Chapter 561: Chapter 561: Star Dust Magic Tools Released
Lu Jun stood up. With a single thought, he opened a void passage, stepped out of the Fiend Abyss, and descended into the Military Strategy Palace in the outside world.
Having refined the Triangular Dimensional Mirror, his control over dimensional techniques had become increasingly proficient.
His figure flickered as he glanced around, arriving at the center of dozens of towering buildings.
Nearby researchers and mage guards were startled, then hurried forward to greet him.
"Commander Lu!"
Seeing this, Lu Jun sized them up.
All of them were young, spirited, in their prime, with solid cultivation foundations and excellent overall quality.
He nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.
"Go on with your work."
"Yes!"
The few members left excitedly, as if seeing Lu Jun was an honor.
Some even secretly took photos, planning to show them off online.
Lu Jun walked toward an office deep within the building.
Zhao Manyan had already been waiting there.
The blond young man looked travel-worn and exhausted, yet his eyes shone brilliantly.
After two years of managing the Zhao Family, he had developed an air of authority and nobility.
At this moment, Lu Jun approached and called out with a laugh.
"Old Zhao, hahaha, long time no see."
Zhao Manyan’s eyes lit up when he saw him and rubbed his hands.
"The God of Wealth has arrived! So, have you decided? I’ve stockpiled Star Dust Magic Tools for four months, one hundred thousand of them. We’ll flood the market in one go and seize market share."
One hundred thousand Star Dust Magic Tools was an enormous number.
To be honest, their price had always been inflated.
A complete Servant-level Essence only cost five million, yet a Star Dust Magic Tool sold for twenty to thirty million, four to five times the cost, even before production expenses.
How many Star Dust Magic Tools did a single magic high school have?
There were over ten thousand ordinary high schools in the Nine Provinces, but fewer than a thousand magic high schools.
These one hundred thousand Star Dust Magic Tools could directly collapse the domestic market.
Even including the stock held by major clans, it likely hadn’t reached fifty thousand.
Of course, compared to the total number of entry-level mages, numbering in the tens of millions this amount was still limited.
How many could actually enjoy such tools?
If the Zhao Group targeted the international market, it would be different.
Prices would still drop, but not too drastically.
Even so, the impact would be earth-shaking.
Hearing this, Lu Jun smiled and shook his head.
"You’ve really thrown all your assets into this. Aren’t you afraid of massive losses?"
One hundred thousand Star Dust Magic Tools, even at cost, amounted to five hundred billion.
Even for the wealthy Zhao Family, that would hurt deeply.
If it failed, their vitality would be severely damaged, and all industries would shrink by a fifth.
Zhao Manyan laughed and cursed.
"And you’re talking about me? Aren’t you just as crazy? One hundred thousand Servant-level Essences!"
Lu Jun smiled indifferently.
One hundred thousand Servant-level Essences corresponded to at least two million undead.
Even for an undead empire, that would be a heavy loss.
But the calculation wasn’t that simple.
Essences from Warrior, Commander, and Monarch levels offset part of the cost.
The main source was those newly risen undead Monarchs.
Additionally, the several hundred newly awakened undead mages under Lu Jun’s command could gather residual souls and refine Essences.
That alone saved a significant amount.
Add in the daily natural deaths and the demons hunted regularly by human hunters, it was more than sufficient.
Besides, Star Dust Magic Tool production could cut corners a bit.
Reduce one-third of the Servant Essence used.
Though that would shorten durability and lifespan, it was actually beneficial.
It ensured the tools had a usage cycle, preventing one tool from being passed down for decades.
Lu Jun didn’t believe Egypt didn’t do the same.
They might even cut half, setting lifespans at twenty years or even ten!
But as a monopoly, they never disclosed it.
He reminded Zhao Manyan:
"Your method is too aggressive. It’ll provoke the anger of various factions. Wouldn’t a gradual approach be better?"
Zhao Manyan sneered.
"That would take five or even ten years to slowly take over the market. With the Ocean Demon Empire invading, can the Nine Provinces afford to wait? We must at least double the availability of Star Dust Magic Tools in magic high schools."
That statement made sense.
Star Dust Magic Tools were extremely important for magic high schools.
These newly awakened young mages were the future.
Back then, Lu Jun himself had relied on a Star Cloud Magic Tool to build his foundation.
He believed that if magic high schools had Star Cloud Magic Tools, they could produce a weakened version of himself that is, without the Calamity Talent or Emperor-level origin.
In other words, geniuses on Zhao Jing’s level.
If Star Dust Magic Tools doubled, then talents like Mu Ningxue and Mo Fan would also double.
Ten or twenty years later, that would mean double the number of Forbidden Curse mages.
Lu Jun teased, "Tsk tsk, Old Zhao, not bad. Didn’t expect a spoiled young master like you to care about the world?"
"Heh." Zhao Manyan replied unhappily,
"What do you take us for? At the level above major clans, it’s not something just any family can achieve. We must be tightly bound to the authorities, rise and fall with the nation, think of the country’s needs, and act in its urgency."
"The greater our contribution to the Nine Provinces, the more stable our position becomes."
Zhao Manyan continued, "I don’t really have a choice either. The Yangtze Academy Alliance, when they order Star Dust Magic Tools from Egypt, it’s often ten-year or twenty-year contracts, even fifty-year ones. Otherwise, it wouldn’t even be their turn to buy."
"Now that the monopoly is broken, they’re the ones suffering the most. A gradual approach might not provoke them into immediate action, but the elimination process would be long, and we might even face blockades."
"You came to the Zhao Family for this matter at the right time. Other slightly weaker clans like the Dongfang Clan, Mu Clan, or Bai Family can at most sell within their own spheres of influence, and even then under internal restrictions. Only my Zhao Family has the channels to withstand pressure and sell across the entire country."
Zhao Manyan hesitated, "As for the international market, we’re lacking. It’s not that we don’t have channels, but afterward we’d have to face a full-scale retaliation from Egypt. Taking on the full force of a regional power is too much even for my Zhao Family."
Hearing this, Lu Jun nodded. The strength of a nation could not be underestimated.
"So my plan is this: since the international market is unreliable sooner or later, we might as well give it up for now. Focus all our strength on deeply cultivating the Nine Provinces market. Directly crush all forces related to Star Dust Magic Tools and unify the domestic market."
Zhao Manyan spoke with high spirits, "At that point, even if the international market blocks us, so what? I’ll have my own foundation, self-production and self-sale. Then we can slowly observe the global situation and expand step by step."
Hearing this, Lu Jun agreed.
This approach would also stagger the pressure from various factions.
First deal with the Yangtze Academy Alliance. After expanding into Asia, then consider dealing with Su Lu. Only when truly going international would they face Egypt’s national power.
Otherwise, if all these forces united at once, Lu Jun wasn’t certain he could withstand it.
The two talked for quite a while, finalizing their strategy.
Zhao Manyan left excitedly, saying they would see results in three days.
Lu Jun was also full of anticipation.
If this deal succeeded, he would no longer lack money.
He could buy rare metals and hand them to Taiyi Golden Light for analysis, forging the divine weapon Tai’a Sword.
After finishing his discussion with Zhao Manyan, he went to inspect the various projects, especially Feng Zhoulong’s Fusion Magic, which was said to have made a breakthrough.
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