67 Throne of Kong Ming
It was also a test for Nie Hai. Would he give the remnant page considering it must be only inherited by the successor of the patriarch? Or would he try to act clueless holding onto an unknown and useless for him treasure?
"Where did you get it?" Nie asked even though he knew the answer himself.
"This is a treasure which had been passed down from one patriarch to another through innumerable years. And considering you already had one I think you deserve to have this as well. You may become the next patriarch," laughed Nie Hai.
"No, I think brother Nie Wen is better suited for that position." Nie Li was quick to refuse. "With his current speed, he will reach the legend rank in three years at most. And his temperament is better suited for that role."
Nie Li really didn't want to become a patriarch. Because he wanted to rule not one clan, but an entire world and later all of the worlds he could get his hands on. But not now. He liked his freedom too much right now. He didn't want to take any obligations so early.
Hearing him Nie Hai was surprised. But not completely dissatisfied. He had been preparing his grandnephew for that position. It was Nie Wen himself who recommended Nie Li as a better candidate. The fact that they were close to each other is what really mattered.
Meanwhile, Nie Li continued, "But I am willing to buy this page if you agree to part with it."
Nie Hai hesitated. It was a tradition that this artifact was held by the patriarch. Did he have any right to end who knows how many thousands of years of tradition? On the other hand, what's the purpose of holding it if no one knew its purpose? And Nie Li already had another one. Maybe it was destined for him to have it. "What's your current cultivation?" he asked Nie Li.
Nie En who was watching and comparing two remnant pages looked up curiously as well.
It was Nie Li's turn to hesitate. But decided to open up a bit to build up trust. He released his full aura.
"Silver rank already?" Nie En loudly exclaimed. Good thing that privacy barriers were up.
Nie Hai on the other hand already suspected it. Even though Nie Li hid it well, it was not easy to hide the traces of the integrated demon spirit from a gold rank demon spiritualist when they are near you. "You don't want it to get out," he stated
Nie Li nodded. "I don't want to attract attention from some unsavory elements of the city so early"
Nie Hai nodded and slid the remnant pages towards him.
Nie Li also took out ten million yaolinbi from his interspatial ring.
"There's no need for that." Nie Hai said looking at the money on the table. "It may have been destined for you after all."
Even though he wanted the money, he wanted to be in the good graces of Nie Li even more. Thirteen years old Silver rank demon spiritualist! The Heavenly Marks Family's bright future was tied to this kid.
"Take it." Nie Li insisted. "If you feel uncomfortable you can allow me to look through the family treasury when I will be in the family territories"
Nie Hai and Nie En looked a bit uncomfortable. They didn't want to admit that the family treasury was almost empty. Nie Hai was already considering the ways to fill the treasury now that he had the money.
"I know that you have been selling items from the treasury to keep family finances afloat." Nie Li said startling his guests. "But there should be some obscure, hard-to-sell items there. And I am mostly interested in those."
Nie Hai nodded inwardly. Right now the only things remaining in the vault were the things no one wanted or those no one know the purpose of.
"I think it can be arranged," Nie Hai said. "Are you returning home after the exams?" He motioned to Nie En to take the money.
"Yes, I also want to participate in the Hong Yue family's auction they recently announced."
"Okay. I will arrange some places in the auction then," the patriarch said nodding. He wanted to participate in that auction himself. But the lack of money was a serious obstacle before. That problem was solved now.
"About the auction. I want to you put some things on sale there." Nie Li said.
"Oh. What kind of things?" Nie Hai curiously asked.
"Some gold rank armors and weapons." Nie Li replied.
"Gold rank armors?" asked Nie Hai eyes sparkling
"Yes. Ten percent of the income from the trade goes to the clan as my tax. You can take one if you want it. There are twenty of them. But its price would be deducted from the taxes." Nie Li didn't want them to get too comfortable with his donations. The tax was what every adult member was obligated to pay to the clan's coffers. Although it usually meant the work inside the clan and the percentage was higher than ten percent.
And making enchanted items wasn't difficult or time-consuming for Nie Li. The Starlight Crafting Plate and his current cultivation allowed him to create many gold-rank enchanted armors and weapons in a short amount of time. He could have created some artifacts too. But they were more difficult to create and would attract too much attention. He had only created three artifact armors so far: for himself and his girls.
All of the enchanted items were of the top quality however and would bring him somewhere around 60-100 million or more if the trade goes well. Such kinds of treasures could be sold only in auctions in a sensible timeframe.
"Also I have another artifact for sale. I want it to be bought by the Sacred Family." Nie Li added. It was not ready yet, but he can make it in a short time. The idea came to him when the patriarch told him about the Sacred Family's overtures toward them.
"Is it something dangerous?" asked his clansmen remembering their talk about the Sacred Family and the Dark Guild.
"No, it's not. I don't want to damage the clan's reputation with such kind of treacherous acts."
"What are we going to do about them then?" Nie En asked.
"Nothing. We are too weak right now. Even if we get the big families involved, we will not be able to deal with the Dark Guild. They have at least two Legend Rank demon spiritualists among them."
The patriarch and the elder looked worried. The Dark guild had been the scourge of Glory City for generations and learning about them being so powerful made them uncomfortable.
"So we will wait until we are strong enough and have the allegiance of the big families." Nie Li finished.
"I think that would be for the best," agreed Nie Hai. He was worried that Nie Li, because of his youthful maximalism, would act recklessly. But he was again pleasantly surprised by his mature attitude.
"Here are the enchanted equipment" Nie Li passed them an interspatial ring. He had prepared it beforehand. "I will bring you the artifact tomorrow." Because it wasn't made yet.
The patriarch and the elder excitedly took the ring and scanned its contents. There were indeed more than two dozen gold rank pieces of equipment. They had never held so much wealth in their hands before.
"Okay Nie Li. We will talk again tomorrow." Nie Hai said.
"Okay. I will ask someone to lead you to your rooms".
Nie Li wanted to talk about the elder Nie Wei too. But it can wait one day.
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After his relatives left, Nie Li sat alone thinking. The unexpected arrival of the patriarch could be an opportunity that would accelerate some of his plans. And the news about the Sacred Family was also interesting. Keeping good relations with them till the end might create some interesting opportunities.
So he sat down to create the artifact he promised. After watching Ming Yahui's talisman he had an idea about creating something like an abstruse gemstone for his friends. Of course, he couldn't create something as profound and powerful as those stones. But he could make a simpler analog.
He took the design of Ming Yahui's talisman as a basis. Its main problem was the energy source. It gathered the energy from the surroundings. Well, cultivators could do that themselves. Its only advantage was the range. It was equal to the Black Gold rank cultivator's range. That was why it became useless when the user reached that level themselves.
But Nie Li could add an energy source to it. His world produced some Heavenly Energy Crystals. They could work with more profound types of energy than soul force and could produce much more energy. They were smaller than the original one Nie Li had, but they still produced a decent amount of energy.
So if he adds them as a source of energy and tweaks the energy transmitting settings he could make something that resembled a weaker version of an abstruse gemstone.
Making up his mind he started to create. It hadn't taken him long to finish the design of the main function. He had been thinking about it for some time (because his friends were being left seriously behind by him and the girls).
Then it was time for the additional functions. If lady luck would not turn away from him, this artifact would reach Shen Hong. Having surveillance over one of his main enemies was a great opportunity he didn't want to miss. It was a standard design. 3d imaging in many different specters and voice recording.
After finishing those Nie Li started working on new features. Even though he told Nie Hai and Nie En that it was not dangerous, the artifact will have some dangerous features. That features will include full scanning of the user's health and cultivation and if necessary damage them. In other words, Nie could, through his connection to the artifact, change its functions in such a way that would cripple or even kill the user.
The last feature was something he would like not to use ever and he would take its existence to his grave. If it got out, anything he gifted to anyone would be looked at with suspicion. He would get the reputation of someone treacherous and untrustworthy. Still, he could not let go of this opportunity. Who knows what kind of situation he would face in the future. Maybe he would be so cornered that it would be the only chance of survival. Or the artifact may not even reach Shen Hong and all of this would be for naught.
Whatever the case he made the artifact. It was in the form of a throne. A huge imposing throne with Kong Ming's signature words engraved at the top. 'Those who follow me will be honored. Those who oppose me shall perish'. Yes, he was going to present it as an artifact from the Ancient Orchid City Ruins. He worked with the design a bit to make it look time-worn. He will name it the Throne of Kong Ming. He just hoped he was not tempting fate.
He even changed the energy attributes to the sacred flames. It would be very beneficial to Shen Hong. The throne form was used because Nie Li wanted Shen Hong to use it at every important meeting. And considering it would raise one's soul force without even cultivating he expected that the new owner may not part from it for a minute.
Also, Nie Li's estimations showed that the throne would accelerate cultivation by 20 percent. It may be a bit higher for Sacred flame users. It was the perfect bait for Shen Hong.
