In Klee's point of view, since it was a fish, it could dive, right?
So, could it bring back treasures from the bottom of the sea?
Su Han looked at the little sun with surprise. "Klee, how did you think of treasure at the bottom of the sea?"
"It was Sister Beidou! She said she often goes out to sea to salvage things! So, when Klee saw that strange guy, I was just thinking, it must be a really good swimmer, right?"
"Good" was an understatement! Murlocs originally lived on the edge of the sea, and some could even dive into the deep ocean.
The sea held countless treasures. Minerals went without saying.
For so many years, no one had been able to explore the bottom of the sea, and no one had even gone there.
Beidou's so-called "salvaging" was just activities near the Sea of Clouds, in Liyue Harbor's inner sea. She still didn't dare to go into the true, open ocean. First, the water was too deep, and second, there was no treasure to be found.
Hu Tao turned to look at the dazed murloc. "Can you dive?"
"Mrrgl-grl…" The stiff murloc slowly nodded.
Seeing that it could dive, Su Han said excitedly, "We've really struck it rich this time! Come on, I'll take you to see Ningguang."
"But, Su Han, is there really treasure at the bottom of the sea?" Hu Tao was still a little uncertain. But seeing how excited he was, it seemed this ugly murloc could really bring them countless riches.
Su Han asked her in return, "Let me test you. Among the Seven Nations, which one can explore the bottom of the sea?"
"Uh, I don't know."
"Then let me ask you again, since no one has explored it, just think, if we can develop it, what kind of wealth will this be?"
Hu Tao instantly understood. Liyue would be the first to "eat the crab." If they could develop the seabed, it would be incredible.
Subsequently, they arrived before Ningguang.
"What is it? Did you get another amazing treasure?" Seeing the excited expressions on their faces, Ningguang knew it must be good news.
Su Han said excitedly, "Ningguang, we're rich! Tao-tao's luck is just too strong! Look what this is!"
Ningguang looked at what he was pointing at, and her brow couldn't help but furrow.
What kind of creature is this now? It's so strange, and its eyes are so dull. It feels even dumber than a goblin.
However, the creature's scales made Ningguang's heart jolt. As Liyue's top merchant, she immediately grasped what Su Han was trying to say.
"This creature, can it explore the sea?"
"Wow, Sister Ningguang, you could even guess that?!" Hu Tao could only say she was impressed. As expected of the Tianquan, she was just too smart.
Su Han chuckled. "Of course. And it's a wealth that will be our exclusive monopoly. If this is successful, we can get our hands on all the mineral veins at the bottom of the sea."
"Mineral veins? You mean…" Ningguang's breathing began to quicken.
She had originally thought the murlocs would just be for salvaging things from the sea, like working for Liyue by harvesting some fish, shrimp, or precious herbs. It was only when Su Han mentioned mineral veins that she understood just how terrifying his ambition was.
In her memory, the bottom of the sea was a place no one could explore. Perhaps the former kingdom of Khaenri'ah could have, but the current Seven Nations absolutely had no way of going deep into the seabed!
If they could excavate the seabed, Liyue would be unimaginably rich.
"Right. These murlocs are very weak. But they reproduce very quickly, and at the same time, their leader can obey Tao-tao's commands. Not to mention precious corals and things from the seabed, which these guys can freely harvest. The most crucial thing is that the bottom of the sea has even richer mineral veins than the land. When the murloc population has grown, we can use them for mining!"
Listening to the picture Su Han was painting, Ningguang couldn't help but draw in a cold breath.
Among the Seven Nations, the value of coral was extremely high, because it was all in the deep sea and very inconvenient to harvest.
Now they had a race that lived at the bottom of the sea. What did this mean?
It meant they could have as much Mora as they wanted! And it was all just for the taking.
The people of Fontaine, in particular, loved accessories made from this kind of material.
As for the mineral veins, that was even more of a game-changer. Currently, Liyue only had The Chasm. If they could open up underwater mines, it was exciting just to think about.
Ningguang looked at the murloc, was silent for a moment, and then said, "Should we get some of that medicine and give it to this murloc?"
"What medicine?"
"That medicine, of course! Isn't Hu Tao only able to summon two? We'll just treat them as breeding stock. We'll raise them in the nearby sea and add the medicine to their food every day. When they've outlived their usefulness, we'll just summon two more."
Su Han could only give her a thumbs-up. As expected of Ningguang. She's really maximizing the use of these two murlocs.
Hu Tao just smiled. "I have no problem with it! I'll listen to you all."
"Alright then, I'll leave this matter to Sucrose. She's an expert in biology. We must make this murloc reproduce as much as possible! If she needs anything, I will arrange for people to cooperate with her. As for you, Hu Tao, we're all family in Liyue. If you want to buy anything, just say the word to the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
Ningguang was being very generous, not even talking about Mora. After all, they were family. If she wanted to develop the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she would be given the greatest benefits. As long as they could develop the ocean, any price was worth paying. What was a mere bit of Mora?
Subsequently, Su Han and Hu Tao went to find Sucrose. When they had explained their intentions, the bespectacled girl was clearly taken aback. However, for her, induced breeding was not a difficult subject.
"Give me a little time. Come back tomorrow. I need to prepare the potion!" The things used on humans naturally couldn't be used directly on murlocs. It had to be carefully researched and tested. After all, this wasn't a one-time thing, but would involve many, many murlocs in the future. It was for this very reason that she had to study it repeatedly.
Su Han nodded. "Alright then, I'll leave the two murlocs with you. I'm going back to cultivate. What about you, Hu Tao?" He looked at the curious girl.
Hu Tao chuckled. "I want to see how Sucrose does her research. I'll skip today's training."
"Mm. But you can't be lazy tomorrow."
"It's a deal!"
The two of them hit it off.
As Su Han was walking, he opened the group's message window to check the rewards for the last mission.
[Ding! Congratulations to member Yae Miko for completing the 4-star Multiverse Mission. As the Group Leader, this mission has generated an additional strategic reward: 20,000 Points.]
[Ding! Congratulations to member Yae Miko for completing the 4-star mission. As the Group Leader, this mission has generated the primary strategic asset: Sword Kinesis Art.]
[Item Name]: Sword Kinesis Art
[Description]: The secret art of the Mt. Shu sect. Only officially initiated disciples can cultivate it.
[Note]: Uses one's own essence blood and core-fire to temper a flying sword. Not only does it make the weapon stronger, but it also strengthens the connection between the magical weapon and its master.
[Special]: After reaching the entry-level, one can fly on their sword.
"What? It's actually Sword Kinesis Art!"
Su Han looked at this reward, his face full of shock!
He had thought he would get the Five-Poison Beast, or maybe a technique like the "Flying Dragon-Thief Hand." He never expected that the mission's "requester" was actually Xu Changqing. This was wonderful.
Although Su Han had his own adeptal cranes to ride, how could riding a mount compare to flying on a sword?
Especially for someone who yearned for the world of xianxia, he was all the more fond of sword flight. And with this ability, it would be even easier to travel to Inazuma and Mondstadt.
Su Han quickly claimed the reward. A thousand-word manual on the Sword Kinesis Art flowed into his mind.
Extracting one's essence blood and refining it with core-fire. And one had to control the core-fire themselves, otherwise, if one was not careful, the weapon would shatter. Therefore, when cultivating the Sword Kinesis Art for the first time, one had to be fully concentrated, or the only result would be the weapon's destruction.
Su Han was naturally not afraid of this. Because he could activate his Transparent World while cultivating it, and after entering that state, his mind would be completely free of ripples, making it very simple to cultivate any art.
"Well then, let's give it a try."
Su Han drew his Tessusaiga, reverting it to its initial form. Then, he began to condense the essence blood in his body.
A drop of golden-purple liquid dripped onto the Tessusaiga.
At this time, Su Han quickly formed the sword-art mudra for the cultivation. The Pure Yang True Fire erupted forth.
With a sizzle, the Tessusaiga began to dance in the flames.
At this time, the sword spirit, not knowing what was happening, quickly cried out in a panic.
"Master, it's so hot! My body is so hot!"
"Don't be afraid, Tessusaiga. This is the Sword Kinesis Art. It will strengthen the connection between us, and it will also make you stronger!"
"Yes, Master."
Although the scorching heat on its body was very uncomfortable, the Tessusaiga obediently followed his command without any struggle.
The flames rolled and burned, and one after another, mysterious symbols were imprinted on it.
At this moment, the Pure Yang True Fire transformed into a hammer and began to strike the Tessusaiga. This was the core-fire tempering method. A total of nine strikes, each one would make the weapon stronger and more powerful.
BOOM!
The hammer of fire descended, and countless impurities gushed out from within the Tessusaiga. That was the original dross of the sword, now being expelled one by one.
BOOM!
The second hammer fell. Su Han's eyes lit up. He found that he could actually feel the Tessusaiga's current emotions. There was worry, fear, and at the same time, joy and anticipation. And the Tessusaiga could also clearly feel his own intentions.
BOOM!
The third hammer fell, and the Tessusaiga became even more resilient.
It was only after half an hour that the ninth strike had fallen. The Sword Kinesis Art was finally successful.
Su Han stroked the bright silver blade, a satisfied look on his face. This Sword Kinesis Art is truly wondrous.
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