"My lord, you have no idea—the First Prince was practically dripping with wealth! Although this operation brought in fewer than two million High-grade Spirit Stones for the treasury, the various rare supplies we brought back along the way were worth more than five million High-grade Spirit Stones."
Gu Tieqi, who had been in charge of receiving and coordinating this operation, was incomparably excited as he reported to Ye Zhen, spittle flying everywhere!
Hearing this, Liu Feng beside him laughed. "You only ever think about Spirit Stones! In truth, the greatest gain from this operation was those more than ten thousand craftsmen. That is the real wealth. These craftsmen can directly make up for North Sea's shortcomings and make North Sea's output even more abundant."
At this point, Liu Feng paused. "The troublesome part is that we abducted these craftsmen, but their families are scattered all over the country. If we want to use them, I fear we will have to proceed cautiously and keep them under constant watch."
"No matter. Craftsmen have never held much status. Once this storm passes, arrange for people to quietly bring their families here, so they can rest easy. As for this period..." Ye Zhen's expression suddenly turned stern. "Strengthen surveillance. The moment any abnormality is discovered, demote them directly to artisan slaves!"
"Yes!" Liu Feng accepted the order.
Gu Tieqi, however, smiled. "Dealing with the First Prince just once was equivalent to a year's income for North Sea. If we did it a few more times..."
Before Gu Tieqi could finish, Ye Zhen stopped him with an incomparably severe look.
"Pass down the order: issue a gag order to everyone who participated in this operation! No one is permitted to discuss this matter further, including you! Remember, from now on, act as if this