"Whoosh!" A huge black shadow soared into the sky, shimmering with golden light and emitting radiant beams. The soldiers fell one after another, looking up to see a gigantic golden worm-like monster writhing in the sky. Its semi-body was still underground, while the upper half came down with a casual sweep, causing several dozen warriors to roll out, their cries of pain rising and falling. The exposed part of the monster was already over thirty meters long and two meters thick, and it was unknown how much larger it was beneath the ground.
Pico was taken aback. After all, he was a ninth-level alchemist, and he immediately identified the monster as a primary-level magic-refining creature.
In the Star Refinement World, magic-refining creatures were advanced alchemical products, divided into three levels: primary, intermediate, and advanced. Primary magic-refining creatures had both a soul and a body, meaning they must have an original source and couldn't create a soul and body out of thin air. Intermediate magic-refining creatures had a body created out of thin air, but still required an original source for the soul. As for advanced magic-refining creatures, both the soul and body were created out of thin air, with various imprints added to the soul based on the needs of the creator, shaping the body freely. Dou Dou was an advanced magic-refining creature, and there were no longer such magical beasts to be found on the three continents.
The strength of magic-refining creatures was not distinguished by their combat abilities. Although Miss Dou Dou was an advanced magic-refining creature, she was not made for combat. Despite having her own soul and intelligence, her combat strength was only equivalent to a level three wizard. She could only respond to Gezheng's summon with a practiced line: it was purely coincidental.
However, this insect-beast was clearly created for combat. The huge beast, thirty meters long and two meters thick, was covered in a thick layer of golden armor. A meter-long spiral metal horn stood upright on the helmet of its insect head, and its mouth opened and closed, rows of fine, sharp teeth stirred inside, like a grinding machine!
The insect-beast had immense power, churning and rolling on the spot, causing the hundreds of guards to fall to the ground in an instant. Only a few highly skilled martial arts captains, jumping and darting like monkeys, barely maintained an unbeatable position. But Gezheng just wanted everyone to see the power of his creation; he didn't actually intend for the magic-refining creature to engage in battle, otherwise, it was feared that after a few rounds, these captains would also be knocked down.
"Master, Grand Master Ge!" The Grand Duke, escorted by several attendants, kept retreating, looking somewhat distressed. He hurriedly called out to Gezheng, "Quickly, take it back!"
Gezheng reached out in the air and the giant golden insect-beast disappeared without a trace, leaving a golden hexagonal badge in his hand, which was the one that Pico had accidentally dropped on the ground.
The Grand Duke's triangular noble hat was a bit crooked, and his wig was a bit disheveled, but he looked extremely happy. He came up and gave Gezheng a hug, "Master, congratulations, you succeeded!"
Behind the Grand Duke, Pico, who had just picked himself up from the ground, heard those words, and his facial muscles twitched noticeably. It happened to be seen by Gezheng, who, while embracing the Grand Duke, gave him a somewhat ambiguous smile. Pico's face immediately turned as liver-colored as a pig's liver hanging on an eave under the scorching sun.
Gezheng handed the summoning badge to the Grand Duke, "My Lord, here you go." The Grand Duke took the badge: a golden badge with an embossed image of a fierce golden insect-beast on the front and the inscription on the back: Giant Golden Armored Dual-Headed Insect-Beast Summoning Symbol Badge, surrounded by a circle of eleven pentagrams. In other words, this summoning badge was a level eleven alchemy item, no wonder the identification technique of Master Pico was ineffective.
The Grand Duke was astonished, "An item of level eleven..." He patted his forehead, thinking of the Twin Moon Blade, and couldn't help but chuckle, casting a meaningful glance at Gezheng, "Indeed, Master, true ability lies beneath the surface." Gezheng didn't have the slightest bit of conceit about being able to refine a level eleven item. When he was in the Flowing Tassel Mountains, he could already match the renowned non-human craftmaster Parachell-Sules, and he still remembered the words of the master: "The ultimate goal of human craftmasters is quasi-artifacts. Since the advent of the Star Refinement World, this rule has never been altered. I have tried hard to break through this barrier, but faced repeated defeats. Perhaps artifacts are truly a realm that humans can never touch..."
Before the appearance of the Dragon's Ice Chamber, Gezheng also thought that his alchemy was nearing the limit, and quasi-artifacts were no difficulty for him, but true artifacts were always out of reach. However, after the appearance of the Dragon's Ice Chamber, a glimmer of hope ignited in Gezheng's heart: perhaps this barrier was not insurmountable after all!
...
The Grand Duke again received Ge Zheng in his study. However, the jocular and radiant Grand Duke from the day before was now frowning and sitting at the table, staring at the two sheets of paper on the table.
"Oh, Master Ge, you've finally come," the Grand Duke said as if he had seen a savior, pulling Ge Zheng over. "Take a look at this. It's a letter sent by the Dukes of Yaga and Salkin – how convenient, they sent it together as if I'm a fool!"
Upon inspecting the soft and valuable letter papers, Ge Zheng found them to be finer than the ordinary ones. The content was seemingly polite at the beginning and ended with the seals of the two Dukes. However, the middle section had an unfriendly tone, nearly threatening the Grand Duke Mares. It demanded the alchemical formula for the Solomon Demon Pillar, suggesting that they would send troops to seize it if it wasn't handed over. The co-delivery of the two Dukes' letters was clearly intentional, indicating their readiness to confront Mares.
Mares Principality, among the three grand principalities in the south, was the largest in area but situated disadvantageously between the Yaga and Salkin principalities. A war would leave it vulnerable to attacks from both sides, a highly unfavorable situation on the battlefield.
After Ge Zheng's understanding of Mares Principality's predicament, he said, "Your Grace, they are being arrogant and are probably not planning to compromise, regardless of whether you possess the formula or not, aren't they?" Mares nodded, "That's right. I, as a Grand Duke of the mighty empire, cannot be threatened like this! Rest assured, even if it comes to a fight, in the end, the Emperor will intervene and protect us."
Ge Zheng discerned the underlying anxiety in the Grand Duke's self-assurance. However, by referring to "us," it was clear that the Grand Duke now considered Ge Zheng as his ally.
"I have already sent someone to the Delson Royal City to request an audience with the Emperor on my behalf. However, the best result I can expect is to present this alchemical formula to His Imperial Majesty. Luckily, I have Master Benat's authentication certificate. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to explain the situation," Mares glanced at Ge Zheng. "This incident has been caused by this alchemical formula. It seems there will be many more instances in the future where I will need the help of the master."
Though unwilling to be tied to the Grand Duke, Ge Zheng, being in the city of Oba, had to temporarily assist him for the sake of future business opportunities.
He wanted to caution the Grand Duke about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the possession of the alchemical formula. However, on second thought, considering the Grand Duke's extensive experience in political affairs, he refrained from offering unsolicited advice.
After a brief exchange, as Ge Zheng was about to take his leave, the butler announced, "My Lord, an envoy from the Temple of Dark Gods is seeking an audience." As Ge Zheng walked out, he noticed three individuals dressed in black and white robes, representatives of the Temple of Dark Gods, entering the study. The leading girl promptly stated, "Respected Grand Duke, we would like you to assign a guide to take us to the city of Wangshan..."
Ge Zheng left the Duke's residence, wondering, "What are they up to in Wangshan City?"
Oba City had four main thoroughfares leading to the four city gates. The widest street in Oba City, connecting the main entrance of the Duke's residence, was named Werner Street after the first Duke of the Mares family. Aside from this main street, there were eight other primary roads forming the city's traffic network.
Dunke and his companions spent half a day exploring the streets, noting down several shops available for transfer. Among them, Ge Zheng favored a shop at the intersection of Black Two Street and Red Three Street. Situated just one block away from the noble district to the northeast, it was conveniently close to the Duke's residence and suitable for his future business and for teaching Miss Feifei.
The price wasn't exorbitant, totaling thirty-six thousand gold coins, including half a year's rent. Remaining with eight thousand gold coins after deducting the cost of purchasing the Ghost Flower tree, Ge Zheng contemplated the imminent need for profit in order to avoid financial difficulties within a month.