Li Chen was now making the transition from a down-and-out rogue cultivator to a local magnate. Though he remained far behind the true aristocratic clans, he could at least count himself a landowner with mines to his name, and naturally would not pinch pennies over something like this.
He understood one truth well: time was the most precious thing in this world. In the struggle against Heaven for one's life, time waited for no one. Trading a little money for the possibility of future development could hardly have been a better bargain.
His funding of Yuan Xiye could also be considered an investment.
As a Puppet Master of Master Artisan rank, Yuan Xiye had considerable potential. Befriending her now might gain him a Grand Artisan ally in the future.
Even if she ultimately failed to advance, a fellow Master Artisan still held considerable value.
Li Chen now possessed two great Spirit Peaks, and could secretly excavate underground mineral deposits to trade for cultivation provisions from the outside world. Add to that the windfall he had made earlier...
Shouldering an extra eight or ten million in expenses would be no problem at all.
"All right, I'll sign this Spell Contract!"
Yuan Xiye was equally decisive. After all, she lost nothing in this transaction. Li Chen merely wanted the results of her research into the heavenly dragon undying body, without imposing restrictions or stipulating exactly what she had to do.
Yuan Xiye had already prepared the Spell Contract before approaching Li Chen. All they needed to do now was add a few more clauses to the draft.
Puppet Masters often collaborated, and there were established precedents for this model of joint research and shared results. The two soon finalized their agreement.
As ripples spread like waves across water, the void twisted. Like