MTLNOVEL Chapter 197: Merits
There was another reason for the shortage.
In general, large families might stockpile Qi-recovering pills, as they are always in demand. But who would stockpile detoxification pills or evil-breaking pills without a pressing need?
If not for the ongoing corpse chaos, the demand for these two types of pills would typically remain very low—far lower than that for cultivation-aiding elixirs.
Seeing the others so excited, Luis felt compelled to temper their enthusiasm. He said, "But my Hartmann family currently lacks sufficient spiritual medicine for alchemy."
Before he could finish, Yang Linyuan and Zhou Minghao exchanged knowing smiles.
"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Luis," Zhou Minghao reassured him. "We can supply as many spiritual herbs as you need. Just focus on refining the pills!"
"Exactly!" Yang Linyuan added, nodding in agreement.
Both Lingzhou City and Guang'an Prefecture's Fairy City had built extensive spiritual veins spanning thousands of miles.
Over the years, independent cultivators living along these veins had cultivated countless spiritual herbs.
Because of this, Guang'an Prefecture currently had no shortage of magical herbs.
If the Zhao family hadn't been destroyed, this abundance might have even led to an increase in the number of alchemists within the prefecture.
Reflecting on this, Yang Linyuan felt a mix of emotions.
Initially, his goal in establishing the spiritual veins was simply to gain a financial edge over the Zhou family. He hadn't anticipated that it would result in such a surplus of raw materials, now proving essential for producing the pills needed on the front lines.
Without this abundance, they wouldn't just be facing a shortage of elixirs—the supply of raw materials for refining pills would also have been critically low.
Luis felt a wave of relief upon hearing this.
With the Hartmann family able to solve the pill production issue, the next step was to discuss pricing.
Currently, due to the destruction of the Zhao family and the ongoing corpse chaos, the medicinal market in Guang'an Prefecture had become highly volatile.
Several low-level elixirs crucial for the front lines were not just expensive—they were nearly impossible to buy, even with spirit stones.
"Fellow Daoist Luis, I wonder how much your elixirs will cost?" Zhou Minghao asked.
Relationships were one thing, but business was another. Without sufficient profit, the Hartmann family wouldn't be able to sustain pill production. Zhou Minghao and Yang Linyuan both understood this simple reality.
However, if the elixirs were sold at the current inflated market prices in Guang'an Prefecture, even the wealth of the Zhou and Yang families would struggle to keep up. After all, no one knew how long this war would last.
Hearing the question, Luis paused to think before replying. **"Logically, as a member of Guang'an Prefecture, my Hartmann family should contribute to the war effort. However, the truth is, we're also short on funds.
"So, for this supply of elixirs, we'll sell them at the previous market price."**
Upon hearing this, both Zhou Minghao and Yang Linyuan visibly relaxed.
They had judged Luis correctly—not only was he extraordinarily talented, but he also knew when to prioritize the bigger picture over immediate profit.
Indeed, Luis would lose a significant amount of profit with this decision. But as long as Guang'an Prefecture held strong, the Hartmann family would reap even greater rewards in the future.
With the Zhao family gone, the Hartmann family had the perfect opportunity to fill the vacuum in the elixir market. However, all of that depended on the survival of Guang'an Prefecture.
"The original market price for the three elixirs—Detoxification Pills, Evil Breaking Pills, and Rejuvenation Pills—was 10 spirit stones each," Luis said after a brief pause. "That's the price my family will charge. But I do have one small request."
"Fellow Daoist Luis, please speak frankly," Zhou Minghao said with a smile.
"I'd like to use part of these elixirs to settle the battle merits of the Qianyuan Sword Sect. Would that be acceptable?"
At this, everyone turned to the red-haired cultivator, Zhang, who had been quietly listening throughout the discussion.
Feeling their gazes, Zhang opened his eyes and said, "As long as the soldiers on the front lines have no objection, we can trade your elixirs for military merits anytime."
Luis's excitement was hard to hide.
Compared to spirit stones, what his family needed more urgently were items that could strengthen their foundation—alchemy manuals, weapon-crafting techniques, martial skills, sword techniques, and similar treasures. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire
Not to mention anything else.
Take the Foundation Building Stage exercises, for example. Since Luis broke through to this stage, he has never switched to practicing new techniques.
It's not that Luis didn't want to; he simply doesn't have a suitable Foundation Building technique.
Although his family purchased a technique at an auction before, it turned out to be mediocre—far from what he envisioned.
When a cultivator chooses a technique during the Foundation Building period, it represents a rare opportunity to enhance their true essence. Naturally, Luis didn't want to make a casual choice.
The techniques bought at auction houses often pale in comparison to the ones exchanged for military merits in the Qianyuan Sword Sect.
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Hartmann Island Industrial Zone
Pharmaceutical Factory
Inside the brand-new factory, cylindrical machines hummed, filling the space with a mechanical roar uncommon for this era.
From the valve beneath the centrifugal wall-breaking machine, wisps of elixir essence flowed steadily.
Trained knight cultivators skillfully caught the essence and refined it into pills with practiced precision.
After half a month of continuous practice and countless refining attempts, most of the knight cultivators had mastered the process. Now, they could refine pills almost effortlessly, even with their eyes closed.
Once refined, the pills were packed into jade bottles by female workers, who then stored them in golden wood boxes.
This seamless teamwork transformed the alchemy process. The alchemist's primary role became combining ingredients to initiate pill formation, while the rest—loading elixirs into machines, regulating flow speeds, and packaging pills—was handled by the ordinary workers of Hartmann Island.
The result? Alchemy efficiency soared.
After more than half a month of collaboration, both workers and alchemists had developed a near-perfect understanding. Each working alchemist could now produce an average of 150 pills per day—1.5 times more than the initial 100 pills.
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Hartmann Flying Sword Factory
The heat wave inside the factory was stifling. Furnace operators and apprentices worked tirelessly, sweat streaming down their faces.
Although cultivators were physically powerful and didn't sweat easily, the prolonged, high-intensity task of refining flying swords drained their mental energy.
Everyone was aware of the crisis facing Guang'an Prefecture.
Even though they couldn't fight on the front lines, their work—producing magical weapons—was just as vital as the soldiers' efforts.
Compared to the Hartmann Pharmaceutical Factory,
The Hartmann Flying Sword Factory offers a much broader range of magical instruments in both type and grade.
Hartmann No. 1 Primary School
Luis stood before the newly enrolled students, explaining the key points to keep in mind while practicing.
Hearing the birds chirping outside the window, he couldn't resist glancing out, his thoughts drifting far away.
"Sir!"
A young boy noticed Luis's distraction and called out softly.
"I'm fine!"
Luis smiled and said, "Let's pick up where we left off. Yes, the technique for refining spiritual energy."
A Bird's Eye View
From the sky, Hartmann Island appeared vibrant and flourishing.
Yet, compared to Hartmann Island, the prosperity of Sea View City on Redwood Island was unparalleled.
Thanks to the collective efforts of the monks, most of Sea View City was now complete. The city continued to expand outward as the population grew.
Mirroring the urban structure of the Ten Thousand Star Sea, the inner city of Sea View City served as the heart of the immortal city.
For now, this so-called fairy city was more like a large market town. But no one doubted its potential—eventually, as more monks gathered on Redwood Island, the town would evolve into a true immortal city.
Immortal cities inherently attract monks. Built on spiritual veins, they offer the vital spiritual energy independent cultivators lack.
This explains why the Yang family constructed spiritual veins for independent cultivators, causing such excitement among them.
Limbe Island
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Main Hall of the Guang'an Prefecture Allied Forces Headquarters
"I've confirmed it—the soldiers in the East Defense Zone are willing to exchange their military merits for elixirs," Zhou Minghao reported after another round of communication.
Luis turned to Zhou Minghao and asked, "How will the accounts be settled based on military merits?"
"Let Fellow Daoist Zhang explain this part," Zhou Minghao replied.
The red-haired monk named Zhang nodded and said, "According to the rules of Qianyuan Sword Sect, there are two types of frontline combat merits: minor merits and major merits. One hundred minor merits can be exchanged for one major merit.
On the front battlefield, a small achievement can be exchanged for a spirit stone.
But the spirit stones cannot be exchanged for small merits."
Luis nodded in understanding, it was a unilateral exchange.
After a moment's silence, Luis said, "So, ten small merits can buy one pill?"