"Check the crossbows! Cock the mechanisms!"
The Spirit Hall Empire was preparing a major move, but the Star Luo Empire had something to rely on as well: the hidden weapons it had purchased from the Tang Sect a year ago for the enormous sum of one hundred million Gold Soul Coins.
Hidden weapons, as their name suggested, were weapons for surprise attacks from concealment. They were not actually suited to large-scale battlefield use.
To increase their power, the Star Luo Empire had specifically requested a reduction in the weapons' quality. The crossbows, originally made from rare refined iron, were now made from commonplace refined steel.
With the change in materials, their size and weight had increased as well. They were a full size larger than the originals, effectively leaving the category of hidden weapons to become overt weapons.
The deal had been forced on him to begin with, so Lin Qian certainly would not let them off easily. Using this as his excuse, he added another overbearing clause: the Star Luo Empire would supply the refined iron itself, while the Tang Sect would provide only the expertise and labor.
This infuriated Dai Xiao, who threatened to cancel their cooperation. When the Tang Sect heard, it simply gave him the cold shoulder. The deposit was already in hand anyway. If he no longer wanted the goods, all the better-they could rake in ten million Gold Soul Coins through their tears.
Perhaps out of consideration for the sunk cost, Dai Xiao ultimately did not break the agreement and accepted this unreasonable demand. The Star Luo Empire supplied its own refined steel, but Gengxin City, the main source of iron and steel, had long since been brought under Lin Qian's control...
Thus, without the Star Luo Empire knowing, Lin Qian earned another twenty