Chapter 2269: The Cat's Clue

Only now did Prince Aben realize how absurd his previous remark about "filling this hall" had been; even the price of one hundred thousand Arcane Crystals was hard for him to accept. If he were to "fill this hall," he would likely have to sell Yimaska to afford it!

"Mage Asuosi, buying such a large quantity at once, even at retail prices, is already outrageous, let alone adding a markup. This isn't quite right, is it?"

Xia Duo could understand Prince Aben using the rules of trade for ordinary goods to haggle, but he did not accept it. "Your Highness, you have already learned that Arcane Crystals can only be crafted by hand by an Arcanist."

"And I must remind you of one point—what an Arcanist consumes when casting spells is precisely this kind of Arcane Crystal. In other words, every Arcanist will stockpile Arcane Crystals as much as possible to prepare for various emergencies. How could such a strategic resource be sold at a discount like ordinary merchandise!"

These words immediately choked Prince Aben, leaving him speechless. It was a seller's market now; no matter how high Xia Duo's asking price was, as long as Prince Aben truly had a need for them, he would have to grit his teeth and suffer the loss.

Subsequently, seeing Prince Aben remain silent, Xia Duo twisted the knife further. "I had originally thought that since Prince Aben proposed filling this hall with Arcane Crystals, you must have made very ample preparations. I didn't expect that just one hundred thousand Arcane Crystals would—"

"……"

After hearing this, Prince Aben's expression shifted for a moment. In the end, he did not say anything about haggling, but instead changed the subject. "I heard Jiamu mention before that Mage Asuosi is looking for a certain material?"

"I cannot hide it from Your Highness. I am indeed looking for a new material, but unfortunately, I have not been able to find it here."

"Currently, the list of materials Yimaska offers for external trade is very limited. Regarding this, I have already petitioned the great Master of Craftsmen. His Majesty has agreed to open the material list of the Secret Artifact Research Institute to you. I believe you will certainly be able to find something of value."

"Let us hope so!" Xia Duo did not feel particularly delighted by this.

Merely opening the list was nothing; the key was, if he really found the material he wanted, would Yimaska be willing to sell it to him?

And what about the manufacturing method he cared about most?

These were all traps, but fortunately, the other party still needed Arcane Crystals; otherwise, he might not even be able to see the so-called "Secret Artifact Research Institute material list."

Although Xia Duo did not show much interest, Prince Aben still enthusiastically introduced the material advantages of Yimaska: "Creation Magic has a very unique advantage in the discovery and creation of new materials. If you cannot find your material in the Secret Artifact Research Institute's list, believe me, you certainly won't find it anywhere else."

"Is that so?"

With the other party making such a confident guarantee, Xia Duo could not help but have a sliver of curiosity stirred up. "If I can really find the material I want, we will certainly have more cooperation in the future."

"By the way, I still don't know what kind of material Mage Asuosi is looking for. If possible, you might as well tell me about it; perhaps I happen to know it!"

"Uh, that would be fine!"

The Netheril Magic System does not have high requirements for materials, or rather, it does not have high requirements for the variety of materials; the core requirement is just one: Energy-Conducting Material.

Therefore, whether the other party was being overly enthusiastic or acting out of confidentiality concerns, Xia Duo actually did not care much. He then stated his requirements:

"I am looking for a cheap Energy-Conducting Material that can match Mithril. If Prince Aben can provide relevant clues, that would be great!"

"A cheap Energy-Conducting Material that can match Mithril?"

Hearing such a request, Prince Aben subconsciously wanted to shake his head. There are indeed many Energy-Conducting Materials that can match Mithril, but if they also have to be cheap, that is hard to say.

"Which purity of Mithril does Mage Asuosi mean by 'match Mithril'? If it is only the energy-conducting effect of crude Mithril, then Nuofu Iron is actually a very ideal cheap material."

"Nuofu Iron is on the trade list your country has opened to the outside, and I have already tested the samples I bought previously. In terms of energy-conducting effect, Nuofu Iron does not meet my requirements."

【Truth be told, I have been using a source-switching app to read and follow updates recently. It has many voices for reading aloud, and it works on both Android and Apple.】

"Need an energy-conducting effect stronger than Nuofu Iron?" Prince Aben frowned and fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Xia Duo could not help but sigh inwardly. It seemed that even in Yimaska, it was not so easy to obtain a cheap substitute for Mithril.

……

After a moment of silence, both the host and the guest consciously avoided the topic of trade for the time being. Prince Aben took the initiative to ask Xia Duo about the customs of Xilu, while also introducing some basic information about Yimaska.

Xia Duo responded with the past situation of Netheril, while saying nothing about the changes in the Northland Alliance and Daxia Territory. Through this meeting, he gained another layer of understanding of Yimaska.

As the meeting was about to end, Xia Duo also made a personal request. He casually projected the image of a cat and asked Prince Aben:

"I wonder if Your Highness has seen this animal?"

"What kind of animal is this? Does it exist in Yimaska?"

Prince Aben's reaction greatly surprised Xia Duo. Back in Cormanthor, Kelanni had clearly said that the cat was brought back from Yimaska by her friend and given to her. How could Prince Aben have no reaction to this?

"I saw this animal at a friend's place. She said it was brought to her from Yimaska by another friend. A large part of the reason for my trip to Yimaska this time was to look for this animal."

Xia Duo had originally thought that he would easily find many cats as soon as he arrived in Yimaska, but the actual situation was that he had not seen a single cat in all the days he had been here.

Although this was partly due to his limited itinerary, if cats existed here as pets or to catch mice, there should at least be some traces of them.

Regarding this, Prince Aben emphasized his view again, "This is indeed a rather lovable animal, but I truly have not seen one. I believe your friend would not lie. I will send someone to investigate this specifically, and I will notify you as soon as there is a result."

"Then I will trouble Your Highness."

"It is only right. As a distinguished guest of Yimaska, Mage Asuosi's request should be met."

Subsequently, Prince Aben took the initiative to mention, "I heard Jiamu say before that you wanted to purchase a large number of slaves. I have already ordered people to gather all the slaves near Yinnupulasi, waiting for your selection at any time. If that is not enough, we can requisition more from the surrounding areas."

"……"

Xia Duo did not expect that he had only mentioned it casually at the time, yet the other party took it so seriously. It seemed that the other party was indeed in urgent need of a large number of Arcane Crystals; he wondered what kind of new material they were trying to develop.

As for these gathered slaves, they were likely mostly Mulan, but Xia Duo had already decided not to purchase them in large quantities until he confirmed that the Mulan could adapt to the Netheril Magic System. This situation made him somewhat troubled.

"Regarding the slaves, I need to consider it further."

"No matter, Mage Asuosi can take your time to consider. Whenever you have a need, you can tell me at any time."

In fact, for Yimaska, having too many slaves was also a burden, especially under the influence of years of war and abnormal climate. If they could throw out the surplus slaves in exchange for money, that would definitely be a good thing.