754: Chapter 473 I’ll Take Charge 754: Chapter 473 I’ll Take Charge Xu Yuan remained silent, still offering no words.
He understood why his father had left the matter of Xu Xinyao to him to solve.
Their father was well aware that although the path Xu Xinyao had found was feasible, it was also a dead end.
Because it was too late.
The current situation was like an arrow on the bowstring, unable to be held back any longer.
If the Imperial Court were dominated solely by the Pri Minister’s Mansion’s edicts, then there might have been a sliver of possibility, but the Imperial Court also consisted of the Imperial Family, including the dying Emperor.
Li Yaoxuan would never agree.
From the start, the policy set by the old father and the Emperor was to conclude with war, and the power they wielded over the decades was exercised to strive toward this end.
Even if the father inford him of this plan, the result would likely just be a falling out.
At this juncture in Li Yaoxuan’s life, revealing this sche to him would only feel like a betrayal, a complete and utter betrayal.
Because even if all of Xu Xinyao’s current research material was presented to Li Yaoxuan, it would not be enough to prove the viability of the Soul Nourishing Ring, nor could it ascertain how long it would take for the technology to mature.
Li Yaoxuan couldn’t wait.
After his death, under the helm of Xu Yinhè, no one in the Pri Minister’s Mansion would be able to restrain him.
The prestige Xu Yinhè had built up over the decades was too high.
With Li Yaoxuan’s restraint gone and approving this plan, throughout the lengthy developnt process of the Soul Nourishing Ring, everything on the court would gradually be consud by him.
Therefore, this matter fundantally could not be disclosed to the current sole ally of the Pri Minister’s Mansion.
And this point was unsolvable.
The current situation was already very clear; the Emperor nad Li Yaoxuan wanted to do sothing before his death to maintain the rule of the Imperial Family.
Otherwise, he would not be so eager to annihilate the Barbarian Tribes, nor would he be so hasty in taking action against the Northern Border Sects.
For over the past year, it was Emperor Li Yaoxuan who took the initiative to make his moves, while the old father simply followed up cooperatively.
But every move made by Li Yaoxuan was a dangerous gambit.
A single misstep, and it would all be beyond redemption.
If it were not for the supplies brought to the Barbarian Tribes’ war through the Suru Ring provided from inside the Qionghua Secret Realm, if it weren’t for the information gained from the “Cangyuan Chronicles,” then under the leadership of the Barbarian King Chi Feng, the Barbarian Tribes would have already breached the massive fortress, Northern Border City, lying between the Extre Black Lands and the Three Prefectures of the Northern Frontier.
The battle to annihilate the Northern Border Sects was a perilous fuse; if the Sect Alliance did not appease and were unwilling to give up the Northern Border Sects, then the entire world would instantly be engulfed in warfare.
At this critical ti, asking him to stop was simply an impossibility.
Thinking this, Xu Yuan wanted to tell his younger sister all these things, but the words choked in his throat.
It seed too cruel.
This younger sister had gone to great lengths to finally find the right path, yet to be told it was a dead end would undoubtedly be too severe a blow for her.
Looking at her cautious and hopeful eyes, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and asked softly,
“With the full support of the Geotry Institute, Xinyao, how long do you think it will take to make a prototype?”
Xu Xinyao’s eyes brightened slightly:
“I have yet to co into contact with Senior Luo’s Soul Ring, so I cannot be sure of the ti required.”
Xu Yuan pondered for a mont before continuing to inquire:
“Just give an approximation.”
Hearing Xu Yuan’s relaxed tone, the sparkle in Xu Xinyao’s eyes lessened considerably, and her strained voice regained its steadiness as she quickly replied,
“At the shortest, one year, or at the longest…
perhaps a decade or more.”
“Clap.”
Xu Yuan clapped his hands together and straightened up, his tone becoming serious,
“That’s far too long.
“Setting aside whether it’s possible to succeed, just the idea that a single prototype in your conception requires such a lengthy period, doubling the ti to reduce costs for mass production would not be unreasonable.
By such calculations, it would be decades.
“Moreover, even if mass production were achievable, preparing the complentary facilities would present the greatest challenge.”
Hearing these words, Xu Xinyao’s bright eyes suddenly dimd.
As a top-tier Formation Master, she was, of course, well aware of these issues but had chosen to overlook them.
All advanced facilities, all Formation Patterns, all apparatuses operated on Origin Qi, and the energy source for the Soul Nourishing Ring ca from the Yin Source produced by specters.
These were two utterly different energies; to say the interoperability was poor would be an understatent; there was none.
To implent this plan would necessitate a large-scale and cumberso renovation project.
To modify the city’s protective formation for energy extraction, the energy supply thod of apparatuses, and to retrofit those devices to be charged with Yin Source.
And more importantly, a substantial number of Yin Ghosts would be needed as the energy source.
All these tasks were part of an extensive process.
“Sigh…”
Xu Yuan sighed softly, murmuring,
“Xinyao, all the resources within the Pri Minister’s Mansion are being marshaled in anticipation of a potential war, leaving no spare capacity to support your grand project.
That’s probably why father refused you.”
Xu Xinyao’s head drooped powerlessly, like a wounded little animal, her delicate body trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan raised his hand and gently touched the soft hair of the young girl, saying softly,
“If father cannot give you what you need, then let give it to you instead.”
Xu Xinyao sprang to her feet at once, with brilliance returning to her eyes:
“Brother, are you willing to help persuade father?”
Xu Yuan averted his gaze, speaking low,
“I’ve already told you, father will never agree, and it’s impossible even if I try to persuade him.”
The girl’s exquisitely beautiful face froze in surprise, she pursed her lips and cautiously said:
“But…
but Xinyao rembers that you have no money now…”
“Thump.”
Xu Yuan raised his hand and delivered a chop to the girl’s head.
In pain, Xu Xinyao stepped back half a step, clutching her head, and stared at him waiting for what Xu Yuan would say next.
Xu Yuan huffed lightly and glanced towards the direction of the door, then directly controlled the black will-spirit in his Sea of Consciousness to envelop the entire compartnt.
In an instant, the compartnt, brightly illuminated by the Inscription Lamp, was shrouded in a black fog impenetrable by the will-spirit.
The following words needed to be isolated from everything.
Even his father must not be inford.
Caught off guard by this sudden change and subrged into darkness, Xu Xinyao involuntarily cried out:
“Ah…”
“This is my spellcraft,” Xu Yuan softly comforted.
Hearing his voice, Xu Xinyao instinctively reached out in the darkness and grabbed the hem of the man’s clothes in front of her:
“Why..
why is this?”
“Don’t be afraid.”
Xu Yuan didn’t answer the question and softly said:
“Once father returns to the mansion, I will ask him to assign three top-tier Formation Masters and two top-tier Artifact Refiners for you, and for research personnel below the top grade, you should have your own connections within the Geotry Institute.
Will this human resource allocation be okay?”
Xinyao was slightly hesitant upon hearing this.
Top-tier Formation Masters and Artifact Refiners were treasures of the Pri Minister’s Mansion, with profound knowledge such that each could almost lead a research project on their own.
Although for the entire vast project, it still seed sowhat insufficient, this must be the limit of what her third brother could do.
Thinking this, Xu Xinyao gently nodded and then imdiately realized it was pitch black around them, and her brother might not be able to see.
She was about to speak when she heard his voice:
“If that is enough, then we’re on to funds and materials.”
That’s right, this was her brother’s spellcraft; he definitely could see.
With this thought, Xu Xinyao asked:
“Third Brother, all your money was taken by Lou Ji…”
“Money is just a number, don’t worry about it too much.”
“……” Xu Xinyao.
“All right, all right.”
Xu Yuan sighed and continued in a low voice: “I know you might think that without father’s help, I have no financial source, but actually, I have other channels.”
Xu Xinyao blinked and asked softly, “Extortion?”
“…..” Xu Yuan.
To be honest, he had considered this idea.
But not extortion, rather a loan.
Li Junqing was quite wealthy, and seed unlikely to refuse a loan request from his life-or-death friend.
Moreover, after that night’s long talk with the Crown Prince, he knew that the Crown Prince might be heading to Japan, and considering his temperant, revealing his identity was probably within an acceptable range for him.
However, being seen in such a light by his own sister still sohow irked Xu Yuan.
It was as if he was soone known for extorting money from others.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan raised his hand and pinched the girl’s soft cheek, causing a flush to spread:
“Don’t worry about where my money cos from, as long as I can provide it to you, is an initial provision of a million taels of silver enough for the preparations?”
“Not enough,” Xu Xinyao replied imdiately without hesitation.
“A million taels is not enough?!” Xu Yuan was stunned.
Converted into currency from his previous life, a million Patterned Silver amounted to a huge sum of 1.5 billion, yet it was still not enough even for the preliminary preparations.
With a face slightly flushed, Xu Xinyao explained in a low voice:
“The Sky-Peering Instrunt needs repairs, the costs for Formation Masters can be saved thanks to my involvent, but purchasing various materials and repairing the site even at internal prices from Grandpa Hua Hong, a million Patterned Silver is indeed not enough.”
The Geotry Institute and Tian’an Comrce Assembly were two separate entities under the jurisdiction of the Pri Minister’s Mansion.
If there were a direct order from that old father, Tian’an Comrce Assembly could indeed provide all kinds of materials for free, but if it were to be arranged privately, it would require money to purchase.
Conducting research is truly damn expensive, oh no, it’s burning Source Crystals.
Sighing to himself, Xu Yuan raised his hand and massaged his temples, asking:
“So roughly how much silver do you need?”
“About…
five million taels,” Xu Xinyao, not seeing Xu Yuan’s expression, tentatively ventured: “If that’s not possible, three million taels should also be barely enough.”
“Five million taels…
you really are a gold-eating beast.”
Xu Yuan forcefully pinched his younger sister’s cheek: “I know, just wait, I’ll figure it out.”
Xu Xinyao flinched in pain, but her beautiful eyes shone with laughter in the darkness:
“Okay…
sure.”
After responding, Xu Xinyao suddenly rembered sothing and beca hesitant, whispering:
“Brother, without father’s command, Senior Luo probably won’t hand the Soul Ring over to for research…”
Xu Yuan laughed upon hearing this:
“You go and call him over tomorrow.
I haven’t seen that old friend for a while, and I do miss him.”
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