Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 445: Chapter 445. Zillium Supply

Xei Nuli and Xei Gongzo turned to Amon. Xei Gongzo wore a complex expression on his face. He never believed Amon. Like Xei Wujia, he thought Amon was taking advantage of his wife’s desperate need to prolong Xei Qing’s life. He never thought Amon would deliver on his promise.

Xei Nuli’s emotion was not that much different from her husband’s. She desperately hoped that Amon could fulfill the deal. Yet, deep inside, she knew she was grasping at straws. She was hopeful and yet ready to be disappointed. Now that her seemingly impossible wish was granted, she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

She turned to look at Xei Qing, still running and jumping like a little kid. Seeing that was like seeing her son when he was young. There was untold joy within her.

She turned to Amon and said, ”All right, I will spare our undocumented Zillium stock with you, but you still have to pay the regular price for them.”

”No, you will sell them to me at half price,” Amon stated. ”And I want to buy them annually, one ton worth of Zillium every year.”

Xei Nuli and Xei Gongzo were speechless by Amon’s words. Not only did Amon demand a discount, but he also asked for an exorbitant number. One ton of Zillium could be used to create the power sources of ten thousand battle puppets. That was, of course, considering the puppet maker didn’t make mistakes and waste the materials during the process.

Amon asked for that quantity so that within three years, he would have enough Zillium to produce power sources for all the battle puppet army stored inside his black space ring.

”Mister Amon,” Xei Nuli said. ”Please don’t mistake me for being ungrateful for what you have done for my son. However, if you ask us to give you our Zillium at half price, that is too much. For starters, this undocumented stock is our reserve in case we need an emergency fund. Even its existence will pose a problem if the other three countries we do business with learn about it. To sell this stock to you at half price is...”

She stopped speaking because Amon showed her something in his hand, a fruit exactly like the one her son had eaten not long ago.

While Xei Nuli turned silent, Amon spoke, ”This longevity Fruit gives a non-cultivator a ten-year life extension. However, if the same non-cultivator eats another fruit, he will receive a reduced effect of one year. So, if your son eats another one, he will receive an additional nine years to the ten years he has just received. If he eats a third fruit, he receives an additional eight years, and so on.”

”... How many Longevity Fruits do you still have?” Xei Nuli asked.

”Your son can consume a maximum of nine more of this fruit, giving him a total of fifty-five additional years,” Amon replied. ”I have another nine fruits with me.”

Xei Nuli went into silence again. To see her son live a healthy life of another ten years was already a miracle. Now, there was a chance for this miracle to be extended to fifty-five years. How was she not moved?

Ten years was a short period for a Lord Stage cultivator like hers, who had an average life span of eight hundred years. Even fifty-five years was nothing. But for Xei Qing, fifty-five years was more than half his total age. This meant she could spend time with her son for another half of his original lifespan.

”Give me those nine fruits, and we have a deal,” Xei Nuli uttered.

Xei Gongzo put his hand on his wife’s arm and said, ”You are being hasty.” He turned to Amon and said, ”Even if we agree to give you half price for our stock, the quantity you requested is absurd. We might have one ton of Zillium in our current undocumented stock, but that is due to us setting them aside little by little throughout the years. If you want us to give you one ton every year, that is simply not workable. The three countries we do business in have overseers in our mines. If we set aside too large a quantity, they will know. We can’t sneak out one ton of Zillium in one year.”

”How many do you have now, and how many can you spare for me every year?” Amon asked.

Xei Nuli and Xei Gongzo looked at one another before Xei Nuli answered, ”We can give you one-and-a-half tons now, but only three hundred kilos every year after that.”

Amon nodded. ”If that’s the best you can afford, I accept. In exchange, I also want at least a hundred grams of mid-tier Zillium in each of our transactions. I’m willing to pay the standard price for them.”

”Are you insane?!” Xei Gongzo exclaimed. ”Mid-tier Zillium is extremely precious. Any mined raw Zillium with such quality will be immediately tagged by the overseers. There is no way we can smuggle it away.”

”Hm, very well then,” Amon uttered. He was just trying his luck. He tossed the second fruit. Xei Gongzo let his wife catch the fruit this time.

”For the other eight fruits, I will give you one during each of our annual transactions,” Amon said.

Xei Nuli didn’t blame Amon for holding those eight fruits. In this way, Amon ensured that they continued to deal with him, at least for another eight times in the future.

”Can I see my one-and-a-half-ton Zillium now?” Amon asked.

”Do you bring the aer stones to pay for them?” Xei Gongzo asked in return.

”The market price for one kilo of Zillium is thirty thousand aer stones. So, for half price that will be fifteen thousand. The price I need to pay for your one-and-a-half tons is twenty-two million and five hundred thousand aer stones. Do we agree on that?”

”Yes,” Xei Nuli confirmed.

”I have the aer stones,” Amon said.

”You do?” Xei Gongzo said skeptically. That number of aer stones required several space rings. He didn’t believe Amon brought that many aer stones with his person.

”I will place the aer stones inside an abandoned smelter outside your empty Southeastern mines. You can bring the Zillium there. We will make the exchange there.”

”How do you know we have empty mines and abandoned smelter?” Xei Gongzo asked.

Amon grinned. ”I will wait there. Please bring the Zillium within an hour.” He left after saying that.

Xei Nuli and Xei Gongzo watched Amon until he was out of sight. Xei Gongzo asked his wife, ”What do you think of him?”

”He is capable but dangerous. Under normal circumstances, I won’t make a deal with him,” Xei Nuli answered. She glanced at Xei Qing, who was still enjoying himself. Her son was currently swimming in a pool by the side of this courtyard. ”Yet, we need him for now. We will deal with him, at least until we get the Longevity Fruits for Qing er.”

Xei Gongzo nodded. He had a bad feeling about Amon but respected his wife’s decision.

*

An hour later, Xei Gongzo came with his people. They carried many wooden crates. When they entered the abandoned smelter, Amon was waiting inside. Beside him were rows of wheelbarrows. These wheelbarrows were used to carry raw Zillium ores from the mines. They were currently filled to the brim with aer stones. Xei Gongzo and his people were amazed to see the sight.

”You truly brought them...,” Xei Gongzo said. He expanded his Spirit Sense to encompass most of the smelter. He surmised Amon must have people who brought the aer stones here. However, he failed to sense anyone other than those present here.

”I assume those crates are filled with Zillium,” Amon said.

”They are,” Xei Gongzo answered. ”Do you want to check them?”

”I believe you,” Amon replied.

”Where do you want us to put them?” Xei Gongzo asked.

”Put them inside that room over there,” Amon pointed at a door.

Xei Gongzo looked at the door. Behind that door used to be an equipment storage room with an access door to the outside. He nodded at his people, who then carried the wooden crates into that room.

After the last person left the wooden crate inside the room, Amon told Xei Gongzo, ”It’s a pleasure doing business with you. I will come again next year.”

Amon walked into the room and closed the door. Xei Gongzo continued to use his Spirit Sense to detect the movements inside the room. One-and-a-half tons of Zillium required more than five space rings to hold, which was the limit for a Mystic Stage cultivator like Amon. Hence, he expected some people to come from the access door to help Amon move the crates. Yet, all he sensed was Amon.

After a short time, he sensed Amon exit from the access door. Frowning, he went to the door and entered the storage room. The wooden crates were gone.

”Master, should we bring these aer stones back?” One of his people asked Xei Gongzo.

”Yes, let’s return,” Xei Gongzo answered. He glanced another time at the open access door. The bad feeling he had for Amon grew. He never liked dealing with people he had no idea about, and this Amon no doubt possessed many unknown factors.

’Just until we get enough of those fruits...,’ Xei Gongzo thought to himself.