Chapter 72: Freeloading at the Exchange Conference?

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Freeloading at the Exchange Conference?

The little fellow lay there sleeping soundly. Its skin was dark red, with orange-red light shining through its cracks, looking like a piece of glowing charcoal.

Whenever it moved slightly, a cluster of sparks would scatter out.

"The *Thunder Sword* plus this Magma Giant cub in exchange for your Big Baby Armor. Is that enough?" Solem asked.

Chen Shang glanced at the cub.

Magma Giant—one of the Titan variants. Its entire body was made of magma. Upon adulthood, it would become a Tier Three Creature with high resistance to physical attacks and Fire Magic.

[Extractable entry detected: Stone Flame (Green). Source: Magma Giant cub. Extract?]

Extract!

[Stone Flame (Green): A unique flame inherent to the Magma Giant race. Born from rocks and hidden within the Earth Veins.

The heat of the Stone Flame does not radiate outward but condenses inward. It is exclusively used for smelting Ores, reinforcing rocks, and mending damages in the Earth Veins. Its effectiveness increases for those with Earth Element affinity, but its Water Element resistance is poor.]

Chen Shang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "This is a Tier Two Creature Mechanical Armor. Add eight thousand Wizard Coins to the deal."

The Heaven and Earth possessed a significant origin and immense potential, but the completeness of Chen Shang’s transcription was only average, making it an acceptable trade.

Solem did not hesitate. "Deal."

He pushed the longsword and the cub over, and Chen Shang handed him the Big Baby Armor. A transfer notification popped up on the Crystal Plate, confirming the arrival of the eight thousand Wizard Coins.

The others also began trading Ores, catalysts, Alchemy products, Rune Diagrams, and more. Everyone was showing off their achievements while evaluating those of others.

Just as Solem was about to pull Chen Shang aside to discuss the Heaven and Earth in detail, Evelyn suddenly stood up and walked over.

"Come, let’s talk in private."

Solem opened his mouth to say something, but Evelyn had already turned and headed for the adjacent small room.

Chen Shang glanced at Solem, who merely shrugged. "Go on ahead."

Standing up, Chen Shang followed Evelyn into the room. Once the door clicked shut, most of the outside noise was instantly cut off.

The space was small, containing just a table and two chairs. A Rune Plate embedded in the wall was covered in a chaotic jumble of formulas.

Evelyn sat down, crossed her legs, and cut straight to the chase.

"I’m very interested in your Water-Fire Fusion Witchcraft. Can we trade? What do you want for it?"

Taking the seat across from her, Chen Shang asked, "What do you have?"

In response, Evelyn reached out her hand. A cluster of Fire Element gathered in her palm. It started out the size of a basketball, then was compressed down to a fist, then an egg, and finally, the size of a fingernail.

Eventually, the flame turned into a blindingly bright speck of light, hovering just above her fingertip like a miniature sun and emitting a faint hum.

Even though she tried her best to wrap it in her Spiritual Power, the room’s temperature still spiked by several degrees in an instant.

Chen Shang’s interface vibrated.

[Extractable entry detected: Flame Manipulation (Blue). Source: Evelyn. Extract?]

Extract!

The entry was stored, lying quietly in his repository.

"A freebie?" Chen Shang’s expression remained neutral, but his mind raced. "Why didn’t Leia’s Elemental Multiplication get copied over? Is the gap between her and me just that massive?"

He didn’t dwell on it; now was not the time to think about such things.

Evelyn quickly retracted the little sun. "I won’t take advantage of you. I’ve seen your Water-Fire Fusion; it leverages about five times the power. My Compressed Element can also leverage five times the attack power."

She looked at him. "So, do we have a deal?"

Chen Shang shook his head. "No. Your Witchcraft isn’t valuable enough." He wasn’t being difficult. Even if his Golden Finger hadn’t already extracted the ability, he still wouldn’t have agreed to the trade.

The core of Elemental Multiplication lay in the Phase Angle. This knowledge wasn’t merely about stacking power; it was a complete, comprehensive system applicable to the entire spectrum of Elements.

Water-Fire Fusion was simply one model constructed using this system.

Evelyn’s Flame Compression was powerful, but it was a singular technique tailored solely for the Fire Element. In contrast, Elemental Multiplication allowed him to link all the Elements together.

Thus, the value simply didn’t match up. Chen Shang did genuinely want to trade, after all—he had no desire to be flagged by the Celestial Net for suspected "knowledge theft."

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning sharp. "Does your Water-Fire Fusion contain higher-tier knowledge?"

Chen Shang nodded. "If you don’t believe me, you can summon the Wizard’s Will to weigh them. It won’t lie."

Staring at him for a few seconds, Evelyn finally raised her hand and drew a Rune in the air.

The avatar of the Wizard’s Will descended once again, though it was much more transparent than the one Leia had summoned.

Evelyn pulled a Crystal Plate from her pocket and placed it on the left pan of the scale. It contained the core principles of her Flame Compression. The pan sank slightly.

Chen Shang retrieved a blank Crystal Plate from his Space Book, transcribed the core knowledge regarding the Phase Angle of Elemental Multiplication onto it, and placed it on the right pan.

The scale wobbled, tipping back and forth before eventually settling. The right pan dropped significantly lower than the left, which was tipped high in the air. The disparity was stark.

"There’s this much of a gap?" Evelyn exclaimed. "With such high-tier knowledge, you can only leverage five times the attack power? Are your practical skills really that terrible?"

Chen Shang’s face darkened. "Hey, let’s avoid the personal attacks!"

He stored his Crystal Plate away and explained, "I’ll be honest with you. I acquired this system of knowledge from a senior. It can leverage the entire spectrum of Elements, which means what you’re offering falls far short in value.

"Furthermore, I can’t just hand it to you in its original form. If I did, I’d just be a middleman, and the Wizard’s Will would flag me for infringement."

Realization dawned on Evelyn. "No wonder... I only want your Water-Fire Model. You built that yourself, didn’t you?"

Chen Shang nodded. "That’s fine, but your Flame Compression still seems to be lacking a bit in value. After all, my model involves dual-element frequency resonance."

Pondering for a moment, Evelyn took out her Crystal Plate. "Let’s add each other as friends. I’ll trade with you once I find something suitable."

After adding her, Chen Shang added a reminder. "Just a heads-up, knowledge holds a higher priority. Trading treasures for knowledge... is a losing game." He finally understood the thrill Leia must have felt; it was akin to using knowledge to bully others.

"Don’t worry. Just wait, I won’t disappoint you!" Evelyn said through gritted teeth.

When the exchange meeting concluded, Chen Shang felt incredibly satisfied with the salon. He returned to his laboratory with a bountiful haul.

Retrieving the Magma Giant cub from his Space Book, he placed it on the table. Feeling the vibration in its half-asleep daze, the little fellow rubbed its eyes, sending sparks flying.

"Huh? Where is this? Where’s Lord Solem?"

The Golden Crow strutted over and teased with a wicked grin, "Your lord didn’t want you anymore. He sold you to me to eat!"

The magma cub froze for a moment before bursting into tears. "WAAAH! Don’t eat me! I don’t have any meat! I don’t taste good!"

A jet of fire shot out of the little creature’s mouth, scorching the Golden Crow’s feathers pitch-black.