Douluo Continent: Angel Saint Huo Yuhao

Chapter 236 Resources
In Huo Yuhao's current view, soul tools have three major flaws.

Studying takes a long time and easily takes up time for cultivating soul power, so only those crazy drug addicts in the Sun Moon Empire don't care about this aspect.

At the same time, the mental resistance of finished equipment is almost non-existent, both for the Soul Master himself and for the internal Soul Guidance Formation. As long as they encounter an existence with extremely high mental power, lower-level Soul Guidance Devices are completely useless.

Furthermore... this thing also consumes a lot of precious materials.

The numerous pieces of equipment that Huo Yuhao stored in his soul storage device are the best proof of this. A large amount of rare metals were cut into pieces as if they were free, leaving only a small piece of the finished array in the end—and the scrap rate was extremely high.

Even Xuan Ziwen, a genius in soul guidance, couldn't produce a 100% perfect product, especially when researching new fields. The piles of scrap materials on the experimental table made Huo Yuhao tremble with fear.

Five to ninety percent of the cost is in materials, which is...

"Moreover, metal materials are almost non-renewable. If this continues, the material resources of the entire Douluo Continent will soon be exhausted."

Huo Yuhao's thoughts wandered, vaguely touching upon certain facts.

……

"Attack the Heavenly Soul first."

After listening quietly to the debate among the people in the hall, Xu Tianran flicked the triangular flag in his hand and planted it firmly on the sand table in front of him, silencing all the noise.

"Yes."

Amidst the even more astonished gazes of the crowd, the young girl standing behind Xu Tianran spoke in a deep voice, showing no fear in front of the loyal ministers and generals in the hall:

"The Heavenly Soul Empire has always been lax in its defenses, and its only remaining land border is defended only in Maple Leaf City. It is entirely possible to quickly destroy the nodes while compressing the Star Dou defense line..."

"Although the fjord located north of Mingdou is close to the icy sea, the center of the sea spirit beasts' attack is still in the Dongyang City area. We can use the spirit master group to drive them away, build a coastal defense in Dongyang City, and free up space for the fleet to develop."

"With the fjord as an inland sea, the long, undefended coastline of Tianhun will become a landing point. The only barrier we will face next is the continuous hills in the west of Tiandou City... A single-unit soul guidance array can completely cope with this environment."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

All the courtiers were exchanging glances rapidly, and no one dared to offer a single comment.

Although the figure standing behind Xu Tianran was completely unfamiliar to most of them, just by looking at their expressions, they knew that this person was definitely one of the Crown Prince's confidants, or even—

'Cough~'

Everyone lowered their gazes simultaneously.

Raise an objection? Who would dare... Xu Tianran clearly wanted to push her to the forefront. Now, is she trying to single-handedly confront the Soul Master Legion by opposing her?

"Please feel free to speak your mind, everyone. There's no need to be polite."

Xu Tianran sighed, seemingly troubled, but under the intense gazes of everyone, he took Ju Zi's hand: "We've gathered here to discuss national affairs; silence is not a good sign..."

It’s okay not to say it.

His words only silenced the crowd in the hall, with some even unable to suppress the twitching of their lips.

I'm in a dilemma...

"Ahem~ Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness."

Finally, a senior member of the princeling faction stepped forward, bowing slightly: "Isn't this plan somewhat ill-considered? The Star Luo Empire shares a long border with the Sun Moon Empire, and its main Soul Master legion is stationed directly east of Mingdu. Once an opportunity is found to break through the defenses, it will be an open plain..."

He wasn't too worried about evil spirit masters taking action. But as for the Soul Master Corps...
What if the opponent launches a massive charge with a group of Soul Saints?
Only a level nine Soul Master could withstand such a terrifying scene, but problems arose... Top-tier combatants often seek head-to-head duels; if a Sun Moon Soul Master dares to use a level nine Soul Master, then a Douluo Soul Master would dare to use a level nine Soul Master.

If you dare to throw a level-nine fixed-equipment bomb to blow up the city, they also dare to send out a super Douluo to carry out a decapitation strike.

Unless the Holy Spirit Cult is brought to the forefront without any consideration, the Sun Moon Empire will definitely suffer a great loss if war breaks out at this time.

"Heh... that's certainly true in general."

Xu Tianran tapped the armrest of his wheelchair nonchalantly: "But what if I told you that the research at Mingdetang has been very successful?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the breathing in the entire hall became heavy, and many courtiers' eyes gleamed as if they saw the dawn of victory: "Your Highness... is this really true?!"

How could it be fake?

Xu Tianran sneered: "In less than two years, the entire army will be equipped with brand-new equipment, and all our setbacks in the face of Soul Masters will cease to exist!"

Conspiracy?

The most effective means in war is always direct and forceful pressure!

He refused to believe that those Soul Masters who were clinging to rotten ancient books and waiting to die could withstand the bombardment of Soul Guidance Devices and cause chaos.
"However, given that our country's metal resources are nearing depletion, taking over the Heavenly Soul and reaching the far north must be the top priority. Only by obtaining sufficient material support can breakthroughs in soul guidance technology be continuously translated into practical improvements."

Xu Tianran took a deep look at the location of the far north, and with Ju Zi's help, he turned around and moved his wheelchair to the rear.

"Have you found any clues about the missing exchange student?"

In the empty corridor, Xu Tianran unbuttoned the metal clasp on his chest, opening a thin membrane that blocked out sound.

"There hasn't been a single word from them, it's like they've vanished into thin air."

Orange sighed somewhat dejectedly: "Of course, his friends and classmates are still staying at Sun Moon Academy and have no intention of leaving or even going abroad... Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

"Overthinking?"

"Does Your Highness still remember that so-called Ghost Nana? The one who won the Mingdu Friendship Tournament with the exchange student?"

“…Of course I remember.”

Xu Tianran interlaced his fingers and leaned back, closing his eyes with a headache. Xu Tianzhen's signature crying seemed to ring in his ears again, making his brain ache.

He really had no way to deal with this princess. It was just a small competition, and she lost, but she acted like she had a mental breakdown.

"Judging from the results of the investigation, she was an orphan without parents. Her performance at Sun Moon Academy can only be considered excellent, but she is still a little far from being at the top."

Orange's eyes showed a strange light: "But for some reason, in the past two years, she seems to have suddenly become enlightened, and her strength and realm have been improving rapidly, especially after the friendly match half a year ago - which happened to be the time when that exchange student took leave and went missing."

"... "

Mentioning that time, Xu Tianran's expression instantly hardened: "You don't need to pay attention to this matter anymore, someone will investigate it on their own. You should rest for a while, I have an important task to entrust to you."

"……Yes!"

Orange remained silent for a few seconds before finally lowering her head slowly.

(End of this chapter)