Chapter 2270: Principles of Creation

————It will be late~~

————

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, purchasing such a large quantity at once, even at retail prices, is already exorbitant, let alone adding a premium. This doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"

Xia Duo could understand Prince Aben using the rules of trading common goods to bargain, but he did not accept it. "Your Highness, as you have learned, Arcane Crystals can only be crafted by hand by an Arcanist."

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

These words immediately choked Prince Aben into silence. 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 thought that since Prince Aben proposed filling this hall with Arcane Crystals, he must have made very ample preparations. I didn't expect that just one hundred thousand Arcane Crystals would—"

"……"

Prince Aben's expression shifted after hearing this, and in the end, he did not say anything about bargaining, 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."

"The list of materials Yimaska currently trades externally is very limited. Regarding this, I have already petitioned the great Master of Craftsmen, and His Majesty has agreed to open the material list of the Research Institute of Secret Artifacts to you. I believe you will surely be able to find something."

"Let us hope so!" Xia Duo did not feel particularly joyful about 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 "material list of the Research Institute of Secret Artifacts."

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

【To be honest, I've been using a source-switching app to keep up with books lately. It has many reading voices, and it works on both Android and Apple.】

"Is that so?"

With the other party making such a confident guarantee, Xia Duo could not help but have a trace of curiosity stirred up. "If I can really find the kind of 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; 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 only for Energy-Conducting Material.

Therefore, whether it was due to the other party's excessive enthusiasm or considerations of confidentiality, Xia Duo actually did not care much, and he subsequently stated his requirements:

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

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

Hearing such a request, Prince Aben subconsciously wanted to shake his head. There were indeed many Energy-Conducting Materials that could rival Mithril, but if they also had to be cheap, that was hard to say.

"When Mage Asuosi refers to 'rivaling Mithril,' which purity of Mithril do you mean? 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 world, and I have already tested the samples I purchased previously. In terms of energy-conducting effect, Nuofu Iron does not meet my requirements."

"You 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 host and 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 ever seen this animal?"

"What kind of animal is this? Is it something found in Yimaska?"

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

"I saw this animal at a friend's place, and she said it was brought to her by another friend from Yimaska. 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 for catching 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 have truly never seen one. I believe your friend would not lie; I will send people to investigate this matter 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 what he had mentioned casually at the time would be taken so seriously by the other party. It seemed 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.

It was just that these gathered Slaves were likely mostly Mulan again, but Xia Duo had already decided not to purchase large quantities until he confirmed that Mulan could adapt to the Netheril Magic System. This situation made him feel a bit troubled.

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