Elemental Crystals

After eating and drinking their fill, Adolph eagerly brought up the matter of the agency rights for the "Emperor's Favor" holy insects again. Ye Luo smiled and took out ten bottles!

The three chamber presidents' breathing grew ragged at the sight of ten bottles of holy insects.

"Mr. Adolph, I told you before that what our Zerg like most of all is Demon Cores. You can use this bottle of holy insects to treat your son. You don't need to tell me the price; just deliver the Demon Cores directly to Robert tomorrow. And since you all want to represent the holy insects so badly, fine. Each chamber of commerce gets three bottles. The price you sell them for will depend entirely on your own abilities. All I want is Demon Cores and ore. In ten days, I'll assess your business capabilities based on the value of the ore or Demon Cores you've delivered during that time, then decide who gets the agency rights!"

Adolph tightened his grip on the transparent bottle. Gazing at the enchanting glow of the Healing Aphid, he said firmly, "Rest assured, Your Majesty Ye Luo. The Barute Chamber of Commerce will not disappoint you..."

Ye Luo smiled, letting his gaze sweep across everyone present before his expression grew serious. "Now, everyone, let's discuss the remaining matters. With Morton changing hands, some of the old rules will have to change..."

Adolph and the others were startled. They immediately composed themselves and watched Ye Luo solemnly.

"The old laws can remain in effect for now, but the previous tax policies need to change. Robert, have you calculated the City Lord's Mansion's expenses, as I asked?"

Robert immediately stood up and took a document from a nearby attendant. "Your Majesty, we were short on time, so I could only make a rough estimate. In the past, Morton Province had a City Guard of seven thousand soldiers. Each earned eight silver coins a month, for a monthly total of fifty-six gold coins. Equipment maintenance each month requires..."

Ye Luo suddenly raised his hand, cutting Robert off. "Robert, I don't need the detailed figures. I trust that your estimates are reasonably accurate. Just give me the total."

Robert paused, then flipped straight to the last page. "It comes to around four hundred gold coins a month. Of course, that doesn't include any public works. If we want to build bridges and roads, the expenses would double or even triple..."

"Four hundred gold coins..." Ye Luo was taken aback. Maintaining a huge city with a population of a million took only four hundred gold coins? He finally understood why the attendant had been overjoyed to receive ten gold coins earlier. He might not earn that much in his entire life...

Seeing Ye Luo lost in thought, Robert's heart stirred, and he hurriedly said, "Of course, if Your Majesty thinks the City Lord's Mansion's expenses are too high, we can still cut them further. We could reduce spending on food for the mansion, the steward's wages, decorations for banquets, and..."

Ye Luo glanced at Robert. Clearly, Robert had mistaken his silence for dissatisfaction with the expenses...

"No, Robert." Watching Robert count off ways to cut expenses on his fingers, Ye Luo had to interrupt him again. He looked at Robert solemnly. "Remember, you have a new emperor now. That doesn't mean you're going to suffer. On the contrary, as time passes, you'll see that under my leadership, your lives will be better than before. Robert, how much tax revenue do we collect each month?"

"About nine thousand gold coins. But in the past, we had to send eighty percent to the imperial treasury every month..."

"You won't have to send it anymore. Robert, take two thousand gold coins from the monthly tax revenue to cover expenses within Morton's territory. As for the rest of the gold coins... Presidents of the three chambers of commerce, that's nearly seven thousand gold coins in investment each month. I'd like to hear what kind of returns each of you can offer me..."

"Investment? Seven thousand gold coins every month?" The three presidents exchanged glances.

Adolph's eyes immediately flashed with resolve. He said gravely, "Your Majesty Ye Luo, Demon Cores aren't the only things on this continent that contain powerful magic. Within the territories of the great empires, there are also special Elemental Crystals. They contain just as much energy as Demon Cores. May I ask if Your Majesty needs this kind of energy?"

Ye Luo's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed inside, but he showed little of it. "Oh? Do you have any of these Elemental Crystals on hand?"

Adolph shook his head, but then something occurred to him. He immediately turned to Robert. "Our chamber of commerce doesn't have any, but I remember you have a fourth-tier advanced mage named Chelman in your service. His staff holds an Elemental Crystal."

Ye Luo looked at Robert, who immediately understood. "I'll summon Chelman right away."

Ye Luo nodded. Robert hurried out, and Ye Luo looked at Adolph approvingly. "Very good, President Adolph. You've shown the keen nose for profit that a merchant leader should have. And that's exactly what I need most..."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty Ye Luo..." Though Adolph had spent years in the business world, he now gave Adonis and Elina a smug look like a child.

The nobles of Morton standing behind the three presidents all sighed inwardly. Ye Luo, the leader of the Demon Beasts, was far too good at reading people. In the time it took to eat one meal, he had used enormous profits to pull the three great chambers of commerce over to his side, away from the conflict between humans and Demon Beasts! His grasp of the capitalists' mindset was simply breathtaking!

Soon, Chelman arrived with Robert. He handed his staff to Ye Luo, who scanned it briefly and received feedback from the Zerg Hive.

Level-two energy. Without a doubt, it was level-two energy!

Ye Luo smiled at the three presidents. "Now we have a broader range of targets: crystals—Elemental Crystals—as well as Demon Cores of tier six and above!"

"Your Majesty Ye Luo, Demon Cores above tier six are often impossible to buy, but Elemental Crystals are much easier to obtain. With an investment of seven thousand gold coins a month, we can provide you with at least three hundred Elemental Crystals." Alina gazed at Ye Luo with her beautiful eyes and spoke softly.

"Women will be women. Six hundred! The Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce can provide six hundred Elemental Crystals every month!" Adonis declared proudly.

Adolph glanced at the two of them. "One thousand, for our great Emperor Ye Luo!"

"Are you insane? A thousand! You won't make any profit at all, and you could even lose money if Elemental Crystal prices rise!" Adonis stared at Adolph in disbelief.

Adolph kept his eyes fixed on Ye Luo.

Ye Luo walked over to Adolph and patted him on the shoulder. "It seems my earlier assessment of you was right. Very good, Adolph. Starting this month, the Barute Chamber of Commerce may travel across the continent under the name of my Huaxia Imperial Zerg. Anyone who uses force to obstruct your business will be challenging my Zerg. Once we've verified the facts, the Zerglings' claws will sweep away every obstacle in your path!"

"As you command, great Your Majesty Ye Luo! Adolph is willing to give his life and contribute even the smallest spark to your great cause..."