"Yes, that's right, the wealthy client from the Hongning Base City. Rowan, do you still have enough rice on hand? He said he'll take as much of that quality rice as you can provide!"

Howard Zhou's voice came through the phone, full of excitement.

A smile played at Rowan's lips. "I do. Can you ask him if he's willing to use Kroluminum for a barter trade?"

Originally, Rowan had planned to exchange rice for Huaxia currency, then use that to buy Kroluminum, and finally take the alloy back to the Marvel world to trade for US dollars.

But if the client was from Hongning Base City, it would probably be easier to get hold of Kroluminum directly.

After all, Hongning Base City was home to the Limit Martial Hall's headquarters the largest manufacturer of Kroluminum.

"Trade Kroluminum for rice?"

Howard Zhou was momentarily stunned, but quickly caught on. He guessed Rowan was planning to flip the alloy for profit.

"Alright, I'll ask him. Hang tight, Rowan."

Without delay, Howard ended the call to make contact.

About five minutes later, Rowan's phone rang again.

"Rowan, he's in. But he wants it in bulk. If the quantity is too small, he won't be interested."

Rowan smiled.

He had the entire Marvel world backing him. No matter how much rice they wanted, he could deliver.

"Alright, tell him that in three days, I'll provide one hundred thousand tons."

"One... one hundred thousand tons?"

On the other end, Howard Zhou practically dropped his phone. His voice trembled in disbelief.

He hadn't expected Rowan to be able to produce that much top-grade rice.

Try as he might, he couldn't imagine where Rowan was sourcing it from.

"Rowan, you're not joking, are you?"

"Of course not."

Rowan didn't bother explaining.

Howard swallowed hard, his heart racing. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he collected himself.

"Got it. I'll reach out to the client now."

Once again, he hung up, this time to report the offer to the man in Hongning Base City.

Before long, Rowan's phone rang again.

"Rowan, he's agreed! And he said if the rice is the same quality as last time, he's open to establishing a long-term partnership."

Howard's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

If this deal went through, it could be his ticket to becoming a billionaire.

What scared him now was the possibility that Rowan might cut him out entirely and deal directly with the buyer.

"Good. Three days from now, same place. Come pick up the shipment."

"Got it!"

With the deal secured, Rowan returned to his apartment to resume his routine: eating monster meat, practicing the Basic Ten Forms, and finishing with a medicinal bath.

Just yesterday, he had managed to hold off Captain America in a sudden confrontation. That meant his physical strength had definitely improved, likely reaching the level of an advanced martial hall trainee.

He wasn't sure what his exact power or speed levels were.

So, after delivering the rice, he planned to head to the Limit Martial Hall to test his stats.

Once he finished his bath, Rowan returned to the Marvel world and gave a call to Howard Zhou, the international supplier who had previously provided him with rice.

When Howard heard that Rowan needed one hundred thousand tons this time, he was momentarily stunned, then delighted. He realized Rowan wasn't just a client he was a potentially massive partner.

Howard slapped his chest and promised to have the rice delivered to the designated warehouse within three days.

With that assurance, Rowan was able to relax.

That evening, Sharon also called to give an update.

She had rented a ten-story office building in Manhattan. Though not extravagant, it was more than enough for the initial phase of Kroluminum Industries.

Now that the company had a physical address, Rowan asked her to begin recruitment immediately.

Over the next two days, Rowan didn't contact either Howard or the client. He focused entirely on his training, his mind as calm as still water.

He could feel it his blood surged with power. Just clenching his fist felt like he could punch through steel.

With Friday's assistance, he had now mastered the complete flow of the Basic Ten Forms. His form accuracy was over 90 percent.

He had officially entered the foundational stage.

The Basic Ten Forms worked wonders. Rowan could feel every small muscle group in his body being fully activated.

Those muscle groups played a critical role in balance, flexibility, and speed and he was improving in all of them.

Soon, the third day arrived.

That morning, just after Hill left the house, Rowan received a call from Howard Zhou.

The hundred thousand tons of rice had been delivered to the warehouse.

Rowan immediately drove to the suburban storage site.

The 300-square-meter warehouse was stacked full from floor to ceiling, the air thick with the rich aroma of rice.

Rowan randomly inspected a few bags and confirmed the quality matched the previous batch.

He was pleased with Howard's efficiency.

After confirming everything was in order, Rowan took the entire shipment of rice and returned to the Swallowed Star world.

The swirling blue-black portal vanished, and he now stood in a warehouse in Yian District of the Swallowed Star world.

He glanced at his ring, now glowing with nine gemstones.

"Three gems used, huh?"

Rowan smiled faintly.

The last time, 2,500 tons of rice had cost him two gems.

This time, moving 100,000 tons took three.

He was starting to see a pattern.

"Howard, the rice is ready. You can bring your team to collect it," he said over the phone.

Then, without waiting for a reply, Rowan drove off to the Limit Martial Hall.

The car he drove was a gift from Howard, worth around 800,000 Huaxia credits.

It wasn't particularly flashy, but it was comfortable and discreet just the way Rowan liked it.

One interesting note: All vehicles in the Swallowed Star Earth were now electric.

Oil extraction zones had mostly fallen to monsters, forcing humanity to abandon petroleum and transition to electric power.

Solid-state battery tech had developed rapidly.

That gave Rowan an idea.

He could introduce electric vehicles in the Marvel world.

Electric cars were the future anyway.

All he needed was to acquire the Swallowed Star world's solid-state battery tech and take it to Marvel. It could be the foundation for a mega car corporation.

"Alright. I'll have Sharon look into it."

It was a good plan, but Rowan had no intention of managing the operation himself.

He didn't want to waste time on money-making ventures.

Before long, he arrived at the Limit Martial Hall in Yian District.

Wearing his intermediate trainee badge on his chest, he passed through the gates without issue.

He headed straight for the Intermediate Trainee Building in the center.

A uniformed young woman at the entrance recognized him from his last visit and greeted him with a warm smile.

Rowan nodded politely in return.

"Is Instructor Wu in today?"

"Instructor Wu? Yes, he's on the third floor training students right now."

"Thanks."

With a nod, Rowan walked toward the stairs without pause.

The third-floor hall was buzzing with energy. Thirty or forty intermediate trainees were immersed in training. Rowan scanned the room and quickly spotted Instructor Wu.

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