After the two of them finished discussing "Eye God," they tacitly skirted around the Mountain Villa's cafeteria and arrived at its most central area—the Blacksmith Shop.
The Duang~Duang~ sounds were still ringing out with fiery enthusiasm.
Jiu Cai Rong walked through the door and greeted the other blacksmiths. Everyone hurriedly put down what they were doing and shouted in a babble, "The Old Steward is here!"
Then they stopped hammering iron.
One after another, they excitedly brought out piles of their proudest creations and set them on the tables.
Bows, crossbows, Meteor Hammers, chains, Fang Tian Hua Ji—
In short, there were all sorts of things.
After obtaining the crow materials, they had entered a period of explosive growth.
They had also discovered that some of the magic artifacts bore various patterns: Water Drop Patterns, Feather Patterns, and Starry Sky Patterns. They were breathtakingly beautiful.
It was clear that some of them had already mastered this pattern technique. Though flashy and impractical, who would refuse such a beautiful weapon?
At the same level, customers would definitely choose the better-looking one!
They felt they were highly competitive in the market, but Ning Zheng soon slapped them hard in the face.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Ning Zheng looked over the weapons one by one, shaking his head repeatedly. "These three are barely qualified."
Ning Zheng selected the three weapons.
Unnamed
Characteristics: Swift
Magic Copper energy-storage uses: 3/3
Ning Zheng looked at their blank expressions and said in a deep voice:
"These three can each be sold for three hundred Magic Coins. Each comes with three minor spells, and the energy-storage utilization rate of the entire piece of Magic Copper is fifty percent. Ordinary quality."
Everyone went numb.
Three spells a day, and +3 was only qualified?
These were already phoenix-feather-and-unicorn-horn existences among them!
One blacksmith hurriedly asked, "If +3 sells for three hundred Magic Coins, then can't I sell my +1 for a hundred Magic Coins?"
Ning Zheng wore a speechless expression but patiently explained, "A piece of raw Magic Bronze can be sold by our Mountain Villa to outsiders at a wholesale price of one hundred to one hundred and twenty Magic Coins. You're selling a finished magic artifact at a loss?"
The man was stunned as well, then realized what Ning Zheng meant.
A piece of raw Magic Bronze cost one hundred Magic Coins. After adding his forging fees and material costs, he had to sell it for two hundred Magic Coins just to barely break even and avoid losing money!
Indeed, he had to sell it for three hundred Magic Coins before he could begin making a normal profit.
By that calculation, only +3 quality could begin generating profit, with three energy-storage spells and fifty-percent energy utilization inside the Magic Copper.
Complete Magic Copper had a utilization rate of one hundred percent, and only the highest perfect quality of +6 could maximize profits.
Ning Zheng added:
"If you can achieve the +3 ordinary quality you mentioned, you'll be able to start selling them. I'll contact merchants in the city and have them come here to purchase them."
"Of course, when they come, you'd better restrain yourselves. Don't make too much of a spectacle."
Ning Zheng gave them a warning.
After all, they had a precedent.
Ning Zheng gave them a goal to strive toward, then directly carried his briefcase down the mountain. He was still busy going back to set up the Meat Field.
At that moment.
"Eye God," who had just finished selling his goods at the cafeteria, happened to arrive at the Blacksmith Shop. Hearing the Old Steward's words, his heart sank:
We're doomed!
They were no longer normal living people. How could they possibly not make a spectacle?
Old Steward, you don't know!
Apart from me, the only normal living person in the entire Mountain Villa, all of them have turned into ghosts.
It's downright sinister now.
Every time I pass by, they look at me with blood-red eyes, filled with longing, evil, and excitement. They're even more seductive than when they look at beautiful women. It's terrifying.
Whatever you do, don't let living people come here. Even I, the only normal person, can only live without dignity beneath their demonic claws!
Thinking this, "Eye God" hurriedly went to find the Old Steward for help. He wanted to tell him that the Mountain Villa was haunted by something truly terrifying.
But Jiu Cai Rong shot him a look, and several blacksmiths suddenly grabbed hold of "Eye God" to keep him from disturbing the Old Steward.
After all, whenever "Eye God" saw the Old Steward, he became frenzied and chased after him. Had he fallen ill?
They had to stop him.
Jiu Cai Rong secretly congratulated himself. Fortunately, when he had passed by the cafeteria earlier, he had only observed in secret and had not brought the Old Steward over to greet the man.
At that moment, "Eye God" was being held down firmly.
He could only pitifully stretch out an Er Kang hand toward the doorway, tears shining in his eyes, both shocked and terrified.
"Don't go, don't go! Old Steward, something major happened in our Mountain Villa a few days ago. There was a haunting that night. They're no longer living people. You have to be careful—"
The blacksmiths, their faces covered in dark, twisted smiles, soon dragged him back amid sinister "Heh heh heh" laughter and stuffed a hand over his mouth.
Click.
The Blacksmith Shop's door slammed shut.
At that moment, he felt that the hope of his entire life had also slammed shut along with the door.
It made him feel like the innocent maiden in a paperback novel surrounded by more than a dozen burly men. He gradually sank into despair, his heart filled with grief and indignation:
They're all ghosts! They're all ghosts!~
At that moment.
Inside the Blacksmith Shop.
Jiu Cai Rong was silent for a moment, then picked up a +3 weapon.
"Looks like we can't make money by forging iron this way."
He had thought that after painstakingly grinding out the crow materials, he would no longer need to make raw magic artifacts to earn money and let those damn middlemen profit from the price difference. He could personally forge magic artifacts and sell them.
But reality was cruel.
After personally taking up the hammer, these blacksmiths of theirs simply couldn't compete with the professionals!
That made sense.
Without a cheat, and with the attitude of someone who had only studied for fun for a few days, how could he challenge professional native blacksmiths?
They had no competitiveness!
They had to train for another round. Only once everyone reached +3 and ordinary quality might they be able to rival the lowest-level blacksmiths outside and produce the lowest-end mass-produced standard magic artifacts.
Only then could they earn a wave of hard-earned money in the low-end magic-artifact market.
More advanced magic artifacts?
Forging even better quality?
That would reveal the gap completely. They couldn't fight them for it! They couldn't compete in the rat race!
"Normal forging simply can't beat those old blacksmiths who make their living hammering iron."
Jiu Cai Rong took a deep breath and said:
"Looks like we need to open up another exclusive track. Only the Mountain Villa's exclusive magic artifacts will have a market. We need to create distinctive products."
Su Yu Niang nodded.
"If we can't compete normally, then let's develop patented technology."
"Enchanting!"
"They hammer monster-beast talents."
"We'll hammer Spiritual Root talents."
One had to know that the unique talents attached to cultivators' Spiritual Roots were extremely powerful and special!
Every time our blacksmiths forge a magic artifact, one blacksmith personally jumps inside it. What will you do then?
"If you've got the guts, jump into the furnace yourself when you forge one."
"Have you collected the Spiritual Roots?" Su Yu Niang asked directly.
"More or less. We collected all the flowers and plants we've currently seen in our Mountain Villa."
Jiu Cai Rong thought for a moment. "At present, 'Eye God,' this Travel Frog, can go outside to gather things, so our plant varieties are still increasing."
Su Yu Niang nodded. "It's enough once we've more or less finished collecting the plants. Put them in the Magic Coin room to nourish them with spiritual energy, turning them into low-level Spiritual Roots rich in spiritual energy. In a few days, I'll bring people to open the Three Flowers, plant the Spiritual Roots, and become cultivators."
"Test them one by one! Create a Spiritual Root catalog, divide the Spiritual Root cards into D, C, B, and A grades, then choose a suitable Spiritual Root talent for forging. That will become our Mountain Villa's flagship product!"
At that point, many people would die.
They were essentially Shennong tasting every herb!
But death did not matter. They were even thinking about producing embers.
At this ratio, perhaps after this blacksmith forged several hundred weapons, he would produce one ember?
Commit suicide by forging iron, and sooner or later a baby would pop out.
This mutually reinforcing mechanism was truly well designed.
Before you continue