"Hmm?"
Skipping over the metals he had seen before, Tang Wulin discovered several crystals in a transparent crystal case tucked away in a corner. These crystals emitted a soft, pale golden glow, with liquid-like light flowing within them.
The crystals were small, only about the size of half a fist, but their energy fluctuations were exceptionally pure, subtly attracting and amplifying the surrounding soul power.
"Old sir, may I ask what kind of metal this is?" Tang Wulin pointed to the pale golden crystal and asked.
The old man put down his magnifying glass and walked over, a trace of pride barely visible on his face: "This is Gold Crystal, a specialty from the associated veins deep within the 'Soul Crystal Mountain Range.' Its production is extremely rare. Adding just a little to battle armor or mecha can enhance soul power, with a maximum boost of thirty percent. It's truly a treasure."
"Oh? Then what's its price?"
Tang Wulin's heart stirred. The characteristics of this metal were similar to Deep Sea Sunken Silver and Blue Coppertite. If its mechanism of action was different, it might be possible to stack the enhancement of soul power, making it suitable for integration into future battle armor or mecha cores.
The old man extended one finger: "Ten thousand Star Luo coins per gram."
Tang Wulin awkwardly looked at Gu La. In their excitement over the metals, they hadn't brought any Star Luo currency, and Tang Wulin didn't even know whether this price was high or low.
He calmly asked: "Old sir, do you accept forged metals?"
"We do, certainly."
The old man raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued but still scrutinizing. "...However, our shop doesn't deal with ordinary goods."
Tang Wulin smiled slightly and flipped his wrist, revealing a palm-sized block of metal in his hand. It glowed with a warm jade-like luster, with silver and blue light flowing inside.
The surface of the metal block was as smooth as a mirror, exuding a peculiar energy field. This was his personally forged Thousand-Refined Jade Silver, with an astonishing fusion rate of eighty-one percent.
"What do you think of this item?" Tang Wulin handed over the Thousand-Refined Jade Silver.
The old man's previously indifferent gaze froze the moment he touched the Jade Silver.
He almost snatched it, his fingers trembling slightly as he stroked the surface, feeling the perfectly fused properties of the two metals and the vast vitality and resilience contained within.
"Is this Jade Silver!?"
The old man's voice trembled with disbelief and excitement. He quickly took out instruments to test it, and upon seeing the number eighty-one, he took a deep breath and gazed deeply at Tang Wulin.
"Do your family members know you're selling this treasure?"
"They do." Tang Wulin nodded without elaborating.
The old man took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his astonishment. His eyes gleamed sharply as he carefully examined the Thousand-Refined Jade Silver repeatedly, becoming more and more astounded the more he looked.
Such a high fusion rate and such perfect quality—such masterpieces were rare even among the top blacksmiths of the Star Luo Empire. Its value far exceeded most of the rare metals in his shop.
After pondering for a moment, as if rapidly calculating the value, he suddenly looked up, his gaze burning intently at Tang Wulin: "Young friend, I am willing to exchange this Thousand-Refined Jade Silver for a hundred pieces of rare metals of equal weight from my store, and you can choose any type!"
Fearing that Tang Wulin might change his mind, he quoted a price that seemed exceedingly generous, even somewhat "loss-making" to him.
It should be noted that Thousand-Refined single-element metals, especially fused metals, were far scarcer and more popular in the Star Luo Empire than Tang Wulin could have imagined.
"A hundred pieces?"
Tang Wulin was also stunned. He had anticipated that the Thousand-Refined Jade Silver would be valuable, but not to this extent!
A palm-sized piece of Thousand-Refined Jade Silver could be exchanged for a hundred pieces of rare metals? This exchange ratio was absurdly high. Considering his current forging skills, he could produce hundreds of pieces of Thousand-Refined Jade Silver in a day, potentially emptying the entire store!
His eyes instantly sparkled with an indescribable light—a pure "money-grubbing" gaze akin to seeing a mountain of gold shimmering before him.
"Deal!" Tang Wulin nodded without hesitation, fearing that the shopkeeper might change his mind. This deal was too good to pass up.
Meanwhile, Gu La, who had been quietly observing all along, was already aware of the prices in the Star Luo Empire. Seeing that Tang Wulin had secured the deal, he flipped his hand and took out a hundred pieces of Thousand-Refined alloy metals—mostly occasional practice works from the past year, with a wide variety of types.
The value of Spirit-Refined metals was at least ten times that of Thousand-Refined metals. Bringing them out now would leave the shopkeeper without stock, but since they would be staying in the Star Luo Empire for a year, he wasn't in a rush.
Profit margins of hundreds or even thousands of times highlighted the status of blacksmiths here.
Gu La stepped forward and said to the old man, who was still excitedly stroking the Thousand-Refined Jade Silver: "Shopkeeper, I also have some metal materials and would like to reserve a batch of rare metals, especially some specialties."
Upon hearing this, the old man immediately shifted his gaze from the jade silver to Gu La. This youth, with his unique demeanor, now appeared incredibly noble, and he dared not show any disrespect: "Please tell me, which ones do you need to reserve? How much?"
Gu La's gaze swept over the rare metals in the shop that he hadn't seen on the Douluo Continent, such as "Gold Crystal," "Sound Shifter," and "Star Copper." These three metals were foundational for crafting mecha battle armor in the Star Luo Empire and were almost essential.
Without hesitation, he spoke: "Prepare ten tons of each of these three types, and one ton of other metals. Will these metals suffice?"
"Pfft..." Tang Wulin nearly choked on his saliva and stared wide-eyed at Gu La. Ten tons? That… that's enough to make battle armor for ten people!
The old man was equally dumbfounded, nearly dropping the Thousand-Refined Jade Silver in his hand.
But the glowing, spirit-refined alloys in Gu La's hand couldn't be faked. He discreetly inspected them one by one, finding fusion rates of over eighty percent, and secretly became excited. The forging prowess behind these two youths exceeded his initial expectations!
"It's enough. I'll arrange the shipment for the two esteemed guests right away. Please leave your contact information; I guarantee delivery within a day. Apprentice, quickly bring tea for the two esteemed guests!" He shouted incoherently at the apprentice behind him.
The apprentice was also bewildered, clumsily rushing to brew tea.
"I'll come to pick them up tomorrow." Gu La left the room phone number, not worried at all that the old man might try anything underhanded. He believed the old man understood that someone capable of producing a pile of spirit-refined alloys was not someone he could afford to offend.
For the rest of the time, the entire "Hundred Refinements Pavilion" bustled with activity because of the two, while Gu La and Tang Wulin had already left.
Having returned from the "Hundred Refinements Pavilion" laden with purchases and having reserved enough rare metals to bankrupt a small family, Tang Wulin and Gu La returned to the Star Luo Grand Hotel with vastly different moods.
Tang Wulin's mind was filled with thoughts of how to use those rare metals and the impending "mountain of gold," while Gu La remained calm, as if he had merely conducted an ordinary transaction.
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