173: Chapter 172 Dividing the Spoils

Secretary General Wang remained silent for a while before speaking.

"On a diplomatic level, this matter is indeed troublesome. But since there's a liability waiver, we aren't afraid of them making a fuss. The key is—how many Materials, Magic Treasures, and Medicinal Pills did you bring back?"

Lin Feng glanced at her.

"I brought back quite a lot."

"How much is 'quite a lot'?"

Secretary General Wang pressed.

Lin Feng didn't answer, instead pulling items out of his wanxiang ring.

The first thing he took out was that taixu alchemy encyclopedia.

This book was massive, over ten meters tall, even higher than the ceiling of the conference room—Lin Feng had to squat on the conference table to pull it out of the ring.

The cover was deep blue, like the night sky, with several large gold-stamped characters that shimmered under the lights.

The paper was pale gold, very thin and tough like cicada wings, covered in dense but clear writing.

With a boom, the spine hit the ceiling, causing the chandelier to sway several times.

The hum of the old-fashioned air conditioner in the corner was drowned out by the loud crash, leaving only the creaking sound of the swaying chandelier.

"Be careful!"

Staff Officer Zhao was startled and quickly reached out to steady the book.

But before his hand could touch the spine, the book stood upright on its own—as if some force were supporting it.

Everyone in the conference room was stunned.

Secretary General Wang stood up from her seat, looking up at the book.

Her lips parted slightly, her eyes grew round, and her expression looked particularly vivid under the flickering light of the chandelier.

"This... this is..."

"taixu alchemy encyclopedia."

Lin Feng stood atop the book, looking down at them.

"All the Alchemy knowledge of the Taixu Dojo is integrated into this one book. It records one hundred and twenty-eight Pill Formulas, ranging from basic Medicinal Pills to legendary ones. It increases the Alchemy success rate by eighty percent and improves the quality of Medicinal Pills by three tiers. There is also a special skill called 'True Explanation of the Dao of Pills'; once activated, all Alchemy movements within sixty seconds will be flawless, guaranteed to produce the highest quality Medicinal Pills."

He finished in one breath, and the conference room fell silent.

It was quiet for about three seconds.

Then it exploded.

"One hundred and twenty-eight Pill Formulas? Quality improved by three tiers? Success rate increased by eighty percent?"

A middle-aged man in military uniform stood up abruptly, his chair sliding far back.

He was the head of the Equipment Department of the Ministry of National Defense, surnamed Sun, in his early fifties, with thinning hair but high spirits.

At this moment, his eyes were wide, staring at the book like he was staring at a naked beauty.

"Do you know what this means? It means we can mass-produce high-quality Medicinal Pills! Do you know how much we spend every year importing Medicinal Pills from abroad? Do you know how many years those countries have had us by the throat? With this book, we can produce them ourselves! We won't have to look at anyone else's face!"

His voice grew louder and more excited, finally almost shouting it out.

These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake; the atmosphere in the conference room instantly erupted.

For a country, what did Medicinal Pills represent?

They represented talent.

Medicinal Pills could help recruits increase their Rank quickly, help veterans break through a Bottleneck, and help injured Explorers recover fast.

In the past, the money spent on importing Medicinal Pills every year was an astronomical figure, and the key was that those countries refused to sell the best ones, only selling inferior products at outrageously expensive prices.

And now?

With this book, everything would be resolved.

"More than that."

The General added from the side, his voice not loud but every word carried weight.

"More than half of the Pill Formulas recorded in this book are ancient formulas that aren't on the market at all. You should know what that means."

"Ancient formulas... lost ancient formulas!"

Secretary General Wang's voice changed pitch. She turned to look at Lin Feng, her eyes full of excitement and even a hint of unbelievable awe.

"Pill Formulas not on the market mean we can produce them exclusively, and the pricing power will be in our hands. Those countries that used to have us by the throat will have to come begging us instead."

Standing on top of the book, Lin Feng felt like laughing seeing how excited they were, but his face remained expressionless.

He pointed to the ten-meter-tall tome beneath his feet.

"This thing is too big, research it yourselves."

After saying that, he jumped down from the book and landed beside the conference table, his movements light and nearly silent.

Deputy Director Zhou stood with his mouth agape, looking at the tome that had left a dent in the ceiling, then at Lin Feng, then back at the book. His lips trembled for a long time before he managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"This... this book can be shrunk, right? It's so big, how are we supposed to read it?"

"It can,"

Lin Feng said.

"But I don't know how. Research it yourselves."

"..."

Deputy Director Zhou looked at him speechlessly. He wanted to curse but couldn't bring himself to do it, so he could only turn to Staff Officer Zhao.

"Quickly call someone to move this book to the research department. Be careful, don't damage it!"

Staff Officer Zhao nodded quickly and took out his phone to start calling people.

Lin Feng didn't wait for them to finish their lamentations and continued pulling things out of the wanxiang ring.

Taotie Scales, each the size of a washbasin, black as ink, bright as a mirror, with edges as sharp as knives.

He placed three scales in a stack on the conference table. The tabletop made a dull thud, as if a block of iron had been pressed onto it, and the table legs sank slightly.

"Taotie Scales, Red Materials, three hundred and forty-seven pieces. Increases defense by five times and all attribute resistances by fifty percent."

Taotie Bone Spikes, each as thick as an arm, white as snow, hard as steel, emitting a metallic clink when tapped.

He took out five spikes and lined them up neatly on the conference table.

"Taotie Bone Spikes, Red Materials, one hundred and twenty-eight pieces. Increases attack power by three times and deals double extra damage to creatures below legendary grade."

Taotie horns, curved like a ram's horns but a hundred times thicker.

Natural patterns were carved onto the horns, ring after ring like tree rings, glinting with a dark gold luster under the lights.

He placed the pair of horns on the table, and the tabletop sank a bit further.

"Horns of Taotie, Red Materials. Can be made into a horn; when blown, it deals sonic damage equal to spirit multiplied by one hundred to all enemies within a kilometer radius, with a fear effect."

Taotie teeth, dense and in rows like a saw.

Each one was as long as a finger, white as jade, and sharp as a needle.

He poured out a handful, which clattered onto the table. Several rolled away, and one rolled in front of Deputy Director Zhou, nearly falling onto his lap.

"Taotie Fangs, Red Materials, three hundred and sixty-five pieces. Forging weapons adds a tearing effect, and making ammunition adds a piercing effect, ignoring half of the target's defense."

Then there was Taotie Essence Blood, dark gold in color, contained in transparent crystal bottles.

The crystal bottles sparkled under the light, and the essence blood inside was like molten gold, emitting intense energy fluctuations.

Just by being placed on the table, the temperature in the entire conference room rose by several degrees.

"Taotie Essence Blood, Gold Materials, one hundred units. After tempering, it permanently increases Physique by two hundred, spirit by two hundred, and grants the skill 'Taotie Physique'."

There was also the Taotie heart, the size of a millstone, black as charcoal, with vein-like patterns on the surface, still pulsing slightly.

When Lin Feng took it out, everyone leaned back—the heart was so large and the pressure it emitted made everyone present feel palpitations, as if facing some ancient, indescribable existence.

"taotie heart, Prismatic Materials. Upon consumption, all attributes increase by five hundred, health and mana each increase by two million, and grants the skill 'Greed'."

He finished in one breath, and the conference room fell silent.

It was the kind of silence where it wasn't that no one was speaking, but that everyone had forgotten how to speak.

The air conditioner in the corner was still humming.

The chandelier was still creaking and swaying.

The sound of Xiao Jin munching on Spirit Stones was still crunching.

But these sounds now felt very distant, as if coming from another world.

Deputy Director Sun was no longer crossing his legs; he leaned forward with both hands on the conference table, almost lying flat on the surface.

His eyes were fixed on the pile of Materials, his expression like he was dreaming.

"Red Materials... Gold Materials... Prismatic Materials... I've never seen so many Advanced Materials gathered together in my life..."

He murmured to himself, his voice so soft only he could hear.

Secretary General Wang stood there, her hands gripping the edge of the table, her knuckles turning slightly white.

She looked at the Materials, then at Lin Feng, her gaze complex beyond description.

As the head of the Explorers Association, she had seen many treasures, but she had never seen a scene like today's in her life—no, it should be said she had never even imagined it.

Deputy Director Zhou was already speechless.

He had spent most of his life in diplomacy, seen countless amounts of money, and countless treasures.

But he had never seen one person's spoils fill an entire conference table, with every single item being top-tier material that would cause an international frenzy.

A young woman in a black suit sitting in the corner had remained silent.

She was the representative sent by the Ministry of State Security, surnamed Liu, in her early thirties with a cold face, and had been looking down taking notes since the meeting began.

But now her hand had stopped, her pen still in her hand, but the tip had left a long ink blot on the paper.

She looked up at the pile of Materials, a light flashing in her eyes—it quickly dimmed, but her knuckles were slightly white as she gripped the pen.

The General leaned back in his chair, watching the others lose their composure. His mouth twitched slightly, and he picked up his teacup for a sip.

His expression was calm, but if one looked closely, they could see his hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly.

Not because of nervousness, but because of excitement.

He looked at Lin Feng, a complicated feeling rising in his heart.

This young man, who a few months ago was just an F-Rank Talent holder being mocked, was now standing here, bringing the entire country a lost Alchemy compendium, a pile of legendary Materials, and a victory that would be recorded in the history books.

Lin Feng stood beside the pile of Materials and clapped his hands.

His movements were casual, as if he had just finished moving a pile of ordinary goods.

"I'll keep some of these things for myself and hand the rest over to the state. You decide how to distribute them."

Deputy Director Sun suddenly looked up.

"Hand... hand them over to the state? Do you know how much these are worth? Just that taotie heart alone, if put up for auction, would at least—"

"I'm not giving away the taotie heart."

Lin Feng interrupted him, his voice calm but firm.

"I have a use for it myself."

Deputy Director Sun opened his mouth to say more, but was stopped by a look from the General.

"That's enough."

The General stood up and put down his teacup.

"These Materials will be kept by the military for the time being, and the specific distribution plan will be decided later. Now, let's talk about the main business."

He turned to look at Lin Feng, a hint of meaningfulness in his eyes.

"Lin Feng, did you just say you have something else to bring up with the state?"