After Lin Jialu and the others left, only Huo Yuhao and Deacon Li remained in the courtyard.
Deacon Li was silent for a while before he spoke:
"Little Brother Huo, I won't beat around the bush. The spiritual energy lamps and Spiritual Power Vehicles you made are remarkably inventive. The Magic Temple would like to buy your equipment blueprints and produce them in large batches."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly but gave no other response, gesturing for him to continue.
"To be honest, we took apart a few of the spiritual energy lamps you put up for sale through the Lin Family. We also obtained a Spiritual Power Vehicle through them. With the Magic Temple's level of alchemy, it wouldn't be difficult to make copies."
Deacon Li paused there before continuing:
"But that would be deeply dishonorable. Our Magic Temple couldn't bring itself to do such a thing. You put great effort into researching these things, so even if the Magic Temple wants to produce them, we should talk to you first."
Huo Yuhao was a little surprised. He hadn't expected the Magic Temple to send someone to discuss mass production with him.
But just because Deacon Li said that didn't mean he could believe it all. Perhaps they had prepared several different approaches and only changed their minds after seeing that he wasn't an ordinary person.
After a brief consideration, Huo Yuhao asked:
"Senior, how does the Magic Temple plan to handle production?"
Deacon Li smiled and said:
"Little Brother Huo, this is what we have in mind so far. We would purchase the blueprints you developed, primarily in one of two ways. The first is to pay the full price and buy them outright. The other is to give you a cut-a fixed sum for every item sold."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Both methods were quite good, but he didn't need money. He wanted something else.
His original plan had been to combine the soul tools of the Douluo Continent from his previous life with the alchemical equipment of the Holy Demon Continent and make them widely available across the Holy Demon Continent, so that ordinary people could use them too.
His reason for doing so was simple: he wanted to atone for his teacher, Electrolux. After all, his teacher had made a considerable impact on the Holy Demon Continent.
But the initial research and development of anything required a great deal of funding. Only large-scale production could bring down costs and make it widely available among the people.
Most importantly, he also needed plenty of time to cultivate, so he needed more alchemy masters to help him.
And the Magic Temple had no shortage of alchemy masters.
So he was very supportive of the Magic Temple's desire to produce the spiritual energy lamps and Spiritual Power Vehicles he had developed. The way they cooperated simply needed some adjustment.
Having made his decision, Huo Yuhao said to Deacon Li:
"I can sell the blueprints, but I have one condition."
Deacon Li raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead, Little Brother Huo."
"I hope that when the Magic Temple produces the things I develop in the future, it will set the prices a little lower. Of course, that would be on the condition that they still make a profit.
"Once a profit is assured, I hope the prices can be set so that most ordinary people can afford them."
"As for payment for the blueprints, I don't mind going without it."
Deacon Li was startled by his words. Was this really something a boy of around ten could say?
He couldn't help pressing the matter:
"Are you sure, Little Brother Huo? You came up with these things yourself. You could easily have our Magic Temple set high prices and take a cut of the sales. You'd earn quite a bit more."
Huo Yuhao smiled. There was not a trace of greed or regret on his face. Instead, he replied with complete sincerity:
"Senior, I'm certain about the pricing.
"I didn't make these things to earn a fortune in the first place. I hoped they would bring tangible benefits to the people."
At that, Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment before continuing:
"To be honest, Senior, I also have blueprints for quite a few other pieces of alchemical equipment. I simply haven't made them because my own time and energy are limited.
"Among them are some energy-storage devices, and Magic Cannons that ordinary people can fire without relying on magic crystals."
"What?"
Deacon Li was astounded. He looked at Huo Yuhao, his face full of doubt. Was this something a ten-year-old child could say?
If Magic Cannons that even ordinary people could fire could be made, the increase in humanity's strength would be tremendous.
Many soldiers in the Alliance had been unable to go to the front lines and had mainly been assigned to logistics, precisely because they hadn't cultivated.
But now Huo Yuhao said he could make weapons that even ordinary people could use. Wouldn't that allow humanity to deal with the Demon Clan more effectively?
Huo Yuhao didn't explain in response to Deacon Li's doubts. Instead, he said:
"Seeing is believing, while hearing can be deceiving. Please give me two months, Senior. I will definitely be able to make magical equipment that even ordinary people can use, and it will be powerful enough to deal with second- and third-tier demons."
Huo Yuhao was quite confident he could make magical equipment capable of dealing with second- and third-tier demons. After all, he had created the Level 5 Soul Tool, the Godly Zhuge Crossbow Cannon, in his previous life.
He was quite confident he could adapt it using the same principles.
Deacon Li gazed deeply at Huo Yuhao upon hearing this.
After a long while, he took a deep breath, suppressed his doubts, and said:
"Little Brother Huo, you can't say something like that lightly. If, after two months, you haven't made it..."
Before Deacon Li could finish, Huo Yuhao said:
"If I cannot make magical equipment capable of dealing with second- and third-tier demons by then, I will give the spiritual energy lamps and Spiritual Power Vehicles I developed to the Magic Temple, to compensate your temple for the time you've spent on me."
Deacon Li was very satisfied to hear that. After all, this would do the Magic Temple no harm; at worst, it would only cost them some time.
But Huo Yuhao hadn't finished.
"If I happen to develop a new type of magical equipment, one that even ordinary soldiers can use, I hope the Magic Temple will agree to one condition."
"What condition?" Deacon Li blurted out.
"If I happen to develop the corresponding offensive magical equipment, I hope its production will be jointly controlled by the Six Great Temples. The other five temples can provide some funding and guards, but the Magic Temple will need to send the alchemists who are essential to the work."
Huo Yuhao had stated his idea.
He hoped the Temple Alliance could establish a research and production center, much like the Illustrious Virtue Hall of the Sun Moon Empire in his previous life.
Then, besides supplying the Six Great Temples, the equipment he developed could also be sold to ordinary people, allowing him to achieve his goal of making equipment widely available to them.
After hearing Huo Yuhao's request, Deacon Li smiled helplessly and said:
"Little Brother Huo, you certainly have a talent for developing magical equipment and negotiating, but you still know far too little about the Six Great Temples. As for that condition of yours, I can agree to it on the temple master's behalf right now."