Free Web NovelChapter 510: Chapter 286: God is the Myriad, and also the One
Fang Zhen could bring Engineer Chen’s Exoskeleton Armor directly to the Divine Rune Realm, replicate the prototype, and forge dozens, even hundreds, of copies directly from large steel ingots.
He could even throw in some Divine Rune Etching to boost their various powers. Wouldn’t he be able to equip an entire legion in a very short time?
The thought of a legion of hundreds or thousands of soldiers in Exoskeleton Armor was quite a thrill.
He felt that with a legion like that, he could flatten the Eternal Night Council in an instant. Even the demons here would become much easier to clean up.
But then, Duke Phil said something that brought Fang Zhen’s thoughts crashing back to reality.
"We are in a special period of war, and this Divine Rune forging method is a secret art. We’re only using it to replenish our war supplies because we have no other choice."
"This process is extremely expensive, and the materials needed to set up the Alchemy Array are also incredibly scarce."
"We are manufacturing right now without any regard for the cost. Normally, it would be impossible to go to such lengths."
"It’s also because this special alloy you brought has such immense potential that I was willing to do this."
"Forging the weapons alone will consume nearly eighty percent of the entire legion’s funds."
"If you hadn’t been so generous and given us such a low price, the legion would already be on the verge of financial collapse."
Fang Zhen listened and thought, ’That makes sense.’
’If Divine Rune forging were really that convenient, this world would be a completely different place.’
’But in a sense, this world has a natural balance.’
’The people of this world have developed the various uses of Divine Runes to the point of absolute mastery.’
’But the basic materials required for Divine Rune forging are in very short supply here.’
’Based on my observations over the past two days, this world doesn’t lack for food, but it’s extremely short on metals.’
Fang Zhen felt he’d sold his manganese steel alloy at too much of a "friends and family" discount. ’But I’m trying to speedrun this instance, so I don’t need to sweat the details.’
’My first priority is clearing the instance. Making money comes second.’
Fang Zhen watched for a moment longer, then with a casual wave of his hand, a metal block he’d retrieved from his King’s Belt appeared in his palm.
He handed the block of metal to Duke Phil.
It was clear Duke Phil was still astonished by Fang Zhen’s ability to produce items out of thin air.
’For some reason, this world hasn’t developed any methods for utilizing subspace. Maybe it’s because this world leans more toward Divine Rune Alchemy than Magic; they’re on a different tech tree.’
Duke Phil was obviously still amazed.
But he was a man of great composure, so he didn’t reveal too much of his astonishment to Fang Zhen.
Fang Zhen placed the block of metal before Duke Phil.
"This is a special metal I obtained at a considerable price. It seems to have a curious resonance and affinity with Divine Runes. It’s extremely expensive, the culmination of the wisdom, sweat, and capital of countless individuals."
"I would like to sell this as a special material to the Minghui Kingdom, for the Kingdom’s High-tier Divine Rune Warriors," Fang Zhen said to Duke Phil.
Duke Phil took the metal.
The block of metal was electrolytic manganese.
Duke Phil was a Divine Rune Warrior himself. A cyan light suddenly flared in his hand, causing the electrolytic manganese to emit a dazzling glow.
Even Fang Zhen could feel some kind of power intensely concentrating in the area.
The cyan light on Duke Phil’s hand glowed for a moment before quickly fading.
He exclaimed in astonishment, "What in the world is this metal? Its affinity for Divine Runes is unbelievably high!"
"I’ve never seen a metal with such a high affinity for Divine Runes," Duke Phil said, his face a mask of utter astonishment.
Watching Phil’s expression, Fang Zhen felt a certain sense of accomplishment. It was quite satisfying to shock a nobleman who was normally so impassive and shrewd.
Fang Zhen added silently to himself.
’The only reason Phil thinks manganese is the metal with the highest affinity for Divine Runes is probably that he just hasn’t seen enough of the world.’
’There are many metals in my world. Besides manganese, there are all sorts of others, like aluminum and tin.’
’Due to the complexity of their refinement processes, these seemingly common metals were all extremely expensive when they were first discovered and extracted.’
’Back then, aluminum and tin were more precious than an equal weight of Gold. Their prices only dropped after later developments in industrial society.’
’And it’s obvious that for some unknown reason, metal ores are scarce in this Divine Rune Realm, and their smelting techniques must be flawed as well.’
’The development of raw materials hasn’t kept pace with the advancement of the Divine Rune techniques that utilize them.’
Fang Zhen made a mental note to bring some metallic tin and aluminum next time to test if they had an even better synergy with Divine Runes.
The thought flashed through his mind. He looked at Duke Phil and said, "This metal is far more precious and expensive than the alloy I gave you before. I don’t need to explain its value."
"I can provide a certain amount of this metal in exchange for the compensation I desire."
"What is it that you desire?" Duke Phil asked, his expression turning serious as he looked at Fang Zhen.
"I require the complete set of technological processes for Divine Rune forging, including any related secrets."
"Additionally, should I require it, I will bring some finished pieces of special armor to the Kingdom for Divine Rune forging and Etching. I expect you to be able to complete my orders," Fang Zhen stated.
’After all, I still need to build my own legion.’
