152 Chapter 151: Discussion (2/2)
”That's right, sir.”
”If I'm not mistaken, these battle-automata don't have any Spirit Engravings yet, or at least their Spirit Engravings have been erased over the ages. Apparently you collected them from the Nascent Soul Stage Practitioner's ancient tomb discovered about two weeks ago. If that's true, then that explains how the Spirit Engravings wore away…”
By now, Elder Hai Mo was musing to himself, stroking his chin. I had a sudden impression of an experienced scholar who emanated a wise and veteran author, a man who had seen and experienced a lot of the world, and learned a lot.
”That's correct. I learned from Elder Tie that it would take too much time and resources to inscribe Spirit Engravings on each and every one of them, so I decided it would be better to sell them to the sect instead. Otherwise they will remain…uh, well…useless in my possession. It would be a waste to let so many of them rot in my storage space for so long. I'm sure the sect will need them a lot more than I do, and make better use of them.”
Elder Hai Mo studied me with that intense gaze of his, and I squirmed, feeling like a bacteria being analyzed under a microscope. He finally relaxed those steely eyes of his for a moment.
”Objects that do not have Spirit Engravings cannot be considered Spirit Artifacts or Spirit Weapons. The object is inert and lifeless, but the Spirit Engravings contain life and vitality. It is the Spirit Engravings that give an object its soul.” He glanced at my pockets, as if half-expecting me to have my spatial device there. ”Your judgement is correct. Without Spirit Engravings, no matter how powerful or highly ranked the battle-automata in your possession used to be, they are useless pieces of junk if they don't have any Spirit Engravings. If you leave them as they are, they will just be a waste of space.”
Wow, the old man sure didn't hold anything back, did he?
Fortunately, Elder Hai Mo broke the tension with a warm smile and he placed a hand on my shoulder.
”You made the right decision to sell them to the sect. Unless…you did not realize that you'll be able to sell them for a higher price outside? If you place them on an auction, you'll surely earn a lot more money. No…even in a public market, these battle-automata will fetch higher prices than they would if you sell it internally in the sect.”
”You may not believe me,” I began. ”But my goal was never to become rich.”
Of course everyone wanted to be rich, but I wasn't greedy. I was aware that if I took the trouble and auctioned them outside, or found a major corporation – particularly paramilitary corporations in need of manpower – I could easily get several times the price of how much the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect could offer me.
But I wasn't that interested in money. I just needed enough for my family and for me to survive. I was aware of the dangers of greed, and to me, my time was far more valuable than any amount of money. Furthermore, I didn't want the risk of selling my hard-earned battle-automata to unscrupulous dealers or aggressive paramilitary corporations who would then use them for atrocities, such as raiding outlying villages or launching military conquests of their own. There was also the danger that my battle-automata would somehow end up in the black market and fall in the hands of demonic sects, and I shuddered to think of the consequences if that happened.
Auctions, especially, were one way the demonic sects could bypass the law and purchase whatever they needed. While I didn't believe that demonic sects were intrinsically evil, not all of them were good either…and obviously those scrounging through black markets and auctions to purchase battle-automata were the ones I could trust the least.
”I don't mind making a small loss. And I would rather the battle-automata be in the possession of people I can trust than selling them to strangers. Who knows what they would do with the battle-automata they buy from me?”
With the exception of Liang Shao Yang, I felt that I could trust most people in the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, especially the elders and the Sect Leader and his wife, never mind the majority of my fellow disciples.
”Very good.” Elder Hai laughed. ”Even so, it's not just a small loss, you know? The amount of resources our Nine-Tailed Fox Sect can spare to purchase your battle-automata is very limited. We'll try to compensate you as best as we can, but I'm afraid we can't offer more than a token sum. Even though it's pretty large in terms of pure quantity, it's only a fraction of what you can get if you sell them outside the sect.”
”Then think of it as me selling them to the sect at a discount. At a subsidized rate. Since we're practically family, I'm not going to quibble and be calculative over profits and losses. It's not as if I'm giving them away for free.”
”Excellent!” Elder Hai slapped my back. ”I like the way you think! But you're mistaken about one thing. We're not practically family. We are family!”
He then turned to Elder Zhao, who nodded with a smile.
”I can see why you prize this boy so highly, Zhao Shi. Your praise was not exaggerated, after all. No wonder you labeled him as one of your most cherished subordinates. The Blood Blades are lucky to have someone like him.”
”Good thing Qi Hong brought him to Tushan when she did, eh?” Elder Zhao glanced at Tang Qi Hong, recalling our first meeting over a year ago. ”Otherwise I wouldn't have spotted him and recruited him. One of the better decisions I made over the last few years.”
”You're giving me too much credit.”
I was trying to hide my embarrassment by taking out the battle-automata out of my spatial device and giving them straight to Elder Hai, but he raised his hand.
”Just leave about twelve of them. Given my schedule, I don't believe I have the time to Spirit Engrave all of them.”
”Um…First Elder!” Tang Qi Hong raised her hand. ”That's why I'm here. I'm actually here to request you to teach me about Spirit Engraving for battle-automata. I also have a few personal ones of my own that I bought from Fei Wu, but I don't believe I have learned the proper Spirit Engravings for them yet.”
I wondered why she approached Elder Hai directly for that. Elder Tie seemed to know about battle-automata Spirit Engravings as well, and was also a perfectly suitable candidate to teach her about them. Perhaps she didn't know about his knowledge of battle-automata?
”Yes, in time. Not just you, but I believe I'll have to teach the disciples of the Blood Blades, and many of the masters as well.” He turned to Elder Zhao. ”Zhao Shi, this is why I've summoned you as well. I want the Blood Blades to take possession of the battle-automata and be in charge of them. Each disciple and master is to perform their individual Spirit Engraving and take control of at least one battle-automata or battle puppet. That will increase the Blood Blades' combat ability by several fold.”
”Is that really all right?” Elder Zhao almost choked in surprise. ”Don't we have to discuss with all the other elders and Sect Leader first? We can't just go over their heads and make this decision on our own. Even if you're the First Elder…”
”Oh, you don't have to worry about that,” Elder Hai assured him. ”Before you guys came, I've already contacted Shou De. Even though we will need to formalize it eventually, the sect leader has already given the go-ahead and permitted this. He'll deal with persuading the other five Great Elders, with the help of Sect Lady if necessary.”
With the strongest Lady Zi Da Ji backing him, I doubted anyone would want to go against the sect leader's decision.
Elder Zhao nodded, despite looking a little uncertain. ”If you say so.”
”I'll be honest.” Elder Hai narrowed his eyes and glanced around. His wife nodded at him, which seemed to be a signal that there was nobody to overhear us. ”We can't trust everybody in the sect. as much as I loathe to say this…sometimes I question the judgement of the other Great Elders. Their decision—making of late, in particular, have been…odd.”
Elder Zhao said nothing, but he didn't vehemently object. Tang Qi Hong looked a little worried and appalled, but I was more curious than outraged. Got to love listening to gossip like this. I didn't care for inner sect politics, but this was just juicy tabloid news that provided more than a small measurement of entertainment.
”For example, their favoring of Liang Shao Yang.” Elder Hai shook his head in disgust. ”His personality is clearly dangerous and venomous. Both Sect Leader and I have realized this long ago. The deaths of Long He and Hao Ying are obviously connected to Liang Shao Yang. The evidence is all there for us to see – evidence that you have provided, Zhao Shi.”
”Shen Cha and his investigation team deserve the credit for that,” Elder Zhao replied flatly. Elder Hai nodded to acknowledge that.
”But even so…the other Great Elders do not care about his murderous behavior and dark personality. They insist that such malevolence can be easily controlled, slowly educated and gradually guided back to the right path.”
Elder Zhao snorted at that. ”Do you actually believe that bullshit?”
”I don't, but the other Great Elders and a lot of the powerful people in the sect apparently do.” Elder Hai scowled. ”There's a storm coming…their minds are being poisoned, most probably by the Divine Shadow Sect. I wouldn't be surprised if they are in league with other sects, in exchange for power or personal benefit. That might explain their favoritism and overly enthusiastic call for pushing Liang Shao Yang over Tang Qi Hong as the next sect leader.”
Tang Qi Hong shuffled restlessly, not at all comfortable with being used as a pawn in whatever political game the Great Elders were playing. Even though she had been brought up with the eventual goal of taking over as the sect leader, she was growing increasingly disillusioned with the cruel reality of politics.
Elder Hai glanced at her sympathetically, and then continued.
”Or perhaps they are deliberately closing out their senses, refusing to see the approaching danger. They cannot be trusted. Their judgement cannot be relied on. That's why…to protect the sect from the imminent future threats, Sect Leader and I can only rely on you, Zhao Shi.”
He then cast a glance at the battle-automata that I had taken out, before turning back to his colleague.
”That is why I am entrusting you…entrusting the Blood Blades the battle-automata. When the time come, I know you will do what is right, to protect the sect.” he glanced at me fondly, and then turned back to the leader of the Blood Blades. ”We need more people like you and Fei Wu to defend the sect from enemies both without and…within.”
”I…” Elder Zhao hesitated for a moment, at a loss for words. Then he took a deep breath and steeled himself determinedly. ”I…no, we will do our best to protect the sect, no matter the cost.”