Chapter 194 - 177: Refining into a Puppet, the Golden Feather Bird’s Preliminary Submission
Chapter 194: Chapter 177: Refining into a Puppet, the Golden Feather Bird’s Preliminary Submission
For a full three months, one after another, semi-finished products were silently swept into the corner of the Quiet Chamber, piling up into a small mound of failed remains. However, Lu Zhao’s gaze remained as placid as a deep Cold Pool, without a ripple. The movements of his hands showed no sign of sluggishness; his mind, Divine Sense, and Carving Knife had already merged as one with the intricate world of Spirit Patterns.
Another three months passed. In the center of the Quiet Chamber now stood eight humanoid Puppets, each about seven feet tall. With cores made of ochre-colored Crystal Stones and bodies cast from dark Spirit Iron, they stood silently like sentinels.
Their forms were rigid, their lines smooth and powerful. A heavy, ochre-colored Spirit Light flowed steadily around their joints, exuding a heavy aura as profound as the earth and as indestructible as solid rock.
Beneath every inch of their outer shells lay intricate Spirit Patterns, carved countless times with a Carving Knife, their strength and resilience seamlessly integrated. These were the successfully refined Tier One High-Grade puppets: the Earth Vein Spirit Puppets.
Lu Zhao stood up. His long fingers caressed the cold surface of a Spirit Puppet’s armguard. The sensation at his fingertips and the stability of the deep Spiritual Power within caused some of the fatigue accumulated in his eyes from the long exertion to fade. It was replaced by immense relief and the sharp look of someone whose mastery of Puppetry had advanced.
’Eight Puppets from thirty sets of materials... a success rate of nearly thirty percent. That’s a bit better than my original estimate of twenty-five percent. It seems these six months of hard work weren’t for nothing. My understanding and control over the spirituality of Earth Element Spiritual Materials, as well as my precise carving and manipulation of complex Spirit Patterns, have indeed improved greatly.’ He muttered to himself, his satisfaction palpable.
He once again sent a Transmission Sound to summon Zhao Xiaoshu. Zhao Xiaoshu arrived quickly. After half a year of cultivation, his aura had clearly grown more condensed. The moment he entered the room, he was awestruck by the eight Earth Vein Spirit Puppets radiating a steady, imposing pressure, and couldn’t help but gasp.
"Senior, the aura of these Puppets is so powerful!" he exclaimed in amazement.
Lu Zhao pointed to the silent Spirit Puppets. "Take these eight to the Spirit Puppet Tower and deliver them to Master Lin in person. As for the price..." He pondered for a moment, his mind flashing back to the Profound Gold Warrior he had seen at the Spirit Puppet Tower, priced at four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones. "Set it at five hundred Spirit Stones each. The Earth Vein Spirit Puppets excel in Defense and strength, and their cores circulate with Earth Vein Power. They’re not comparable to the Profound Gold Warrior; they’re worth this price."
"Yes! This junior understands!" Zhao Xiaoshu’s eyes lit up as he solemnly agreed. He carefully took the heavy Large Storage Bag—specifically designed for storing large items—from Lu Zhao’s hands. Gently activating his Magical Power, he collected the eight tall, heavy Spirit Puppets one by one into the bag.
Just as Zhao Xiaoshu turned to leave, Lu Zhao spoke again. "Wait. The proceeds from the sale of these eight Spirit Puppets—four thousand Spirit Stones in total—are to be fully reinvested. Purchase more of the same Earth Vein Crystals and Earth Spirit Iron. The quality of the materials must not be lower than what we used this time."
Hearing this, Zhao Xiaoshu nodded and replied, "This disciple is already familiar with the channels for the Earth Vein Crystals and Earth Spirit Iron. I will handle it properly! Please rest assured, Senior!"
Lu Zhao was quite satisfied with this. However, he then took out a bag that was clearly filled with many Spirit Stones and handed it to Zhao Xiaoshu. "This bag contains three thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones," he continued. "You also need to purchase one hundred catties of Tier One High-Grade ’Red Fire Spirit Iron’ and two hundred catties of top-quality Tier One High-Grade ’Red Fire Wood’."
Upon hearing the request for "one hundred catties of Red Fire Spirit Iron," Zhao Xiaoshu’s habitually smiling face twitched, his brow unconsciously furrowing for a moment before quickly returning to normal. He chose his words carefully, "Senior, the two hundred catties of Red Fire Wood, while a large quantity, shouldn’t be difficult to gather. The material grows abundantly in Fire Element Lands, so the old shops in the Marketplace that specialize in Fire Element Spiritual Materials should have ample stock."
"But as for the hundred catties of Red Fire Spirit Iron..." He rubbed his hands together, looking slightly troubled. "This material is usually purchased by Artifact Refiners piecemeal, by the catty as needed. Even the large shops that specialize in this type of Spiritual Material, like the ’Cyan Flame Workshop’ or ’Red Flame’, typically only keep thirty to forty catties in their warehouses. Acquiring one hundred catties will not only be incredibly expensive in Spirit Stones, but will also require coordinating with multiple suppliers. At best, it could take two to three months. At worst, it might take half a year to gather it all."
Lu Zhao was already mentally prepared for this. The Main Materials needed to refine the Red Fire Spirit Bird were inherently rare. The Red Fire Spirit Iron in particular, which served as the core skeleton and had to withstand the erosion of fire power and support the flight Spirit Array, was needed in such a huge quantity that the difficulty would naturally skyrocket.
He nodded calmly. "There’s no need to rush this matter. Just handle it according to your own judgment and in a reliable manner. The top priorities are ensuring quality and safety. If you run into any difficulties, let me know at any time."
"Yes! Rest assured, Senior! Little Shu will do his utmost to see this done reliably!" Zhao Xiaoshu felt immense pressure on his shoulders, but also a sense of mission from being entrusted with such an important task. After his resonant reply, he took the Spirit Stone Bag and the Large Storage Bag containing the Spirit Puppets, bowed once more, and exited. His steps were steady as he entered the outside world, disappearing into the crowds and clamor of the Marketplace.
When Lu Zhao was once again alone in the Quiet Chamber of his cave residence, his gaze swept over the pile of failed, half-finished remains in the corner. A faint, almost imperceptible sigh drifted away on the gentle ripples of Spiritual Qi.
Suddenly, with a thought, he swiped his finger through the air. A small, exquisite Beast Taming Bag covered in Dark Gold patterns appeared in his palm—the very one imprisoning the defiant Golden Feather Bird.
His Divine Sense seeped like mercury into the cramped space inside the Beast Taming Bag. He saw the entirely golden bird curled up in a corner. Its once-majestic appearance had become somewhat listless. Its Feathers, which once shimmered like flowing gold, had grown dull and lackluster, as if covered by a layer of ash.
It lifted its head, its eyes still wary, but it couldn’t hide the deep weakness and the instinctive craving for food within them.
’I’ve starved you for half a year. That should have worn down a good bit of your temper, right?’ Lu Zhao mused silently.
With a flick of his will, he levitated a fist-sized chunk of metal from the scattered scrap in the corner. It retained a slight, impure spirituality of the Metal Element—it was a piece of Earth Spirit Iron that had shattered from improper inlaying during the refinement of the Earth Vein Spirit Puppets. Silently, Lu Zhao tossed the heavy piece of metal into the space of the Beast Taming Bag.
DONG! The light sound of the metal chunk hitting the ground was exceptionally clear in the dead silent space.
The Golden Feather Bird was startled, its wings instantly shielding its body as its sharp, golden eyes scanned the source of the sound. When it saw that what had fallen was a piece of "food" containing a metallic aura, uncontrollable joy erupted through its wariness! It let out a weak, suppressed chirp from its throat, staring impatiently at the metal.
However, it didn’t pounce immediately. It forcibly suppressed its instincts, its gaze still cautiously sizing up the air around it—as if testing whether some invisible restraint or harm would follow.
It waited for a full half quarter hour. Other than its own rapid heartbeat and the aura emanating from the "food," there was no other movement in the space.
Hunger finally overcame its fear and restraint. It tentatively hopped forward two steps, its golden beak striking the metal’s surface like a bolt of lightning. KRAK! A crisp sound rang out. The beak easily tore away a layer of scrap from the surface, revealing the more spirituality-rich part within.
That single peck seemed to jolt its long-suppressed instincts like an invisible electric current! It hesitated no longer. It pounced, its golden talons gripping the metal chunk firmly as its powerful wings spread for balance. Its golden beak pecked and tore at it like a furious storm! The hard metal was devoured as easily as soft clay, and soon, the fist-sized metal fragment was completely swallowed.
It let out a short, satisfied chirp. The long-absent Spiritual Qi, carrying the sharp edge of metal, began to spread from its stomach and nourish its body. Some of its feathers even seemed to regain a little of their luster.
But it was clearly not yet satisfied. It raised its head, its golden eyes scanning its surroundings with obvious craving and a hint of lingering caution.
Lu Zhao "saw" this scene, and the corners of his mouth curled into a playful smile. With another thought, he levitated an even larger piece of scrap metal.
This time, he didn’t just toss it in. Instead, he enveloped the metal with his own extremely gentle Divine Sense Power, causing it to float and slowly drift toward the Golden Feather Bird. At the same time, this gentle yet distinct Divine Sense Power clearly enveloped the bird’s entire body.
A familiar yet alien presence suddenly descended! The Golden Feather Bird’s feathers instantly bristled! It leaped back a step, its entire body tensing like a drawn bow. A low, threatening hiss escaped its throat as its golden pupils locked onto the metal chunk being "held" by the formless power. It was even more wary of the aura enveloping it—the aura belonging to Lu Zhao!
It faced off against the aura in a silent struggle. The hostility was still there, but thanks to the satisfaction of a full belly and the harmlessness of the previous encounter, its enmity was far less sharp than it had been half a year ago.
Its golden eyes darted back and forth between Lu Zhao’s Divine Sense aura and the piece of metal exuding a tempting scent, and it stamped its talons anxiously. It wanted to pounce, but it was wary of the aura’s master. It wanted to retreat, but it couldn’t resist the rumbling hunger that echoed in its stomach once more.
’Do you want to eat?’ Lu Zhao’s Divine Sense clearly transmitted the question along with a faint sense of teasing, as if he were watching a stubborn child struggling in front of candy.
The Golden Feather Bird seemed to understand the silent thought. It stamped its feet anxiously twice, then shot the metal chunk a fierce glare before letting out a low chirp that was both indignant and slightly aggrieved. Then—it turned its head away! But the constant sidelong glances from the corner of its eye and its rapidly heaving chest betrayed its true desire.
Seeing the bird act so "unyielding" despite being clearly starved, the amusement in Lu Zhao’s heart almost spilled out of his Divine Sense. He had no intention of teasing it further and simply released his hold. SWOOSH! The chunk of metal fell straight to the ground.
The instant the metal hit the ground, the Golden Feather Bird whipped around several times faster, seizing its new "prey" like a starving tiger pouncing on its meal! This time, there was almost no hesitation. The sound of greedy pecking and tearing immediately filled the small space of the Beast Taming Bag.
After doing all this, Lu Zhao’s Divine Sense quietly withdrew from the Beast Taming Bag, the faint, playful smile still lingering on his lips. He paid no more attention to the situation inside the bag, his gaze once again becoming calm and sharp.