“I suppose not,” Cha Ming said. Still, he felt less guilty about his mission as he began looking through the many shelves, the many metals, and the many compounds. If Tian Zhi and Director Yong had betrayed the North, he didn’t much care what happened to them as a consequence of his actions. That meant he only had to figure something out for the other three.
“This crystal flower, what’s it called?” Cha Ming asked, tapping on a shelf at eye level. It was covered in a clear case, and the flames dancing about its oxygen-deprived confines were entrancing.
“It’s called crystal dragon grass,” Tian Zhi said. “We’ve had our eye on it for a while. Can you tell why?”
Cha Ming carefully removed the cover. The heat around him rose instantly, and he was forced to use both his qi and soul force to push the containment back around it. “Explosive power,” Cha Ming said. “Even without alchemical processing.” His eyes brightened. “I wonder what would happen if we alloyed it with some more combustible metals.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“You madman,” Tian Zhi muttered. “Well, at least one of us needs to be mad. Take it for your experiments if you wish. I’ll mark it down.”
Cha Ming stowed it away, protective case and all. He looked past most of the objects on the shelf, as they were either mundane or not high quality enough to be workable. Whenever he saw something interesting, however, he paused to evaluate it. He didn’t take everything, of course, as that would arouse suspicion. Instead, he usually said he’d think on it and left it there for another time.
It took several hours for them to survey the entire storage room. Though he wasn’t allowed to take weapons, Tian Zhi took him around to where they were stored anyway. Cha Ming obliged him and even spent a good deal of time admiring the craftsmanship he saw.
“A good blade,” he said, nicking his finger on one of the swords. The golden blade drank his blood and glowed slightly pink. “Life Drinker. What an accurate name.”
“The amount of life-leaching gold that went into it was backbreaking,” Tian Zhi said. “Then no one wanted to buy it, because those blood masters are either too broke or too cheap. We bring it out for auction on occasion, in case anyone wants it.”
“And that?” Cha Ming asked, pointing to a familiar spear. It was black and covered in powerful white runes. The weapon was completely beyond him to craft. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder where he’d seen it before.
“That’s a different matter,” Tian Zhi said, shaking his head. “It’s said to be the spear of the Lucky Marshal, Feng Ming, in the North. Given the misfortune that accompanies it and its wielders, I’m not sure I believe it. Seems to be more unlucky than anything else.”
“Maybe it’s unlucky to his enemies,” Cha Ming said, nodding. No wonder it seemed familiar.
“At first, we were going to give it to Grand Vizier Zhou as a gift,” Tian Zhi said. “But then we decided to give him something different. We’re giving this one to the Ji royal family to increase the kingdom’s morale.”
“What could possibly be worth more than an enemy leader’s transcendent treasure?” Cha Ming asked. He trembled inwardly. There was only one thing he could think of that fit the bill.
“Hmm…” Tian Zhi said. “Come here, let me show you something.”
Cha Ming followed the older researcher to the back of the room. They passed the few materials he hadn’t yet seen, each one more expensive than the last. He realized, Tian Zhi had likely kept this place for last. It was better to let him experiment with cheaper materials first and proceed to pricier ones as time progressed.
Tian Zhi didn’t give Cha Ming time to inspect those materials. Instead, he led him to a mostly empty shelf in the back. There, on a pedestal and inside a clear case, was a golden globe, its core filled with a viscous liquid that shone brighter than the sun.
There it is, Cha Ming thought. Gold Essence Core and Gold Source Marrow. It was the last piece of the puzzle, the one thing he needed to transcend as a body cultivator, assuming the Seventy-Two Transformations Technique didn’t let him down.
“It looks impressive, but I don’t know what you can use it for,” Tian Zhi said. “Perhaps a power core?”
“It might be useful to fuel a sharp weapon,” Cha Ming suggested. “Perhaps even the Breaker.” If all it took was one failed experiment to cover up the theft, he would happily take the blame.
“Bah,” Tian Zhi said. “That’d be a waste. Especially considering Grand Vizier Zhou alerted everyone in the South to keep an eye out for it. He wants it for some reason, and the reward he’s posted is higher than what he’s paying for the Breaker.”
“And you’re going to give it to him?” Cha Ming asked incredulously. It seemed like a pretty terrible business move. This was the Wang family headquarters, after all.
“Coal in the winter is worth its weight in gold,” Tian Zhi said. “It follows then that the surprise acquisition of a valuable treasure is worth so much more to a man who’s recently suffered a devastating loss. This reward was posted two years ago, when Grand Vizier Zhou was at the peak of his power. But recently, I’ve heard rumors that a ploy involving Haijing and Beihai City has completely collapsed. Grand Vizier Zhou came back heavily wounded and in a terrible mood. He’s put a lot of pressure on everyone to succeed.”
He tapped on the black case. “This gem here is either for insurance if we screw up, or frosting on the cake if we succeed. If we fail in developing the Breaker, we might be able to assuage his rage by gifting him this gem.
