Ning Zhuo and Song Fuli met again.
Previously, the two had finalized the deal for the fire-breathing mechanical monkeys. Ning Zhuo had instructed Chen Cha's side to work overtime, urgently producing a large number of the fire-breathing mechanical monkeys.
Now, it was time for the handover.
"I never expected the situation in Fire Persimmon Immortal City to deteriorate so swiftly that it would be besieged by demon beasts," Song Fuli remarked.
He had led the cloud merchants here, and just when their business was running smoothly, the city was surrounded by demon beasts.
Meeting Ning Zhuo again at this moment, he felt the unpredictability of fate quite keenly.
Little did he know that the true culprit behind the demon beast siege was standing right in front of him.
Ning Zhuo also sighed deeply, "Yes, who would have thought that demon beasts would besiege Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
"However, the truly terrifying main force of demon beasts is still at the top of Fire Persimmon Mountain."
"So this time, we have no way to deliver the previously agreed quantity. This is the first batch of fire-breathing mechanical monkeys, and it will also be the last batch."
As he spoke, Ning Zhuo sighed helplessly.
At the critical moment of life and death for Fire Persimmon Immortal City, the battle continued relentlessly, and Chen Cha and the other Mechanical Workshops were strictly controlled by Fei Si.
The production tasks of these workshops had to be changed to produce battle mechanisms most beneficial to the war effort.
Compared to classic combat mechanisms, the combat method of the fire-breathing mechanical monkeys was relatively simple.
Initially, their combat method was limited to self-destruction. Later, during a battle with Zhou Zeshen, Ning Zhuo added another mechanism component—a throwable firecracker.
Even so, with only these two combat methods, the fire-breathing mechanical monkeys were not substantially suitable for the battlefield.
Ning Zhuo's design plans decided that this mechanism artifact would better serve its purpose in picking fire persimmons.
For Ning Zhuo's apology, Song Fuli nodded repeatedly, "I understand, I understand."
He casually picked a mechanical sample from the cargo box and began the inspection.
A half-height fire-breathing mechanical monkey appeared before him.
At first glance, the appearance of the fire-breathing mechanical monkey was quite eye-catching, with its bright red fur, swollen muscles, and vivid facial features.
Song Fuli was, of course, no ordinary person. His cultivation level had reached the Golden Core Level, and he could easily use his divine sense for inspection.
He immediately used his divine sense to scan the entire body of the fire-breathing mechanical monkey from the inside out.
A gleam flashed in Song Fuli's eyes as he spoke his evaluation, "The monkey skin is made from Fire Velvet Rat Skin, using the most traditional spiritual power embroidery sewing technique."
"The skeleton is made from Sky Gold, primarily to pursue lightweight and certain spatial efficiency, making it easier to set up a storage formation on it."
"However, to compress the formation and leave room for the fire-breathing monkey's future upgrades requires a high-skilled formation master, which won't be cheap."
At this point, Song Fuli extended his hand, opening the clenched fists of the fire-breathing mechanical monkey.
He used his fingers to feel the monkey's fingers.
After a few breaths, he nodded slightly, "The micro-arrays here use a nested approach, saving a lot of space.
"The fingers of the mechanical monkey are agile and flexible, capable of performing very complex finger movements, which is the foundation for precise picking operations."
"It shows that, Young Master Ning, your foundation in formations is quite solid."
"Considering you are only sixteen this year, your skill in mechanisms is quite impressive."
"The errant bullet in the monkey's brain should be your original design, serving as a divine sense receiver to fully suppress costs."
"Personally, I would suggest replacing the errant bullet with an array plate for a strengthened version. After all, while the errant bullet is unique, it is far inferior to the orthodox array plate in precise control, especially for Foundation Establishment Cultivators."
"Moreover, if replaced with the array plate, the price of the fire-breathing mechanical monkeys can increase by at least thirty percent!"
Song Fuli's words made Ning Zhuo see him in a new light.
He hadn't expected his expertise in mechanisms to be quite advanced as well.
But upon reconsideration, Ning Zhuo understood: as a cloud merchant of the Flying Cloud Country, leading a caravan, Song Fuli naturally had to be well-versed in various aspects of cultivation.
Otherwise, when purchasing local specialties, he would easily make mistakes.
Song Fuli continued, "The body of the fire-breathing mechanical monkey should have been made with alchemy techniques, resulting in mixed materials."
"Because it needs to pick fire persimmons, the mixed materials were maximized for fire resistance."
"I actually have a better method, which is using cold clouds."
"Cold clouds, which are very common in the Flying Cloud Country, can be incorporated as the main material to reduce the weight of the mechanical monkey significantly and further enhance its fire resistance."
"Are you familiar with cold clouds?"
Ning Zhuo nodded slightly and said honestly, "My mother left behind many mechanism secrets, including records of this material."
"But this is not the Flying Cloud Country; it is Fire Persimmon Mountain."
"To acquire cold clouds, I would have to import the material, making the cost far higher than the current mixed materials."
"Considering the manufacturing costs, I eliminated the cold clouds."
Song Fuli was slightly stunned, then immediately laughed heartily, "That makes sense."
"I know your mother is from the Flying Cloud Country."
At this point, Song Fuli looked at Ning Zhuo with a sincere expression, "I apologize, we secretly investigated many aspects of Young Master Ning's background."
"In fact, this is a routine practice for our cloud merchants wherever we go, as we have to do business on others' territories."
"So we investigate the important local figures as thoroughly as possible and visit them one by one."
"In Fire Persimmon Immortal City, City Lord Meng Kun, Divine Hunter Zhu Xuanji, and you, the Black Market Master Ning Zhuo, are all individuals we need to focus on."
Despite being a dignified Golden Core Cultivator, Song Fuli spoke with a tone of admiration.
This business attitude was truly commendable.
Song Fuli continued, "Young Master Ning, you have half the blood of the Flying Cloud Country in you, so the Flying Cloud Country is also your home."
"I suggest you visit your homeland, especially the Wanxiang Cloud Sea, as soon as possible."
Ning Zhuo was slightly stunned, a look of longing in his eyes, "Indeed, the Wanxiang Cloud Sea... I've heard so much about it; I've always wanted to see it."
Song Fuli laughed heartily, "It's not just about seeing it."
"To outsiders, the Wanxiang Cloud Sea is simply a natural wonder that provides abundant cultivation resources."
"But to us from the Flying Cloud Country, it holds another layer of significance."
"Any cultivator with Flying Cloud Country blood who enters the Wanxiang Cloud Sea can receive its blessings!"
"At the very least, one of the blessings is a certain ability to sense the bloodline of the Flying Cloud Country."
"To be honest, I felt a sense of kinship with you the moment I saw you and could sense your Flying Cloud bloodline because I had visited the Wanxiang Cloud Sea."
"This is an ability that every individual from the Flying Cloud Country who has entered the Wanxiang Cloud Sea possesses—sensing the bloodline of fellow countrymen."
In the entire cultivation world, the Wanxiang Cloud Sea was renowned.
Even without his mother's heritage, Ning Zhuo could have gathered a lot of information about the Wanxiang Cloud Sea from the Ning Family's library.
The reason being that this super resource point was so famous that it became common knowledge in the cultivation world. Fire Persimmon Mountain could not compare to it at all.
The Wanxiang Cloud Sea was a hub of the Way of the Clouds, containing extremely rich Dao principles. It nurtured an abundance of cloud-based resources, drawing Transforming Spirit Level and Cultivating the Void level cultivators who lingered and meditated on the Way of the Clouds.
Song Fuli took a deep breath and continued, "Suddenly advising you to go to the Flying Cloud Country might seem abrupt."
"But actually, uh... how do I put it?"
"The Wanxiang Cloud Sea can be considered the spiritual home or sanctuary for every person from the Flying Cloud Country."
"Have you heard of the mythological stories about the return to the Flying Cloud?"
Ning Zhuo nodded, "I've heard of them; my mother told me about them when she was alive."
Song Fuli sighed softly, "Young people from the Flying Cloud want to venture out, but after wandering for years, they realize that their homeland is their origin; they belong there, no matter where they go."
"To be honest, I felt the same when I was young, wanting to explore the world and see all it had to offer."
"But one day, I arrived at the Wanxiang Cloud Sea, deeply immersing myself in it. I was moved to tears by its unparalleled impact and familiarity, as if I had returned to my mother's embrace."
"The feelings of awe and kinship the Wanxiang Cloud Sea gave me are hard to articulate with words. Only when you personally enter the Cloud Sea will you deeply feel it."
Ning Zhuo sighed and said uncertainly, "Perhaps one day I will go."
He couldn't be sure that day would come.
According to his life plan, he would seize the Magma Fairy Palace and become its Palace Master.
By doing so, he would be bound to Fire Persimmon Mountain unless he activated the Magma Fairy Palace and left the mountain.
But if he became the palace master and the Magma Fairy Palace was responsible for suppressing Fire Persimmon Mountain, he obviously couldn't leave his post.
"Maybe I should indeed visit the Wanxiang Cloud Sea, but how can I do that?"
All along, the Magma Fairy Palace had been his life goal, and he had never considered other life possibilities.
His mind was filled with the Magma Fairy Palace and his mother's dying wishes.
In fact, previously, Sun Lingtong had suggested that if he failed to seize the Magma Fairy Palace or even ran away after eventually succeeding, he should join the Bukong Sect for some level of protection.
Although Ning Zhuo internally agreed it was a viable fallback, he truly never thought about taking that path.
But now, Song Fuli's words had made Ning Zhuo truly feel another possible route for his life.
Ning Zhuo's heart was touched.