Chapter 114: The Fatal Weakness of the Divine Spark of Music

“It’s not that I don’t want to give it to you, but giving it to you won’t do you any good.”

Yu Sheng’an looked at Afnora’s pouting face, resisting the urge to poke her cheek, and spoke confidently:

“Industrial production can only reduce costs and achieve an upgrade through agglomeration effects.”

“I can give you a bicycle production line, but what’s the point? The bicycles you produce can’t be sold in Quever except for your own use. Adding transportation costs will make the price skyrocket. If you can’t sell them, where will you get money to pay your people?”

“If it’s just for self-use, setting up a factory is even more unnecessary. I can simply allocate some goods to you.”

“Moreover, bicycles are merely a transitional product for the Dragon Factory. It will inevitably shift towards heavy industry. I can’t oversee the production of all parts. It’s costly and meaningless, so I need to spread out to cultivate a sound industrial system for the upgrade.”

“And now is the time to seize every minute to upgrade the industry. Giving you the production line would not only be useless to you, but it would also hinder my upgrade.”

Industrial production is interconnected, and every step is not just a simple complementary exchange of goods.

It also involves ‘transaction costs’.

For example, when fresh milk can’t be sold, dairy farmers might prefer to dump it rather than give it to the poor. Why?

Because transaction costs exist.

Distributing to the poor would require packaging, transportation, and even costly cold-chain logistics until distribution. Which step doesn’t cost money?

What if the poor get sick from lactose intolerance? Whose responsibility is that?

Industrial production is similar in this way.

This is also why the agglomeration effect exists.

When needed parts can be easily sourced near the factory, it’s certainly better than transporting from other cities with much effort.

To protect the key piece, White Reed, Yu Sheng’an can’t transport too much machinery from the Velia Main Plane.

Therefore, with limited resources, he can only concentrate the industrial chain at one point.

Vis Els also has enough workers, research power, and even magical force to nurture and protect his industrial flame.

If allocated to Vis Els, whether building a system or product division, it would split his power and increase transaction costs.

It’s a very unwise move.

At this moment, Afnora, hearing his words, thought, ”Here we go again!”

This bastard always comes up with a bunch of wild, seemingly right but actually ridiculous arguments.

Now his words sounded half-understood to her.

Yet she was too embarrassed to ask and could only say in a deep voice, “Producing flintlocks is not okay either? It’s a strategic resource, absolutely not for sale. I can store them there.”

Yu Sheng’an was too lazy to explain further. He paused and said, “I have a suggestion. Do you want to hear it?”

“Hmm?”

“Developing industry in the small country of Vis Els is not very wise. My idea is to use Vis Els’s geographical advantage to shift to a trade capital, becoming a trade bridge between the Kewell Empire and the Karman United Republic.”

Yu Sheng’an spoke seriously.

Vis Els is located in the Lanlun Mountain Basin.

And the Lanlun Mountain Range is the natural borderline between the Kewell Empire and the Karman United Republic.

From Yu Sheng’an’s low-price grain strategy to the Internet Bank to the Dragon Factory, one of the paths he will take in the future is already coming to light.

That is, through ‘soft power’ trade export, spreading Internet Banking, then the Internet, and eventually permeating the entire Aezia Main Plane.

Quever’s military power is his ultimate means to ensure normal trade operations.

Now he will take the first step—exporting goods to the Karman United Republic, plundering production materials, and gradually controlling this country of countless noble lords through commercial interests.

In reality, using Vis Els as a trading hub is not the optimal choice.

The Kewell Empire is at the southernmost end of the Azaea Continent, while the Karman United Republic is to the southeast. Sea routes would save costs.

Unfortunately, the Ocean is already controlled by the Sea God, one of the Five Prime Gods.

Taking a sea route would be suicidal.

Thus, Vis Els became the next best choice.

“Imagine, in the future, if countries in the southeast, northeast, and even north of Azaea Continent want to import Quever goods, they all have to pass through Vis Els. Even if you don’t levy any tariffs, simply providing food, clothing, and lodging for the caravans will bring you endless wealth.”

“And wealth is a powerful force second only to military might. In special situations, it even surpasses military power. With it, you can do many things.”

“Of course, the most crucial part is that the Internet will spread across the Azaea Continent along with the traders, and your Well of Origin will inevitably grow stronger as a result.”

At this moment, Yu Sheng’an’s tone was filled with temptation.

Afnora looked at Yu Sheng’an’s shining face and after a while said, “Have you planned all this from the moment you contacted me?”

Yu Sheng’an hurriedly raised his hands: “No, I swear!”

Facing Yu Sheng’an’s playful smile, Afnora rarely fell silent.

As she interacted with Yu Sheng’an more and more, she had to admit that, beneath his carefree calm manner, he was already showing the potential of the King of Gods.

His strategies were often surprising but always achieved strategic aims.

Now, not even the Five Prime Gods have defeated him, and his power continues to grow, possibly one day ruling the Aezia Main Plane.

But the more this was so, the more uneasy Afnora felt.

Indeed, as the Internet spreads, her Well of Origin would constantly grow.

But everything she had was founded on the Internet.

She could only receive as much Source Essence as Yu Sheng’an was willing to share.

If… if one day, this ambitious man achieves his strategic goal, what if he kicks her away?

What if he even plans to seize her Divine Spark?

Afnora might not even realize that, having been hurt by those closest to her, trusting others in this life would be extremely hard.

Some use childhood to heal a lifetime, others use a lifetime to heal childhood.

Afnora belonged to the latter. The indifference of her parents and the exploitation by her mentor were lifelong psychological traumas she could never erase!

“Does the Divine Spark of Music have a fatal weakness?” After a long time, Afnora broke the silence and asked.

“Yes.” Yu Sheng’an nodded.

“What?”

“Vacuum!”

Yu Sheng’an spread his right hand, easily creating a vacuum bubble using wind magic. While releasing mechanical waves on the vacuum bubble, he explained.

“A vacuum can isolate mechanical waves. Even a vacuum as small as a strand of hair can render the Divine Spark of Music powerless!”

The essence of the Divine Spark of Music is mechanical waves.

Mechanical waves are not electromagnetic waves; they require a medium to propagate. And a vacuum without a medium is its blank domain of sovereignty.

Afnora watched Yu Sheng’an’s experiment, her pupils dilated, spine tingling, and she felt an entire chill!

She asked this question just to probe.

She didn’t expect Yu Sheng’an to actually answer her.

She was even more surprised that Yu Sheng’an had actually discovered the fatal weakness of the Divine Spark of Music.

To know, this fatal weakness was something even she did not know.

“I know you’ve always been skeptical of me and I understand. I told you this to show sincerity, heart for heart. Our enemies are powerful. If we lose loyalty now, then there is no need to discuss the future.”

Yu Sheng’an said sincerely.

His words, in fact, were somewhat standing there unaffected.

He mastered the fatal weakness of the Divine Spark of Music, yet Afnora was powerless against his Divine Spark of Contracts.

In contrast, Yu Sheng’an had complete control of the situation.

However, this doesn’t mean Yu Sheng’an wasn’t being honest.

If he chose not to reveal the weakness of the Divine Spark of Music to Afnora, the room for manipulation would have been great.

For example, at a crucial moment, assassinating Afnora, he could potentially seize her Divine Spark of Music.

Now that Afnora knows the weakness, she will surely make thorough preparations for it.

In a way, this gave Afnora an escape route in the most extreme situation.

Afnora wasn’t stupid. She soon figured this out, looking somewhat dazed at Yu Sheng’an.

In his pitch-black eyes, there seemed to be a warm glow shining into the deepest darkness of her heart.

Heart for heart?

“I believe you!” Afnora said softly.

“Thank you!” Yu Sheng’an extended his right hand.

Afnora hesitated slightly and then also extended her right hand, shaking hands with Yu Sheng’an.

At this moment, the God of Contracts and the God of Music, whose alliance had long been established, finally established an even stronger relationship of trust!

[Thank you, Kridlo, for the generous reward, and congratulations to Kridlo for becoming the first alliance leader of this book!]