Lin Xia chose ordinary stones over priceless jewels. Although he took quite a lot and his behavior was somewhat strange, his vision ultimately seemed limited, still remaining at the level of a craftsman.
Instead, this eased much of Dai Tianxing's concern regarding Lin Xia's "ambitions." After all, how much trouble could someone who was so obsessed with forging materials possibly stir up?
At most, he simply wanted to secure more benefits for both himself and the Blacksmith Association.
As for Larvitar eating ores?
Although Dai Tianxing found it unusual, the world was vast and full of wonders. Some soul beasts had strange habits; that was nothing extraordinary.
As long as it did not interfere with the restoration of the gemstone, he had no interest in investigating further.
"Let him do as he pleases."
Dai Tianxing waved his hand dismissively, his tone carrying the indifference of a ruler toward something insignificant.
"They're only ores. The treasury is piled high with them. What he took is merely a drop in the ocean. As long as he can successfully restore the Star Radiance Crown, such losses are not worth mentioning."
What concerned him more was another matter.
"How was his mental state when he left the treasury? Did he mention anything regarding the restoration progress?"
Dai Tianxing's gaze sharpened. That was the true issue.
The attendant respectfully replied,
"Your Majesty, Master Lin appeared extremely satisfied and delighted when he departed. He seemed very pleased with his gains. As for the restoration progress, he did not mention it voluntarily. However, judging from his expression, he appeared to be full of confidence."
"Satisfied? Delighted? Full of confidence?"
A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of Dai Tianxing's mouth.
It seemed the treasury's valuable materials had indeed catered perfectly to the young man's tastes, filling him with enthusiasm.
As long as the gemstone remained intact and the restoration proceeded smoothly, what did it matter if he took a few more ores?
"Very well. Continue monitoring the situation. If there is any substantial progress regarding the restoration, report it immediately."
Dai Tianxing closed his eyes, his consciousness once again sinking into the vast calculations of the stars, as though what he had just heard was nothing more than a trivial matter.
The "ore catastrophe" within the Celestial Vault Treasury that had left the guards questioning their entire worldview failed to leave even the slightest lasting ripple in the mind of the ruler of the Star Luo Empire.
The movement of the stars and the authority of the Empire were the only things that truly concerned him.
Ores?
They were nothing more than stepping stones.
Meanwhile, the fully loaded Lin Xia was walking through the evening glow of Star Luo City alongside a thoroughly satisfied Larvitar, heading toward the Zhu Residence.
Inside his storage soul tool was enough wealth to drive the overwhelming majority of Soul Masters mad with envy.
The moment he returned to his room, Lin Xia immediately set up several simple spiritual warning barriers and soul power interference screens.
Although Zhu Zhan tacitly permitted his presence within the Zhu Residence and Dai Tianxing had no intention of turning hostile for the time being, caution had long since become ingrained in his bones.
Especially when carrying such an enormous fortune in rare minerals.
"Purrulu..."
As soon as Larvitar entered the room, it flopped onto the carpet belly-up, humming contentedly.
The dark-red magma armor covering its body brightened and dimmed in rhythm with its breathing, while faint crimson-gold and dark-gold halos flowed across its surface.
Clearly, the trip to the treasury had brought it tremendous benefits.
Lin Xia sat down cross-legged and took a deep breath before directing his spiritual power into the seemingly ordinary storage soul tool on his finger.
Instantly, his consciousness seemed to be cast into a brilliant galaxy composed entirely of metals and ores.
Although he had already seen and collected them personally inside the treasury, when all of these precious mineral resources revealed themselves completely within his spiritual perception, the overwhelming sense of wealth and power still made his heart race and his breathing quicken.
Star Pattern Mithril was piled into small mountains, each piece flowing with natural silver star patterns. The fluctuations of its spatial attribute were gentle and stable.
There was enough here to construct the core skeletons and spatial stabilization systems of several mechas, with plenty left over to upgrade the soul tools he carried with him.
Void Sinking Gold floated quietly in a corner, black as ink. Light seemed to be swallowed whenever it approached, yet the metal itself was lighter than a feather.
This supreme material, capable of manipulating spatial folding and concealment, was the key component for the "Ghost Stealth Module" and "Dimensional Shield" that he had envisioned.
Even the fist-sized piece in the treasury had already been priceless.
Flowing Flame Star Sand filled several specially crafted crystal containers. The crimson-gold grains resembled solidified lava, while countless tiny starlights flowed endlessly within them.
They contained both violent fire-element energy and pure stellar power.
This was the ideal medium for energy weapons and the cooling systems of engine cores.
Every single grain was worth a fortune.
And he possessed three entire jars of it.
Star Gold was measured not by pieces, but by piles.
The pale golden ingots shimmered with starlight, possessing incredible hardness and exceptional energy conductivity.
This was the most universal and indispensable foundational material.
Whether it was mecha outer armor, main structural frames, internal conduits, or precision components, all of them required Star Gold.
The quantity stored in the treasury was enough for him to extravagantly build several prototype mechas.
Besides these, Star Marrow Cold Iron emitted a faint blue glow and bone-piercing chill, making it the perfect material for ice-attribute weapons and auxiliary cooling systems.
Although Larvitar had devoured quite a few Geocore Flame Crystal Cores, several remained. They still radiated scorching heat and contained immense fire-and-earth dual-attribute energy.
Meteor Iron Essence possessed astonishing density and superior energy conductivity compared to Meteoric Iron, making it the ideal choice for heavy weaponry and critical load-bearing components.
Deep Sea Silver Mother flowed with rippling water-like patterns, flexible in nature while containing immense water-element energy.
The surface of Arcane Fine Gold was naturally engraved with soul tool rune patterns, making it the perfect material for constructing high-level soul tool formation plates.
Lin Xia's spiritual power moved through the dazzling assortment of ores and metals, each radiating different energies and colors. The smile on his face grew wider and wider until he could barely stop grinning.
"I've struck it rich! This time, I've really struck it rich!"
He could not help but sigh softly, his heart surging with excitement.
"As expected, the accumulated wealth of an empire over hundreds of years is on a completely different level from what any individual can achieve! Compared to this haul, everything I risked my life obtaining from mining veins before is like the difference between a beggar and a king!"
The stark contrast gave him an even deeper appreciation of the power of authority and the terrifying collecting capabilities of a nation's machinery.
All those resources he had fought desperately to obtain in the Silent Mountain Range, risking his life every step of the way, amounted to little more than a drop in the ocean here. Some of them would not even qualify as anything more than "low-grade goods" for Larvitar's snacks.
A bold and highly tempting thought began to grow wildly in his mind.
"We have to go collect supplies from time to time! As long as the Star Radiance Crown remains in my hands, and as long as the restoration process 'requires' new materials, Dai Tianxing will have no choice but to let me enter the treasury again, even if he has to grit his teeth and accept it!"
The initiative seemed to have truly fallen into his hands.
What he was betting on was Dai Tianxing's recognition of his talent, his desire to restore the imperial treasure, and his wariness of that mysterious gemstone.
As long as he handled things properly, this "material supplier" could continue to be useful for quite some time.
"Larvitar?"
Larvitar seemed to sense its master's overflowing excitement. Rolling onto its back, it patted its round belly with a tiny claw and looked at Lin Xia with its crimson eyes full of inquiry.
Master, what about my share?
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