Chapter 300 - 278: Artifact Hall

Chapter 300: Chapter 278: Artifact Hall

"This puppet is named the Cloud Mist Rider."

"As you requested, Fellow Daoist, its entire body was refined using Cloud Mist Essence. As a result, this puppet can grow or shrink and can shift between solid and gaseous forms..."

"However, because of the Spirit Stone Cabin and the surveillance recording function you requested, its gaseous form has a core limitation. It can only shrink to the size of a human head. Additionally, its Defense is considerably weaker than other puppets of the same tier..."

Inside the Magic Experiment Hall, Chu Mu spoke with ease. Before him, a puppet, hazy and indistinct like a swirl of mist, launched attacks and transformed its shape under his command.

The puppet was unlike any other puppet Chu Mu had refined before. Due to its primary refining material, the puppet existed somewhere between illusory and corporeal, and it could change its form within certain limits.

The puppet’s method of Attack depended on its current state—illusory or corporeal.

In its illusory, misty state, it unleashed a Cloud Mist Spiritual Power Attack. In its solid form, it delivered close-range Power strikes.

Furthermore, because of the puppet’s special nature and its ability to shift between illusory and real, it possessed a unique advantage in stealth and reconnaissance.

The puppet freely demonstrated its abilities under Chu Mu’s command, while to the side, Xie Ming and his brother stared intently at it, their eyes shining with excitement, eager to get their hands on it and try it out themselves.

This was the puppet Xie Ming had custom-ordered, and he had provided most of the Spiritual Materials for it.

After about a quarter of an hour, the transforming and roaring puppet finally came to a stop.

Chu Mu turned to the two men, whose eyes were burning with excitement, and smiled knowingly. "Are you satisfied, Fellow Daoists?"

"Satisfied, satisfied! We’re absolutely satisfied!"

Xie Ming laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist, your Artifact Refining Puppetry Skill is far superior to those Artifact Refiners and Puppet Masters in my clan!"

Chu Mu smiled but said nothing. While lavishing him with praise, Xie Ming began to fondly operate the Cloud Mist puppet, its strength comparable to an Early Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivator, unable to put it down.

After some more pleasantries, Xie Ming suddenly said, "Oh, right. Fellow Daoist, you should be careful if you leave the city anytime soon."

Chu Mu was slightly taken aback, then hesitated and said, "The Longevity Sect?"

Xie Ming nodded. "I’ve heard the Longevity Sect has raised the bounty on you by several levels."

Chu Mu was slightly curious. "How much is the bounty?"

Xie Ming spoke with some caution, "Thirty thousand Contribution Points!"

"I’m worth quite a bit, it seems..."

Chu Mu chuckled and shook his head, not paying it much mind.

’As long as no one above the Foundation Establishment Realm is after me, it’s not a huge problem.’

’And as for spying from those in the Foundation Establishment Realm... after that previous display of power...’

’Thirty thousand Contribution Points. It’s tempting, but it’s also a deadly poison.’

"You should still be careful, Fellow Daoist. There are always desperate outlaws..."

Xie Ming cautioned him again, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked, "Fellow Daoist, once you’re finished here, will you be returning to the Water Heaven Workshop, or do you have other plans?"

Looking at Xie Ming’s careful probing, Chu Mu’s gaze flickered, and he got straight to the point, "Is there something you need my help with?"

"Hahaha, I really can’t hide anything from you, Fellow Daoist," Xie Ming laughed heartily. "There is indeed something I need your help with."

"If it’s within my power, I won’t refuse," Chu Mu said with a smile, agreeing readily.

"You may not know this, Fellow Daoist, but as the war has stabilized in recent years, the personnel who were urgently transferred from various places have gradually returned to their respective Marketplace defense zones..."

"In recent years, although the Alliance has not been short of manpower on this Jingmen battlefield, there is a massive shortage in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation Immortal, especially Artifact Refiners."

"Since you were at the Water Heaven Workshop, Fellow Daoist, you’ve probably heard something about this."

"Now that you’ve come to the front-line camp, Fellow Daoist, and hearing that I am on good terms with you, the Vice Hall Master of the Alliance’s Artifact Hall has repeatedly asked me to contact you and extend an invitation..."

"Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist. There won’t be any restrictions, just perhaps a few more trivial matters to handle."

After he finished speaking, Xie Ming asked cautiously, "What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

"You can make the arrangements, Fellow Daoist."

Chu Mu nodded, his expression as calm as ever, revealing none of his thoughts.

"Alright, I’ll be in touch, Fellow Daoist."

Xie Ming smiled, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then the two of them hurriedly left.

Once the door to the Magic Laboratory closed and the two figures vanished from sight, Chu Mu’s expression finally wavered slightly.

He frowned and was lost in thought for a long time.

’Xie Ming’s meaning was crystal clear. He hopes I’ll join the Righteous Alliance’s Artifact Hall and risk my life for them on the Jingmen front lines.’

’However, the terms of the offer would allow me to maintain my independence as a hired contractor.’

’The only difference from when I refined artifacts for the Righteous Alliance back in the Water Heaven Workshop is that this would be a long-term, stable partnership, rather than the occasional, unstable jobs I took before.’

’The difference seemed minor, but Jingmen City is the front line of the war between the Righteous Alliance and the Longevity Sect!’

’The only reason I haven’t been dragged into the bloodshed of this war is that I’ve always deliberately kept my distance from the chaos.’

’But now, if I accept this invitation, being in Jingmen City... even as a hired contractor, I won’t be able to do as I please in many situations.’

Chu Mu silently weighed the pros and cons. It seemed he didn’t have much of a choice.

’After all, once you take someone’s favor, you’re in their debt.’

’This trip to Jingmen, I’ve already incurred a great debt of gratitude.’

’Even if this debt is more about mutual benefit than friendship, a debt is a debt, and it must be repaid.’

’That’s just how reciprocity works!’

’Otherwise, why would Xie Ming have gone so far out of his way to help me so diligently for no reason?’

’Whatever. I’ll just take it one step at a time...’

Chu Mu let out a long sigh, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Xie Ming moved much faster than he had anticipated. The very next day, Xie Ming contacted him.

The Righteous Alliance’s Artifact Hall was located in the northwest of Jingmen City, inside an unremarkable grand hall.

The Vice Hall Master of the Artifact Hall that Xie Ming had mentioned was an old man with a full head of silver hair, a Cultivation at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, and his name was Xie Cangfeng.

It was a very imposing name, but he looked like a rather unremarkable old man. He wasn’t one for pleasantries; his speech was direct, with no wasted words.

It gave Chu Mu the feeling of being back in Jade Emperor Valley, back to the days when he worked at the ore materials shop.

The only difference was, this time, his own reputation preceded him, and others were the ones inviting him.

After settling the details of the employment agreement, a contract was placed in front of Chu Mu.

"Take a look, Fellow Daoist. If there are no problems, we can sign the contract."

Chu Mu took the contract and examined it line by line. It was similar to the contract from his time working at the ore materials shop in Jade Emperor Valley—a purely employment-based system. One side provided payment, the other provided work, with no other strings attached.

"Alright."

Chu Mu nodded and signed the contract with his Divine Soul Seal.

"The Artifact Hall’s duties mainly involve maintaining the various war artifacts on the Jingmen front lines, as well as refining corresponding Magical and Spiritual Artifacts, and some Puppetry Tools."

"Follow me, Fellow Daoist..."

After this brief introduction, Xie Cangfeng stood up straight away. Chu Mu followed, and the two of them passed through the grand hall. What came into view was a massive warehouse.

The warehouse was closed off on three sides and open on one. Inside, there was a scene of bustling activity.

At a glance, it looked just like an enormous factory, with countless Cultivators busily working inside.

However...

Staring at the bustling scene in the warehouse before him, Chu Mu frowned, slightly puzzled.

The warehouse was very large; what he could see with his naked eye was only the area directly in front of him.

’But this scene... Are these Artifact Refiners?’

’This bustling scene looks no different from the assembly lines of a factory in my past life.’

’It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a single artifact being refined by several Cultivators working together...’

Just near him, a single Tier One Puppet had six Artifact Refiners gathered around it, each performing their own specific task...

As if sensing Chu Mu’s confusion, Xie Cangfeng stopped and explained, "The Artifact Refining System is extremely vast. Ultimately, only a very, very small number of people have the kind of talent you do, Fellow Daoist, to be able to master the entire system and make it their own."

"Moreover, things like talent for artifact refining and comprehension are difficult to test. Therefore, the clan... the Alliance’s method of training Artifact Refiners is generally to have them specialize in one area. For example, some Artifact Refiners specialize in the properties of Ore Materials, some specialize in inscribing Runes or Array Prohibitions, and others specialize in carving Artifact Patterns..."

"It can even be broken down further, such as specializing in Five Elements Attribute Array Prohibitions or Runes..."

As he spoke, Xie Cangfeng pointed to a busy area in the warehouse. "Take this Tier Two Upper Grade Golden Peak Spiritual Energy Cannon, for example. Nearly eighty Artifact Refiners are involved in its refining process, each with their own duty..."

"If anyone shows talent during this process, they can be given further training to broaden their knowledge of the Artifact Refining System."

"However, the system of Artifact Refining Skill is simply too immense..."

At this point, Xie Cangfeng glanced at Chu Mu and couldn’t help but sigh with emotion:

"When I was your age, Fellow Daoist, I was still struggling to make a common Middle Grade Magical Artifact."

"To have your level of talent in artifact refining, Fellow Daoist, and a comprehension that so far exceeds the ordinary... It truly makes this old man envious..."

"Even the Hall Master himself was full of praise after hearing about Fellow Daoist Chu."

"This time, if the Hall Master weren’t away on important business, he probably would have come to meet you personally, Fellow Daoist."

Hearing this, Chu Mu’s heart tightened. As far as he knew, the organizational structure of the Righteous Alliance was the same as the Longevity Sect’s, which he had some knowledge of.

In all the subdivided organizational branches, the Golden Core realm was supreme. However, the Golden Core True Masters were merely symbolic figures and generally didn’t manage practical affairs.

The specific matters were all handled by their deputies.

And there were usually many such deputies.

Take the Artifact Hall, for example. It had at least a dozen Vice Hall Masters.

Each Vice Hall Master was responsible for matters within their own domain.

For instance, Xie Cangfeng before him was in charge of all matters for the Righteous Alliance’s Artifact Hall on the Jingmen front. On other battlefields and in the Righteous Alliance’s rear heartlands, there were other Vice Hall Masters of the Artifact Hall.

’Although I had considered the possibility of attracting attention from higher-ups when I decided to reveal my Artifact Refining Skill, hearing it now with my own ears, I can’t help but feel my heart pound with apprehension.’

’A Golden Core True Master... that’s an existence I’m currently powerless to resist...’

"Most of the Artifact refining for the Artifact Hall on the Jingmen front is completed here, supplying the needs of the entire front line."

"Behind the warehouse are the dedicated Artifact Refining Rooms. There, our Alliance has dozens of Artifact Refiners stationed in Jingmen, all of whom have long admired your great name, Fellow Daoist..."

"When they heard you were joining our Artifact Hall, Fellow Daoist, every one of us Artifact Refiners came to the Artifact Hall early, just to get a chance to meet you..."

...