"My lord."
Seeing Zhou Zhou appear before the reception counter, Grace immediately rose to her feet and bowed respectfully.
"Take me to the section containing information about the Human Race."
Zhou Zhou acknowledged her greeting with a slight nod before stating his request.
"Yes, my lord."
Grace stepped out from behind the counter and led him to his destination.
Following her, Zhou Zhou arrived at the floor containing the shelves dedicated to the history, strength, and development of the Human Race.
"Thank you."
He dismissed Grace with a nod before picking up a scroll from the shelf.
Grace bowed once more and quietly took her leave.
Determined to assess the overall strength of the Human Race, Zhou Zhou began examining the scrolls one after another. It took him nearly an hour to gather the information he needed.
"A total of three empires and forty-four kingdoms. I suppose we're not as weak as I thought."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"However, it seems the faction associated with the God of Silver Light is only an Advance-tier Kingdom, not an empire. In terms of resources, it probably can't compete with the empires."
Unwilling to settle for a disadvantageous deal despite his acquaintance with Sama, Zhou Zhou pondered for a while before arriving at a plan.
"I can auction the Spike of the First Men to the highest bidder. I'll notify the Kingdom of Na a week before the auction, while the other empires and kingdoms will receive their invitations only two days beforehand."
Having settled on the general outline, he began organizing the details in his mind while simultaneously informing Hui Teng and his strategists of the plan.
He also instructed Hui Teng to contact the Kingdom of Na and formally inform its representatives about the upcoming auction and the item that would be put up for sale.
Next, Zhou Zhou compiled a list of the resources he wanted in exchange for the Spike of the First Men.
The list consisted primarily of territorial advancement resources, including Territory Tokens, Origin Cores, building materials, basic elemental gems, high-grade gems, and other valuable materials.
"If they can't gather enough resources to outbid the other participants, that's their problem."
He muttered before returning to the war room.
.
Having obtained the appropriate means of contacting the Advance-tier Kingdom, Hui Teng reached out to its representatives in his official capacity as the vice lord of Blazing Sun City.
After completing the communication, which took approximately an hour, he went to inspect the monster ranches being constructed by the Sunstone Guild.
"It's fortunate that we still have plenty of undeveloped land."
He muttered as he watched the construction teams erecting the new structures.
Satisfied that everything was progressing smoothly, Hui Teng returned to his office and summoned Caitlyn and Tatia.
"Vice Lord Hui."
Upon arriving, Tatia bowed slightly before taking a seat to await Caitlyn.
A few minutes later, Caitlyn arrived.
She greeted Hui Teng with a slight bow before taking a seat opposite his desk.
"I called you both here to discuss Caitlyn's suggestion about constructing a town outside the city for visitors and immigrants who fail to pass the screening process."
Hui Teng looked at the two women as he began the discussion.
"Actually, it wasn't my suggestion," Caitlyn corrected him. "Madam Sheila proposed the idea after seeing how many people had relatives who failed the screening."
"I see. Traveling extensively really does give people valuable insights into territorial management."
Hui Teng nodded before outlining the town's construction plans.
.
"We're going to make a fortune once these go on sale!"
Zhu Yinglun exclaimed as he inspected the zafu cushion resting on the ground.
"Of course we will. Who wouldn't want an item that clears the mind and helps improve their cultivation?"
The highest-ranking upholsterer in the Blazing Timber Concord, an Extraordinary-tier professional, replied as he admired his masterpiece.
Zhu Yinglun examined the cushion thoughtfully before turning to his colleagues.
"Should we approach the merchants or sell directly to our customers?"
He understood the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches.
Selling directly would give them greater control over their prices and profits. However, without the extensive connections and distribution networks of established merchants, their products might take considerably longer to reach customers in other cities and kingdoms.
"We should follow the tailors' example. Let the merchants handle the distribution while we receive an agreed-upon percentage of the sales."
The guild's highest-ranking carpenter offered his opinion.
"Does anyone object?"
Zhu Yinglun asked, glancing around at the other five carpenters and upholsterers gathered in the guild's upper hall.
"None."
The five answered in unison.
Hearing their response, Zhu Yinglun nodded.
"Since no one objects, we'll proceed with Guy's suggestion."
.
"They'd better inform you earlier next time."
Nikolaos glared at Dai Lui as he tossed a spatial ring toward him.
Staring at the young man, who was drenched in sweat, Dai Lui couldn't help feeling apologetic.
The entire blacksmithing workforce must have been involved in manufacturing these White silver-tier weapons.
The sand corpse summoner mused before thanking the visibly irritated blacksmith.
"Thank you."
Nikolaos ignored him and walked out of the waiting room.
"It's almost eight o'clock. The titans should still be able to hold out a while longer."
Dai Lui muttered as he left the building.
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