The Elven Cultivator

”I’ve never seen refined steel of this quality before...”

”Anton Clan Leader.” Thorvin finally snapped out of it, his face filled with disbelief as he looked at Anton. ”These metals... were they all refined by your clan?”

”That’s right.” Anton smiled and nodded.

Thorvin, Hagrid, and Knut exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the others’ eyes.

Gray Rock Castle had always prided itself on its superb refining techniques.

But if they were being honest with themselves, Gray Rock Castle couldn’t refine a single one of the metals in these chests.

Or rather, even if they somehow managed to, the cost would be astronomical, making mass production impossible.

Anton then waved his hand, and Elves immediately began distributing sheets of sheepskin paper to everyone present.

”This is the first product list from the Silver Moon Clan. It contains information and prices for these metals. Everyone, please take a look.”

Everyone hastily picked up a list and began to browse.

The list detailed the name, specifications, quality parameters, and unit price for each type of metal.

Every piece of data was written with perfect clarity, leaving no room for ambiguity.

After reading the contents, everyone fell silent.

The overall quality of the metals on the list was more than twice as good as comparable metals on the market.

Yet the price was only forty to fifty percent higher.

What this meant was self-evident.

One could only imagine the immense impact these metals would have once they entered the market.

After a long while, a council member from Bishui Port was the first to speak, breaking the silence.

”Anton Clan Leader, how much of these metals can the Silver Moon Clan provide? Can we place an order right now?”

As soon as he said this, the others reacted as well, all clamoring to speak.

”Anton Clan Leader, we at Morning Star Town are very interested in these metals, especially the Mithril and Amber Gold.”

”We at Changhu Town are as well. We’ll take as much Wave Steel and Flame-Patterned Red Copper as you have.”

”And us! We are willing to sign a long-term procurement agreement with the Silver Moon Clan.”

Everyone present knew full well that with this quality and price, there would be no trouble selling these metals.

The moment they hit the market, they would sell out instantly.

By then, they might not even be able to get their hands on any.

It was better to seize this opportunity to purchase a batch now and stockpile it. Even if they couldn’t use it all themselves, reselling it would bring a considerable profit.

Watching this scene, Thorvin, Hagrid, and Knut felt a complex mix of emotions.

Once the Silver Moon Clan’s metals were released, Gray Rock Castle’s sales would inevitably be hit hard.

After all, at a similar price point, who wouldn’t want to buy something of better quality?

But the problem was, they had no way to stop the Silver Moon Clan.

What’s more...

Thorvin’s gaze lingered on the list for a moment, and he sighed inwardly.

’To be honest, even I am incredibly tempted by these metals.’

’If we use such high-quality metals to forge equipment, the quality of the finished products will certainly reach a new level.’

’Perhaps we can raise the price of our new equipment and use that profit to offset the loss in metal sales.’

At this thought, Thorvin’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

”Everyone, there’s no need to rush.”

Anton raised his hand to quiet the crowd.

”Our clan is offering more than just these products. Please, continue reading.”

The crowd paused, stunned for a moment, before realizing they should turn the page.

The next few sheets of sheepskin paper listed a dazzling array of other products.

Potions, Scrolls, wines, Spiritual Ink, equipment...

Each item was marked with a detailed description of its effects and price.

Everyone stared, transfixed, letting out suppressed gasps of amazement from time to time.

The variety and quality of these goods far exceeded their expectations.

After all, Anton had carefully selected every one of them.

Take the potions, for example. They were all adapted from Low-Tier Pills from the Taoist Jade Scroll, and their effects were far superior to similar potions on the market.

There were also many potions that were not available on the market.

Of course, core potions like the Dragon Essence Potion and the Origin Returning Potion were not included.

These potions were fundamental to the clan and would absolutely not be sold to outsiders.

Then there was the Flesh-Regenerating Potion. Since its main ingredient was Life Spring Water, production was limited. The clan didn’t even have enough for itself, so it was naturally impossible to sell.

As for the Scrolls, they were actually Talismans.

However, unlike the clan’s existing Talismans, these were made by grinding Spirit Stones into powder, mixing it with a special Spiritual Ink, and then using this mixture to draw the Talisman.

The moment the Talisman was complete, the energy within the Spirit Stone powder would be ”locked” into the Rune’s structure.

The user only needed to touch the Rune with their Spiritual Power to trigger the release of energy. There was no need to inject their own energy or use a Sensing Spirit Stone.

This was another method Anton had once envisioned when he was developing the Sensing Spirit Stone as a way for his clan members to use Talismans.

However, he had abandoned the idea because the process drastically increased the consumption of Spirit Stones. The final cost of such a Talisman was more than ten times that of a normal one, almost as expensive as a Magic Scroll.

Recently, however, he had improved the method and reduced the cost. Although it was still more expensive than using a Sensing Spirit Stone, it was now much cheaper than the Magic Scrolls available on the market, creating a large profit margin for sales.

Of course, the ones for sale were all Low-Tier auxiliary Talismans like Storage Talismans, Purification Talismans, Peaceful Spirit Talismans, Water Avoidance Talismans, and Fire Avoidance Talismans.

The Talismans that could be widely used on the battlefield to significantly strengthen an army—such as the Vajra Talisman, Light Body Talisman, and Golden Blade Talisman—would be kept for the clan’s own use and would not be sold.

The wines were brewed using various Spirit Wine recipes found in the Taoist Jade Scroll, such as the ”Hundred Flowers Brew” and ”Cyan Bamboo Wine.”

Not only did these wines have an excellent taste, but long-term consumption could also strengthen the body and nourish one’s Magic Power.

The Spiritual Ink was made from a specific ratio of Spirit Stone powder, Magic Beast blood, and various herbs, and was used for drawing Scrolls and Arrays.

Its energy conductivity and stability far surpassed any magic ink on the market.

Scrolls drawn with this Spiritual Ink had a higher success rate and better finished quality.

As for the equipment, it was all weakened versions of Rune Equipment, equivalent to Sub-magical Items.

The clan would never sell its true Rune Equipment.

Anton stood at the head of the long table, his calm gaze sweeping over the excited faces in the hall.

He had deliberated for a long time before launching this batch of products.

Although the Silver Moon Clan had now replaced Kresol Dragon City as the most powerful force on the Eldron Plain, Anton had no intention of following Dragon City’s old path. Forcing Vassal Races to offer tribute seemed like a quick way to make money, but it was fraught with immense hidden dangers.

The essence of tribute was one-way plunder. The plundered would only harbor resentment and would revolt at the first opportunity.

Dragon City’s thousands of years of rule had already proven this point.

Under its heavy-handed rule, the flames of rebellion had never truly been extinguished, merely waiting for an opportunity to erupt.

More importantly, even if he suppressed all the powers on the plain, the amount of tribute that could be collected each year was limited.

As the clan’s development speed gradually increased, that small amount of resources would become increasingly insignificant.

Rather than exhausting his efforts to squeeze those powers, it would be better to develop the Dark Nether Realm, which was a true treasure trove of resources.

That was why Anton had never intended to go down this path from the very beginning.

What he wanted to do was trade.

He would sell the products made by the Silver Moon Clan throughout the entire plain, and even to more distant places.

He would trade goods for resources, use those resources to further the clan’s development, and then use even higher-quality goods to trade for more resources, creating a virtuous cycle.

And in this cycle, the Silver Moon Clan would control all the core components.

Refining metal required Spirit Fire Talismans and Sensing Spirit Stones. Even if outsiders got their hands on the metal ingots, they couldn’t replicate the process.

The recipes for the potions, Spiritual Ink, and Spirit Wine were also in the clan’s hands, and many of the ingredients could only be found by the clan.

As for Rune Equipment, that went without saying.

Outsiders couldn’t even comprehend the Runes, let alone imitate them.

All of these products possessed a uniqueness that could not be replicated.

It was impossible for outsiders to copy them.

This was what Anton wanted.

There would be no need for weapons or oppression, no need for any power to bow down and submit to the Silver Moon Clan.

With enough goods and open trade routes, resources would flow to the Silver Moon Forest as naturally as water.

And as time went on, the powers present here today would find that they had, without realizing it, become unable to do without the Silver Moon Clan’s products.

At that point, the Silver Moon Clan, in command of both formidable military power and the economic lifeblood of the region, could truly be called the master of the Eldron Plain.