Chapter 3642: Theft
Chapter 3642: Theft
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"No need to care. Those pirates were unruly and untamed by nature. This failure would just teach them a lesson," Duke Windy said, waving his hand. "But I am rather curious. How did Cao Ge obtain so many sapphire crystals? Where did they come from?"
"I heard from my subordinates that Cao Ge’s Chamber of Commerce found a way to mine them. They had become suspicious of the spies we planted inside their guild, so those spies were not present during the mining. The exact situation is unclear to them."
Seth then smiled and said, "Even if they were lucky enough to obtain the sapphire crystals, so what? In the end, aren’t they still going to be yours, my Lord?"
"Heh, well said."
Seth then cupped his hands toward the other merchant guild leaders and said, "I heard this batch contains dozens of tons of high-purity sapphire. When the time comes, I ask all of you to help with its distribution. I will make sure everyone is satisfied with the price."
"Hahaha, easy to say, easy to say..."
All the merchants present already felt they had secured Cao Ge’s goods and laughed loudly.
Not only could it eliminate Cao Ge from the Empire Chamber of Commerce competition, but it could also make a huge profit. Truly killing two birds with one stone!
"Duke."
At that moment, a knight attendant hurried into the reception hall and whispered a few words into Duke Windy’s ear.
After listening, Duke Windy’s smile faded, and his expression became more serious.
Seth suddenly felt a bad premonition and asked, "Duke Windy, has something happened?"
"The princess had recently asked about this matter. I am afraid it would not pass so easily. Go and make sure the evidence is carefully prepared. Do not leave any loopholes."
"Understood. I have already arranged it. There should be news soon."
"Good. I have always been reassured by your work."
The group continued talking and laughing.
Seth believed he had already made full preparations. Even if the princess intervened, she would not find any flaws.
However, soon after, there was a sudden commotion outside the reception hall.
"The Duke is meeting guests. You cannot enter."
"We have urgent matters to report to Mr. Seth! Mr. Seth! Are you inside!"
Seth frowned and thought his subordinates were in such a hurry that something might have gone wrong.
"Duke, those outside are my subordinates. It may be something important," Seth said.
"Mm," Duke Windy said, raising his hand.
The hall doors opened, and two merchant guild subordinates hurried in.
"What is it?" Seth asked.
"Emergency. Our people monitoring the Bay Guard reported that the sapphire ore shipment confiscated from Cao Ge’s merchant guild had disappeared."
Disappeared?
Seth’s eyelid twitched, and he blurted out, "Impossible!"
Who could move so many ores silently and without anyone noticing in such a short time?
...
Morning.
Princess Willow finished dressing and went to the reception hall.
She heard that Cao Ge’s guild had been waiting in the hall since last night.
So urgent?
Perhaps they had found new evidence.
Over the years, Willow had gradually become involved in imperial affairs. She had seen corruption within the Empire, and therefore, she had recommended Cao Ge’s inclusion in the Empire Chamber of Commerce competition as a form of testing.
The trouble Cao Ge’s guild encountered made her realize the situation was likely very deep.
Willow composed herself and entered the reception hall.
"Your Highness."
Cao Ge and the others greeted her.
"Are you in such a hurry to request an audience because of the seized goods? Or have you found any conclusive evidence proving the ownership of the ore?"
"Sorry, Your Highness. This shipment was self-collected by us, without purchase proof. We are not here regarding that matter. In fact, our guild has made a discovery. We respectfully ask Your Highness to move to the courtyard."
Not about the confiscated goods?
Willow found it strange but nodded. She followed the attendants out of the hall into the courtyard, where she saw a large wooden box placed there.
"Your Highness, this is the newly developed alchemy puppet of our guild. Please inspect it."
Cao Ge took out a crystal rune used to control the alchemy puppet and infused it with mental strength.
"Bang!!"
The wooden box was pushed open from the inside, and a hand reached out.
A sapphire alchemy puppet slowly climbed out of the box.
"This is..."
A sapphire alchemy puppet?!
The puppet was bulky and heavy, and its movements looked somewhat clumsy as it climbed out of the box.
But no one laughed.
The imperial guards stared at the puppet with shocked expressions.
Willow’s expression gradually became serious. She nodded to a guard and said, "Go and test it."
"Yes!"
The guard flashed forward, appearing instantly in front of the sapphire puppet and slashing with his blade.
"Bang!"
A white mark was left on the puppet’s outer shell.
The puppet suddenly turned and punched toward the guard.
The guard quickly raised his blade to block.
"Boom!"
A powerful force surged through him, forcing him to step back as he stared at the puppet in shock.
Not only was its defense astonishing, but its strength was also absurdly high.
Impressive!
Willow felt a shift in her thoughts. Having been on the front lines, she understood warfare well. Such a construct would be an extremely powerful weapon on the battlefield.
She signaled the guard to step back and asked, "This alchemy puppet is a military-controlled item and must not circulate in the market. Have you mastered a mature production method?"
"Yes. The production is very difficult and requires a great deal of effort to complete. It also requires a large amount of sapphire crystals for future construction. At present, only ten units have been produced."
Cao Ge did not dare to exaggerate.
Ten alchemy puppets were already extremely terrifying.
If they said hundreds like Fang Heng, it would look like a rebellion.
Cao Ge kept his posture very humble and said sincerely, "We are willing to sell this to the Empire, and we also hope to receive Imperial assistance to quickly unseal the confiscated sapphire crystals."
Willow was once again shocked.
Ten?
So many?
The sapphire puppets were extremely heavy and large, not very suitable for naval combat, but more suited for land defense.
However, she vaguely felt that things were not that simple.
Willow gave Cao Ge a suspicious look and said, "I will report this to His Majesty. I will try my best to secure a reasonable price for you. But before I reply, the information about the alchemy puppet must not be leaked. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
As they were speaking, a guard came over and whispered into Willow’s ear.
Huh?
The sapphire shipment on the ship had been stolen?
Willow’s eyes flashed with surprise as she turned to look at Cao Ge, suspicion appearing in her gaze.