The "Leak" at the Offering Hall

A day later, a legion of Soul Engineers surrounded the Offering Hall so completely that not even a drop of water could get through. Leading them was Xu Tianyuan, commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Legion.

"Post guards at every entrance and exit of the Offering Hall. No one gets in or out!" Xu Tianyuan said coldly.

Seeing Xu Tianyuan's icy expression, the Soul Engineers of the Offering Hall began whispering among themselves. "What happened at the Offering Hall?"

"Everyone, there's no need to worry," Kong Deming said. "There's been a leak at the Offering Hall, so I've asked Legion Commander Xu to investigate the clues. I'll count today as a workday for all of you, and the deadlines for your assigned subjects and projects will be extended by four days. Carry on with your work as usual. Everything else is fine."

Xu Tianyuan wasn't actually there to investigate a leak. He was just making a show of the Offering Hall having suffered one. He'd pretend to investigate, then wait for the news to spread throughout Ming Capital. Two days later, An Litong, president of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, sent invitations to several other chambers of commerce, including the heads of ones he knew had ties to Shrek.

Whether it was mining or making Soul Tools, the Sun Moon Empire's technology far surpassed that of Shrek Academy and the three great empires of Douluo. But Shrek Academy had money, and under its financial onslaught, some chambers of commerce in the Sun Moon Empire specialized in smuggling Soul Tools and rare metals to the academy. If the price was right, even Soul Tools from Mingde Hall could be resold.

Xu Cong and Xu Tianran loathed this kind of smuggling, but it was impossible to stamp it out. Kong Bo hated it too, but he knew that as long as Shrek Academy and the Douluo Three Kingdoms were willing to spend big, even the Sun Moon Empire's harshest penalties would only increase the profits from smuggling.

Kong Bo's thinking went like this: If smuggling was so hard to stop, why not smuggle the things we want into Shrek Academy? This "Libah" muscle-building drug was exactly what Kong Bo wanted to get into the academy.

By now, the chamber of commerce presidents invited by An Litong had all taken their seats in the Aodu Chamber of Commerce's office. An Litong cleared his throat, held up a hand, and pressed it downward to signal that he was about to speak. Then he brought out a safe and set it on the table.

An Litong spoke unhurriedly. "Gentlemen, you all know about the leak at the Offering Hall a while back. As it happens, our Aodu Chamber of Commerce has acquired this item. To be honest, it's quite powerful." He opened the safe. Inside was a row of syringes filled with colorless liquid.

"President An, is this some kind of drug?" one merchant asked.

"That's right. It's a drug called Libah," An Litong explained. "It can rapidly build muscle and improve a Soul Master's close-combat ability. Soul Masters who excel in close combat will love it. According to the Offering Hall's research, a Soul Master's muscles provide and store Soul Power when they rely mainly on close-combat techniques. If their muscle mass can be increased, their fighting ability will improve significantly."

An Litong then showed them a video documenting some of Libah's effects. It included charts showing monthly muscle growth, as well as dosage recommendations for Soul Masters of different ranks and instructions on what kind of training to do after taking it. The merchants watched with their mouths slightly agape.

Then An Litong helpfully added, "Our research shows that the younger the Soul Master, the more effective this muscle-building drug is. It's best to start at the Soul Grandmaster level. It can affect Soul Emperors at most; by the Soul Sage level, it no longer works."

(Kong Bo: Custom-made for young close-combat Soul Masters with Beast Martial Souls on Douluo Continent. Douluo Continent deserves its own steroid planet too. Get training!)

One chamber of commerce president exclaimed after watching, "That's incredibly fast muscle growth! If the Offering Hall's research shows that increased muscle mass can improve a Soul Master's combat ability, then this drug called Libah can rapidly boost the combat ability of close-combat Soul Masters, can't it?"

Another merchant said, "It's not just Power Attack Soul Masters who need it. I think Defense-type Soul Masters need this drug even more. Power Attack Soul Masters have ranged attacks too, but Defense-type Soul Masters are bound to get into close-quarters fights. President An, how much do you plan to charge for this drug?"

An Litong took out an instruction booklet and had his assistant hand copies to the merchants. As they read, An Litong explained, "Gentlemen, as the booklet says, Libah needs to be used over an extended period to work. A single injection won't do much. I suggest you stock up on a certain quantity when you sell it, then offer it to your customers."

"So it has to be used over an extended period?"

"That's right," An Litong said. "Gentlemen, this is research from the Offering Hall. I'm from Ming Capital and have some connections with the military here. The Offering Hall's research capabilities are better than Mingde Hall's. We've spent quite a bit cultivating connections within the Offering Hall, too. How about twenty-five Gold Soul Coins per syringe? I can't go any lower."

Manbo Vine wasn't a rare plant, and processing it cost little. Kong Bo had priced "Libah" at twenty Gold Soul Coins a syringe just to fleece the rich folk of Douluo Continent; at least fifteen Gold Soul Coins of that was profit. When An Litong saw the price, he said it was too cheap. The Evil Emperor said she'd take her cut at twenty Gold Soul Coins per syringe, and that whatever markup An Litong added could go to the Aodu Chamber of Commerce. That was like doing the chamber a favor. An Litong then sold the drug to these merchants for twenty-five Gold Soul Coins a syringe.

Hearing An Litong's price, the merchants glanced at one another. Then one of them spoke up. "All right, President An. I accept that price. I'd like to buy a thousand syringes, but I'd like to pay half as a deposit first, and the rest—"

An Litong shook his head. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but maintaining our connections at the Offering Hall isn't easy. So we want all purchases of Libah to be paid in full. We only accept full payment."

Hearing this, the merchant gritted his teeth and took out a Gold Soul Coin card. "All right, President An. There are thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins on this card. I'll buy a thousand syringes."

"Excellent." An Litong checked the balance on the card with a Soul Tool and nodded with satisfaction. "I'll have someone prepare the goods right away."