Chapter 149: Predicament

Jie Ming landed on a patch of hardened igneous rock.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he sensed something unusual—the rock felt unnaturally solid.

Without hesitation, he pried up a large chunk of stone with his bare hands.

Placing it on the ground, he activated his Alchemy Technique, probing the rock’s internal structure with his mental energy.

His mental force seeped in like quicksilver, analyzing its composition.

Upon “seeing” the rock’s inner makeup, Jie Ming’s eyes widened in shock.

He discovered that the rock contained an astonishing eighty percent metal content!

Its structure was incredibly complex, composed of seven or eight distinct metals, including some that qualified as extraordinary materials!

This was no ordinary igneous rock—it was practically a natural, massive metal ingot!

Suppressing his excitement, Jie Ming didn’t pause.

He quickly tested other rocks solidified beneath nearby volcanoes and even extracted samples of flowing lava for analysis.

The results stunned him further.

Whether solidified rock or molten lava, the metal content ranged between sixty and ninety percent!

This surpassed the scope of mere mineral veins!

It was fair to say this was a plane entirely composed of metal deposits!

Rather than calling the volcanoes’ flows lava, it was more accurate to describe them as molten metal.

“Such abundant mineral resources?!” Jie Ming’s voice trembled. “This truly deserves to be called the ‘Land of Steel’…”

The entire plane was a colossal natural smelting furnace, constantly melting deep subterranean metal ores and solidifying them into metal-rich rocks.

This was a paradise for any alchemist!

Even without particularly rare metals, the sheer volume of these mineral reserves was enough to make most wizards green with envy.

“Noren Workshop is truly generous…”

After all, during the plane’s cleanup, the wizards surely assessed its mineral wealth, yet Noren Workshop still offered it as a reward.

Such magnanimity!

Amid his elation, Jie Ming activated the teleportation array to return to the Golden Garden.

When he first learned he could choose a plane, he had begun formulating plans.

Now, discovering the Infernal Sulfur Plane’s exceptional qualities, he couldn’t wait to begin its transformation.

Back in the Golden Garden’s underground laboratory, Jie Ming swiftly activated his magic network terminal, eagerly contacting Mentor Clark.

“Mentor, I need to consult about seventh-rank large-scale elemental pools,” Jie Ming said directly, his tone brimming with uncontainable excitement.

On the other end of the terminal, Mentor Clark’s figure appeared, calmly observing Jie Ming with a knowing look. “It seems you’re very pleased with that demon plane.”

“Extremely pleased, Mentor!” Jie Ming didn’t hide his enthusiasm. “Its resources exceed imagination.”

“I know its potential is vast; the workshop is always generous,” Clark interrupted, his tone leveling. “But regarding seventh-rank large-scale elemental pools… Jie Ming, you have no need for equipment of that level right now.”

Jie Ming was momentarily taken aback.

“Not to mention seventh-rank, even sixth-rank large-scale elemental pools are sufficient as the core energy source for planar war fortresses. With knowledge of a plane’s specific rules and energy data, even a fifth-rank pool can meet most demands for high-intensity planar warfare,” Clark explained, his voice devoid of emotion. “Even my own Wizard Tower currently uses only a sixth-rank large-scale elemental pool.”

He continued, “Such pools are extraordinarily complex to craft, with a frighteningly high failure rate. Even in Noren Workshop, few would openly sell them. The seventh-rank pools you mentioned are typically found only on the private commission lists of top-tier wizards.”

Jie Ming was well aware of this.

Though he had begun developing elemental storage rune artifacts and easily acquired small-scale elemental pools, the technical complexity and power of large-scale pools were on an entirely different level.

To compare, small-scale pools were like high-capacity household batteries, while standard large-scale pools were akin to nuclear power plants.

A seventh-rank large-scale elemental pool? That was practically a Dyson sphere.

If fifth-rank pools drew energy by connecting to the four elemental planes, sixth-rank pools created a projection of an elemental plane.

As for seventh-rank pools, they essentially birthed a miniature elemental plane.

Such creations transcended mortal limits, their crafting difficulty and resource demands reaching daunting heights.

Even with Jie Ming’s second-rank cultivation agreement granting unlimited purchasing power, items absent from the market couldn’t be bought.

This was precisely why he hoped to leverage Mentor Clark’s connections to find someone capable of crafting such equipment.

The saying that Noren Workshop’s logistical division was its backbone was no joke.

Though usually understated, Mentor Clark was part of a faction.

He belonged to Noren Workshop’s alchemy division, and all students majoring in alchemy automatically became its apprentices.

Of course, many apprentices perished during their growth, but the survivors were still numerous.

From Clark’s offhand remarks and Jie Ming’s own research, the alchemy division alone boasted over twenty seventh-rank wizards and hundreds of sixth-rank ones.

They were typically scattered across Noren Academies or planar frontlines, making their numbers less apparent.

But this number of high-tier wizards was sufficient to craft a seventh-rank large-scale elemental pool.

“Mentor, I understand the difficulty,” Jie Ming said firmly. “But I have my reasons. Ordinary elemental pools can’t fully meet my needs.”

He didn’t elaborate, but after a brief silence, Clark didn’t press further.

Every wizard was responsible for their actions, and he trusted Jie Ming wasn’t reckless or ignorant of priorities.

This disciple always delivered unexpected surprises.

“Very well,” Clark said, a faint sigh in his voice. “I can try contacting my mentor. He might do me this favor, but he certainly won’t craft it for free.”

Jie Ming’s heart leaped, but then Clark raised a critical issue—compensation.

“I told you at enrollment that wizards value equivalent exchange,” Clark said, his tone growing stern.

“Even for my mentor, crafting a seventh-rank pool requires assistance from multiple same-rank alchemy wizards. Even as my disciple’s disciple, he’d need to cover material and base costs. Those ‘base costs’ are an almost impossible price for a wizard of your level.”

He projected a document to Jie Ming’s terminal. “This is Noren Workshop’s best discounted price for a sixth-rank large-scale elemental pool. Even so, the points required are substantial. With your current wealth, it’s quite challenging.”

Jie Ming opened the terminal, and upon seeing the figure, his pupils constricted.

It was an astronomical number, exceeding his total points.

He had thought his points were substantial, but a sixth-rank pool’s “base cost” was terrifying.

Jie Ming did some quick calculations.

Even with refined gold—a premium material with steady demand—and a constant supply of raw materials, tirelessly crafting and selling it to amass the points for a sixth-rank pool would take a decade.

This assumed the workshop continued buying his refined gold at a high price.

But reality wasn’t so kind. He wouldn’t allow himself to waste ten years.

Even if he produced that much refined gold, its market price would drop.

Despite its excellent resistance properties, refined gold was merely a fifth-rank material in wizards’ eyes.

The wizarding civilization had countless such materials.

A seventh-rank pool’s cost would be even more staggering.

“Of course, if you believe you can earn such points quickly, I can make the arrangements. But understand, this isn’t a trifling promise,” Clark emphasized.

Jie Ming fell into thought.

He genuinely needed a seventh-rank pool—it was integral to his plans.

But the immense point requirement was a formidable obstacle.

Spending a decade mining and selling wasn’t an option; it defeated the purpose of progress.

Fortunately, Jie Ming wasn’t entirely clueless.

Some things needed verification, though, and couldn’t be confirmed quickly.

“I understand, Mentor Clark. I’ll give you an answer within two months.”

Seeing Jie Ming’s demeanor, Clark’s interest piqued. “Oh? You already have a plan. Interesting. I’m looking forward to it. Fine, if you can solve the points issue, I’ll make the contact!”

“Thank you for your trouble!”