Full-Time Magister: The Light-type Disaster Was Actually a Seraph

But compared to the Earth's Core, this requirement is child's play.

The reason is simple—looking at the entire Shanghai, and even all the aristocratic families in China, there is not a single true forbidden spell master in charge.

This shows that the existence of forbidden spellcasters is itself a strategic deterrent.

The power gap between forbidden spells and super-level spells is like an insurmountable chasm. A hundred super-level mages would be nothing more than human speed bumps in the face of a true forbidden spell.

Therefore, the strategic value of a single Earth Core is far beyond what the assets of a few super-rich families can measure.

After hearing Luo Xiao's offer, Hua Zhanhong did not respond immediately. Instead, he held his teacup, seemingly sipping tea, but in reality, he quickly calculated the details in his mind.

In fact, he had held an emergency meeting with other senior executives on his private jet before arriving in Shanghai.

To maintain secrecy, he concealed Luo Xiao's identity as a "wandering angel," only revealing that a forbidden spell mage had accidentally obtained a withered core of the earth and intended to hand it over to the state in exchange for cultivation resources.

The core issues of the meeting were very clear: What resources should be given? How much should be given? What are the bottom lines? What are the red lines?

Ultimately, the top leadership set a very high standard—as long as the return of this "Earth's Core" to the national treasury could be guaranteed, almost any condition could be negotiated.

Luo Xiao's demands were entirely within the country's acceptable range; in fact, they could be considered a "conscientious deal."

For something like cultivating a fully-trained, four-elemental super-tier character, the value contained in a single fragment of Earth Core is enough to support several.

"That's all? Nothing else?" Hua Zhanhong put down his teacup and asked another question, his eyes filled with inquiry.

"That's all." Luo Xiao shook his head, his expression indifferent. "I'm not some profit-driven capitalist who would treat losing a single penny like it's his life."

"Since you didn't try to raise the price, I can't be stingy either."

Hua Zhanhong suddenly stood up, a long-lost hearty smile on his face, and strode forward, extending his hand: "I formally accept your demands on behalf of the country. Let's go, let's sign the contract now."

At this point, he seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, by the way, call your cousin out too. I'll personally help her awaken her magic. With me here, I guarantee everything will go smoothly. This is just a small token of my gratitude."

Luo Xiao then stood up and shook hands with Hua Zhanhong's strong hand.

At their level, whether or not a contract is signed is more of a formality, but in order to silence public opinion, it is still necessary to go through the formal process.

The two walked out one after the other.

Hua Zhanhong walked ahead, his steps noticeably lighter, and he muttered half-jokingly, "If I had known you were asking for such a reasonable price, I wouldn't have rushed back from the northern frontier... This round trip has wasted a lot of time."

"What troublesome thing has happened in the northern border region?" Luo Xiao asked in confusion.

Hua Zhanhong is a well-known workaholic. On the surface, he is the leader of the Southern Army, but in reality, he is "Hua Zhanhong AAA can fly all over the country".

Wherever there is troublesome demonic disturbance, there he is; along the coast, in the west, in the north... his footprints are all over the country.

"Don't even mention it. Two months ago, the savage beasts in the northern border region rioted again, and two monarch-level wild beasts even appeared." Hua Zhanhong's tone was somewhat helpless.

"We strongly suspect that a new Emperor-level wild beast has appeared, or that the Emperor-level wild beast that was thought to have perished in the past has made a comeback. I was not at ease, so I went to guard and check it out myself."

China has a vast territory and a long history, and there have been many emperors and kings throughout history.

Long ago, the entire northern frontier was the absolute territory of wild beasts. It wasn't until a century after the Great Wall was built that three peerless forbidden spell masters emerged, ventured deep into the heart of the northern frontier, and joined forces to kill the then-emperor-level wild beasts, thus bringing peace for a thousand years.

But as time went by, these wild beast clans recuperated and are now showing signs of making a comeback.

"Has a new Emperor-level being really emerged?" Upon hearing this, Luo Xiao's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he asked with some excitement.

Emperor-level wild beasts are walking treasures; the rewards for killing one are unimaginable.

Killing a legitimate emperor is very difficult, but with his current strength, he still has a considerable chance of success in killing a sub-emperor.

"No, at least I didn't find any." Hua Zhanhong waved his hand. "But I killed two monarch-level wild beasts along the way, which temporarily calmed those wild beasts down."

"Alright, that's a bit of a shame." Luo Xiao nodded, then changed the subject, "Speaking of which, does the national inventory have any Light or Water-type Earth Cores?"

He hadn't forgotten that he still had a complete Earth Fire Core, but this thing was somewhat useless to him and the Mu family.

Building a city is too troublesome and requires a lot of manpower and resources. Once the resources of the plant core are replaced, the Mu family will be busy and will not have the spare capacity to build a city.

However, he is not a fire mage, so keeping the Earth Fire Core cannot help him break through.

The best solution would be to exchange a Light or Water-type Earth Core with the nation to help him quickly break through to the Super-Rank or even Forbidden Spell level in one of his magic types.

"We don't have any Light-type, but we do have one Water-type in stock." Hua Zhanhong turned his head and gave Luo Xiao a meaningful look. "What, you want to exchange it?"

Before Luo Xiao could answer, he continued, "However, I advise you to give up on that idea. The country is now planning to implement the Western Development Strategy, and plant and water resources are of paramount importance. It's impossible to exchange them for you unless... you offer two Earth Cores in exchange for one."

"Two for one? That's wishful thinking." Luo Xiao shook his head decisively, then asked, "How much would it cost to rent a complete Core of the Earth?"

"Rent? You plan to use it to build a city?" Hua Zhanhong stopped in surprise and looked Luo Xiao up and down.

He pondered for a moment and then gave a figure: "If we rent it, the industry standard is at least 100 million per day. Building the city will take about half a month, which is 15 billion. The energy consumption inside will also incur additional charges."

"Wow, so expensive?"

Luo Xiao gasped. One hundred million a day? If that's calculated at bank interest rates, wouldn't the value of the Earth Core be in the trillions?

"Don't you even consider how few forbidden spells there are in the world?" Hua Zhanhong glanced at him and said earnestly, "Even if you offer a billion, you might not be able to see the Core of the Earth. Countless semi-forbidden spell masters die without ever seeing the physical form of the Core of the Earth."

At this point, his expression became more serious: "I can lend you the Essence of the Earth because you are trustworthy. Do you know the Mu family in the capital? A few years ago, they asked me to borrow the Essence of the Earth to build a city, but they didn't even get to see me. My adjutant refused them outright."