CHAPTER 605: CHAPTER 605: THE LAST ANCIENT ARRAY MAP

Upon hearing those words, Feng Bailing fell into deep thought.

"Chenchen, this matter might not be so easy to solve; for now, you should inquire. If Mr. Nan Chen refuses, don’t force it."

Feng Bailing had a premonition, and indeed, when Ouyang Chenchen returned and discussed the matter with Mr. Nan Chen, they encountered differing opinions.

When it came to smelting Heavenly Iron, Mr. Nan Chen was quite casual. However, when it came to helping the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce forge a new Divine Weapon, Mr. Nan Chen’s attitude became vague and non-committal.

"Teacher, you have always been open-minded, why are you so stubborn this time? I also have a share in the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce; by helping them forge, you are essentially helping your disciple."

Ouyang Chenchen did not understand why Nan Chen was being so firm and felt puzzled.

Mr. Nan Chen smiled and shook his head.

"Chenchen, you are still too naive. You have seen the power of that Divine Weapon; with it, someone could kill a Soldier King Level powerhouse. If it is used within an army, that nation’s army will become extremely sharp and unmatched, overpowering ten times their number. Don’t think I don’t know the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce has ties with Princess Consort Wu, she is your friend, and you might not think too much about it, but have you considered... once Princess Consort Wu uses the melted Divine Weapon in the Great Chu Army, coupled with Ninth Prince Dugu Wu’s military prowess, the iron tread of Great Chu will shatter the whole continent, including Daye. What will you do then?"

This time while Mr. Nan Chen was participating in the Competition Among Ten Countries, he met Feng Bailing and her husband Dugu Wu. He was especially impressed by Dugu Wu’s talent.

Though currently disabled and unable to display his military talents like before, Feng Bailing is a disciple of the Medical Buddha, who will eventually heal Dugu Wu.

By then, once Dugu Wu has recovered and possesses a Divine Weapon, no one from the Ten Countries will be able to stop him.

As a disciple of Tian Jizi, who aspired his whole life to unify the Ten Countries and create an era of peace, Mr. Nan Chen doesn’t see Dugu Wu as the right person to create this prosperous age.

This man, his aura is too fierce.

Mr. Nan Chen is still waiting for the appearance of the unparalleled individual, and now that this person has yet to appear, he will not allow a supreme being like Dugu Wu to rise.

"This..."

Ouyang Chenchen had truly not considered this aspect.

"If you don’t believe me, you can ask Li Mubei of Nanshe. He is also one of the owners of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and a friend of the couple, and he will likely agree with me."

"But Bailing once said that it’s because there are Ten Countries on the continent that she wanted to create a Chamber of Commerce without national affiliations, so we could use its power to contend with the Ten Countries."

Ouyang Chenchen argued her point firmly.

"People’s hearts are unpredictable, I will not agree to this."

Mr. Nan Chen shook his head.

Seeing that it was impossible to persuade Mr. Nan Chen, Ouyang Chenchen couldn’t help feeling disappointed. She could only relay the news to Feng Bailing; Bailing was not surprised, after all, the disciples of Tian Jizi represent the differing interests of ten nations, so conflicts were not unusual.

"You needn’t worry too much. Perhaps besides the Fire Holy Seal, there are other methods to smelt Chromium Metal. I plan to visit Wei Mountain after the Competition Among Ten Countries ends to check the lava there and see if chromium metal can be refined."

Feng Bailing comforted Ouyang Chenchen with a few words. By that time, noticing it was almost afternoon, Ouyang Chenchen went to attend the afternoon meeting at the Soldier Inn.

Feng Bailing had nothing to do at the moment, so he made a trip to the Underworld Market.

The shops in the Underworld Market had been mortgaged to the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Changsun Rou had to leave in a hurry this time and, with Elder Liu’s murder, Changsun Rou was left without her right-hand men, not even taking the Underworld Market’s shopkeepers and attendants with her.

This indeed made it convenient for Feng Bailing and the others, as they could just take over the elderly people in the Underworld Market.

When Feng Bailing went to check the operations of the Underworld Market’s shops, he discovered that Master Lu and Divine Doctor Lu, the brothers, were not found.

"Second Brother Zhang, I want to gather some information from you. When taking over the shops, did you see the Lu brothers anywhere?"

Zhang Erfa was busy in the shop. Zhang Erfa’s injuries had mostly healed by now, and as Zhang Dafa had become the new Soldier King and was busy with the Soldier Inn, the matters of the chamber were temporarily handed over to Zhang Erfa.

"Are you talking about Master Lu and Divine Doctor Lu? The attendants mentioned that as soon as they heard Changsun Rou fled, they hurriedly left Qinghe City as well. By the time I noticed, I ordered people to search for them, only to find that both had already left the city, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. It’s also my miscalculation, I should have been prepared earlier. These two, one skilled in smelting and the other in medical science, are rare talents that could have greatly helped the development of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce."

Zhang Erfa sighed regretfully.

"Master Lu is proficient in smelting and a rather upright individual, truly a talent that we could utilize. However, Divine Doctor Lu, despite his medical skills, lacks character. Even if he stayed, he wouldn’t be of use to us, but it’s a pity he escaped, particularly since there were certain matters about him I wanted to ascertain."

Feng Bailing still remembered the physician who Divine Doctor Lu had mentioned earlier, who could transplant corneas.

Feng Bailing couldn’t help but suspect that this physician might also be a transmigrator, and whether he had any connection with Tian Jizi remains to be verified.

Ever since learning of the existence of the Ancient Array Map, Feng Bailing’s curiosity about Tian Jizi had deepened—this legendary figure established the Heavenly Strategy and trained many disciples.

It could be said that the disciples trained by Tian Jizi are concealed behind the Ten Countries, establishing the current geopolitical landscape of the Ten Countries’ mainland. Regrettably, this person has been missing for many years, and Feng Bailing, despite much effort, only possessed three parts of the Ancient Array Map, all incomplete.

Now, just one part short of a complete Ancient Array Map, yet without any clues, even the cunning old fox Gan Liu remained motionless. Feng Bailing pondered and somehow thought of Divine Doctor Lu again, unfortunately, he had already escaped first.

"You first organize the chamber’s affairs, and I will ask Brother Zhang to send mercenaries to inquire about Divine Doctor Lu and also Master Lu. We need to find this person; his expertise in smelting colored metals would greatly benefit our future collaborations with the other Three Kingdoms."

Feng Bailing instructed.

As the quantity of Chromium Metal is scarce, Feng Bailing would not sell it, hence Heavenly Stone remains the main material for forging Heavenly Weapons, and also a major profit point for Phoenix Chamber of Commerce in the future—which Feng Bailing valued greatly.

Zhang Erfa nodded in agreement, contemplating how to find the Lu brothers.

While Zhang Erfa was troubled, another scene was unfolding inside Qinghe City’s station.

The newly appointed Soldier King Zhang faced the leaders of the Ten Countries and the corpse of the Red Scorpion Queen.