Chapter 5076, Why Don’t You Just Rob Us Instead?

Silavin & Jon

More than 10 Feudal Lords were led to the reception hall in the castle and were seated. Zha Gu took the head seat and had some small talk with all of them.

The Feudal Lords here were all familiar with each other; after all, they lived in Hei Yuan’s territory, so they had come into contact with one another before.

They were naturally curious about why Zha Gu suddenly invited them to this place, and even after a brief chat, no one knew of the reason. When Zha Gu was asked about it, he just acted mysterious by smiling in silence.

It wasn’t until the last Feudal Lord arrived and took his seat in the Grand Hall that Zha Gu gently clapped his hands to attract everyone’s attention. Then, he rose from the chair and said with a smile, “I’m sure you’re all curious about why I’ve invited you over. It’s simple. I want to show you two items.”

A Feudal Lord, whose figure was especially burly, asked impatiently, “What items are you talking about?”

Another Feudal Lord, who had wings on his back, said, “Zha Gu, stop stalling and get on with it. We have no time to waste.”

Upon hearing that, Zha Gu put on a smile, “See for yourselves.”

As he spoke, he stepped forward. By the time he finished speaking, he was already standing in the centre of the Grand Hall. In front of everyone’s eyes, he extended his hand into the void and pulled out a giant halberd that was 15 metres long. At the same time, he took off his shirt and revealed an Artifact Armour that covered the upper half of his body.

The Artifact Armour and the giant halberd radiated a dazzling glow, which went to show that they were no ordinary artifacts.

More importantly, the Artifact Armour and the giant halberd seemed to be custom-made for Zha Gu as they fit him perfectly.

Clad in a piece of armour and holding a halberd, Zha Gu looked quite imposing. He appeared especially outstanding among these Feudal Lords.

They were all instantly attracted to him with shocked expressions.

Given these Feudal Lord’s eyesight, they could see that both the giant halberd and the Artifact Armour were no ordinary artifacts. They were undoubtedly made by a skilled Human Artifact Refiner.

While remaining on the spot, Zha Gu looked around and was pleased with their reactions.

In fact, if he hadn’t known the background of these two artifacts, he would’ve sported the same expression if he saw a Feudal Lord who possessed them.

The burly Feudal Lord, who spoke earlier, was so shocked that he stood straight up and walked up to Zha Gu. After examining the artifacts, he knocked on the Artifact Armour and nodded lightly, “Astounding. This thing can withstand an all-out attack from me.”

Zha Gu flashed a smile at him, “This is truly a life-saving treasure if it can take an all-out strike from someone whose power is equivalent to a Feudal Lord.”

Since it could bear an all-out strike from a Feudal Lord, it could also save the wearer from a Seventh-Order Human’s all-out attack.

The Feudal Lord said in a bitter tone, “You’re so lucky to acquire these things. It seemed that you got quite some benefits from following Sir Territory Lord to the battlefield previously.”

Zha Gu said, “Do you think I obtained these things from the battlefield?”

The Feudal Lord asked with surprise, “Didn’t you?”

Zha Gu put on a faint smile, “You’re fully aware of the average size of Humans, aren’t you? How could I have possibly gotten these things from them?”

The burly Feudal Lord was startled for a moment, but after giving it a thought, he realised that Zha Gu was right. Even though there were some slight differences between the Humans when it came to their sizes, they were all petite in the Black Ink Clan’s eyes. Both the giant halberd and the Artifact Armour obviously didn’t belong to Humans. They must have been custom-made for Zha Gu. Even if another Black Ink Clansman got his hands on these two artifacts, he would have a hard time using them if his size was too different from Zha Gu’s.

Another Feudal Lord thought of something as he asked excitedly, “Zha Gu, where did you get these artifacts from?”

He had hit the nail on the head. Zha Gu turned to look at the Feudal Lord and decided to stop keeping them on tenterhooks. He said with a smile, “I asked someone to specifically refine these artifacts for me.”

“What?”

“You asked someone to make these artifacts for you?”

“A Human Artifact Refiner?”

All of them were flabbergasted.

The Feudal Lord with wings gave it a thought and said, “Previously, the Royal Lord gave an order that all Black Ink Disciples who were proficient in Artifact Refining were to be brought to the Royal City. Where did you find a Human Artifact Refiner to help you make these artifacts?”

“That’s right. Moreover, these artifacts appear quite extraordinary. The Human Artifact Refiner who is able to make these things must be a Great Master. Such a Black Ink Disciple should’ve headed to the Royal City long ago. Did you visit the Royal City?”

Zha Gu shook his head, “I certainly didn’t go to the Royal City, and even if I did, I couldn’t possibly interfere with the Royal Lord’s plan. The Royal Lord had indeed summoned all the Black Ink Disciples who were skillful in Artifact Refining, but what if this Human Artifact Refiner arrived at a later time?”

“What do you mean?”

Zha Gu went on to say, “The Black Ink Disciple that Sir Territory Lord recently brought back is an Artifact Refiner.”

“Him?”

“I heard that this Black Ink Disciple was pretty bold. Just because he’s a Black Ink Disciple serving Sir Territory Lord, he offended Sir Gui Liao back at the main castle. He left after that, and no one knows where he went.”

Zha Gu said with a smile, “I was beside Sir Territory Lord when he corrupted that Human. On our way back, I had a chat with that Black Ink Disciple, so it could be said that we’re on good terms. That Human came to my place after leaving the castle. As for his grudges with Sir Gui Liao, I’m sure all of you are aware of Sir Gui Liao’s hobby. That Human’s Small Universe was damaged seriously in the last battle, so if he gave in to Sir Gui Liao’s demand, his Order would have regressed. That was why he left in fury and came to my place.”

The Feudal Lords nodded. They were aware of Gui Liao’s hobby; in fact, some of them had this hobby as well, so they could relate to Gui Liao.

A Feudal Lord asked, “He’s an Artifact Refiner?”

“The halberd I hold and the Artifact Armour I wear were refined by him. He’s indeed an Artifact Refiner, and a good one at that.”

“Where is he?” Another Feudal Lord asked agitatedly. The giant halberd and Artifact Armour in Zha Gu’s possession were indeed extraordinary. They certainly wanted something similar.

Zha Gu replied with a smile, “He’s still in my place.”

“Tell him to see us. I want him to make artifacts for me.”

The other Feudal Lords agreed with him.

Zha Gu grinned, “The reason I’ve invited all of you to come here is to help you get the artifacts you want. Be it a weapon or an Artifact Armour, you can place any order; however…”

“Go on.”

Zha Gu went on to say, “That Black Ink Disciple is a newcomer with no valuable items or resources on him. He certainly doesn’t have Black Ink Coins to purchase resources either. Therefore, he can help you refine artifacts, but you have to pay him a reasonable fee.”

The Feudal Lord with wings snapped, “He should be honoured that we’re here to tell him to make artifacts for us. How dare he demand a fee from us!”

A glint flashed through the burly Feudal Lord’s eyes, “Zha Gu, I guess it’s you who wants the fee, not that Human.”

Zha Gu replied solemnly, “He’ll be the one making the artifacts, while I’m just acting as a middleman. The money will be given to him; however, since he’s promised to share a part of the profit with me, I naturally wouldn’t turn him down.”

A Feudal Lord snorted, “I knew that a Black Ink Disciple wouldn’t be so audacious!”

Zha Gu refuted impassively, “That Black Ink Disciple was personally corrupted by Sir Territory Lord, so he’s different from the other Black Ink Disciples. He doesn’t even have any regard for Sir Gui Liao. Does any one of you think you’re more powerful than Sir Gui Liao?”

They had heard about what happened in the castle; after all, the battle between Yang Kai and Liu Zi An raised such a fuss that it couldn’t be hidden.

Upon hearing Zha Gu’s words, these Feudal Lords were unable to refute him.

In fact, he was right to say that since the Black Ink Disciple didn’t even have any regard for Gui Liao, it would be useless for them to try to force him to refine artifacts for them; after all, he was the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple, so they wouldn’t dare to cross the line. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to explain themselves when Hei Yuan was done recuperating.

“Brothers, with such artifacts in your possession, your attack and defence capabilities would be greatly enhanced. They could potentially save your life on the battlefield. Such treasures are hard to come by, so what’s there to hesitate over when you’re able to get them now? What are a few Black Ink Coins compared to your life? Many Feudal Lords die on the battlefield, and once they do, their Black Ink Coins become useless. To be honest with you, I spent my entire fortune in order to refine these artifacts.”

He wasn’t lying, for he had indeed spent all of his money. Nevertheless, the cost included the Black Ink Coins he had spent to get Yang Kai a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit.

A Feudal Lord suddenly said, “It’s no wonder that you borrowed some money from me recently.”

Zha Gu turned to look at that Feudal Lord, “If you want an artifact, I’ll give you a 20% discount, and your order will be prioritised.”

The Feudal Lord nodded lightly.

Zha Gu’s sales tactics were effective. Just like he had said, it was hard for them to get their hands on useful artifacts. Now that there was a chance, they wouldn’t want to miss it. The reason they were furious was that a Black Ink Disciple had the guts to charge them a fee for his services.

However, any fee would be worth it if they could earn greater merits and preserve their life on the battlefield.

Another Feudal Lord asked, “How much will that Black Ink Disciple charge?”

Zha Gu directly replied, “You have to provide all the materials, and each artifact costs 20,000 Black Ink Coins.”

“What?” 20,000 Black Ink Coins?”

“Why don’t you just rob us instead!?”

“Are you messing with us, Zha Gu?”

…

These Feudal Lords were infuriated. It had to be noted that 20,000 Black Ink Coins was a huge sum to them. Even though most of them were able to fork out 20,000 Black Ink Coins, that could only buy them one artifact. If they wanted two, that would cost 40,000.

These Feudal Lords served Hei Yuan Territory Lord, which meant they were not powerful enough to have their own independent territories and were thus not very wealthy.

By forking out 40,000 Black Ink Coins and paying for all the materials, all their savings would be gone.

Faced with their wrath, Zha Gu just smiled in silence.

He knew that regardless of how furious these Feudal Lords were, they would ultimately agree, for there were no Black Ink Disciples who could help them refine artifacts. Even if there were such Black Ink Disciples in the past, these Feudal Lords didn’t have the right to get artifacts from those Human Artifact Refiners.