The furnace was put into operation.
The scorching high temperatures in the smelting zone were brought under control, and all the kobolds working in the smelting zone were overjoyed. The reminders of loyalty surging on their wrists kept rolling in.
However—
A very tricky problem had now appeared.
Insufficient manpower.
With the number of furnaces in the four smelting zones about to exceed 400, it would be difficult for the current kobolds to manage all the smelting zones properly.
Moreover, the deployment of furnaces also meant an increase in the consumption of energy resources.
The drying zone, the smelting zone, and the water condenser.
These three areas consumed massive amounts of energy. If they were to continue relying solely on spectral souls for energy, it would clearly be unrealistic.
This was difficult!
If they were to use wood and coal for energy, then he would need to acquire a large amount of resources from external sources.
Ding-dong.
A notification sound came from his wristband.
Chen Yu, who was considering how to solve the energy problem, subconsciously tapped his wristband, expecting it to be Jiang Yaqing looking for him.
After all!
Jiang Yaqing was the person Chen Yu interacted with the most on a daily basis.
But to his surprise—
When Chen Yu opened the private message window, he saw that the person contacting him was Yu Pu.
Yu Pu: Benefactor, are you busy?
Whoa!
Chen Yu was taken aback by this message.
He certainly remembered this person. They hadn't been in contact for a long time, and seeing his message, Chen Yu was momentarily stunned.
Immediately, he sent a voice call invitation.
The call connected shortly after.
"Hey, Benefactor~"
Yu Pu's signature honest voice came from the wristband.
Hearing that familiar hearty laugh, Chen Yu felt as if he had returned to the most difficult period when he first arrived in the underground world. At that time, he had racked his brains for a fire element fragment, and it was Yu Pu who gave it to him, allowing him to build the water condenser.
"Old Yu, long time no see!"
"Hahaha, indeed, it's been a while since we last contacted." Yu Pu chuckled honestly. "Benefactor, you're developing very well now. I see you're ranked first on both the overall and combat power leaderboards. Amazing!"
"Alright, save the flattery. You're not suited for that kind of thing anyway."
Chen Yu chuckled. He had a good impression of Yu Pu. In the early stages of exploring the underground world, he even valued Yu Pu more than his ally Jiang Yaqing.
"How have you been lately?"
"Hey, just getting by." Yu Pu grinned. Chen Yu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Hey, Old Yu, I actually have something I wanted to ask you."
"Benefactor, please speak!"
"Can you mass-produce your golden pickaxe and golden shovel? My platform has expanded significantly, and I need a batch of high-level farming tools."
"Sure!"
Yu Pu readily agreed.
Ding-dong.
You have received a gift from Yu Pu.
Golden Pickaxe +12, Golden Shovel +12.
"Benefactor, although I've been doing it regularly, I only have these on hand. If you're not in a hurry, I can make them for you slowly. Tell me how many you need!" Yu Pu said honestly.
"The more the better."
Chen Yu whispered with a smile and said,
"I'll trouble you with this. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I..."
"Just say it, Old Yu!" Chen Yu frowned. "When I ask you for help, I'm direct. What are you hesitating about?"
Actually, the reason Chen Yu asked for the golden shovel and pickaxe was for Yu Pu.
He hadn't been in contact with Yu Pu for a long time, and he knew that Yu Pu wasn't the type to reach out for no reason. Since he had contacted him suddenly, there must be something he needed help with.
Yu Pu was honest and too embarrassed to ask directly.
So, Chen Yu deliberately asked him for a favor first, which would make it easier for Yu Pu to speak.
"It's not a big deal, actually." Yu Pu coughed and said, "I have a batch of coal. I don't know if you need it, Benefactor."
"Coal?"
"Yes, that is, coal."
"I need it!"
"So, can you buy some from me?" Yu Pu said with a dry laugh. "My camp is a bit overcrowded, and selling coal is a bit too slow. I... I can sell it to you at a cheaper price."
While Yu Pu was speaking, Chen Yu took the opportunity to search the trading channel.
Coal.
After the regional fusion, there were quite a few people selling coal. Since Chen Yu had not set prices for resources, the sellers' prices varied greatly.
The lowest was 150ml of water per unit, with no upper limit.
The person with the lowest price was none other than Yu Pu. Chen Yu also glanced at the quantity—
1000.
"Old Yu, you have a lot of coal!" Chen Yu exclaimed upon seeing this number. "I can buy it, but I need to be clear upfront. My price for coal is 100. Can you accept that?"
The demand for coal in the underground world was still very low.
Simply put, coal resources were considered advanced resources. Not everyone possessed furnaces like Chen Yu, which required coal for smelting metal ingots.
Furthermore, one unit of coal in a furnace could only smelt one unit of metal ingot.
An investment of 100 resources.
For Chen Yu, it was already quite luxurious.
His relationship with Yu Pu was very good, but that didn't mean he had to accept Yu Pu's price on the trading channel. There was also a difference between trading channel prices and wholesale prices.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better to clarify things in advance to avoid any regrets later.
"Of course!" Yu Pu agreed without hesitation. Chen Yu smiled slightly upon hearing this. "Then what resources do you need, food or water?"
"I..." Read books here
At this point, Yu Pu hesitated for a moment and whispered.
"I don't lack anything."
"Huh?"
"I, I want to trade some resources from you." Yu Pu spoke cautiously. "Food and water resources, I do need them, just not in very large quantities. My coal supply is quite substantial, and I don't know how much Benefactor wants to buy."
"However much you have, I'll buy it," Chen Yu said directly.
"Ah?"
Yu Pu was completely bewildered.
"However much coal you have to sell, I can take it all," Chen Yu said with a smile. "You can't doubt my capacity, can you?"
"Uh, Benefactor, I have a lot!"
"Hahaha..." Chen Yu chuckled upon hearing this. "Why, do you doubt I can't handle it? Old Yu, in this region, if I can't handle it, then no one else can. How much coal do you have? I happen to need a lot of coal, so tell me."
Chen Yu was truly amused by Yu Pu's cautiousness.
He was too careful.
Moreover, Chen Yu felt that Yu Pu didn't quite understand his current strength, as he doubted his capacity. Let alone in the current region, looking at all the survivors in the underground world, how many could compete with Chen Yu in wealth.
"I really have a lot!" Yu Pu said.
"Speak!"
Chen Yu waved his hand.
"Speak boldly and without fear."
"Around 8... 80,000?"
After a long silence, Yu Pu whispered.
Chen Yu immediately burst into laughter.
"80,000, only 8..." Chen Yu, who was smiling at his wristband, suddenly froze and tilted his head. "Old Yu, how many did you just say, 80,000?"
"Uh, is that too much? Actually, it seems to be more than 80,000."
Listening to Yu Pu's timid tone, Chen Yu blinked repeatedly, leaning back in his chair, and exclaimed.
"Old Yu, when did you become a coal tycoon?!"
--
Author's Note:
Good deeds are rewarded. Coal tycoon, hand it over!