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Low-level soul tools, according to the current classification of the Sun Moon Continent and Su Wen's own understanding, were equivalent to Class 1 through Class 3 soul tools under the nine-class system of later generations.
The utility of these low-level soul tools was the most diverse and widespread, capable of functioning in almost every imaginable field. This was a direct byproduct of the Divine Church's development process, designed to garner the faith of the common people. Such a level of advancement aligned perfectly with what Su Wen had previously envisioned.
The standard of living for commoners on the Sun Moon Continent was generally higher than those on the Douluo Continent, and their entertainment facilities were far superior. This specific detail was something Su Wen cared about deeply.
"If I can harvest the faith of the commoners as well, the progress of collecting the power of faith will only accelerate," he mused.
To harvest the power of faith, one needed products capable of changing the lives of the common people. Simply transplanting the soul tools of the Sun Moon Continent back home would yield little result; it would be difficult to consolidate all that faith within his own hands.
Even in pure combat, where there might be no direct worship of a God of War, the act itself could serve as a source of faith. However, for inventions like soul tools, if they were truly disseminated as tools that transformed daily life and became objects of reliance, a significant portion of that faith would be diverted to the original creators and developers.
If he merely copied them, the faith he could obtain would be pitifully meager. Su Wen naturally refused to engage in something with such a poor cost-performance ratio. Even if he intended to draw inspiration from them, he would undoubtedly launch his own unique products.
For instance, a soul tool terminal—a product similar to the smartphones of his previous life. Obviously, such a terminal still required many technical hurdles to be overcome. However, Su Wen didn't just have this idea as a passing example; there was a genuine hope of realization. Specifically, the most critical "networking" technology had already been inadvertently conquered by him.
The Academic Realm was a network that spanned the entire Douluo Planet!
Therefore, Su Wen only needed to create a terminal capable of connecting to the Academic Realm. Yet, to complete this step and enrich the terminal's functions, the sheer variety of soul tool types he needed to research was staggering.
"Regardless, I should first understand the existing technologies of the Sun Moon Continent before doing anything else."
Su Wen took the list handed over by the receptionist and browsed through the functions and prices of the common primary soul tools. Interestingly, the hard currency on the Sun Moon Continent was not gold, silver, or copper, but rare metals. However, gold, silver, and copper could themselves be refined into rare metals, so they still held purchasing value and remained the most common currency due to their wide distribution.
Su Wen didn't have a massive amount of Gold Soul Coins, but he wasn't short either. Before setting sail from the Douluo Continent to return to Sea God Island, he had prepared himself by withdrawing a full 100,000 Gold Soul Coins.
However, when placed against the cost of soul tools, 100,000 Gold Soul Coins seemed a bit lacking. It wasn't that the sum was small—on the contrary, it was a fortune—but a single blueprint for a primary soul tool cost over a thousand coins. This meant his 100,000 coins could, at most, buy him fewer than a hundred blueprints.
Furthermore, Su Wen couldn't just buy blueprints; he also needed to purchase introductory materials for soul tool crafting and rare metals. One thousand coins was merely the price for an ordinary primary soul tool; when it came to combat-oriented tools, especially those with powerful effects, blueprints could exceed 5,000 Gold Soul Coins.
Primary soul tools were, after all, only intended for Soul Elders and those below them.
After a detailed inquiry, Su Wen didn't feel that the prices for combat blueprints were high. Instead, he felt they were somewhat low. For a Soul Elder or lower, a primary soul tool was practically equivalent to a soul ring skill; an excellent combat tool could even rival the power of a thousand-year soul ring skill.
Consequently, the price of a physical combat soul tool was at least 500 Gold Soul Coins, with most hovering between 900 and 1,000. Powerful ones could even be driven up to 2,000 or 3,000 at auctions. Compared to the price of ordinary lifestyle or auxiliary soul tools—which cost less than 100 coins with blueprints around 1,000—the combat blueprints actually offered better value.
The reason was simple: the soul arrays involved in combat soul tools carried a much higher risk during production.
"Soul Tool Dagger, Soul Tool Longsword, Soul Tool Spear..." Su Wen's gaze swept across the list of primary combat tools, noting they were all basic types.
"Sir, a primary soul tool is just that—primary. If you wish to add special effects, the soul arrays become far too complex and would exceed the scope of the primary classification," the receptionist reminded him.
Daggers, swords, and spears weren't just simple shapes; they also incorporated basic effects corresponding to the skills that might appear in a soul master's first three soul rings. Following the receptionist's tip, Su Wen noticed that the prices for these weapon-type tools weren't fixed but fell within a range.
At the bottom of the weapons section, there were many specific effects listed, such as "Sword Qi Attachment," "Sword Qi Barrier," and "Flame Attachment," each with its own price tag. This meant that if one wanted a Flame Dagger blueprint, the cost would be the base price of the dagger blueprint plus the price of the flame attachment module.
This wasn't just for blueprints; the Sun Moon Pavilion's custom soul tool services followed the same billing method.
"In the current Sun Moon Continent, the upper limit and perfection of soul tool development might not match the level ten thousand years later in the original story, but in terms of standardization, it far exceeds it!"
This was the result of development under a unified nation. It was incredibly regulated. Was this the achievement of the Sun Moon Divine Church? Or perhaps, the development of a system like soul tools was inseparable from standardization. Perhaps the study materials of the Virtue Hall ten thousand years later would also be categorized and arranged in this exact manner.
Su Wen didn't linger on the weapon-type tools for long. To put it bluntly, he didn't need them. He was far more interested in functional soul tools.
"Soul Tool Lamp, Soul Tool Soul-Storage Device... Huh!" Su Wen suddenly stopped, carefully reading the description of the Soul-Storage Device.
Isn't this just a Milk Bottle?
However, the technology seemed imperfect and could only serve as a transition. This Soul-Storage Device was designed to pair with the Soul Tool Lamp. Once soul power was injected, the leakage rate was very high, but if used in conjunction with a tool, it could power it for a long duration. For example, a lamp would only need one injection to stay lit for an hour.
"It doesn't have the effect of replenishing a soul master's power yet; the technology must be incomplete."
Wait, that wasn't right. Su Wen realized he was only looking at the list for primary soul tools. Perhaps the complexity of the core arrays for primary tools simply couldn't support such effects. A complete soul tool capable of storing power and replenishing a soul master would likely require the level of a medium-grade soul tool.
Continuing through the list, Su Wen finally selected the blueprints for the Soul Tool Lamp, the Soul-Storage Device, and several effects from the weapons section, including "Lightning Generation" and "Lightning Conduction." He also took the basic blueprints for the dagger, longsword, and spear.
By the time he was done, he had spent 30,000 Gold Soul Coins. Su Wen inwardly clicked his tongue. He had only prepared 100,000, and 30,000 had vanished just on blueprints.
However, you have to spend money to make money. Besides, he had never placed too much importance on the purchasing power of those 100,000 coins. This was merely an initial investment to familiarize himself with the craft. Once he mastered soul tools, he would no longer need to follow the rules and buy blueprints and materials step-by-step like this.
(End of Chapter)