"No, did you see that guy, he doesn't know how to use an ice prison at all. If it were Mu Bai in his place, it would have been much harder for the wolf," Mo Fan said cheerfully, approaching us.
"Well, and your wolf is quite strong," I remarked, shrugging. "Especially the shockwave, in my opinion, it was stronger than usual."
"As if you know what strength a normal one should have," Mo Fan chuckled, then looked at me, thought for a minute, and added, "Although you might know, you eternal bookworm."
"As I am," I smiled awkwardly, shrugging again.
"Yes, you're right, the wolf's shockwave was enhanced by some kind of grass," Mo Fan said calmly, heading for the exit.
"Se Lei recommended it to Mo Fan, said the wolf would become much stronger," added Xu Zhao Ting, walking slightly ahead of me.
"I see. Guys, I was planning to go shopping, buy a gift for my sister, I hope you don't mind if I go alone?"
"And why do you think we'll bother you?" Mo Fan asked doubtfully, turning to me.
"No, it's just that I want to surprise her, and I can't trust you guys, you'll tell her everything," I replied slightly offended and maliciously.
"Well, why do you think that?" Xu Zhao Ting replied hesitantly.
"Alright, as you wish, after all, she's your sister, and you know her best. So we're not your helpers, and we might even get in your way, so go ahead," Mo Fan said, waving his hand, uttering a surprisingly sound thought.
"Thanks, then I'm off!" I said, running ahead. I needed to leave Minzhu's territory before Lo Sun sent for me, and I was one hundred percent sure that would happen after I saw his face. Naturally, I didn't want Mo Fan and Xu Zhao Ting to know about my connection with him; it could be very troublesome. At the very gates, a black limousine caught up with me, stopping next to me.
"Your name is Jiaxing Yun, right?" Lo Sun asked, highly irritated, through the open window. "You saw everything yourself. I'm not going to tolerate such humiliation, and despite him being your brother, I'm going to order a set of artifacts from you. I think the money won't be superfluous for you, will it?"
"Of course, I need money, but I want to warn you right away that my artifacts will not guarantee your victory," I said, smiling. "Everything will depend entirely on you."
"I know, but artifacts are a significant force for a mage, especially ones that you can create, so if you're interested in my offer, get in quickly. I don't intend to wait long!" he said, being extremely irritated.
"Of course, of course," I said in an indifferent tone, opening the limousine door. It was quite spacious inside, with seats arranged around a small table. It was simply amazing that Lo Sun was allowed to have such a thing. "So, let's get straight to business, if you don't mind," I said, sitting opposite him.
"I want to order armor, a shield, and one offensive artifact," Lo Sun said confidently, I would even say demandingly, in response to my statement.
"A peculiar set, don't you want anything else? A teleportation artifact or something?" I asked, smiling.
"No, just this," he said, a little more irritably.
"Okay, okay," I waved my hands, calming him down. "Then the next question is, will you provide the materials, or can I find and gather them myself?"
"What? You can get the necessary materials for the artifacts yourself?" Lo Sun asked, surprised, almost without irritation in his voice.
"Yes, although many artifact crafters don't search for materials themselves, but prefer to have them brought to them. But I can't trust anyone else with this, not even hired hunters," I said. "So, what do you say? If I gather them myself, it will be more expensive, but everything will be done in the best way."
"Alright, you can get them yourself, it doesn't matter to me, I won't have to ask the elders in the clan unnecessarily," he said, waving his hand.
"Excellent, then can you tell me what functionality your artifacts should have?" I continued to ask, making my voice as pleasant as possible, carefully influencing Lo Sun.
"If possible, the armor and shield should have the same properties as yours, be enhanced by magic. They should easily withstand the attacks of commanders, otherwise, they will be meaningless. As for the offensive artifact, I think a sword would suit me," he said quickly, without much thought.
"Oh..." I sighed, making a very complicated expression. "This will be quite difficult, especially to achieve such durability, but I think I can make it so that the shield and armor can withstand a couple of commander attacks. As for the offensive artifact, a high servant might be the limit, otherwise, I think you won't recoup the cost of everything together."
"Don't worry, money is not a problem for me, the main thing is that they are of the same quality as the ones you showed me and have the necessary characteristics," he said, waving his hand.
"I see, then let's finish the discussion and I'll name my price?" I suggested, seeing that it wouldn't be easy to weaken him; it was clear he was greatly angered by his defeat and was willing to spend any money just to get revenge. Well, that works in my favor.
"Yes, let's hurry. Where do you need to go, by the way? I'll give you a ride?" he asked, looking out the window. We had driven out of Minzhu's territory and stopped nearby.
"Okay, thank you," I replied politely, then named the address. "What elements do you want? I suggest combining ice and earth for the armor and shield, and using only earth for the sword, as they might conflict in the offensive artifact."
"Is it possible to use two elements in one artifact?" Lo Sun asked, slightly incredulously.
"Yes, although it's difficult and will cost more, the effectiveness will be greater. That's why I recommend this to you," I said in a completely innocent voice.
"Alright. I won't argue, but if you can't do it, be prepared for the consequences!" Lo Sun said menacingly. "How much will all this cost?"
"A shield capable of withstanding commander attacks, enhanced by the mage's own power, I think at least eighty million. Armor with the same characteristics, one hundred and twenty. And an offensive artifact capable of wounding a high leader, about fifty million," I said, pretending to think very hard, solving a very difficult dilemma.
"What!" Lo Sun choked on air, his eyes bulging. "So much? Two hundred and fifty million yuan in total?" he shouted at me in shock.
"You see, I'm already giving you a big discount because I respect the Lo family. But if I charge less, my master will simply kill me," I said, shrugging helplessly, although in truth, the master wouldn't know about this deal. Or maybe he would; I'd have to forge it somewhere, after all.
"Who is your master? I'm sure my Lo family can negotiate a lower price for themselves," Lo Sun declared confidently, banging on the table and leaning towards me, trying to intimidate me with his considerable weight.
"I don't think your persuasion will move him much. People come from all over China to buy high-quality artifacts from him. Many blacksmiths also aspire to become his student, but only a couple out of a hundred manage to do so," I said, lowering my head and shaking it.
"Are you so sure? Who is your master, to possess such power?" asked Lo Sun, with doubt in his voice and deep in thought.
"His name is Master Tan Tao, I believe you should know him, young Master Lo? He is one of the few masters in the world who had the opportunity to work with the material left after the emperor's death!" I said, and Lo Sun flinched at the mere mention of the word emperor. It would be foolish to think that the offspring of a rich family wouldn't know about them.
"Tan Tao?" he repeated in a trembling voice. "My father tried to order artifacts from him for himself, he even went to him specially, but was refused. And you are his disciple?" Lo Sun said, staring at me with wide eyes.
"Yes, I recently became his personal disciple," I said, emphasizing the word "personal."
"Ha-ha-ha..." Lo Sun laughed, thinking about something. "Alright, artifacts from Tan Tao's disciple are indeed worth that much, it's even cheap," he said, with much more humility, as expected.
"Then shall we sign the contract?" I asked, taking a blank form from my spatial bracelet and quickly filling it out. "Here, read and sign."
"Alright," Lo Sun said, taking the form from my hands and quickly glancing over it, then signing it and returning it to me, he asked, "Does your brother know about this?"
"No, I'm planning to surprise him, I hope neither you nor the Lo family will spoil such a plan," I said, taking my part of the contract with an innocent smile. "Then, to our pleasant cooperation?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.
"When will the artifacts be ready?" asked Lo Sun.
"I think in a month or two, everything will be ready," I said, then after a moment's thought, I added, "The scope of work is too great. First, we need to select the right material, then hire a group of hunters and go with them to obtain it. After that, a rather long manufacturing process. And I think your family should confirm our agreement. I will wait until tomorrow, if the family does not object, then I hope to receive the advance payment specified in the contract. Immediately after that, I will start the manufacturing."
"Advance payment?" Lo Sun was surprised, looking at the contract. "One hundred million!" he almost shouted again, his eyes wide. "That's a lot!"
"Well, as my master's disciple, I need to be sure of your intentions. Otherwise, my master will forbid me to take your order," I said, spreading my hands helplessly again.
"Alright, I hope your artifacts will justify their cost," he said, then fell silent for the rest of the trip.
When we arrived at the hotel where I was staying, Lo Sun and I exchanged contacts, after which he left in a very gloomy mood. I must say, I slightly exceeded the cost of these artifacts, but he really asked for quite a lot.
"Aren't you afraid that with such power, he'll easily beat Mo Fan, thus changing the canon too much?" asked Asura as I walked through the doors.
"No, Mo Fan is much stronger than he was in the original, and by the time he has such an opportunity, he will be even stronger," I said, shrugging indifferently. "Besides, the profit we will get from this deal is astronomical. Two hundred and fifty million yuan is a huge sum, and it will all go to us. Deals that disciples conclude and execute themselves, all the proceeds belong to them entirely."
"Ha-ha-ha! And what do you need so much money for?" Asura laughed. "You don't have much to spend your seventy on, do you?"
"There's always something to spend money on. I think if I want to improve my seeds to the soul level, I will need very large and expensive resources. Plus, Jiaxing Er will need expensive herbs, as will Zhou Ming. If I want to use them, I need to grow them to the required level first," I said dryly, climbing the stairs to my room.
"I see, you are still kind, only they might not be useful to us," said Asura, lost in thought.
"You're right, but something tells me that Jiaxing Er will be a very significant figure in our plans," I said. "Tomorrow, if all goes well, we'll pick up Zhou Ming and go for materials to Mount Tian Shan. There are beasts with both ice and earth attributes."
"Isn't it too dangerous to go there now? You remember what dangers await us there, don't you?" Asura asked reasonably.
"Of course, but to find the beasts we need, we don't have to climb to the celestial edge," I replied calmly.