Chapter 235: Steel Plates Laced with Trace Amounts of Mithril

"That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

"First of all, the old Pope is the only one among us who actually knows how to sail a ship. Secondly, we have to acknowledge his contributions, both in the previous battle and by providing the Bubble Beads we were just using."

"Furthermore, the only reason I could lock onto the Spirit-type monster's location so quickly was because it attacked him first. That counts as his contribution, too."

"So, I do not see any issue with giving this ship to the Pope."

Lan Qingyou shrugged nonchalantly.

Her expression remained completely tranquil, and her tone was as casual as if she were discussing the weather.

"Well... I..."

The Pope stammered.

"She is right. Giving the ship to the Pope is the only way we can actually put it to good use."

"Makes sense."

"I agree with the proposal."

Everyone had initially thought Lan Qingyou was a bit cold and ruthless, but now it seemed the Witch was simply too clever for her own good.

Seriously.

She really knew how to play the old game of the stick and the carrot.

After a gesture like this, regardless of her true motives, the Pope would undoubtedly step up to help Lan Qingyou without a second thought if she ever asked.

After all, this was a World Item, and exactly the kind the Pope had been desperately craving.

If Lan Qingyou had known what was going through their minds, she probably would have strangled them all on the spot.

She really had no intention of playing mind games.

She was simply distributing the loot based on practical needs and the objective value of everyone's labor.

What a joke.

These idiots clearly had no idea how valuable an Alchemist truly was. She did not need to resort to petty manipulation to secure favors.

"Very well, then. Since you have put it that way, it would be rude of this old man to refuse."

He was still sitting cross-legged on the ship's gunwale, but he looked entirely revitalized compared to just a few moments ago.

He even lowered his head, affectionately stroking the wooden rail beneath him with a delighted smile.

"Alright, alright, let us hurry up and divide the rest of the loot! I can hardly wait."

Seeing the matter with the Pope settled, the Priestess immediately began to clamor.

"Yes, exactly."

"Let's split it up."

The others were equally fired up, eagerly turning their attention to the massive pile of magic items waiting to be distributed.

They stuck to their familiar routine.

Lan Qingyou would announce each item. Whoever wanted it would raise their hand, and any unclaimed items were tossed aside to be sorted out later.

In the end, everyone walked away with exactly what they wanted.

Factoring in the dozens of magic items they had collected earlier, practically everyone now possessed over a hundred and fifty pieces of gear.

Naturally, Lan Qingyou was not entirely ruthless. She made sure to set aside a few useful pieces for the Pope and the Magician as well.

"Alright, the magic items are all sorted. Now, let us discuss the Magician's situation."

Once the distribution was complete, Lan Qingyou turned her gaze toward the Magician, who was idling nearby, looking utterly bored.

"Huh? I actually get a say in this?"

The Magician was genuinely caught off guard.

Missing out on the main loot split was fine by him; he acknowledged that he had not contributed to the fight.

But to drag him into it after everything of value had already been claimed? That felt a bit insulting.

"Take a look at this first," Lan Qingyou prompted.

She flicked her wrist, pulling a steel plate about an inch thick from her Card and tossing it down.

It was not particularly large, measuring roughly a square meter.

"What is this...?"

The Magician ran his fingers over the damp steel plate, brushing against a lingering patch of moss, before looking up at Lan Qingyou in confusion.

"It is the steel plating stripped from the hulls of those sunken ships."

The steel plating from the ships? Now that she mentioned it, he recalled bringing up that very subject earlier.

"So those sunken vessels were not made entirely of steel, but just clad in it?"

When he had observed the wrecks earlier, he assumed they featured solid steel hulls. Who would have guessed they merely possessed a thin outer shell of armor?

"Correct. But that is beside the point."

Lan Qingyou nodded.

"Then what is the point?"

"The composition of the steel itself."

Lan Qingyou reached out and rapped her knuckles against the slimy metal. The plate rang out with a sharp, resonant clink.

'The composition?'

The Magician furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

'What is this Witch getting at?' he wondered. 'Why bring up something so completely out of left field?'

'And why bring it up specifically to me?'

It was just a slab of steel. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed trivial compared to the massive pile of magic items they had just divvied up.

Unless... the value of this steel plate somehow exceeded those hundreds of magical artifacts.

But was something like that even possible...?

'Wait!'

'Steel plating? Composition?'

"Could it be...!"

The Magician's eyes widened as a staggering possibility struck him, and his head snapped up to stare at Lan Qingyou.

"It is exactly what you are thinking. These steel plates are laced with trace amounts of Mithril."

Lan Qingyou broke into a wide smirk.

The Magician was not the only one to react; everyone else nearby instantly grasped the implications of Lan Qingyou's words.

"Does that mean the Magician finally has a suitable base for carving his Teleportation Arrays?"

The Sun asked, tilting his head.

"How much of it is there?"

Finding a reliable foundation for his Teleportation Arrays was undeniably fantastic news, but the Magician refused to let the sudden euphoria cloud his judgment.

He forcibly restrained the urge to leap up and pace around in excitement, instead asking Lan Qingyou with utmost caution.

"I have no idea. But I stripped the armor from roughly fifty-three ships."

Lan Qingyou pondered for a moment before replying to the Magician.

"It is not an endless supply, but it should be more than enough for our current needs."

The Magician quickly ran the numbers in his head. While the haul sounded massive, it would barely make a dent if he intended to establish a comprehensive network of Teleportation Arrays across the entirety of the Kalim Continent.

However, just as the Witch pointed out, this haul would at least provide him with enough material to produce an initial batch of Teleportation Arrays for the Supreme Council.

"True. Plus, I need to set aside a portion of the plating to create my own Alchemy Arrays," Lan Qingyou agreed.

She nodded in firm agreement.

The supply might have been limited, but as long as the Teleportation Arrays were established at key logistical nodes, they would still send shockwaves across the entire Kalim Continent.

After all, the Teleportation Arrays represented the pinnacle of transportation infrastructure.

Regions with convenient travel options naturally drew in massive populations, which in turn spawned thriving new cities.

Where cities flourished, order followed. And with order came stability. After all, the overly ambitious troublemakers were always a vast minority when compared to the general populace looking for a peaceful place to settle down.

And stability was precisely what the Supreme Council desired more than anything else.

Of course, as an Alchemist, the grand political schemes of the Supreme Council were none of her concern.

Her only priority was securing the materials she needed for herself; whatever was left over could be tossed their way.

Naturally, this did not mean Lan Qingyou intended to hog the entire stash for herself.

She adhered to the same distribution method they had established earlier.

Lan Qingyou divided the steel plates into six equal shares, ensuring that everyone received a portion along with the Pope and the Magician.

No one voiced any objections to this arrangement.

Not even the Magician complained, despite being the only one to receive nothing during the latter half of the magic item split.

After all, his priorities had shifted entirely.

Ultimately, all of these composite steel plates would be purchased by Chu Yuan anyway, meaning they would eventually find their way back into his hands.

The raw materials themselves were not the true prize. The real victory was actually building the network, allowing him to sit back and passively rake in vast profits from the Teleportation Arrays. That was where the real money lay.