Flender was like this, and so was Zhao Wuji—both were itching to take action immediately.
With the title "Motionless Bright King," Zhao Wuji might not be a full-fledged villain, but he certainly wasn't a good person either. Furthermore, their targets were notorious criminal forces, so there would be no psychological burden.
Seeing the two of them eager to move, Chu Chengzhou nodded in satisfaction.
He didn't expect Shrek Academy to amass a fortune using this method—building expensive simulated training grounds or even decent teaching buildings wasn't feasible. He just hoped it could improve the quality of the academy's cafeteria meals.
As for the future? Without government funding, Shrek Academy, which could only rely on "borrowing," was destined to have a bleak outlook.
After a little cat and a certain wealthy young lady enrolled, they could use the excuse that Shrek Academy wasn't qualified to participate in the Soul Master Tournament and persuade Flender to take them to Tian Dou City to seek refuge with Liu Erlong and join Blue Tyrant (Lanba) Academy.
Although Liu Erlong's Blue Tyrant Academy wasn't as prestigious as Tian Dou Imperial Academy or the Five Elements Academy, it still had simulated training grounds. Excluding the academy's reputation and the strength of its teachers, the difference wouldn't be too significant.
After lunch, Xiao Wu stayed at Shrek Academy to cultivate, while Chu Chengzhou headed to Suotuo City.
Shrek Academy wasn't far from Suotuo City—just three to four kilometers away—so traveling back and forth was convenient.
Of course, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon, Chu Chengzhou wasn't here to play but to get things done.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had a long history and had always been one of the top three sects on the continent. It had consistently been a staunch ally of the Tian Dou Empire.
When most people in the soul master world thought of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, besides its formidable strength, they also thought of wealth—a lot of it.
Because the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul had treasure-hunting abilities, the sect essentially monopolized the mining industry in the Tian Dou Empire and several subordinate kingdoms and duchies.
Though the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda couldn't sense ordinary copper or iron deposits—since these weren't considered treasures due to their low value, regardless of quantity—it could detect precious rare metal ores.
Rare metal ores often formed within large ordinary metal deposits as associated minerals.
Thus, soul masters who awakened the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda were the most professional ore prospectors on the continent, finding only large mines with precision.
Combined with the sect's immense power and unparalleled influence within the Tian Dou Empire, over time, the largest mining magnate on the continent was born.
However, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's vast wealth wasn't solely due to mining.
After all, this era wasn't like the later age of advanced soul-guided technology. While mining was lucrative, the market was limited.
With wealth, influence, and strength, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect naturally turned its attention to the lucrative trade industry.
Its directly affiliated Seven Treasures Merchant Guild became a super-large merchant guild with influence spanning half the continent.
Suotuo City, as one of the major cities on the continent and located within the territory of the Balak Kingdom under the allied Tian Dou Empire, naturally had a branch of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
In the middle of a bustling street in southern Suotuo City stood a gilded, opulent building.
It wasn't tall—only three stories—but it occupied a vast area, likely exceeding three thousand square meters.
This was the Suotuo City branch of the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild under the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
"Welcome! May I help you with anything?"
As soon as Chu Chengzhou entered the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild, a uniformed saleswoman greeted him with a smile.
The Seven Treasures Merchant Guild was a legitimate business, and the saleswomen wore regular uniforms—not tattered clothing.
"Do you sell storage-type soul tools here?"
Chu Chengzhou asked.
"Yes, are you looking to purchase a storage-type soul tool?"
The saleswoman's eyes lit up. Storage-type soul tools weren't cheap—this month's sales quota was secure!
"Do you buy storage-type soul tools as well?"
Chu Chengzhou followed up.
He planned to sell the storage pendant he had robbed from Dai Mubai and buy another storage-type soul tool with similar internal space.
A redundant step?
No, no, no. The storage pendant he robbed from Dai Mubai was stolen goods, but a newly purchased storage-type soul tool represented something entirely different.
"We do buy them. Are you selling a storage-type soul tool?"
"I'm both selling and buying! I have a thirty-cubic-meter storage-type soul tool, but I don't like its design. I want to exchange it for something similar!"
Saleswoman: "..."
Don't like the design? More like stolen loot from killing someone and taking their treasure, right?
But the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild didn't care about that. As long as there was money to be made, they didn't concern themselves with where the items came from.
Half an hour later, Chu Chengzhou spent thirty thousand gold soul coins to exchange the storage pendant he had robbed from Dai Mubai for two storage necklaces.
One had the same internal space as the original pendant—one meter by one meter by one meter—while the other was smaller, measuring one cubic meter internally.
The larger one was for his own use, and the smaller one was for Xiao Wu.
At first glance, it seemed Chu Chengzhou spent thirty thousand gold soul coins to buy a one-cubic-meter storage-type soul tool.
But that wasn't how it worked. The Seven Treasures Merchant Guild wasn't running a charity—they wouldn't exchange items for free without making a profit, even if the internal spaces were equal.
"By the way, do you sell Heavy Silver?"
Suddenly, Chu Chengzhou remembered forging.
Back in Nuoding City, the only rare metal he could obtain in large quantities was Black Iron.
Though Black Iron was considered a rare metal, it wasn't much stronger than ordinary iron. Whether used for forging hammers or bows, its performance was somewhat lacking.
Chu Chengzhou didn't know much about rare metals, and names might differ across eras—some might not even have been named yet.
However, while other rare metals might not have been mined during this era, Heavy Silver definitely existed. There were seven enormous Heavy Silver pillars on the Sea God Island—they were incredibly valuable!
Heavy Silver was a high-performance rare metal that amplified soul power conduction by a certain ratio. It was excellent material for crafting strong bows and equally suitable for forging hammers.
"Heavy Silver? We have it! How much do you need, sir?"
The saleswoman quickly nodded.
Backed by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild might lack other things, but it certainly wouldn't lack various metal materials.
"What's the price per unit? And the purity?"
"Sir, depending on the quality of the ore, metal prices fluctuate greatly. Our guild generally sells preliminarily smelted ingots with a purity of no less than ninety percent.
Heavy Silver is a relatively rare metal found only in the deep sea. Both mining and smelting are difficult, so its value is quite high—100 gold soul coins per jin!"
The saleswoman said with a smile.
Backed by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Seven Treasures Merchant Guild had an abundance of raw metal materials—almost to the point of oversupply. To boost sales, the commission for salespeople who sold these materials was substantial.
------------------------------------------------------
Double Chapters Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)