"Since Shopkeeper Lu is so busy, I won't beat around the bush. I'm actually here to discuss a business deal with you, regarding these crystals."
Lu Heng glanced at the man and then sat down by the tea table, taking the tea leaves from his hand. "Oh? How do you propose we do this?"
"I've heard that these crystals are unique to Shopkeeper Lu's establishment on the entire Shenyuan Continent. I also understand their uses. It's a shame to only sell twenty of such a good item each day. If you were to entrust these crystals to me for sale, please state any conditions you have. From your selling these crystals, I can see you desire Level 4 magic crystals, or perhaps even higher. I can fully provide you with these, and you wouldn't have to bother selling them one by one here every day."
Prince Lu's words hit the nail on the head, pinpointing Lu Heng's objective. Lu Heng wasn't too surprised; with the man's sharp insight, it was entirely plausible he would guess Lu Heng's intentions.
"Since you wish to discuss business, perhaps you could reveal your identity. After all, if we are to cooperate, I can't be completely unaware of your situation. As for my identity, I believe City Lord Qin has already thoroughly investigated it for you."
Lu Heng brewed a cup of tea and placed it before Prince Lu. He hadn't formally met the man yet. Although he had already learned the visitor's identity by reading their thoughts, the other party hadn't explicitly stated it, so he couldn't presume to speak it.
Prince Lu raised his hand, signaling for his men and Qin Kuan to withdraw. He then looked at Lu Heng, "Perhaps Shopkeeper Lu could also ask your shop assistants to leave for a while."
"You all can go back now. We've already sold out for today anyway."
"Brother Lu, perhaps I should wait outside for you? I haven't registered the contracts I signed earlier with you yet," Du Feng asked Lu Heng.
In reality, he only needed to sign agreements with those who didn't have magic crystals and didn't need to register them with Lu Heng. He mentioned this now only out of concern that Lu Heng might encounter trouble.
After all, he could represent the Danyang Sect here to support Lu Heng, or if he encountered unsolvable issues, he could relay information to Wuchenzi immediately.
"It's fine. You've all had a busy day. You can register them tomorrow."
Lu Heng waved his hand. He had spatial abilities for self-preservation, and these people being present would be inconvenient.
Seeing Lu Heng's calm demeanor, Du Feng nodded at him and pointed to the disciples following behind. "Then I'll take my people back to the branch. If anything comes up, they can notify me."
"Alright."
"Okay, everyone is gone. You can speak now," Lu Heng said, taking a sip of tea and leaning back leisurely in his chair, looking at Prince Lu.
"Shopkeeper Lu, this tea is indeed excellent. Jinyang City belongs to Jizhou, and the area of Tongzhou and Jizhou is my fief. My title is Prince Lu."
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the first important visitor to be a sealed prince of a region. It seemed the allure of these crystals was indeed immense.
"What are Prince Lu's plans?"
"I won't waste your time. I can see your needs. If it's magic crystals, I can satisfy you, but your crystals must be sold by my people. These crystals cannot solely be used to strengthen the Danyang Sect's academy..."
"But I have already made arrangements with the Danyang Sect. The benefits of these crystals for those unable to cultivate on the Shenyuan Continent are obvious. You can't monopolize this item and only provide it to the wealthy and powerful. I do want magic crystals, but I'm simply too lazy to go out and kill magic beasts. I set up this small shop to sell these items, and I also have the intention of benefiting ordinary people."
Lu Heng interrupted Prince Lu. If this man only intended to control the crystals and create his own monopoly to strengthen his power, Lu Heng wouldn't dare to do business with him. Who knew if, after Prince Lu's power grew, he might turn around and discard Lu Heng like a broken tool.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect Shopkeeper Lu to have such noble intentions. If I can agree to Shopkeeper Lu's request, and these items can also be sold to ordinary citizens, would Shopkeeper Lu then agree?"
Although Prince Lu did have the intention to monopolize these crystals earlier, and he could have used his influence to forcibly seize the crystals from Lu Heng or capture Lu Heng to force him to reveal their source. However, he suddenly thought of a problem. Since Lu Heng dared to openly sell the crystals he possessed, if he didn't have sufficient strength himself, or a powerful backing, he likely wouldn't be able to casually produce such an item. And before he could ascertain Lu Heng's backing, he indeed didn't want to fall out with him. Alternatively, he could find another way, selling to ordinary people and thus gaining their favor. The common folk whose destinies were changed by obtaining crystals from him would also be deeply grateful. As a prince, he needed to gain fame from this matter more than profit.
"Then how does Prince Lu intend to sell these crystals?" Lu Heng asked after discerning Prince Lu's thoughts.
"Shopkeeper Lu entrusts these crystals to my people for sale. I can exchange them for the corresponding magic crystals to provide to Shopkeeper Lu. As for these crystals, I will sell them externally for spirit stones. This way, it solves the issue of ordinary families being unable to obtain magic crystals and purchase these crystals."
"But ordinary people without enough spirit stones still won't be able to buy the crystals," Lu Heng frowned. Although this way, he wouldn't be tied to the shop every day and could obtain the magic crystals he desired, ordinary families like Lu Da Niu would still be unable to cultivate.
"This... I can also sign agreements with those people. However, my agreements require these individuals to join my army after they gain the ability to cultivate. This way, wouldn't this problem be solved?"
"Ha!" Lu Heng couldn't help but let out a scoff. Prince Lu's calculations were precise, and in the end, he still wanted to strengthen his own forces. The agreement with the Danyang Sect was merely five years of service, but an agreement with Prince Lu meant selling his life to him.
"What is Shopkeeper Lu laughing at?" Prince Lu also frowned, looking at Lu Heng. He could sense a hint of mockery in that scoff. It seemed that after all his talk, Lu Heng still wasn't going to agree.
As expected, Lu Heng stood up and extended his arm towards the shop entrance. "I think it's best to forget about this. Prince Lu's time is valuable, and I won't delay you any further."
"You... I am sincerely trying to do business with you," Prince Lu said, somewhat angered. After all, in his own territory, he had never encountered someone who refused to cooperate with him.
"Then Prince Lu might as well go back and think of a better solution. I do want the magic crystals you mentioned, but the path for ordinary people to cultivate cannot be cut off. I need to go out now. Prince Lu might as well browse other shops first."
The intention to see him out was quite clear. Prince Lu looked at Lu Heng's composed demeanor and immediately stood up and left with a flick of his sleeve.