In the reception hall of the fortress, over a dozen Domain Lords had been led inside and shown to their seats. Zha Gu sat in the seat of honor, greeting each arrival one by one.
The Domain Lords who had come were all acquainted with one another. After all, they all lived on the Domain Lord Hei Yuan's territory and had dealings with each other from time to time.
Naturally, the assembled Domain Lords were curious about why Zha Gu had suddenly summoned them here. After several rounds of discussion, not a single one knew what he had gathered them for. When they asked, Zha Gu simply smiled without answering, appearing unfathomably mysterious.
Only after the last Domain Lord entered the great hall and took his seat did Zha Gu lightly clap his hands to draw everyone's attention. Rising to his feet, he smiled and said, "I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you here today. It's quite simple, really — I, Zha Gu, would like to show you two treasures!"
A Domain Lord with an especially massive build spoke impatiently. "Treasures? What treasures?"
Another Domain Lord, this one with a pair of wings sprouting from his back, said, "Zha Gu, enough with the theatrics. Whatever it is, just say it. We don't have time to waste on your games."
Zha Gu merely smiled at that. "Then please, take a good look."
As he spoke, he descended step by step, and by the time his words had fallen, he had arrived at the center of the great hall. Before the eyes of everyone present, he reached into the void and grasped — and a halberd several zhang long appeared in his grip. At the same time, he tore off his outer robe, revealing a half-body treasure armor worn close beneath.
The armor gleamed with a rich, lustrous glow, and the halberd radiated a cold, sharp light — it was obvious at a glance that neither was an ordinary item.
What was remarkable was that both the armor and the halberd appeared as though they had been custom-made for Zha Gu. The armor fit snugly against his frame, and the halberd sat perfectly in his grasp.
Equipped with halberd and armor, Zha Gu exuded a whole new aura of ferocity. Standing among the gathered Domain Lords, he cut a striking figure — like a crane among chickens.
Over a dozen pairs of eyes snapped to him instantly, every face filled with astonishment.
With the keen perception of Domain Lords, they could all tell that neither the halberd nor the armor was some common artifact. These were works crafted by a human Artifact Refiner — genuine Artifacts.
Zha Gu stood his ground, reading the reactions around him with deep satisfaction. If he had been in their shoes and didn't know the origins of these two Artifacts, seeing another Domain Lord bearing halberd and armor like this would certainly have produced the same expression.
The burly Domain Lord who had spoken first was so startled that he rose to his feet outright, strode over to Zha Gu, and examined the pieces up close. He rapped his knuckles against the armor worn on Zha Gu's body and gave a slight nod. "Not bad. It could barely withstand my full-powered strike."
Zha Gu grinned at him. "On the battlefield, something that can block a blow at our level is a lifesaver."
If it could withstand a Domain Lord's full-powered strike, it could withstand a Seventh-Order Open Heaven's attack as well. That truly was a life-saving asset.
The burly Domain Lord's tone turned a touch sour. "Your luck's not bad, getting your hands on two pieces like this. Looks like you came away with plenty of benefits the last time you marched out with the Domain Lord."
Zha Gu said, "You think these are spoils of war I seized on the battlefield?"
The Domain Lord frowned. "Aren't they?"
Zha Gu chuckled lightly. "You know what kind of builds humans have. How could these two things have been taken from human hands?"
The burly Domain Lord paused, then conceded the point. While humans did have slight variations in physique, to the Ink Clan they were all small and slight. Neither the halberd nor the armor could possibly have belonged to any human — both were clearly tailored for Zha Gu's frame. Even if another Ink Clan member obtained them, if their build differed too much, they wouldn't handle them well at all.
Another Domain Lord, as if struck by a sudden thought, spoke up with a note of excitement. "Zha Gu — where did you get these two Artifacts?"
Now that was the question. Zha Gu turned his gaze to the one who had asked, and without beating around the bush, replied with a smile. "These two items were commissioned. I had someone forge them for me."
"What?"
"Commissioned?"
"A human Artifact Refiner?"
The assembled Domain Lords were stunned.
The winged Domain Lord spoke thoughtfully. "Before, the Lord King issued a decree conscripting all human Ink Disciples who knew the art of artifact refining and bringing them to the King's City. Every Disciple who could refine should have been gathered there already. Where did you find a human refiner to forge these Artifacts for you?"
"Exactly. And judging by the style of these two Artifacts, the craftsmanship is quite exceptional. Whoever made them would have to be a master among human refiners. A Disciple of that caliber should have been rounded up long ago. Did you go to the King's City?"
Zha Gu shook his head. "Of course I didn't go to the King's City. Even if I had, I wouldn't have interfered with the Lord King's grand design. It's true that the Lord King previously conscripted all human Ink Disciples who knew artifact refining — but what if this particular human refiner arrived afterward?"
"Afterward?"
Zha Gu said, "The Ink Disciple the Domain Lord brought back last time happens to be a refiner."
"Him?"
"I heard this Disciple has quite the nerve. Apparently he relied on the fact that the Domain Lord himself had transformed him and made things rather unpleasant for Lord Ghost Fanged at the fortress. After that, he left and his whereabouts have been unknown ever since."
Zha Gu smiled. "I was by the Domain Lord's side when he Ink-transformed that man, so we chatted a few times on the way back and built a bit of rapport. After he left the fortress, he came to me. As for his little unpleasantness with Lord Ghost Fanged — you all know Lord Ghost Fanged's proclivities, I'm sure. The man's Small Universe was already damaged. If he truly indulged Lord Ghost Fanged's demands, he'd most likely drop a rank. So he stormed off in a huff and came seeking me out."