Everyone just looked at their Formation Arrays in shock.
One stomp, and they had nearly collapsed.
If that happened during an actual war, there would be devastating consequences!
The members of upper management looked at Star Genesis and the former Formation Elder with anger.
They didn't know how Formation Arrays worked, but that didn't matter. Someone who didn't know how to cook could still taste bad food.
This was their job! They were supposed to create the defenses of their Sect!
The former Formation Elder felt humiliated and embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Star Genesis was too busy being shocked at Kyle's achievements in the Laws of Space.
Kyle had comprehended so much about space with just four Space Comprehension Fruits?!
His speed of advancement was unreasonable!
"Are you convinced?" Kyle asked.
The Sect Master turned to Kyle. "Yes, sir. We can see that our defenses need some… improvement. May I ask, what are you willing to do for us, and how expensive will it be?"
At this point, the Sect Master didn't even ask for Star Genesis' opinion anymore.
"You're in luck," Kyle said. "As a newcomer and free agent, there are things I need more than Energy Stones. I am willing to provide a full set of defensive Formation Arrays for free. You only need to procure the necessary materials."
When the Sect Master heard Kyle's words, he became suspicious.
This was too good to be true.
"There are no free meals, sir," the Sect Master spoke. "What is the true price?"
"That is the price," Kyle answered. "The only thing I would ask of you is to be honest. If anyone asks about your Formation Arrays, I want you to be honest. I want you to tell that person that I created these Formation Arrays."
The Sect Master understood. Sure enough, there was a hidden cost.
By showing or using their Formation Arrays, they would spread Kyle's identity to other Organizations, which would hire him as well. In essence, the creation of the Formation Arrays was essentially free, but using them would indirectly increase the power of the Formation Arrays of their competition.
"We are willing to pay 20 Grade Five Energy Stones in exchange for confidentiality," the Sect Master said.
The Treasury Elder's face became white.
20 Grade Five Energy Stones could create a Fulfilled Crusher!
That was a big chunk of their liquid assets!
"One Grade Six Energy Stone, and I agree," Kyle said.
The Treasury Elder took a deep breath through his teeth. They would have to use up all of their liquid assets and even sell some of their illiquid assets!
The Sect Master furrowed his brows. Clearly, they couldn't afford that.
"What if we purchase your designs?" he asked.
"If you can't afford confidentiality, you can't afford my designs," Kyle answered.
For the first time in a while, the Sect Master actually asked for the opinions of Star Genesis and the former Formation Elder.
He was trying to find some kind of way to avoid publicizing Kyle's skills.
Could they just analyze the Formation Array and rebuild it themselves? In that way, they wouldn't have to lie about who built it.
Sadly, the answers the Sect Master got just made him grimace.
Analyzing how a Formation Array worked was impossible without a major difference in power or destroying it.
They would need to open the components, which would cause a change in Energy that would damage the Runes and make them unreadable.
Well, couldn't they just deactivate it so that there was no Energy inside?
Nope. Formation Arrays that were this complex had smaller Formation Arrays that supported them. Those would have to be deactivated first, which would take all the support from the primary Formation Array, leading to the same result.
The Sect Master kept asking questions, but at some point, the Disciplinary Elder joined the conversation with a sentence that immediately silenced the Sect Master.
"Are you that committed to making this guy our enemy?"
The Sect Master took a deep breath.
Then, he sighed in resignation.
"We agree," the Sect Master said.
Kyle nodded. "As the Sect Master, are you willing to represent the Mountain River Sect and promise that you will be honest about the origin of your future Formation Arrays?" he asked.
When the Sect Master heard that, a small light appeared in his eyes.
Was that…?
At that moment, the Sect Master realized something.
There actually was an alternative cost they could pay, and that one was far more affordable.
"As the Sect Master of the Mountain River Sect, I represent the Mountain River Sect and promise that we will be honest about the origins of our future Formation Arrays, assuming they were created and built by you," the Sect Master spoke solemnly.
Kyle nodded before he swore the oath they had agreed upon earlier.
This was the difference.
Kyle swore an oath, while the Mountain River Sect just made a promise.
Lying reduced one's Karmic Luck a bit. Breaking an oath would bring devastating consequences.
Breaking a promise, though…
Sure, the punishment for breaking a promise was several times higher than just lying, but it couldn't compare to breaking an oath.
In exchange for a chunk of Karmic Luck, they could keep the origin of their Formation Arrays secret.
However, they could also just be honest. In the end, it was up to them.
The Sect Master wasn't sure if Kyle had done that on purpose or not, and he wasn't about to ask him.
"You're free to enter our Central Planet until the Formation Arrays are set up," the Sect Master said. "Please, discuss all the details with the Treasury Elder and the Formation Elder."
Kyle nodded. "Thank you for your business and your promise. I'm putting trust in your honesty and character," he said, putting further karmic weight on the promise.
When he heard those words, the Sect Master became certain that Kyle had chosen not to make them swear an oath on purpose, but he was also fine with it.
The Sect Master smiled. "Of course," he said before performing a quick and polite bow.
After some more pleasantries, most of the members of upper management returned to their duties, leaving Kyle alone with Star Genesis, the Treasury Elder, and the former Formation Elder.
"Sir, what would be the expected price range for your Formation Arrays?" the Treasury Elder asked.
"I'll send a list of materials to your Formation Elder," Kyle asked. "You can ask her about the price."
Kyle sent a long list of materials to Star Genesis, who nodded.
"We are somewhere between one and four Grade Five Energy Stones for all of the Formation Arrays," she told the Treasury Elder.
The Treasury Elder blinked in surprise.
Considering that these Formation Arrays would be the backbone of their entire Organization, this was surprisingly cheap!
"Sure, that's well within our budget," the Treasury Elder answered before turning to Kyle. "We will be procuring the materials. Please, wait here."
Kyle nodded as he watched the Treasury Elder leave the Planet. Organizations didn't usually have all of these materials in stock.
As everyone waited, Kyle contacted Star Genesis privately via voice transmission.
"Hey, you wanna see how my Formation Arrays work? I'm fine with showing you, as long as you don't share them with anyone else," he transmitted.
When Star Genesis heard Kyle's words, the bit of anger she had bottled up vanished. Kyle's public words had pulled her down quite a bit and made her question his character a bit.
However, showing her how his Formation Arrays worked was not a minor thing.
Even more, she could sense that Kyle didn't have any kind of hidden agenda. He genuinely just wanted to share his knowledge with her.
Star Genesis couldn't help showing a small smile.
"I would love to," she transmitted. "Seems like you've surpassed me in the field of Formation Arrays by far. Maybe I can learn something from you."
"Same thing back," Kyle transmitted. "Almost all the shit I know about Formation Arrays is self-discovered. I probably missed several fundamentals that are common knowledge for others. There's a good chance that you can find some improvements."
As they waited, Star Genesis and Kyle started to nerd out about Formation Arrays.
When the Treasury Elder returned with the materials, they almost felt disappointed.
The conversation was so interesting!
They wished they could talk forever.
tg://resolv?domain=StrongestHammerGod
The author's patreon. If he gets more than 1000€ per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.