Chapter 52: Array Generator

Fu Minghui, with his powerful cultivation at the Golden Core stage, rushed to the front of the team with lightning speed.

"Li Xian, His Majesty has said that only after completing the production of 100,000 looms for His Majesty, can the looms be sold to the public."

Li Xian was puzzled. "Minister of the Court, the loom is very simple. Doesn't the state have the power to produce them on its own?"

Fu Minghui laughed heartily, "Li Xian, don't pretend to be confused. Three things are needed to prepare 100,000 sets: Sea Soul Silk, bearings, and spindles.

One meter of Sea Soul Silk costs three taels of gold, a bearing costs one tael of silver, and five spindles cost one tael of silver. How about that?"

"The bearings and spindles are no problem, but the Sea Soul Silk is impossible. If His Majesty truly wants cheaper Sea Soul Silk, Li Xian here can't provide it. Please have His Majesty negotiate with the Sea Clan instead," Li Xian said bluntly, refusing to budge on this matter.

The lowest-grade Sea Soul Silk, which is just leftover scraps from cutting, already costs three taels of gold. To meet the requirements of the engine's formation array, qualified Sea Soul Silk would cost at least five taels of gold.

The price was, of course, very expensive. In fact, the cost price of Sea Soul Silk that Li Xian obtained from the Sea Clan was around one meter for five taels of silver. Li Xian was selling it at ten times the price. But lowering the price? Impossible!

Firstly, Li Xian had long promoted the slogan of "stable pricing." How could it be casually changed? That would severely damage the reputation of the fledgling "Brilliant Stars" trading company. In this world of cultivation, in this world where promises are taken seriously, breaking one's word is deeply despised.

Secondly, one of the main reasons for generously making the engine and mechanical theories public, besides other factors, was to sell Sea Soul Silk! Now that the wires are promising, Li Xian naturally wants to expand the Sea Soul Silk business—it’s a money-making tree.

Thirdly, emperors, by nature, are never satisfied. If you give an inch today, they’ll demand a mile tomorrow! Therefore, Li Xian decisively shut down any room for negotiation. As for offending the emperor? There was no need to worry—as long as he remained useful, and irreplaceably so, the emperor would continue to win him over.

Seeing Li Xian’s firm stance, Fu Minghui softened his approach. “I remember your Brilliant Stars Trading Company offers discounts for large orders, right? The more you buy, the bigger the discount. I did the math, and for an order of 100,000 units, a 40% discount seems reasonable.”

Hearing this, not only was Li Xian left speechless, but even the surrounding guards twitched at the corners of their mouths. This was clearly unreasonable! If someone ordered a million units, would they be expected to pay out of pocket?

Li Xian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Minister of the Court, an 80% discount, at most. At 40%, we wouldn't even cover the cost.”

“Alright, alright, 80% it is, no backing out now,” Fu Minghui replied casually. In truth, His Majesty had never instructed Fu Minghui to bargain; this was his own initiative. If he handled it well, he’d receive a reward upon returning! And royal rewards were never stingy. Though the Xia Royal Family was in decline, they still had their own medicine fields, and century-old medicinal herbs were still available.

“There will be no backing out,” Li Xian affirmed confidently.

Suddenly, Fu Minghui’s expression turned serious. “Li Xian, even commoners need dowries for marriages. Don’t forget the dowry for the princess.”

After saying this, Fu Minghui turned and vanished in a flash.

“I…” Li Xian pointed at Fu Minghui’s swiftly disappearing figure, utterly speechless. How could someone be so shameless?

But there was no use in shouting now.

As Li Xian and his group continued on their journey, Fu Minghui had already received his reward from the emperor—three century-old palm-sized purple lingzhi mushrooms. These three mushrooms would increase Fu Minghui’s foundation by over thirty years, even as a Golden Core expert.

After that, Li Xian and his group leisurely took three and a half days to return to An Yang. Once there, Li Xian brought Xia Qingqing to meet his elder brother and sister-in-law. Upon seeing Xia Qingqing, his sister-in-law finally gave up trying to introduce her own sister, much to Li Xian’s relief. His sister-in-law was formidable; she controlled his elder brother so well that he didn’t dare have a mistress, something Li Xian couldn’t quite agree with.

After all, when finding a wife, it’s important for both parties to be in love. This isn't just a matter of three or fifty years but of hundreds of years together.

After meeting his elder brother and sister-in-law, Li Xian and Xia Qingqing changed out of their wedding clothes and into new outfits. Only then did they head to the privately owned land ten miles away—Qingyun Valley, now the foundation of Li Xian’s power.

Upon Li Xian's return, a grand banquet was held in Qingyun Valley, celebrating his joyous homecoming. Xia Qingqing officially moved into Qingyun Valley as the lady of the house. 

That night, Li Xian finally had the opportunity to fully consummate his relationship with Xia Qingqing.

The next morning, as Li Xian stroked Xia Qingqing’s smooth skin, he suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Qingqing, sensing Li Xian’s sudden stiffness, quickly sat up in concern. The thin blanket slipped, revealing her alluring figure.

Li Xian, after a moment of shock, burst into ecstatic joy. He grabbed Xia Qingqing and shouted, “I’ve reached the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage! The tenth level of Qi Refining! My lady, let’s do it again!”

“No, it’s daylight already!” Xia Qingqing carefully pulled the thin blanket over her body, blushing as she hid under the covers.

But Li Xian was too overwhelmed with excitement to care, forcefully taking charge. They didn’t get up until noon. Xia Qingqing was so furious that she practiced the Nine Yin White Bone Claws on Li Xian several times, and they both stayed in bed until the afternoon.

“My lady, let me take you to see our family’s businesses,” Li Xian said in the afternoon, after they had rested. He led a shy Xia Qingqing, along with four new companions—Xu Ren, Bei Chen Yuqing, Fang Shijing, and Ling Zhifeng—on a tour.

They first visited the textile factory. Upon seeing Li Xian's superior combined textile machine, Xia Qingqing, Bei Chen Yuqing, Fang Shijing, and Ling Zhifeng all “praised” him, calling him a true cunning merchant.

Next, they toured the machinery department. This time, the four were genuinely amazed.

“A machine that produces machines!” Li Xian introduced it simply and effectively. That brief explanation left everyone in stunned silence.

Then the group moved to the colored lantern branch factory, where they witnessed the essence of standardization in operation. A stream of glass solution flowed into the molds, and after a brief cooling period, they produced a crystal-clear prism and some less demanding items like crystal trays and lampshades.

Next, they entered the smelting workshop, where the bustling activity of the smelting industry was on full display.

Finally, they arrived at the research department, which was currently responsible for many projects, especially the research on engines and wires.

As they entered the research department, Xia Qingqing, Bei Chen Yuqing, Fang Shijing, and Ling Zhifeng were momentarily at a loss, as the research lab contained numerous different rooms, all of which appeared to be in chaotic disarray—at least, that was the first impression.

While they were puzzled and waiting for Xu Ren’s explanation, Tang Hui spotted Li Xian and immediately shouted with joy, “Young master, the generator has fully matured! It can now provide a stable and continuous output of 500 volts and 300 amps.

Moreover, the generator can be connected in series with up to nine units. Due to internal resistance, connecting nine units can yield over 4,200 volts and a maximum of 280 amps.

All the related voltage meters, ammeters, and ohmmeters have already been produced.”

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