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Translator: Silavin & Jon
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai asked curiously, “Does everyone know about it now?”
The Feudal Lord chuckled, “It’s only natural to pay attention to Sir Territory Lord’s affairs.”
Upon hearing the reason behind it, Yang Kai nodded, “I see.”
The Feudal Lord’s expression turned milder after he found out that Yang Kai was Hei Yuan’s Black Ink Disciple and he replied, “If you’re looking for Zha Gu, just head in that direction. According to Human measurements, he lives in a place that is 3,000 kilometres away from here.”
After looking in the same direction, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Many thanks.”
He then bid the Feudal Lord farewell and shot in that direction. It took him a short moment to move across 3,000 kilometres.
From afar, Yang Kai could see a castle that was similar to Hei Yuan’s that was built on an island. There were no traces of other Black Ink Clan estates within a 100-kilometre radius. If he wasn’t mistaken, this should be Zha Gu’s residence.
Yang Kai landed in front of the castle and activated his Divine Sense. There were a lot of Black Ink Clansmen inside, but they were all insignificant Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen with High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen being quite rare.
There was an aura that Yang Kai was familiar with in the deepest part of the castle; Zha Gu.
Upon confirming that the other party really resided here, Yang Kai called out, “Brother Zha Gu!”
In an instant, all the Black Ink Clansmen in the castle were shocked as they looked in the same direction. Zha Gu, who was recuperating, was alerted as he opened his eyes and stared out.
A moment later, the gates were opened as Zha Gu stepped out of the castle and looked at Yang Kai with surprise, “Why are you here?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and smiled, “I’ve come all the way here to visit you, Brother Zha Gu. I hope I haven’t bothered you.”
Zha Gu nodded, “Come in first.”
After entering the castle, they arrived at a room and took seats.
“Has Sir Territory Lord issued any orders?” Zha Gu asked. He reckoned that a Black Ink Disciple usually wouldn’t dare to come all the way here on his own. Yang Kai probably had received a secret order from the Territory Lord.
However, Yang Kai shook his head, “Sir Territory Lord has not shown up since he entered the Black Ink Nest. I heard that it would take him several years to recuperate.”
Zha Gu was evidently relieved upon learning that it wasn’t Hei Yuan who told Yang Kai to look for him.
“The reason I’ve come here to visit you is that I need your help,” Yang Kai expressed his purpose for the visit.
Zha Gu frowned, “What can I help you with?”
Although Yang Kai was a Black Ink Disciple treasured by Hei Yuan, he was still a Black Ink Disciple. Zha Gu was willing to be on good terms with him, but he wouldn’t fawn over him, so he would of course find out what help Yang Kai needed before he would make a decision.
Yang Kai let out a sigh and went on to say, “I’d like to ask you if there is a way I can earn money in Black Ink Clan’s territory.”
“Earn money?” Zha Gu was surprised.
“Indeed,” Yang Kai coughed, “You know, when Human soldiers go to war, we don’t bring a lot of resources with us. I was enlightened by Sir Territory Lord not long ago, so I only have a few resources with me. Now that my Small Universe is damaged, I need a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit to repair it, and I need resources to cultivate as well; however, since Sir Territory Lord is recuperating in the Black Ink Nest, I have no means to purchase anything. I can neither repair my Small Universe nor cultivate in this state.”
A puzzled Zha Gu asked, “Profound Yin Spirit Fruit? Before Sir Territory Lord started recuperating, he told Sir Gui Liao to get one for you. Given Sir Gui Liao’s status, it shouldn’t be hard for him to get a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit.”
“Perhaps,” Yang Kai nodded, “However, I’ve offended Sir Gui Liao, so he doesn’t seem willing to give it to me now.”
Zha Gu was shocked upon hearing that, “You offended Sir Gui Liao? What happened?”
A helpless Yang Kai told Zha Gu about what had happened between Liu Zi An and him.
Zha Gu gazed at him with a weird expression, “You offended Sir Gui Liao just because of that?” He seemed to think that it was fine to agree to Gui Liao’s demand, so he didn’t understand why Yang Kai turned him down.
Yang Kai spread his palms, “You’re also aware that I sacrificed a part of my Small Universe twice in the recent battle. My strength has plunged because of the damage to my foundation, so if I still let Sir Gui Liao feed on my Small Universe, my Order might drop. When that happens, I will become useless to Sir Territory Lord. By then, I will most likely be discarded.”
“You have a point,” Zha Gu nodded.
“So, I had no choice but to disappoint Sir Gui Liao; however, since that is the case, I can’t hope to get a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit from him.”
Zha Gu frowned, “I don’t think so. He wouldn’t dare to disobey Sir Territory Lord’s order, but you might need to wait a little longer.”
Yang Kai internally cried that he couldn’t possibly wait. The World Tree clone was continuously repairing his Small Universe, so if he couldn’t obtain a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit to cover up this process, he would be exposed.
Zha Gu placated him by saying, “Don’t worry. Before Sir Territory Lord leaves the Black Ink Nest, Sir Gui Liao will get you a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’d rather come up with a way to get a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit myself. I suppose the fruits are for sale in the city.”
Zha Gu replied, “Yes, but they’ve always been expensive. They cost a lot of Black Ink Coins.”
“That’s why I’ve come here to ask for a way to make money. Can you enlighten me, Brother Zha Gu?” Yang Kai looked humbly at him.
Zha Gu fell into a dilemma.
Since such an incident had happened, he would offend Gui Liao by lending Yang Kai a hand, and this was obviously not worth it just to help a mere Black Ink Disciple. Moreover, he didn’t know any way he could make money. Even if he did, he wouldn’t want to share it with Yang Kai.
As Yang Kai observed his expression, he said, “Don’t worry, Brother Zha Gu. If there’s a proper way that allows me to earn Black Ink Coins, I’ll not forget your assistance and properly compensate you.”
Zha Gu appeared tempted at the prospect of making a profit, so after giving it a thought, he said, “Given your situation, there’s indeed a way.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened, “Oh? What is it?”
Zha Gu said, “Do you know World Spheres? I can give you some money to buy some empty World Spheres, then you can infuse your World Force into them and sell them. Each World Sphere will earn you a lot of Black Ink Coins. Just by selling 10 World Spheres, you’ll have enough money to buy a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he hadn’t expected Zha Gu to mention this method, so he shook his head, “Please stop pulling my leg, Brother Zha Gu. I can’t even cultivate now, so how am I supposed to infuse my World Force into the World Spheres? If I do that, I’ll definitely see my Order regress.”
“You have a point. I suppose this is what your Humans call ‘killing the goose that lays the golden eggs’.”
Yang Kai thought that this guy had misused the idiom, but he didn’t bother to correct him and simply said, “I heard that there’s a Blood Arena in the city.”
“You want to engage in a life-or-death fight with others?” Zha Gu instantly realised his intention.
Yang Kai nodded, “However, I’ll need a Black Ink Clansman to bring me there. Taking everything into consideration, I think that you’re the most suitable person to help me with it. If you can go there and bet against the others, I’ll not disappoint you. When the time comes, I’ll share half the profit with you.”
Zha Gu shook his head, “That’s indeed a good way, but it won’t work for you.”
“Why not?” Yang Kai was perplexed.
Zha Gu explained, “Since it’s a life-or-death fight, both parties have to be equally matched. You are a Seventh-Order Master, so there are no suitable opponents for you in the Blood Arena. The Black Ink Disciples there are all below the Seventh-Order.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that he really hadn’t seen any Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fighting in the Blood Arenas when he followed Nu Yan around. He soon realised the reasons behind this. First of all, the battle between two Seventh-Order Masters would be too destructive. Secondly, there were only a small number of Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples. Since they were rare, the Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t let them go to the Blood Arena and put their lives at risk.
Even though Yang Kai’s idea was not feasible, he was well prepared. He then let out a sigh, “It seems that I have no choice but to make use of my hobby.”
Zha Gu asked curiously, “Hobby? What do you mean?”
Yang Kai explained, “I realised this some time ago on the battlefield. It seems that Black Ink Clansmen rarely use artifacts to fight. Even Feudal Lords don’t use artifacts, let alone the High-Rank and Low-Rank Clansmen. It seems that you all are used to fighting with Humans using only Black Ink Strength and Secret Techniques.”
Zha Gu nodded, “To us, Black Ink Strength is the source of our powers, just like World Force is to Humans. Although we’re physically stronger than Humans, we know nothing about the Dao of Artifact Refining. The artifacts we have were all snatched from Humans or refined by Black Ink Disciples, so they’re quite rare. However, most artifacts we snatch from the Humans are not suitable for us to use.”
Yang Kai asked, “Do you have your own artifact, Brother Zha Gu?”
Zha Gu shook his head, “I once used a sword I obtained from a Human, but that thing’s Grade was too low, and it didn’t suit me. I threw it away after using it a couple times.”
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai reckoned that given Zha Gu’s size, it would be akin to holding a knife for him when he grabbed a Human sword. The weapon wouldn’t be useful for him on the battlefield.
With his brow arched, Yang Kai asked, “What if I refined an artifact that was tailored to you?”
Zha Gu was startled for a moment, “You know how to make artifacts?”
“I know a thing or two.”
“You really know how to refine artifacts?” Zha Gu was astounded, “Are you what the Humans call an Artifact Refiner?”
Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “I supposed I could be considered an Artifact Refiner.”
Zha Gu sized him up while feeling doubtful, “Is that what you mean when you said you wanted to monetise your hobby?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai frowned, “Don’t you believe me, Brother Zha Gu?”
Zha Gu shook his head, “It’s not that I don’t believe you. I’m just… surprised that you’re an Artifact Refiner. Humans are always highly protective of their Artifact Refiners. Why did you appear on the battlefield?”
Yang Kai explained, “Artifact Refining really is just a hobby for me, so I haven’t spent a lot of time practising it. In fact, not many Humans are aware that I’m an Artifact Refiner as I haven’t made anything since I ascended to the Open Heaven Realm. However, I should still be able to make some simple artifacts.” He then leaned forward and spoke in a tempting voice, “Do you want to give it a try, Brother Zha Gu? With a suitable artifact, you’ll be more powerful on the battlefield.”
Certainly, Zha Gu couldn’t resist such a temptation so he rose from the chair and declared, “Come with me.”
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