Just as Tang San obtained his first Spirit Ring, a large store named the Soulcraft Shop held its grand opening in Spirit City.
No one knew who owned the store. But everyone knew one thing: standing behind it was probably the number one force on the entire continent, Spirit Hall.
On opening day, several Spirit Masters from Spirit Hall gathered at the entrance, all of them wanting to be among the first to buy inside. The guards maintaining order at the scene also came from Spirit Hall.
In truth, to the original Spirit Hall, founding a chamber of commerce would have been little more than gilding the lily. There were three reasons for that.
First, transportation was inconvenient and manpower was limited. In the past, travel between cities on Soul Land depended on horse carriages. It was slow to begin with. Whether transporting goods or operating stores, Spirit Hall would also have needed people to protect those shipments and businesses. For an organization that already maintained branch halls in every city, the return was not worth the cost.
Second, the variety of goods was limited. On Soul Land, the things bought and sold were mostly the same everywhere, and most of them were related to Spirit Masters. Ordinary people's daily goods were already handled by local merchants.
Third, others had arrived first. Before Spirit Hall ever founded a chamber of commerce, countless chambers large and small already existed. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, for example, had its own commercial network. Spirit Hall was indeed the continent's strongest power, but when it came to business, it had no experience at all.
Wu Ling had solutions for all three problems.
For the first problem, transportation, he had Rose invent spirit-tool cars: four-wheeled vehicles powered by Spirit Power. As long as the driver had reached Spirit Elite, the car could match or even surpass a horse carriage. Even ordinary people could power one by using Spirit Power blocks.
For the second problem, limited variety, Wu Ling gave them variety. Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, all of it was covered. For Rose, who had solved the Spirit Power block and the Spirit Power conversion device, replacing and recreating a small portion of Blue Star's simpler electrical appliances was no difficult task.
As for the third problem, with the first two problems solved, did those old chambers of commerce still matter?
After the Soulcraft Shop opened, Spirit Masters from noble houses and great clans rushed in, all hoping to buy the goods requested by their superiors. As for the one responsible for all this, he was sitting comfortably in his courtyard and sipping tea.
'Old Li, how did it go?' Wu Ling took a light sip of hot tea and asked the returning steward.
'Young Master, the samples and lists you sent to the families and Elders a few days ago worked. Every Elder sent people to buy things. Those people nearly bought one of everything in the store. If you had not prepared enough stock, we might have run out immediately,' Old Li said, his voice shaking with excitement from what he had seen.
'Mm. Understood. You may go.' In sharp contrast to Old Li, Wu Ling remained as calm as if he had merely set up a roadside stall.
After Old Li left, Wu Ling turned toward Rose, who was eating sweets beside him. 'Rose, what do you think?'
Rose's blissful expression stiffened. She looked at Wu Ling with some speechlessness. 'Main body, on non-research questions like this, our thinking is exactly the same. Asking me is basically the same as talking to yourself.'
Wu Ling shrugged. 'A good memory is not as reliable as bad handwriting. A good idea that is never spoken aloud is still just an idea. Some things are a mess while you are only thinking about them, but once you say them out loud, the thread becomes clear.'
'Take this opening, for example. There are two reasons it worked so well. The first is my identity. After all these years, my identity is no longer much of a secret among Spirit Hall's upper and middle ranks. Anyone who knows my talent is willing to give me some face.'
'The second is product monopoly. Lighters, spirit-tool cars, and fixed two-way telephones that only connect two specific people are all things only we have. Spirit Masters whose cultivation can no longer improve will naturally want to examine these new curiosities.'
'Speaking of that, how is the Spirit Power array research going?'
Rose answered while still eating. 'Based on the original magecraft arrays, we have completed Spirit Power arrays below the Spirit King level. We have also deduced Titled Sage-level arrays, but your current Spirit Power is not enough to support them, so they cannot be used yet.'
'Good. We can release them publicly in a few years. What about the production line?'
'The equipment has been developed, but we still need a few locations to install it.'
'Mm. I will talk to Teacher and have some space cleared out for you. What about the Spirit Power blocks?'
'Level one through level nine Spirit Power blocks have all been completed. They correspond to Spirit Master through Titled Sage. But main body, are you really sure you do not want me to carve auto-absorption arrays into the blocks?'
The auto-absorption array was an array Rose had developed based on Wu Ling's Spirit Power Circuit. As its name suggested, it could automatically absorb free Spirit Power from the air, allowing it to maintain its own operation and replenish the Spirit Power block.
It was clearly an extremely convenient array, but Wu Ling only laughed. 'No need. The array is good, but it absorbs too slowly. I have the Spirit Power Circuit, and I have so many Titled Sages charging dozens of level-nine Spirit Power blocks for me, so I do not need it. As for the lower-level ones...'
'Rose, you know this too. Those products can last for years if people are careful. But Spirit Power blocks are like batteries. They are our main consumable product for the future. Have you ever seen a battery that automatically charges itself just by sitting in the air?'
After Wu Ling finished speaking, the two fell silent. A light breeze passed through the courtyard. Faintly, they could still hear the sounds of Ember, Azure, and Shade fighting in the rear yard.
'Right. After you finish the production line, keep researching. Do not forget the important matter,' Wu Ling suddenly reminded her.
'Got it, got it. A place that large is unprecedented anyway. I will prepare everything. When you come back, you can connect it directly. Speaking of that, when are you planning to leave?'
Wu Ling looked toward the rear yard. The battle there had already grown so fierce that, even with the array's defenses, flying stones and dust could still be seen.
'Soon. With sword skill as my foundation and my conscious mind directly learning from the process, half a year at most will bring my martial skill back to the same state as before, entering another stagnation period.'
'At that point, unless I slowly polish it with time, I can only go there. And the things I need for that place still depend on your research.'
Rose nodded while stuffing the last piece of cake into her mouth. 'Then, as payment, I want one more piece!'
Wu Ling reached out and pinched Rose's soft cheek. 'With how much you eat, are you not afraid of getting fat?'
Rose's cheeks puffed up at once. She slapped Wu Ling's hand away. 'Main body, discussing a girl's weight to her face is a serious taboo! Even if I am a clone and cannot get fat at all, this will not be settled without two pieces of cake!'
'All right, all right. I will make them for you now.' Wu Ling smiled and patted Rose on the head. Of course he knew Rose would not get fat. Teasing her like this simply improved his mood.