Chapter 2626: Unified Route, Elemental Essence Settlement

Aside from Netheril, there is likely no country in the Northland Alliance that wishes to see Calimshan rise again; on one hand, it is a country outside the Northland, and on the other, it is even more sensitive: Calimshan is also a human nation.

Even a Dwarf nation that upholds neutrality like Danzo may not necessarily be able to remain neutral on the issue of Calimshan.

One must know that in the past, Calimshan fought tooth and nail with Danzo's ancestral home, Sannata. With a strange human nation on one side and the ancestral homeland of their own people on the other, it hardly needs saying which side they would lean toward.

As for Xia Duo, he holds no prejudice against Calimshan itself and is even more willing to see a rising human nation, as this is not only beneficial for exchange but can also be cultivated as a source of support.

Furthermore, there is the consideration of "uniting all forces that can be united within the Main Plane." As one looks toward moving beyond the Plane in the future, how to achieve unity within the Main Plane must be considered in advance.

Regarding the path to unity, Xia Duo does not wish for it to be through military conquest; he prefers to first lead Netheril with the Nan Jing, then lead the Northland Alliance with Netheril, then lead the Xilu with the Northland Alliance, and finally lead the entire realm with the Xilu.

Of course, this applies to those who can be communicated with and united; if they truly cannot be communicated with, then naturally, one cannot allow them to remain independent.

The so-called "tide of the world is vast and mighty; those who follow it prosper, those who resist it perish"—it is nothing if not this.

……

After a brief exchange, Xia Duo and Talafu finally spoke of the Elemental Essence trade. Talafu introduced it by saying—

"This time, I have brought five hundred of each of the four Elemental Essences. Half of them are Primary, thirty percent are Intermediate, and twenty percent are Advanced, which is the grade just below Elder-level."

"For these Elemental Essences, the base price is 300 Gold Coins for a Primary piece, 600 Gold Coins for an Intermediate piece, and 1,000 Gold Coins for an Advanced piece."

"In addition, depending on the elemental attribute, Wind Elemental Essence requires a twenty percent premium, Fire Elemental Essence a five percent premium, Water Elemental Essence a five percent discount, and Earth Elemental Essence remains unchanged."

Regarding what Talafu mentioned, aside from the quantity, other details like the price and premium situations had all been mentioned in the communication a few days ago; now, it was merely being stated again.

"A total of two thousand Elemental Essences, amounting to 1.05 million Gold Coins. If you settle with Arcane Crystal or Mithril, you can get a twenty percent discount, which is 840,000."

"I choose to settle with Arcane Crystal." For Xia Duo, did this even require a choice? Currently, his operations are spread too thin; standing here, he could not immediately produce 840,000 in Mithril or over a million in Gold Coins.

But with Arcane Crystal, there were no such concerns. Never mind Arcane Crystal worth 840,000; even 8.4 million or 84 million, he could produce.

Yet, because of this, he felt a bit sorry for Talafu, somewhat similar to trading industrial glass beads for a large amount of gold on Earth.

"Based on the Arcane Crystal that Lord Xia Duo left in Calimshan previously as a standard, after internal calculations by the family, a total of 400 pieces are required."

Hearing this number, Xia Duo instantly realized the purpose of Talafu's trip. Aside from completing the trade with him, he was likely also eyeing the Mythallar.

Otherwise, there was no way to explain why the other party set the pricing of Arcane Crystal so low—400 pieces for 840,000 Gold Coins, which is roughly 2,100 Gold Coins per piece.

This might look high, but compared to the price before the Mythallar was introduced—at least 5,000 Gold Coins—it was a complete halving!

The price of Energy Gem is not fixed for different people, but it would not be directly halved, especially for a Spellcaster, who generally does not consider the extra value of the Gem and only considers it from the perspective of usage.

All in all, the price is still relatively stable.

Even after the Mythallar was introduced, the price of Arcane Crystal had never been lower than 3,000, and that was within Netheril; if it were abroad, it would be even higher.

Almost everyone who possesses a Mythallar has this tacit understanding: no matter how many Arcane Crystals there are, even if they are piled up in a warehouse, they are not sold at a reduced price. Even if one wants to lower the price, it must be negotiated with other Mythallar owners first.

This price alliance will gradually disintegrate as the Mythallar spreads, but according to Xia Duo's speculation, that situation is more likely to happen within Netheril.

As for abroad, Netherese Mages are not fools; how could they sell Arcane Crystal in large quantities at a low price!

It is conceivable that Talafu's act of directly halving the price of Arcane Crystal clearly shows that he already knows that Arcane Crystal is not hard to obtain, and can even be said to be very easy to obtain and very cheap.

The prerequisite is possessing a Mythallar.

And under the condition of knowing the truth about Arcane Crystal, to still be willing to offer such a price—if someone said they weren't eyeing the Mythallar, Xia Duo wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death.

Therefore, Xia Duo considered it for a moment and finally proposed—

"This price is unacceptable to me; I can accept at most 300 pieces. Of course, as a friend and as a return gift for the Mairide Family's gift, I am willing to gift the Mairide Family an additional 300 Standard Arcane Crystals in a private capacity."

Xia Duo said he only accepted 300 pieces, so the price of this one Arcane Crystal is close to 2,800; this is the tacit understanding Xia Duo has with other Mythallar owners, and even he would not easily break it.

Even if the target is Talafu or the Mairide Family.

But since it is for the Mairide Family, Xia Duo proposed the idea of a return gift, which makes it 600 Arcane Crystals in total.

If this is used to pay for the Elemental Essence worth 840,000 Gold Coins, then on average, one Arcane Crystal is only worth 1,400 Gold Coins.

Looking to the future, after the price of Arcane Crystal drops, the external price will not be cheaper than this; it counts as Xia Duo bringing the future price to the present to use.

This is both an explanation to the Mairide Family and a silent refusal—a refusal of the Mairide Family's pursuit of the Mythallar.

In the future, perhaps he can sell a Mythallar to the Mairide Family, but certainly not now. Even for within Netheril, he must control the total number of Mythallars by controlling the manufacturing materials.

Once this thing is obtained by a country outside of Netheril, the chain reaction it triggers is almost unimaginable.

And Talafu, as the third-generation heir of the Mairide Family, naturally understood the hidden meaning in Xia Duo's words.

Although he was rejected before he even had a chance to formally ask, he did not show any frustration, nor did he ask again tactlessly; instead, he quickly reached a deal with Xia Duo and then settled the goods.

For a mere 600 Arcane Crystals, Xia Duo did not even need to return to the warehouse to retrieve them; he carried hundreds of thousands of Standard Arcane Crystals with him for emergencies, and this was one of the scenarios where they were needed.

What he received were Elemental Essences, each sealed and packed in twelve boxes according to attribute and grade. In addition, there were the four Elder-level Elemental Essences that Talafu mentioned earlier as a gift, each packed in a small, exquisite Secret Box.

……

After the goods were settled, Xia Duo invited Talafu to visit his Territory, and Talafu readily agreed. End of chapter.