Without a doubt, at this stage, the Soul Altar in Zhang Nu's hands was truly a divine artifact for harvesting souls.
Synthesizing 24 Level 4 souls would cost him a maximum of 120 Level 3 souls.
He quickly calculated the numbers in his mind.
If everything went smoothly, with a trade taking place every two days, exchanging 24 Level 4 souls for 240 Level 3 souls, he could profit a net gain of 120 souls each time. That would be an incredible amount of souls.
If all these souls were to be sacrificed at the altar, even with a conservative estimate, he could obtain at least over 20,000 talent points in exchange. If Zhang Nu could earn an average of 20,000 talent points every two to three days, then it would only take him about ten days to activate a Level 5 talent.
In theory, even if he did nothing and refrained from killing any Heroes in the future, Zhang Nu could activate all three Level 5 talents within a little over a month.
How incredible was that?
Keep in mind that these were Level 5 talents.
However, Zhang Nu was not one to rest on his laurels or refrain from eliminating Heroes. It was simply not in his nature.
Of course, all these calculations were purely theoretical. The actual situation would undoubtedly be more complex. Factors such as market fluctuations, the emergence of competitors, or the frequent exchange of Level 4 souls for Level 3 souls could potentially devalue the Level 4 souls.
It was difficult to predict the medium to long-term outcome.
However, Zhang Nu believed that, in the short term at least, this business venture held immense potential!
Moreover, he had simultaneous access to ten Demon King channels, providing a large market and enough customers to absorb the supply. The value of Level 4 souls would not easily depreciate.
At that very moment, Li Si arrived to report a piece of news.
"The latest update from the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce has arrived."
Zhang Nu then inquired, "How is the guild faring now?"
Li Si replied, "The Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce is currently thriving. They have gained considerable recognition in the local area and have recently received a massive order worth one hundred million gold coins."
A 100 million gold coin order?!
Zhang Nu immediately grasped the significance of the information. The mentioned 100 million gold coins undoubtedly referred to the currency of the continent. If converted to in-game gold coins, it would shrink to one-tenth of the value---equivalent to 10 million gold.
However, even with 10 million gold, it was by no means a small figure.
Zhang Nu exclaimed, "They've already secured such a huge order in such a short period of time? I never expected the Dark Dragon merchant guild to grow even more formidable than I had imagined!"
Li Si replied, "It's all thanks to the high-quality potions from the elves, the exceptional equipment crafted by the dwarves, and the outstanding goods produced in the Darkness City. Their reputation in the local area is impeccable. However..."
"The recent surge in orders for the Dark Dragon merchant guild has put a strain on their gnome caravan teams' capacity to transport goods. Moreover, the risks have been increasing lately."
Zhang Nu nodded.
The growth rate of the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce was much faster than he had imagined. However, the logistics system of the Demon King had failed to keep up with the pace.
The transportation of supplies and products from the Chaos Forest relied solely on a few gnome merchant teams. The journey from the Chaos Forest to the Azure Water Federation was not only distant but also treacherous, passing through rugged terrain and areas infested with powerful magical beasts and rampant bandits.
The gnome merchants of Thousand Fangs City used to wander around various tribes and towns in the forest, engaging in small-scale trade. However, both their transportation capacity and self-defense capabilities had failed to keep up with the growing demands. This not only resulted in a shortage of supplies but also carried the risk of being robbed along the way, ultimately leading to a loss of investment.
After giving it some thought, Zhang Nu said, "I intend to personally participate in the transportation of these goods and make a trip to the Azure Water Federation."
His decision surprised Li Si. "While this order worth 100 million is undoubtedly important, as our master, it seems unnecessary for you to personally escort it. It would be better for this old one to handle it on your behalf and ensure that all the goods are safely delivered to the Dark Dragon merchant guild."
"No need," the Demon King shook his head.
"I have been staying in the Darkness City for too long and I want to head out and clear my mind. Besides, I want to personally assess the development of the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce."
As the will of the Demon King was absolute, Zhang Nu's decision was final. Li Si no longer attempted to dissuade him.
However, Zhang Nu's intention to go out and clear his mind was not the primary reason for his decision. The main purpose was to construct a teleportation tower.
The blueprint for the Tower of Teleportation did not have any requirements regarding the construction location. It was not limited to territories within the influence or occupation range, and could be built anywhere.
However, regardless of where Zhang Nu wanted to construct the teleportation tower, the Demon King had to personally arrive in order to summon the structure. Thus, his true purpose for this journey was to expedite the construction of the teleportation tower.
While the teleportation tower could transport people, it was also capable of transporting items. However, it could only achieve this through targeted teleportation.
If the teleportation tower could be successfully built in the Azure Water Federation, it would be beneficial for the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce. Bulk items such as grain, equipment, and raw materials, which had large volumes and quantities, would still rely on merchant caravans for transportation.
On the other hand, valuable treasures stored in Ironheart City and various potions in the Darkness City, which were small in size but highly valuable, could be directly delivered through spatial teleportation.
Although the cost of spatial teleportation was relatively high, it was not only fast and efficient but also secure, alleviating the pressure of transportation.
Using the Advanced Beast Pen in Darkness City, Zhang Nu summoned 5000 Quadruped Winged Beasts at once. These flying transportation units were entrusted to the gnome merchants of Thousand Fangs City to enhance the transportation capacity of their caravans.
In the future, aerial transportation would be the primary method, with ground transportation serving as a secondary option.
The next day, Zhang Nu set off.
Accompanied by the gnome flying transport fleet, they traversed the treacherous mountains and vast forests of the Chaos Forest. Perhaps due to the overwhelming aura emanating from the Demon King, they had a smooth journey without encountering any attacks from magical beasts.
After two days of traveling, the gnome transport convoy finally left the Chaos Forest and officially entered the territory of the Azure Water Federation.
The Azure Water Federation was incredibly vast, with an area several times larger than that of the Chaos Forest, and a population exceeding one billion.
Compared to the Chaos Forest, the terrain of the Azure Water Federation was more complex. Around 80% of its territory consisted of the sea, with only 20% being land. The land portion consisted of continents, forests, multiple peninsula regions, and countless islands.
Excluding the underground world, it was the first time the Demon King had left the Chaos Forest since his meeting with the Succubus Queen.
He witnessed the grandeur of the federation's cities, which were significantly different from the forest cities of the Chaos Forest. These metropolises had populations of at least a million and surpassed the Chaos Forest in terms of population and commercial prosperity.
In the northern part of the Azure Water Federation, there was a country called Pale Moon Kingdom. It was one of the dozens of member states within the Azure Water Federation. The city of Holy Tides was the second largest city and the largest commercial hub in the Pale Moon Kingdom.
It was built on a massive island and had a population of five million people, boasting a vast harbor system. Countless magical ships were constantly flowing in and out.
Passing by Holy Tides City, Zhang Nu took special notice of these ships. Among the thousands of giant merchant vessels, he discovered many heavy-duty oceangoing ships with capacities ranging from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand tons.
The shipping capacity of these vessels was on par with the super cargo ships of the previous world. Thanks to the assistance of magical formations for propulsion, their top speed on the sea was comparable to high-speed trains in the previous world. Therefore, maritime transportation was the mainstream mode of transportation in the Azure Water Federation, with ground and air transportation serving as auxiliary means.
The flags of these cargo and merchant ships were diverse. Among them were not only ships from various states within the Azure Water Federation but also vessels from other empires on the continent.
The Azure Federation had a highly developed commercial sector, bordering multiple empire-level forces and enjoying the advantages of extensive maritime transportation. It served as a regional commercial hub where trade could be conducted even with imperial caravans located hundreds of thousands of miles away.
The potential market scale here reached tens of billions in value. This was precisely why the Demon King had sent the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce to establish a presence in the region.
Near Holy Tides City, there were countless vast islands, and the headquarters of the Dark Dragon merchant guild was established on one of these seemingly desolate black islands where no vegetation grew.
Upon Zhang Nu's arrival, numerous supporting structures had already been built on the island. The flag of the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce fluttered high, and there were several transport ships docked at the newly constructed small port, indicating that it had already achieved a considerable scale.
"Your Majesty!"
Rao Jian, a gnome Hero and member of the Dragon's Shadow Heroes Guild, as well as the chairman of the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce, was greatly surprised to see the Demon King himself appear here.
"My identity must be kept secret," Zhang Nu said.
"You may refer to me as Mr. Long from now on."
The Hero, Rao Jian, quickly responded, "Yes, Mr. Long! Mr. Long, do you have any special instructions for coming here personally?"
Zhang Nu explained the plan to build the teleportation tower to Rao Jian.
Upon learning about the capabilities and functions of the teleportation tower, Rao Jian was overjoyed. "That's fantastic! I don't think we need to look for another location. We can directly build it here on Dark Dragon Island."
As it turned out, within this desolate island, there was a large central space within the heart of the Dark Dragon Island, where the main warehouse of the Dark Dragon merchant guild was located. It had sufficient space to accommodate a teleportation tower.
Contrary to other locations, this place was even safer. The waters surrounding Dark Dragon Island did not prohibit the use of spatial magic. By constructing the teleportation tower on this island, the influence of the Dragon Demon King would inevitably spread to the region of the Azure Water Federation, including the kingdom of Pale Moon.
After conducting an on-site investigation, Zhang Nu believed that it was feasible.
Compared to other locations, it would be more convenient to build the tower directly at the headquarters of the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce. Connecting the teleportation tower directly to the Darkness City and the Dark Dragon merchant guild would greatly facilitate both management and protection in the future.