Selling Materials

When Jia Yi hurried from Kyoto Base City to the military district, the monster materials Lin Qingyu had hunted had not yet been fully sorted.

Yet even Jia Yi was stunned when he saw the enormous corpse of the Earth Dragon King.

Although Lin Qingyu had demonstrated a force output of twenty-five million kilograms during the test, enough to reach Planetary level 4.

Combat strength could not be calculated that way.

Among those on Earth who had broken through to the Planetary level, who did not know some force-amplification techniques? With an average fourfold amplitude, even a Planetary level 1st stage warrior could unleash attacks in the ten-million-kilogram range.

Those who could be called veteran Councillor level experts had generally reached Planetary level 2. Factoring in amplitude techniques, they could essentially unleash bursts of thirty million kilograms.

Although King level monsters were inferior to human Councillors in force-amplification techniques, their bodies were naturally powerful. Taken together, their strength was not much weaker than that of Councillors.

And now, Lin Qingyu had actually killed a King level monster comparable to a veteran Councillor level expert in a one-on-one fight, and he appeared to have suffered virtually no injuries.

One had to know that Lin Qingyu did not even have a Black God Suit yet!

Even Jia Yi found himself sharing Chen Cheng's sentiment. Was Lin Qingyu really a human from Earth?

Talent was one thing, but being this powerful was simply outrageous.

Of course, if Lin Qingyu knew what they were thinking, he would probably just smile.

Being able to kill a Planetary level 2 warrior at fifteen was truly nothing remarkable in the vast universe.

Leaving aside anything else, the Golden Horn Beast that would arrive on Earth six years later would be invincible at the Planetary level from the moment it was born, treating King level monsters like food.

His Gene Level was fifty times that of an ordinary lifeform. In terms of genes alone, he was even nobler than the Golden Horn Beast. His situation was closer to a natural mutation, however. He had no ancestors or elders, and naturally had no Secret Methods passed down through his bloodline.

Moreover, while a fiftyfold Gene Level was high, it had not reached the point where the universe would bestow an innate Secret Method upon him.

"Councillor Lin, you have already fulfilled your entire low-price sale quota for this year. However, quite a few monster materials remain. Would you like to sell them at full price, or use them to offset future quotas?" the clerk responsible for calculating the monster materials' value asked respectfully.

Although it was an unspoken rule that all materials brought back from hunts after reporting to the military district would count toward the low-price quota, Lin Qingyu's haul this time was simply too large. Even the annual low-price material quota set for Councillors directly cultivated by the state fell far short of these materials.

Thus, the clerk came to ask Lin Qingyu how he intended to handle the portion exceeding his quota.

"I want to buy Hong's secret manual, 'World Ending.' Calculate it for me. As long as there is enough money to buy 'World Ending,' sell all the rest at low price," Lin Qingyu said indifferently.

It was not because Lin Qingyu was especially noble or regarded money as dirt.

In fact, he rather liked valuable treasures.

But in his eyes, Earth's currency had no meaning. The money and treasures he needed were those of the universe, and Earth's money could not be exchanged for currency in the universe.

Besides, with his strength, farming Earth's monsters was no different from farming mobs in a game. To him, Earth's currency was no more valuable than in-game currency in a computer game.

"No. That would put you at too great a disadvantage, Councillor Lin. I think we can use a different arrangement."

To Lin Qingyu's surprise, Jia Yi actually spoke up to stop him.

After hearing Jia Yi's words, Lin Qingyu blinked and looked at him in confusion.

In his view, since he was handing over so many materials at once, Jia Yi should have been happy to accept them.

Jia Yi, on the other hand, could not help but laugh at Lin Qingyu's surprised yet slightly puzzled expression.

So he first indicated that Lin Qingyu should ask his questions later.

Then he said to the clerk and General Chen Cheng, "Of the materials Councillor Lin brought back this time, the Lord level materials will be purchased by the military at a low price as this year's contribution quota. Any surplus will be sold to the military at the same price according to Councillor Lin's wishes, to offset quotas for the next several years. As for the Earth Dragon King's corpse, part of it will be purchased by the military at full price. The remainder will serve as research materials and samples for the Huaxia Gene Energy and Mental Power Research Institute. Its specific use will be decided by the institute's director and person in charge, Lin Qingyu himself."

After proposing this arrangement, Jia Yi turned to Lin Qingyu and asked for his opinion.

Naturally, Lin Qingyu had no objections. Jia Yi's proposal was yielding benefits to him, so there was no reason for him to object.

Soon, Lin Qingyu's gains from this trip were tallied according to Jia Yi's arrangement.

This haul was enough to offset his low-price quotas for the next five years. Moreover, the money from selling the materials, including the King level monster's corpse, was enough for him to purchase the secret manual 'World Ending.'

After the tally was completed, Jia Yi took Lin Qingyu aboard a plane, preparing to fly back to the Base City.

"Xiao Yu, are you wondering why I objected to the arrangement you proposed?" Jia Yi asked as he looked at Lin Qingyu.

Lin Qingyu nodded. He did feel that Jia Yi's arrangement was better, at least when Jia Yi proposed it,

"Because this is the respect that Planetary level experts deserve," Jia Yi said.

"Respect?" Lin Qingyu repeated, deep in thought.

"Yes, respect." Jia Yi emphasized it again. "For direct-line experts cultivated by the state, this rule has limits. It only applies to Lord level monsters hunted by Councillors. But if a Councillor kills a King level monster, no organization will force down the price when purchasing it. That is respect for Councillor level experts."

As Jia Yi explained, Lin Qingyu naturally came to understand the reasoning behind it.

There was no doubt that the low-price transaction quota between Councillor level experts and the state caused Councillors to lose some money.

Yet Councillors from the direct line were still willing to maintain such transactions.

On one hand, it was because direct-line Councillor level experts had all received state support during their growth, so they remembered that favor after becoming Councillors.

On the other hand, killing Lord level monsters was not particularly difficult for Councillors, and the low-price purchase quota had also been calculated so that it would not be excessively high. Therefore, Councillors did not mind exchanging what amounted to a "small sum" to them for status and power.

King level monsters were different. Even Councillors faced danger when confronting King level monsters, and hunting such monsters was an adventurous undertaking for them.

If the price were still suppressed at such a time, it would be a disregard for a Councillor's life.

The saying that greater ability brought greater responsibility was meant to hold oneself to a standard, not to force others.

"A nation may have only three or four direct-line Councillors, but when the nation needs them, it can mobilize many more Councillors. That is because we have made Councillors feel respected," Jia Yi concluded. "If we had truly purchased the Earth Dragon King you killed at a low price just now, then regardless of whether you did so willingly, it would give other Councillors the impression that we do not respect the results of their risks. It might seem as though we gained a benefit, but it would damage the nation's ability to mobilize other Councillor level experts who are not part of the direct line."

"So that's how it is?" Lin Qingyu nodded. He was not actually stupid; he simply had not devoted his attention to thinking about such political matters.

"Giving the Earth Dragon King to your research institute will not cause much of a problem. That way, you still decide how the Earth Dragon King's corpse is used, and it will not leave other Councillors with a bad impression. It will also benefit your institute's development. Institutes that can obtain King level monster materials are all top domestic research institutes. With the Earth Dragon King's corpse as a calling card, we can show all researchers our determination and ability to run this institute well, which will allow us to recruit more research talent," Jia Yi told Lin Qingyu.

"Master, thank you," Lin Qingyu said. He truly valued the research institute, and having more talented people would naturally be a good thing.

"I have some considerations of my own as well. After all, if your research institute produces results, the entire country will benefit in the end," Jia Yi said frankly.

"Don't worry. I'll definitely produce results," Lin Qingyu said.

"Good. Then I'll wait and see." Jia Yi looked at Lin Qingyu and smiled kindly.