The Rich Cultivator

Chapter 788: 788. Suzuka’s Astonishment ; New Product

After Elder Vance left the office, Tyler closed the door and walked toward one of the wooden cabinets standing against the wall. He opened it, took out a thick scroll, several sheets of blank paper, and a notebook filled with sketches before returning to his desk.

He spread everything neatly across the table and immediately began drawing.

His movements were smooth and practiced. Every line was drawn with confidence, as though the design had already been completed countless times inside his mind.

Suzuka stood quietly to one side.

Although she had been assigned as Tyler’s bodyguard, she had no idea what she was actually supposed to do. After hesitating for a moment, she respectfully spoke.

"Young Master, if you need anything, please leave it to me. Whether it is fetching scrolls, preparing materials, or delivering messages, I will take care of it."

Tyler didn’t even raise his head as he continued drawing.

"There’s no need to stand there all the time. Sit down if you’re tired, or do whatever you like. If someone knocks on the door, answer it for me. Unless it’s something important, there’s no need to let them inside."

"I understand."

Suzuka nodded before quietly taking a seat opposite Tyler.

For the next few minutes, silence filled the room.

Unable to suppress her curiosity, she secretly glanced toward the papers spread across the desk.

Tyler wasn’t engraving formation arrays.

He was only drawing.

Various straight lines, circles, symbols, and strange patterns gradually appeared on the paper. They looked somewhat similar to formations, yet they also felt completely different.

Seeing that Tyler didn’t seem bothered by her presence, Suzuka finally asked,

"Young Master, are you creating a new formation?"

Tyler smiled slightly while continuing his work.

"Not exactly."

He drew another line before casually asking,

"Senior Suzuka should be an Inner Sect disciple, right?"

Suzuka smiled faintly.

"You don’t have to call me Senior. Just call me Suzuka."

She paused briefly before continuing,

"I entered the Inner Sect decades ago. My main cultivation path is the Sword Dao."

"Oh?"

Tyler finally looked up with some interest.

"I heard that not everyone in the Dark Forest Society learns ordinary sword techniques."

Suzuka nodded proudly.

"My inheritance is somewhat special."

"I cultivate the Sword Dao by communicating with the souls of ancient swordsmen."

"When I first entered the Secret Realm of Fallen Heroes, an ancient sword soul acknowledged me as its successor. Since then, I have continuously learned sword techniques from countless ancient warriors."

"It is considered a rare opportunity."

Tyler nodded thoughtfully.

"I’ve heard about that inheritance."

"Only cultivators recognized by those ancient souls can receive their teachings."

"Many disciples enter the secret realm, yet only a handful are chosen."

"You really are fortunate."

Suzuka smiled slightly.

Receiving praise from someone like Tyler made her feel unexpectedly pleased.

She quietly observed him.

Like most disciples of the Dark Forest Society, her complexion was somewhat pale due to spending years cultivating underground and inside secret realms. Her long blue hair hung naturally behind her back, giving her an elegant yet gloomy appearance.

She suddenly realized Tyler hadn’t stopped drawing even while talking.

His concentration never wavered.

"What exactly are you making?" she finally asked.

Tyler replied casually, "The product I mentioned to Elder Vance."

"The new product?" Suzuka’s curiosity immediately increased. "So these are the design drafts?"

Tyler shook his head.

"I already know what I’m going to make. I’m only figuring out the easiest way to produce it."

After thinking for a moment, he looked toward Suzuka.

"Suzuka."

"Yes?"

"Go to the warehouse and bring me Level One spirit paper made from spirit wood. I also need ink made from Qi Realm beast blood. The cheaper the better."

Suzuka blinked. The materials Tyler requested were extremely ordinary.

Level One spirit paper was the most common paper used by cultivators. It was produced from low-grade spirit trees containing a small amount of spiritual energy.

Similarly, Qi Realm beast blood ink was the cheapest formation ink available. Neither material was considered valuable.

Without asking any questions, Suzuka immediately stood up.

Just as she reached the door, Tyler suddenly remembered something.

"Wait."

He tossed a white token toward her. Suzuka instinctively caught it. The token was carved into the shape of a floating white cloud.

"For now, use this as identification. I haven’t officially introduced you to everyone yet. If you wander around without proof of identity, someone might mistake you for an intruder."

Suzuka nodded gratefully.

"I understand."

Not long afterward, she returned carrying several bundles of spirit paper along with different bottles of ink.

Instead of bringing only one type, she had carefully selected several varieties with different qualities and prices.

Tyler looked at the materials and nodded with satisfaction.

"Very thoughtful."

Suzuka smiled faintly before placing everything onto the desk.

Tyler selected one of the cheapest sheets of spirit paper before dipping a feather pen into ordinary ink.

Instead of drawing formations...

He simply drew several straight lines across the paper.

Horizontal lines. Vertical lines. Diagonal lines.

When he finished, he handed the paper to Suzuka.

"Fold this into a paper crane."

Suzuka looked at him in surprise.

"A paper crane?"

Tyler nodded.

"Just fold it normally."

Although confused, Suzuka carefully folded the paper according to his instructions.

Her hands were surprisingly skillful.

Within moments, an elegant paper crane rested upon her palm. Tyler accepted it and examined every fold.

"It looks beautiful."

After complimenting her, he slowly unfolded the paper again.

Suzuka became even more puzzled.

Tyler ignored her confused expression and carefully observed every crease left behind by the folding process.

He quietly compared the folding marks with the lines he had drawn earlier.

From time to time, he wrote notes inside his notebook.

About ten minutes later, Tyler finally smiled, "Done.."

He immediately picked up another sheet of paper. This time, instead of ordinary ink, he used beast blood ink. However, the formation he drew looked extremely strange.

Rather than forming a complete array, countless formation symbols were separated into individual fragments scattered across different parts of the paper.

At first glance...

It appeared completely broken.

Even Suzuka, who wasn’t a Formation Master, could tell that the formation made no sense.

After finishing the drawing, Tyler handed the paper over.

"Fold it into the same paper crane."

Suzuka obediently followed his instructions.

As the paper gradually folded, something unexpected happened. The disconnected formation fragments slowly aligned with one another. Each fold caused another section of the formation to connect perfectly.

By the time the paper crane was completed...

The originally incomplete formation had transformed into a complete spiritual array.

Suzuka’s eyes widened.

"It... actually combined together."

Tyler smiled.

"The formation isn’t connected while the paper remains flat. It only becomes complete after being folded into its intended shape."

Suzuka couldn’t help asking,

"What does it do?"

Instead of answering directly, Tyler accepted the paper crane. He inserted small amount of energy and casually tossed it into the air.

The paper crane immediately emitted a soft white light. Its body rapidly expanded.

Within seconds, it had grown from the size of a palm into something nearly as large as a motorcycle.

Its wings slowly flapped while spiritual energy gathered beneath its body. It floated steadily in front of them.

Suzuka stared blankly.

"A flying artifact..."

Tyler jumped onto its back and smiled.

"Come. Let’s test it."

Suzuka hesitated briefly before stepping onto the back of the enormous paper crane.

The moment both of them sat down, Tyler injected a strand of spiritual energy into the formation.

The crane immediately flew toward the open window.

In the next instant... It soared into the sky.

The paper crane glided smoothly through the air with surprising stability.

Its speed wasn’t particularly astonishing, but it was more than sufficient for ordinary travel.

Suzuka looked around in amazement.

Flying boats felt heavy and stable. Flying swords were fast but difficult for ordinary cultivators.

This...

Felt completely different.

The paper crane floated lightly through the wind, making the entire experience feel far more relaxed.

After circling Darknow City several times, Tyler gradually increased its speed.

The crane dived sharply before rising once again. Suzuka instinctively grabbed Tyler’s shoulder.

"Young Master! Should we really be testing it at this height?"

Tyler laughed.

"Don’t worry. I’ve have enough life-saving talismans. Even if we fall, we’ll survive."

Although Suzuka still felt somewhat nervous, she gradually relaxed.

The paper crane continued gliding through the clouds before finally returning to the White Dragon Tower.

After landing inside the office, the enormous paper crane slowly shrank back into an ordinary sheet of paper.

Moments later...

The spiritual energy inside the paper completely dispersed. The paper itself turned brittle before crumbling into fine dust.

Tyler wasn’t surprised.

Everything had happened exactly according to his calculations. He immediately opened his notebook and began writing observations.

"Single-use spirit paper.

Effective lifespan: 2 or 3 flights.

Maximum carrying capacity: approximately two hundred kilograms.

The lighter the load, the greater the flying speed and altitude.

Not recommended for high-altitude travel.

Unsuitable for combat due to the low durability of the paper.

Extremely low manufacturing cost."

Suzuka looked at the notebook before asking curiously,

"Young Master... how much are you planning to sell it for?" Tyler performed a quick calculation, "The materials cost less than one spirit stone. We’ll wholesale them to merchants and pavilions for two spirit stones each. They can resell them for three spirit stones and still earn one spirit stone in profit."

"As for the White Merchant Group... We’ll continue selling them directly for two spirit stones as an exclusive member price. But only for limited."

Suzuka’s beautiful eyes widened.

"Only... three spirit stones?"

She had expected it to be affordable.

She simply hadn’t expected it to be this affordable.

Almost any Qi Refining cultivator could save enough spirit stones to purchase one.

Tyler smiled with satisfaction.

"Transportation shouldn’t be a luxury. It should be something every cultivator can afford."

He looked once more at the pile of ordinary spirit paper on the table before nodding to himself.

"Since everything has been decided... We’ll call it... The White Paper Crane."