Chapter 94: Lighting the Furnace for Steel

Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Lighting the Furnace for Steel

"Besides me, there are four others."

"However, I only know three of them."

"One is a woman codenamed Xuanbing, said to have awakened the Extreme Cold Domain."

"She’s an iceberg even colder and more unapproachable than the little sister on this ship."

As she spoke, she pointed at Su Qingyue beside her.

"The other is a man codenamed Anying, skilled in assassination and stealth."

"Elusive and mysterious, even I have never seen his true face."

"As for the last one..."

Qin Yao paused, a flash of deep apprehension in her eyes.

"Codenamed Kuangshou. A complete and utter madman."

"Rumored to have awakened the bloodline of some ancient behemoth. Once he enters Berserkization, even Gu Tianming can’t suppress him."

"Moreover, they are constantly expanding. They might have recruited more people by now..."

Hearing this Intelligence, Lin Ji’s brow furrowed tightly.

Four A-grade enforcers, and from the sound of it, each one was a monster capable of holding their own!

Add to that the Gu father and son, and that mysterious, unfathomable S-grade prophet who could even sense across space.

The foundation of the Apocalypse Guild was a hundred times more terrifying than he had imagined!

If they were to confront them head-on now, the few people on his ship probably wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

Lin Ji fell silent.

He knew overthinking was useless now.

Lin Ji forcefully suppressed the shock in his heart. He knew overthinking was pointless.

In this predatory sea, only absolute strength was the confidence to face all unknowns.

He immediately opened the Vessel panel in his Logbook of Navigation.

Currently, with the boost from the Crimson Sky Forge and the Energy Micro-Cycle Pressure Valve, his power value had soared past one hundred.

Plus, with the newly installed Lava Heavy Destruction Cannon, his armament value had also reached 200 points.

The two core hidden conditions for upgrading to an LV4 War Ship were now fully satisfied.

But when he focused on the upgrade list for basic materials, his heart sank halfway.

Upgrading to an LV4 Vessel required not only a massive amount of wood and ordinary metal.

It also required an advanced material called [High Manganese Chromium Molybdenum Steel Plates], a full 100 units needed.

What he had scavenged from the cargo ship and floating islands before wasn’t even a fraction of that.

Lin Ji checked the time.

It was already afternoon. Only a few hours remained until 24:00 tonight, when the first phase of the Mist of Despair would completely end.

By then, the system would undoubtedly carry out a brutal regional settlement and open an even more dangerous new phase.

He had to upgrade the ship to LV4 before tonight to seize the absolute initiative.

"Tang Ling, Gu Yihan, Shen Manyun, you three, come here."

Gritting his teeth, Lin Ji immediately called the business trio of the team to the center of the deck.

He pulled out three Moltenheart Source Crystals glowing with a blazing red light from his pouch and slammed them heavily on the table.

"These three source crystals are our trump card."

Lin Ji looked at the three women before him, each with her own talents, and issued a strict order.

"Go to the Trading House and negotiate with people. No matter what methods you use, you must gather 100 units of High Manganese Chromium Molybdenum Steel Plates for me before nightfall."

"Tang Ling, you’re in charge of checking the quality of the materials. Yihan, you lead the negotiations. Manyun, you provide support."

"If we don’t have enough Evolution Points, use this source crystal to trade."

"As long as we don’t suffer major losses, negotiate however you can."

The three women accepted their orders.

They also knew this was a critical moment of life and death.

Without any unnecessary words, the three immediately sat in a circle on the deck and entered online negotiation mode.

Gu Yihan truly lived up to being a wealthy heiress, instantly displaying the decisive and ruthless demeanor she once had in business dealings.

In the trading channel, she skillfully laid out various baits and engaged in intense bargaining.

Shen Manyun, meanwhile, calmly analyzed each seller’s psychological bottom line.

She precisely pointed out who was bluffing and who urgently needed to offload their supplies.

However, after more than an hour, the situation was not looking good.

"Captain, it’s not working," Gu Yihan looked up anxiously, a fine layer of sweat glistening on her smooth forehead.

"The Trading House simply doesn’t have that many ready-made high-manganese chromium molybdenum steel plates. This material is too scarce."

"Occasionally, a few pieces appear, but the prices have been driven sky-high."

"Even if we spend all our Evolution Points, we wouldn’t be able to buy even one-tenth of what we need."

Shen Manyun also adjusted her glasses and sighed helplessly.

"Everyone is hoarding high-grade materials like crazy. The sellers won’t budge at all."

Lin Ji frowned deeply, his expression turning grim.

Were they really going to be stuck on materials at the final moment?

Just then, Tang Ling, who had been staring intently at the trading panel, suddenly brightened up and slapped her thigh.

"Got it!"

She jumped up excitedly, her impressive chest trembling wildly with the vigorous movement, making it hard for Lin Ji to look away.

"If we can’t buy the finished product, we can smelt it ourselves!"

Tang Ling pointed excitedly at the materials listed in the Logbook of Navigation for the upgrade.

"Boss, high-manganese chromium molybdenum steel plates are essentially a special alloy steel infused with three elements: manganese, chromium, and molybdenum."

"After all, smelting this requires extremely high temperatures, something few people can manage."

"As long as we buy these raw ores and use ordinary iron ore as the base."

"Then utilize my Crimson Sky Forge and the high temperatures provided by that [Heart of Fire Element], plus maybe one [Moltenheart Source Crystal]."

"I’m completely confident I can smelt these 100 steel plates before nightfall!"

Hearing this wild idea, Lin Ji’s eyes lit up.

"How much can we reduce the cost?"

Tang Ling quickly calculated in her head and grinned triumphantly.

"If we smelt it ourselves, the cost of buying the raw ores is less than one-tenth of buying the finished product!"

"And..." Tang Ling leaned closer to Lin Ji, lowering her voice, her tone brimming with the excitement of a little money-grubber.

"Boss, after we upgrade the Vessel..."

"I can totally buy raw ores at low prices, smelt them into high-grade steel plates, and then sell them at high prices in the Trading House."

"The profit margin in between would be absolutely huge!"

"It could bring our team a steady stream of income!"

After listening, Lin Ji looked at this little money-grubber before him who not only understood technology but was also so shrewd with calculations, feeling a wave of relief in his heart.

He reached out and pinched Tang Ling’s flushed cheeks, which were rosy from excitement, then gave her pert bottom a light pat.

"Well done, Engineer Tang."

"That’s a huge help for the team."

Lin Ji looked at her white T-shirt, soaked with sweat and clinging tightly to her body, his tone carrying a mix of admiration and undisguised heat.

"Once the ship upgrades are finished tonight, come find me in the Captain’s quarters. I’ll make sure to reward our big contributor properly."

Hearing such a blatantly suggestive remark,

Tang Ling’s pretty face instantly flushed red to the tips of her ears, and even her fair neck took on a delicate pink hue.

She shyly lowered her head, her small hands fidgeting nervously together, her heart racing wildly.

But she didn’t argue; instead, she obediently whispered in response:

"Understood... boss."

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