After a moment of silence, Zhu Xuanji chuckled softly and steadied his emotions, "Interesting."
Then he asked, "What is the origin of these mechanical monkeys?"
Zheng Shuanggou frowned immediately, and said in disbelief, "Lord Zhu, do you mean that the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator used these mechanical monkeys to blow up the Immortal Palace?"
"I know about this," Chi Dun spoke, his voice deep.
He knew quite a bit.
After all, when Fei Si offered this treasure to the City Lord, he was present.
Chi Dun introduced the matter to Zhu Xuanji in detail.
Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly and said directly, "Take me to the flying disc workshop."
At the flying disc workshop.
Chen Cha was handing a large batch of spirit stones to Ning Zhuo, "Brother Ning, these are your recent dividends."
There were seven or eight storage bags in front of Ning Zhuo, each filled with spirit stones.
Back then, Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo agreed to collaborate, with Chen Cha taking only thirty percent of the profits and Ning Zhuo getting the remaining seventy percent, without needing to pay for any raw materials.
The business of mechanical Explosive Flame Monkeys was enormous. All the mechanical workshops in the city were working day and night, utilizing their full capacity, yet there was still a significant shortage.
This was not Ning Zhuo's first time collecting dividends.
Since the last time Chen Cha privately requested Ning Zhuo to transfer the invention rights of the mechanical Explosive Flame Monkeys, Chen Cha had been deeply remorseful and ashamed to face Ning Zhuo.
So, although he knew that Ning Zhuo had considerable skills in mechanics, he had never invited him to the workshop to participate in the manufacturing.
Their meetings were always about handing over dividends.
But this visit, Ning Zhuo had a different purpose in mind.
"Old Chen, I have another important matter this time," Ning Zhuo said.
Chen Cha was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Just call me Old Chen. Brother Ning, just say what you need, and I will do my best to help!"
Ning Zhuo then took out a mechanical monkey and placed it in front of Chen Cha.
The familiar scene made Chen Cha pause again.
"Old Chen, take a look at this," he said.
"I've been diligently practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art recently and heard that there is still a long way to meet the total demand for the mechanical monkeys. I came up with a way to increase production."
Chen Cha sighed, "This year's situation is too special."
"In past Fire Persimmon Festivals, we only harvested part of the fire persimmons, and the Monkey Head Gang as the main force could finish the job."
"This year, a Golden Core Stage Black Shadow Demon Cultivator escaped into the city, making the City Lord's Mansion hesitant to act. We have to harvest all the fire persimmons before dealing with the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator to minimize losses."
Saying this, Chen Cha started to check the mechanical monkey.
Ning Zhuo timely introduced, "I changed some of the material ratios, mainly adjusting the muscles..."
Chen Cha listened to the introduction and checked it himself, his face becoming somber.
He looked up, giving Ning Zhuo a deep look. If he hadn't felt guilty, he would have already left in anger, or even scolded him on the spot.
Chen Cha took a deep breath, his face complex, and advised, "Brother Ning, this is pure shoddy work."
"According to your latest plan, you greatly reduced the manufacturing process, and indeed it reduced a lot of workload. But the mechanical monkeys produced are much worse than before."
"Not only are they prone to breaking during use, but the muscles will melt with a little heat."
"I remember you specifically visited me before to discuss solving the problem of the muscles melting from heat."
Ning Zhuo then smiled, "Old Chen, this is precisely the essence of my improvement!"
"Think about it, how many years can we sell mechanical monkeys?"
"After this year, there will be too many mechanical Explosive Flame Monkeys in the market. How many can we sell next year?"
"Doing business requires a steady stream of water."
"These new Explosive Flame Monkeys will break down soon. Only then will those in need buy more."
Chen Cha's face darkened further, "I disagree with you. Mechanical items should focus on quality to build a reputation and retain customers."
"Remember, we're not the only ones producing mechanical Explosive Flame Monkeys. Others will imitate us in the future, and if our quality is poor, we will lose the market."
Ning Zhuo smiled indifferently, "Old Chen, with your relationship with Lord Fei Si, what competition are we afraid of?"
Just as he was about to continue persuading, a voice suddenly came, "Oh? Chen Cha, what is your relationship with Fei Si?"
"Who is it?!" Chen Cha immediately stood up.
Ning Zhuo's face also changed, and he stood side by side with Chen Cha, fully alert.
In the next moment, Zhu Xuanji pushed the door open, followed closely by Chi Dun and Zheng Shuanggou.
Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo were both shocked and hurriedly bowed.
They recognized Chi Dun and Zheng Shuanggou, but Zhu Xuanji was a stranger to them.
Zhu Xuanji took out his waist token and introduced himself proactively, "I am Zhu Xuanji, a member of the Divine Hunter Office and a representative of the Southern Bean Royal Family. I am here to investigate the emergence of the Magma Fairy Palace."
"Let me ask you, did you cause the emergence of the Fairy Palace?"
Zhu Xuanji stared at Chen Cha, his eyes flashing with golden light.
Chen Cha was dumbfounded by the question!
It took him two breaths to react, smiling bitterly, "How could I possibly be involved with the emergence of the Fairy Palace?"
Zhu Xuanji frowned slightly, sensing that Chen Cha was not lying.
He then asked, "How did you design the mechanical Explosive Flame Monkeys? How did you make and sell them? Explain everything to me clearly."
"This..." Chen Cha hesitated for a moment, then braced himself and began to speak slowly.
He had just said a half when Zhu Xuanji interrupted, "You are lying!"
In the next moment, Zhu Xuanji's eyes blazed with golden light, and a Golden Core Level aura burst out, enveloping Chen Cha and pressing him down.
"How dare you, Chen Cha, to hide anything in front of a Divine Hunter?!" Zheng Shuanggou shouted.
Chi Dun's face was like iron, "Tell the whole truth, or you will be considered an accomplice of the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator!"
Chen Cha was terrified, his face pale, and his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Three lords, please wait. I dare to interject that there is more to this than meets the eye, and I am also in the know," Ning Zhuo hastily said.
"Oh?" Instantly, the eyes of the three Golden Core Cultivators turned to him.
Zhu Xuanji said with deep meaning, "After I finish with Chen Cha, I will examine you. But since you want to speak, explain well. Perhaps your guilt can be mitigated."
In his special vision, both Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo glowed dark red.
Ning Zhuo even glowed darker and redder than Chen Cha.
Feeling immense pressure, Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth and said, "Both Chen Cha and I signed a contract. Speaking too much may bring backlash!"
"Lord Fei Si knows everything."
As soon as he said this, Ning Zhuo turned pale and began bleeding from his nose, proving his words about the 'backlash.'
Zhu Xuanji's eyebrows raised slightly upon hearing Fei Si's name, and he looked towards Chi Dun, "Interesting."
Chi Dun quickly said, "I will report to the City Lord immediately."
"No need. I'm already here," Fei Si's voice came from outside the door.