What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 380. Saturated Basic Industries, Ideas for Development

Above the venue, which was decorated with a starry sky backdrop, a huge shadow suddenly appeared, accompanied by powerful magic, and a gentle male voice could be heard from within it:

"Please pause!"

Why was the auction organized by the Shengquan Chamber of Commerce temporarily suspended?

This was indeed a once-in-a-century event, and even the auctioneer showed obvious surprise, but the next second his expression turned serious.

He stared directly at the enormous chariot pulled by a giant dragon as it entered the auction hall, and solemnly declared, "Your Majesty, this is an auction hosted by the Holy Spring Merchant Guild!"

Deep blue springs of water appeared faintly in the starry sky, silently spreading in every corner. They were inconspicuous at first glance, but when they gathered together, they could form a boundless sea.

Choosing an emperor?

Kroa narrowed his eyes and asked the intelligent golem beside him, "Choosing an emperor is..."

"He is a prince of the Starsea Empire who is qualified to compete for the position of emperor."

Clearly, this intelligent golem wasn't very intelligent; it just uttered that one dry sentence and then fell silent.

But that's enough.

Kroya had learned some things about this before. The Starsea Empire was an imperial system, and the emperor was the strongest and the supreme ruler. All rules had to give way to him.

This is the thrill of power; even emperors in other countries face certain limitations.

Choosing an emperor would truly place them in the second tier of power within the Starsea Empire, which explains why they dared to halt the Holy Spring Merchant Guild's auction...

"Um?"

He was still reflecting on the event when he suddenly saw the holy springs flowing around the venue and rushing towards the emperor's carriage.

"Oh, as expected, showing off gets you struck by lightning."

"It seems the Holy Spring Merchant Guild is confident enough to rival the Star Sea Empire?"

In the distance, the boundless holy spring is tinged with a deep crimson, like a blue gem mixed with a ruby.

That immense power could crush even the stars, easily tearing apart the dragons and magnificent carriages, and even wiping out all the attendants accompanying the chosen emperor.

There were no words, just pure overwhelming force.

In the end, only a handsome young man dressed in a magnificent robe remained, standing there helplessly looking at the sacred spring around him.

"Alas, Lord Holy Spring, I was merely driven by greed."

"I am willing to pay compensation."

"Everyone present will receive a ticket to the Imperial Grand Theater!"

The Emperor Election King was aware that he had gone a bit too far this time. Although he was the Emperor Election King, stopping the Holy Spring Merchant Guild's auction was still a bit excessive.

Therefore, they should immediately and honestly compensate the victim.

The holy spring then quietly receded into the surroundings, and the emperor entered the private room as if nothing had happened.

The auctioneer then put on a smile again: "King Atreus has gifted each of us present a ticket to the Imperial Grand Theater. Now, let's continue the auction."

"This golden candy."

"You have all experienced its power just now; it has the potential to make people feel 'eternity' and delay the aging of the body."

"The starting bid remains at one hundred magic crystals."

As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Atreus immediately declared, "Ten thousand magic crystals!"

He also said in a lazy tone, "Gentlemen, no matter what your offer is, I'm willing to double it."

That was definitely a bit too much of a boast.

Who here isn't rich? You're willing to double that? While it's a bit difficult to compete with the Star Sea Empire's chosen emperor in terms of wealth, once you say that, taking it away quickly is absolutely impossible.

"Twenty thousand!"

"fifty thousand!"

"One hundred thousand!"

The golden candy, which looked no bigger than a fingernail under the spotlight, was ultimately bought by King Aret for 200,000 magic crystals—200,000 level-three magic crystals…

Okay, Chloe admits she really is a country bumpkin.

He finally realized just how alluring this magic representing "eternity" was to everyone in the astral plane.

Although the other candies were also snatched up, their prices were obviously not as high as this one. After all, this candy was the one that Kroya had been researching the most, the one he had studied the most in "The Rainbow Poem".

Finally, he received 700,000 magic crystals after deducting the auction house's 10% commission.

Six candies, 700,000 magic crystals.

For a moment, he did want to make more of these candies, so he could quickly amass a fortune, but after careful consideration, he gave up on the idea.

The vast galaxy can certainly hold all of his candy.

Things are valued for their rarity.

These candies must be valued as unique, precious gifts that make people feel valued – which is why they should be released in as few as possible.

Things with a clear price tag can always be bought by someone, but special freebies are naturally invaluable. Money is important in the astral realm, but face is even more important.

After making his decision, he inquired about the previous auction items.

In this respect, the Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce was quite considerate, releasing the auction video of the "crystal pillar" that he had previously created, which could form a temporary divine domain and exert divine authority.

Although not as sought-after as these candy auctions, it still attracted a group of nobles and mages who enjoyed pleasure and wanted to study, and even a few forces that run entertainment industries were bidding.

The final transaction price was 30,000 magic crystals—after all, this was only the most basic version, and selling a single one for 30,000 magic crystals was already quite a lot; being able to continuously produce it meant a steady stream of business.

That's good enough.

What surprised him even more were the pearls from the merfolk.

I don't know if they already had some reputation, but they were all sold out, and very quickly, each one sold for a high price of 50,000 magic crystals.

Having confirmed that he had made a great haul, he leisurely began to enjoy his free time, watching the auction items being sold one by one—those that sold well must have a market, and he needed to observe more to understand the trends in the Star Realm.

Time passed quickly like that.

He stayed here for a full three months.

During this time, he saw tens of thousands of auction items. To sum it up, the most common food on the Zemurian continent was really not very good here. Various magical products also had standardized industrial chains, and the types of products were incredibly diverse.

With relatively abundant resources and numerous powerful forces, these markets are basically saturated. It's highly unlikely that a legendary mage who has just arrived in the Astral Plane would be able to intervene in the market and try to get a share of the profits.

He is very strong, but he is also in danger if surrounded. Moreover, he has cultivated these skills for countless years, and his reputation and network of relationships are as complex as magic.

"No wonder so many legends become just ordinary people when they reach the Astral Plane."

"After ruling the world like a tyrant, it's understandable to feel lost when you arrive in the Astral Plane and see such a vast world."

"The astral plane... is really full of people."

Kroya was somewhat moved.

He felt that his idea might need to be improved.

It seems that continuing to compete with existing industries for survival space will only lead to endless trouble and be a thankless task.

Instead of focusing on this already saturated world, he should look to the vast Astral Plane and explore and transform the unknown world—in this regard, he needs to visit the Astral Council and its subordinate pioneering teams.

He planned to handle this personally, at least to set the tone first, before letting the apprentices get involved.

It's definitely not feasible to just leave everything to chance and let things develop on their own. He needs to find the right path, prepare the necessary prerequisites, and then proceed with the next steps.

"Fortunately, I have the identity of the Astral Bards."

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel grateful that he had obtained the identity of the Astral Bards.

……

Soon, he arrived at the Astral Council.

As the masters of the Creation Ring and one of the three major powers of the Astral Plane, the Astral Council is located in the area closest to the sun in the entire ring, surrounded by endless light.

This colossal structure in the astral plane is shaped like a peculiar six-pointed star, with various mage towers, miniature planes, laboratories, and administrative institutions all converging into a magnificent architectural complex.

It is more sacred and mysterious than any divine kingdom.

As soon as Kroya entered, a female mage dressed in the uniform of the Astral Council came out to greet her respectfully:

"Grand Mage Kroya, welcome to the Astral Council."

"Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

She led Chloe to a luxurious reception room, where drinks and pastries were prepared. She stood in front of him, not daring to sit down, and was very respectful.

"I would like to learn about matters related to the development."

He didn't want to waste time and brought it up directly.

"OK."

The female mage began her narration with images and words: "Although the Genesis Ring is already close to perfect, it still needs the essence of each plane world to strengthen itself."

The space you inhabit was created from the very essence of the planes within the Genesis Ring. The diverse worlds that nourish the Genesis Ring have inspired our Council Chairman to issue the Expansion Decree.

"According to the regulations, the world is divided into five levels."

"Minor Plane, Intermediate Plane, Major Plane, Prime Plane, Gaia Plane."

"The rewards vary depending on the level of the plane you explore and bury the Genesis Star Ring Beacon. However, all planes that you explore and conquer will forever belong to you."

"You can choose to develop it as your own private plane on your own, or you can go through our Astral Council to find and select forces with the necessary qualifications to develop it."

You will receive 50% of the revenue generated from the development.

As the female mage spoke, she seemed to notice the Astral Bard's badge on Kroya's chest, and her expression changed slightly.

"If you are interested in exploration, I can apply for exploration qualifications for you now and provide you with a set of dimensional coordinates recorded by the Astral Bards."

She was indeed a little shocked. That was the emblem of the Astral Bards. The name itself suggested that the Bards were always on the move and would know a lot about matters related to exploration.

Even the current head of the development department is a member of the bard troupe.

Kroya noticed the change in her expression and knew it must be because of the badge. When you're out and about, you give yourself your identity. If you have one, why not use it?

So he unceremoniously asked for a huge amount of information and started studying it on the spot. After studying it for a while, he realized that it was basically like mining in space and then handing the ore over to someone else to mine.

The only difference is that you have the power to control everything produced in the mine—provided you can handle the dangers that come with it.

Exploring unknown planes is no easy task. The first three levels of planes are alright; even if there are legendary figures, there are usually only one or two. But if it's the level of the Prime Plane and the Gaia Plane...

Just look at the world of The Semi-Devil.

There is a vast material world, as well as subordinate underworlds and elemental worlds, and even a celestial realm inhabited by gods. To fully explore it and bring it into the Astral Council's Genesis Ring anchor point would be indescribably difficult.

Exploration is essentially no different from occupation.

The consciousness of a plane will resist being occupied by outsiders, and may even give rise to some "chosen ones" to fight against the pioneers' teams. So don't be fooled by the great benefits; the risks are also exceptionally high.

Small worlds are easy to develop, but their value is much lower. The powers in the astral plane aren't stupid; they won't help you if you have no value.

With so many resources, even ordinary items are hard to sell.

It is precisely because of these numerous difficulties that the development of planes is still considered a "virgin territory" with few people even in the astral plane, which is exactly what Kroa wanted.

His magic has a special effect on the consciousness of a plane.

"The Poem of the Rainbow" itself can also intervene in the laws of the plane. As long as he is well prepared, the expansion may not be so difficult.

Most importantly, if he were in charge of the exploration, he could ensure that his subordinates would not engage in destructive exploitation of the plane, nor would they drain the pond to catch all the fish.

After thinking it through, he asked for a certificate.

The female mage asked him about the name of his pioneering group, and after thinking for a moment, he replied, "Let's call it Hanjiao (Hanjiao)."

The name was indeed a bit too ordinary. The mage paused for less than a second before immediately starting the process. It was very fast; in just a few minutes, a "Reef Settlement Development Permit" was delivered to Kroya.

For Kroya, Hanjiao Island held a different significance. He loved his island dearly, and his status lay in his strength and influence. As long as he grew powerful in the future, no one would dare to say anything against the name Hanjiao.

The strong are independent and unconventional; this is their personality.

Kroya looked at the permit for exploration for a while, nodded in satisfaction, and decided to go back and move the Reef Island to the Astral Plane. The matters of the Zemurian continent also needed to be gradually brought to a close.

Thank you all for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes~ Happy February!

(End of this chapter)