"Oh?" Zhu Ziyang smiled, looking at Tang Ya with interest. "What kind of big business are we talking about?"
Everyone took their seats. Jiang Nannan confidently sat on Zhu Ziyang's other side, with Qian Lingyi and Diwu Huan'er sitting beside her and Ma Xiaotao. Tang Ya and Beibei sat on the east side, while Huo Yuhao took a seat alone on the west side.
"Hehe, it's actually not my achievement," Tang Ya said cheerfully, pointing at Huo Yuhao. "It's all thanks to Yuhao."
"Oh?" Zhu Ziyang turned to Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, let's hear it."
"Alright!" Huo Yuhao's face lit up with excitement and confidence, his tone animated. "Actually, we developed a soul tool with tremendous destructive power. Teacher Xiao Ya and Senior Brother Beibei want to sell it to the Academy, so…"
Huo Yuhao didn't finish, but Zhu Ziyang had already understood their intention. Looking at Tang Ya's hopeful expression, Beibei's anxious face, and Huo Yuhao's awkward look, Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but chuckle.
"Sigh!" After laughing, Zhu Ziyang said helplessly, "Fine, let me take a look at this soul tool first. Before you sell your wares, the buyer should always inspect the goods."
"Great!" Tang Ya jumped up excitedly and shouted to Huo Yuhao, "Yuhao, quick! Bring out the Zhuge Divine Ballista and let Ziyang see the result of combining Tang Sect hidden weapons with soul tool technology!"
"Yes!" Huo Yuhao was just as excited. With a lift of his hand, a massive object appeared before everyone.
It was an unusually shaped soul tool, taking up about ten square meters of the room. Its base was a large square metal platform, the largest component by area.
The metal base was equipped with treads, suggesting mobility—though even a glance revealed its significant weight.
Mounted above the base was a thick cylindrical pillar connecting to a rectangular metal body on top. The rectangle, about 2.5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, was quite flat, with eighteen dark holes in its center resembling launchers.
This was the Zhuge Divine Ballista, as Tang Ya called it. Overall, it resembled a giant black metal box—very odd-looking and far from aesthetic.
Zhu Ziyang examined the Zhuge Divine Ballista thoughtfully. Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, looked at it with paternal pride, clearly satisfied and proud of his invention. His expectant and slightly nervous gaze toward Zhu Ziyang revealed his desire for approval.
"Yuhao, give us an introduction to this Zhuge Divine Ballista," Zhu Ziyang said with a light smile, noticing his anticipation.
"Yes!" Huo Yuhao's eyes sparkled as he began. "The Zhuge Divine Ballista is a Grade 4 soul tool and a fixed-mounted type. Despite being only Grade 4, its firing range rivals that of Grade 6 soul cannons.
It has multiple firing modes—single-shot and burst fire. It can launch up to forty-eight soul cannon shells at once. The ballista comes preloaded with forty-eight shells, stored in the base. Only after all are fired can it be reloaded."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao personally demonstrated the weapon. To Zhu Ziyang's surprise, all the shells were specially designed, earning Huo Yuhao a newfound respect—this kid had business acumen!
"These are our custom-made soul shells. I call them Grade 4 fixed-mounted shells. Their power rivals standard Grade 5 shells, but they are only compatible with our Zhuge Divine Ballista," Huo Yuhao continued. "The base has two treads, giving it mobility, making it far more flexible than traditional fixed-mounted cannons."
"Senior Brother, what do you think?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes sparkled like a child waiting to be praised for earning a gold star.
"Not bad." Zhu Ziyang smiled and nodded approvingly. "It's a Grade 4 fixed-mounted soul tool. I'm guessing all materials used are below Grade 5?"
"Yes!" Huo Yuhao replied excitedly. "The most valuable part is the barrel, made of a rare metal called Variant Copper-Iron—barely considered a Grade 5 material."
"As expected." Zhu Ziyang looked pleased and gave Huo Yuhao's shoulder an encouraging pat. "Yuhao, you didn't let your teacher down. A Grade 4 fixed-mounted soul tool—something even the Sun Moon Empire hasn't mastered. This is the first time Shrek Academy has surpassed them in soul tool tech. Excellent!"
To Huo Yuhao, those words were like music from the heavens. He looked thrilled, his youthful face flushed with excitement.
Tang Ya was also ecstatic, a proud smile on her face. Beibei seemed like he wanted to say something but held back, watching the two with a sigh in his heart. Well, the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy were deeply intertwined anyway.
"Hehe, so? Ziyang, want to install some on Shrek City's walls?" Tang Ya asked, eyes sparkling.
"Haha," Zhu Ziyang chuckled. "You sure you want me to answer that?"
"Uh…" Tang Ya faltered, quickly backtracking. "Never mind, forget I asked."
"Ziyang, of course we don't expect the Academy to pay," Beibei finally spoke. "But the Tang Sect does need funding. So, we hoped you might introduce us to some clients."
"Aha!" Zhu Ziyang's expression showed he had expected this. "I can help you connect with the Heaven Soul Empire and Star Luo Empire. But you'll need to handle the negotiations yourselves. After all, we can't have outsiders thinking the Tang Sect is just a vassal of Shrek Academy."
"Really? That's amazing! Thank you, Ziyang!" Tang Ya jumped with joy. "Hahaha, Businesswoman Tang Ya is ready to roll!"
Her antics made Beibei's face darken while Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, Ma Xiaotao, and the others laughed aloud.
"Alright, go get some rest. By the day after tomorrow at the latest, people from the Heaven Soul and Star Luo Empires will reach out," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.
Both empires faced intense military pressure, and Tang Sect's Zhuge Divine Ballista could provide some much-needed support.
Even if it was just a drop in the ocean, to a drowning person, even a single straw was worth grabbing.
"Mhm!" the trio responded joyfully, leaving in high spirits.
The Zhuge Divine Ballista was left behind—it was important to have a product sample when doing business, after all!
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.