102: Chapter 102 Converted into Money?

"Martial Saint Huo, this..."

Vice Principal Nie Changkong couldn't help but speak up.

"Su Yuan's identity is still a secret, after all. If we issue a Nation-Guardian Rank battle armor directly, won't it arouse suspicion among those high-level traitors?"

Huo Zhenshan gave a cold snort.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"Su Yuan killed a Demon Saint and saved the Capital. These are concrete achievements!"

"I, Huo Zhenshan, personally guarantee it. Who would dare say another word?!"

He looked at Su Yu, his gaze exceptionally serious.

"Little friend Su Yuan, for high-level martial artists, battle armor is an indispensable life-saving trump card."

"A set of Nation-Guardian Rank battle armor can not only perfectly defend against a full-power strike from a Martial Emperor but can also directly double your combat power!"

Double the combat power?

Su Yu's eyebrows twitched slightly.

It certainly sounded good.

With his current nine million drops of Dark Gold Divine Blood, if it were doubled, the resulting destructive power could definitely crush an ordinary Martial Saint with ease.

However.

Huo Zhenshan's next words left Su Yu completely stunned.

"But."

Huo Zhenshan shifted his tone, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

"You must realize that battle armor is ultimately just a transition."

"In this world, the ultimate weapon that truly decides the outcome of a nation-destroying war is not battle armor."

"It is—Mecha!"

Mecha?!

A flash of surprise crossed Su Yu's eyes.

Since transmigrating to this world, all he had heard about were martial arts, vital blood, and battle armor.

This was the first time he had heard the word "Mecha" from the mouth of a National Guardian Martial Saint.

"That's right, Mecha."

Huo Zhenshan stood up, hands behind his back, his voice carrying an irrepressible fervor and awe.

"Battle armor is just a defensive shell that fits the human body."

"But a Mecha is a war beast in the truest sense!"

"Battle armor can double a martial artist's combat power."

Huo Zhenshan held up a finger, staring intently at Su Yu.

"But a top-tier Mecha..."

"...can increase a martial artist's combat power by ten times!!!"

Ten times!!!

Su Yu's heart skipped a beat.

Nine million drops of Dark Gold Divine Blood, increased tenfold, would be the destructive power of ninety million drops!

If he added his Great Perfection martial techniques and Soul-Forging Spear Intent...

The scene was simply unimaginable!

"However..."

Vice Principal Nie Changkong shook his head with a wry smile and took over the conversation.

"Su Yuan, Mecha is still too far away for you right now."

"Because it's far too expensive."

Vice Principal Nie Changkong sighed.

"The cost of a Mecha can no longer be measured in money."

"The materials needed to build a Mecha are all peerless treasures from the deepest parts of the Abyss or Star Meteoric Iron from the nine heavens."

"Even more fatal is the forging technique!"

"Ordinary blacksmiths simply cannot fuse those violent energy materials together."

"Only the top few Divine Smiths in the Great Xia Kingdom are qualified to touch Mecha blueprints."

Huo Zhenshan nodded in agreement.

"Indeed."

"Even this set of Nation-Guardian Rank battle armor given to you as compensation was something I used my privileges to forcibly allocate from the military treasury."

"As for a Mecha, even I cannot promise one to you directly."

"But I can apply to the Supreme Command on your behalf. With your contribution this time, you will definitely have the opportunity to obtain a Mecha of your own in the future."

Huo Zhenshan looked at Su Yu and added earnestly.

"Furthermore, there is a common piece of knowledge in the martial arts world."

"Whether it's battle armor or Mecha, only those forged by the martial artist themselves are the most compatible with the path of their own vital blood."

"It is said that if it's a God-tier Mecha that perfectly fits one's soul..."

"...it can even unleash a hundred times the martial artist's combat power!"

A hundred times!

Su Yu's breathing grew slightly heavier involuntarily.

"In that case..."

Su Yu looked at Huo Zhenshan and asked a very practical question.

"Then why doesn't everyone learn forging themselves?"

Huo Zhenshan and Vice Principal Nie Changkong exchanged a glance and both smiled helplessly.

"How could it be that easy?"

Huo Zhenshan shook his head.

"Blacksmithing is a profession that is extremely demanding of talent and the accumulation of time."

"It requires a massive amount of time to study materials science, energy circuitry, and formation engraving."

"An ordinary martial artist might not even reach mastery in forging techniques even if they spent their entire life on it."

"Moreover, martial arts cultivation is like rowing upstream; if you don't advance, you fall back."

"If a large amount of time is wasted on blacksmithing, it will inevitably delay the improvement of one's martial realm."

"Prioritizing the trivial over the essential is a great taboo in martial arts!"

Huo Zhenshan patted Su Yu's shoulder, his tone exceptionally serious.

"Little friend Su Yuan, your martial arts talent is unprecedented."

"Your task now is to focus on cultivation and strive to break through to the true Martial Saint realm as soon as possible."

"As for time-wasting things like forging, you must never touch them!"

"It's almost impossible to balance both."

"Whatever equipment you need, the military will do its utmost to provide it for you!"

The meeting room fell silent.

Huo Zhenshan and Vice Principal Nie Changkong both looked at Su Yu.

In their view, this generous reward, combined with the future promise of a Mecha, was enough to make any martial artist feel grateful and filled with excitement.

However.

Su Yu fell into a long silence.

He lowered his head and looked at the tabletop.

In his deep, clear eyes, thoughts were racing.

A waste of time?

Impossible to balance?

That's only for ordinary people!

For him, as long as he had money, as long as he could top up his system...

Forget forging techniques—even the laws of the Creator himself, he could use billions of years of cultivation to smash them into Great Perfection!

What he lacked most was never time.

It was money!

As long as he had enough money, he could personally build an invincible Mecha that increased his combat power a hundredfold!

Since Nation-Guardian Rank battle armor was so expensive...

...and since the materials for a Mecha couldn't even be measured in money...

...that meant if these things were converted into cash, it would definitely be an unimaginable astronomical sum!

Su Yu slowly raised his head.

He looked at Huo Zhenshan and Vice Principal Nie Changkong, who were waiting with expectant faces for his response.

His expression was exceptionally serious.

There wasn't the slightest hint of joking.

"Martial Saint Huo, Principal Nie."

Su Yu's voice was very calm.

"I'm a rather vulgar person."

"I like money."

He pointed at the yet-to-be-issued set of Nation-Guardian Rank battle armor and that ethereal quota for a Mecha.

"These miscellaneous rewards, and that battle armor or whatever..."

"Can you..."

"...convert it all into money and deposit it directly into my account?"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

The air in the top-secret meeting room completely froze at this moment.

Huo Zhenshan's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.

The dignified air Vice Principal Nie Changkong had just put on instantly collapsed, his eyes nearly bulging out.

The two looked at Su Yu as if they were looking at an alien.

Their minds were buzzing.

Con... convert it to money?!

Are you fucking crazy?!

Is Nation-Guardian Rank battle armor something money can buy?! It's a symbol of status, position, and a life-saving trump card!

You, a peerless killing god who can forcibly kill a Demon Saint, are turning down top-tier divine equipment capable of suppressing a nation...

...and telling us you like money?!

What do you want that much money for?!

To buy pork ribs to eat?!

The corners of Huo Zhenshan's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

He had seen countless geniuses in his life—those who sought cultivation techniques, those who sought divine weapons, and those who sought high office and riches.

But a weirdo like this, who opened his mouth to ask for a national treasure to be cashed out...

...he was fucking seeing it for the first time!