, so I can give you the best price."
The economic system of the Wunan Cultivation World was extremely peculiar. Even slightly decent cultivation resources were in short supply, and spirit stones, the currency of the cultivation world, were equally scarce.
It was a double dilemma of insufficient supply and insufficient demand.
However, the great clans, various large and small sects, and the Immortal Alliance had their own exclusive, internal circular economic systems. This internal closed-system model, combined with Wunan's unique governance structure, created an economic price scissors effect—organizations harvested rogue cultivators, and large organizations harvested small ones.
Applying this logic, when the Red Lantern Illumination Sect decentralized its Merit Hall branches to the Qi Refining markets under its vassalage, a reality emerged: the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's internal closed system began harvesting all the vassals and rogue cultivators within its sphere of influence.
Massive amounts of current and future resources were converted into merit points, becoming the harvest profits of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. This made the supply on the open market even tighter.
Because the Ten Sects each had their own spheres of influence—taking Clear Stream Market as an example—the Town Guardian Cultivator dispatched by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect strictly regulated even the ghost market.
Naturally, the cross-regional flow of goods from other factions was also severely restricted. Anyone who wanted to bring goods from the outside into the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's territory had to pay a heavy transit toll.
Perhaps great clans and certain Foundation Establishment cultivators could physically smuggle goods from the outside to exchange for resources, subsidizing the closed systems within their own factions to mitigate the backlash of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's swinging scythe.
But the vast majority of people could not do this, nor did they dare.
As a result, the supply of resources was severely constrained, but the demand had never disappeared.
Under these conditions of extreme resource scarcity, the originally scarce stock of currency experienced a relative surplus within the region.
With supply and demand skewed like this, the price inflation of hard currency became inevitable.
"Senior Wu, I am just wondering... what kinds of spiritual materials do you have here, and how much do they cost?"
Yulou remained vigilant. With Wu Jinyan talking in circles without quoting a price, he felt rather uneasy.
This was not him being overly cautious. The cultivation world was truly full of deception; one simply had to be prudent.
"Hahaha, I have two kinds of ninth-grade spiritual gold: purple copper and fine gold. Purple copper is one hundred and thirty spirit stones a piece. Fine gold is more expensive, at one hundred and forty spirit stones per piece.
As for ninth-grade stone materials, there are three kinds: mixed-color agate, green bloodstone, and tiger-striped rock. These are a bit cheaper, but even the cheapest mixed-color agate goes for ninety spirit stones.
These spiritual materials are all in whole, solid pieces, so I cannot exactly split them up to sell."
Hearing these quotes, Yulou was momentarily taken aback.
Compared to three years ago, the prices of spiritual materials had increased by at least half!
Taking purple copper as an example, the price had nearly doubled. In the past, slightly inferior eighth-grade spiritual materials only sold for around 150 spirit stones.
Hongmei had directly gifted the two brothers a piece of ink jade and a piece of blood-soaked purple copper as materials to test their aptitude in the artificing path, and he even gave them the magical artifacts they crafted from them. It was an act of profound generosity.
"Senior, take a look at this Purple Copper Bead. How many spirit stones can it be exchanged for?"
Pulling the Purple Copper Bead from his robes, Yulou handed it to Wu Jinyan.
After holding it up and studying it for a moment, Wu Jinyan said,
"This Purple Copper Bead is too small, and having six layers of restrictions is neither high nor low. It is stuck in the middle. I can give you seventy-five spirit stones for it. What do you think?"
Seventy-five spirit stones was slightly low, but not unreasonably so. Bead-type magical artifacts were the standard workhorses among magical artifacts, making this a fair price.
However, seventy-five plus thirty-five only equaled one hundred and ten spirit stones.
That was only enough to scrounge up a piece of the cheapest mixed-color agate or some other stone material, which put them in an awkward spot.
Stone-type spiritual materials were different from metallic materials like Cold Refined Iron and purple copper. They were difficult to cut apart to forge multiple low-grade magical artifacts.
If he only had one piece and accidentally caused it to explode during artifact refining, he would suffer a massive loss.
Yulou wasn't greedy; getting a piece of spiritual gold would be enough.
Then, he could cut it up and forge multiple low-grade magical artifacts. Even if he botched a few, he would still succeed in making two or three, which could be sold to earn back some spirit stones.
This way, his and Yu'an's practice in the artificing path could reach a break-even point and be sustained long-term.
They couldn't always ask the clan for subsidies. Even the Patriarch of the Wu Clan had started setting up a stall to sell talismans; the Wang Clan's situation was no better. The Red Lantern Illumination Sect was harvesting them too ruthlessly.
He pulled out the golden cup that the Patriarch had gifted him and asked,
"How much is this golden cup worth?"
"Three layers of restrictions, and it can't even be used in magical combat. Its only redeeming quality is that it's made of fine gold. Let's call it forty-five spirit stones."
That made a total of one hundred and fifty-five spirit stones.
Yu'an thought for a moment and also took out his Purple Copper Bead.
"Senior Wu, count this Purple Copper Bead in as well."
He figured they had to get at least two pieces of spiritual gold materials no matter what; just buying one would be too pathetic.
"Five layers of restrictions, market price is around sixty spirit stones. This way, you have two hundred and fifteen spirit stones.
This isn't a small sum. What kind of spiritual materials do you want?"
Hearing Wu Jinyan say that Yu'an's Purple Copper Bead only had five layers of restrictions, Yulou looked at Yu'an in surprise, while Yu'an proudly puffed out his chest.
What are you looking at? I'm your blood brother, this is nothing!
Suppressing his surprise, Yulou asked,
"Senior Wu, could you give me two pieces of purple copper? I will pay back the forty-five spirit stones I owe you later; I can even pay you back fifty when the time comes."
"Buying on credit... as a matter of principle, I cannot agree to this, Yulou."
Hearing Wu Jinyan say this, Yu'an grew a little anxious. He pulled out his turtle shell, thinking he could use it as collateral.
While the silly kid was still failing to grasp the situation, Yulou already understood.
"If Senior can agree, Yulou will engrave this gratitude in his heart, and I will continue to purchase spiritual materials from you in the future."
Unacceptable in principle meant it was possible.
Acceptable in principle meant it was impossible.
Wu Jinyan had wanted to agree to Yulou's request all along. Now that Yulou had made the appropriate gesture of deference, he naturally went along with it.
"Hahaha, you are a son of the Wang Clan after all, as well as Fellow Daoist Hongmei's prized disciple. I naturally trust you. Here, two pieces of purple copper, take them."
——
On the way back, Yu'an had already begun calculating excitedly.
"Brother, I feel like we can cut these two pieces of purple copper into ten portions.
We can forge them into the simplest Purple Copper Beads, the kind with only three layers of restrictions will do.
Master doesn't really forge this specific kind of low-grade magical artifact anymore. Once we forge them, we can create a price tier difference with the other magical artifacts at Forge Peak Residence.
Many rogue cultivators come to browse Forge Peak Residence every day, but many of them are severely short on funds. They would be our best customers!"
Yulou shook his head and analyzed,
"Purple copper's material itself is very awkward, and bead-type magical artifacts are the hardest to sell at a good price.
Forging purple copper into beads won't come close to fetching the price of those Cold Refined Iron flying knives Master forged.
To fully utilize the properties of purple copper, we must take the route of spell-breaking purple copper magical artifacts for them to sell well.
Cutting them into six portions is better. We can forge an extra layer of spell-breaking restriction into them, making them spell-breaking purple copper magical artifacts with four layers of restrictions.
We only need to successfully forge two to break even, three to pay back the spirit stones we owe Senior Wu, and if we forge four, we'll make a huge profit!"
Toying with the purple copper in his hand, Yu'an expressed his concern,
"What if we botch five of them?"
Yulou replied with a smile,
"Then we'll borrow a sum of spirit stones from your father first... If you want to improve on the artificing path, you can never avoid practicing more.
However, since we can already forge mid-grade magical artifact blanks, forging low-grade magical artifacts shouldn't be difficult.
Besides, we just need to be careful when forging the fourth layer of restriction. If we can't complete it, we can promptly give up and still preserve the first three layers. Even if a three-layer purple copper magical artifact only sells for forty spirit stones, we won't take a loss.
Even if our luck is terribly bad and we blow up five of them, we can collect the ruined purple copper. Along with the one we successfully forge, we'll still have enough to buy another piece of purple copper.
Therefore, you really have no need to worry."
Yu'an thought about it carefully, and his older brother was absolutely right.
Breaking five out of six, they could still buy another piece and keep trying.
What was there to be afraid of?
Just forge!
Yu'an could hardly contain himself anymore.
"Brother, let's head back to Forge Peak Residence right now and start forging."
Yulou replied,
"Hahaha, don't rush. Master is taking us out of Clear Stream Market tomorrow. Remember to bring your Hundred-Mile Free-Roaming Talismans."
"With Master around, there shouldn't be any accidents, right?"
"Hard to say."
Yulou wasn't greedy; acquiring a single piece of spiritual gold would be enough.
He could cut it up and forge multiple low-grade magical artifacts. Even if he botched the refinement, he could still salvage two or three usable pieces to sell and recoup some spirit stones.
This way, his and Yu'an's progress on the artificing path could break even, allowing them to sustain their practice long-term.
They couldn't keep asking the clan for subsidies forever. Even the Patriarch of the Wu Clan had resorted to setting up a street stall to sell talismans. The Wang Clan's situation wasn't much better; the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was harvesting them far too ruthlessly.
He pulled out the golden cup the Patriarch had given him and asked, "How much is this golden cup worth?"
"Three layers of restrictions, and it cannot even be used for magical combat. Its only redeeming quality is that it is forged from fine gold. Let's count it as forty-five spirit stones."
That brought their total to one hundred and fifty-five spirit stones.
Yu'an thought for a moment and took out his own Purple Copper Bead. "Senior Wu, please count this Purple Copper Bead as well."
His line of thinking was that they absolutely had to exchange for at least two pieces of spiritual gold. Otherwise, buying just a single piece would look far too shabby.
"Five layers of restrictions; the market price is around sixty spirit stones. That leaves you with a total of two hundred and fifteen spirit stones," Wu Jinyan calculated. "This is not a small sum. Which spiritual materials do you want?"
Hearing Wu Jinyan state that Yu'an's Purple Copper Bead had five layers of restrictions, Yulou looked at his younger brother in surprise. Yu'an, on the other hand, puffed out his chest proudly.
'What are you looking at? I'm your blood brother. This is just a small matter!'
Suppressing his surprise, Yulou asked, "Senior Wu, could you give me two pieces of purple copper? I will pay back the forty-five spirit stones I owe you later. When the time comes, I can repay you with fifty spirit stones."
"Buying on credit... on principle, I cannot agree to this, Yulou."
Hearing this, Yu'an grew anxious. He brought out his tortoise shell, thinking he could use it as collateral.
But while the silly boy was still trying to grasp the situation, Yulou had already understood the underlying meaning.
"If Senior agrees to this, I will keep your kindness in my heart, and I will continue to purchase spiritual materials from you in the future," Yulou offered.
If something was 'in principle not allowed,' it meant it was allowed.
If something was 'in principle allowed,' it meant it was not.
Wu Jinyan had actually wanted to agree to Yulou's request all along. Now that Yulou had shown the appropriate respect and promised future business, he naturally took the graceful out he was offered.
"Hahaha! You are a disciple of the Wang Clan after all, and the prized pupil of Fellow Daoist Hongmei. Naturally, I trust you. Here, take two pieces of purple copper."
On the way back, Yu'an was already excitedly crunching the numbers.
"Brother, I feel like we can cut these two pieces of purple copper into ten portions.
"We can refine them into the simplest Purple Copper Beads—the kind with just three layers of restrictions will do.
"Master rarely forges this kind of basic low-grade magical artifact anymore. If we make them, we can create a price differentiation compared to the other magical artifacts in Forge Peak Residence.
"There are many rogue cultivators who come browsing at Forge Peak Residence every day, but many of them have terribly light purses. They will be our perfect customers!"
Yulou shook his head. "The material properties of purple copper itself are quite awkward, and bead-type magical artifacts fetch the lowest prices.
"Refining purple copper into beads will yield a price far below the Cold Refined Iron throwing knives our master crafts.
"To fully utilize the characteristics of purple copper, we have to take the path of magic-breaking purple copper artifacts to make them easy to sell.
"Cutting them into six portions is best. We will refine an additional magic-breaking restriction layer into them, creating magic-breaking purple copper artifacts with four layers of restrictions.
"If we successfully refine two pieces, we will break even. If we refine three, we can pay off the spirit stones we owe Senior Wu. If we refine four pieces, we will make a huge profit!"
Turning the purple copper over in his hands, Yu'an voiced his concern. "What if we ruin five of them during refinement?"
Yulou smiled. "Then you will have to borrow a sum of spirit stones from your father first... If you want to advance on the artificing path, constant refining is unavoidable.
"However, we are both capable of crafting mid-grade magical artifact embryos. With our current skills, refining low-grade magical artifacts shouldn't be difficult.
"Furthermore, we just need to be careful when forging the fourth layer of restrictions. If we cannot form it, we will stop in time to preserve the original three layers. A three-layer purple copper artifact will not result in a loss for us, even if we only sell it for forty spirit stones.
"Even if our luck is terrible and five of them explode, we can collect the scrap purple copper, sell it along with the one successfully crafted piece, and still have enough to buy another block of purple copper.
"Therefore, you don't need to worry at all."
Thinking it over carefully, Yu'an realized his older brother was absolutely right.
If they ruined five out of six, they could still buy another piece and keep trying.
What was there to be afraid of?
Just refine them and be done with it!
Yu'an was itching to get started. "Brother, let's head back to Forge Peak Residence and start refining right now."
Yulou laughed. "Don't rush. Tomorrow, Master is taking us out of Clear Stream Market. Remember to bring your Hundred-Mile Free and Unfettered Talismans."
"With Master there, there shouldn't be any accidents, right?"
"Hard to say."