Chapter 137: Artifacts

Although it was night, Li Lin still closed the doors and windows tightly, mainly because he did not want outsiders to see what he was doing inside.

He relit the candle, then held the immortal artifact and rotated it rapidly left and right before the flame.

Indeed... when rotating rapidly clockwise, the scattered light points showed obvious changes, no longer chaotic.

Yet a complete image still had not formed; he estimated it was because... either his hand speed was not fast enough, or the rotation amplitude was not large enough.

But this did not stump Li Lin.

He fetched a ruler, measured the dimensions of the immortal artifact, then drew a diagram of a hand-cranked gear system.

He made a fixture to secure the immortal artifact, then used three gears to accelerate its rotation speed.

He did not sleep all night before he finished drawing this blueprint.

Suppressing his excitement, he went to work first, no different from usual.

Only then did he take the blueprint to the Artisan Bureau.

The craftsman who received him was the same one who had sold him the alchemy furnace last time.

"County Commandant, my lord, this blueprint of yours presents some difficulty," the craftsman said with difficulty: "To have it made within a single day is truly too rushed. If these toothed celestial wheels are made of iron, they require immense labor."

In fact, gears already existed in the previous dynasty; they were simply called by a different name. In this era, they are called 'Toothed Celestial Wheels', typically employed in large instruments such as water-driven astronomical clocks.

Li Lin asked, "How long will it take?"

"Three months."

"This small thing requires three months?" Li Lin was greatly surprised.

It was merely three gears, a hand crank, and a fixed platform.

Yet it would take three months to make!

"Making Toothed Celestial Wheels out of iron is truly very difficult."

"Then is there any way to make it faster?"

"If made of hard wood, it would be much faster; one could simply carve it directly." The craftsman hesitated for a moment, then said: "It just won't be very durable."

"Then how long would the wooden version take?"

"It can be finished before tomorrow."

"Then use wood." Li Lin placed a silver ingot into the other's hand: "This is a deposit."

"That's too much, too much."

"Consider the excess as a tip."

The craftsman immediately beamed with joy: "Thank you, County Commandant, my lord, thank you."

Li Lin returned home, sat cross-legged on the bed's edge, used the Spring-Returning Health Cultivation Art to calm his emotions, then continued his cultivation.

First, he cultivated the Fallen Thunder Incantation; after summoning a few bolts of lightning, Li Yanjing ran out from the altar to inspect.

"Your thunder technique already possesses considerable power," Li Yanjing said with a smile after watching for a while: "However, against more powerful apparitions or martial artists, it is still insufficient."

"Is the power too small?"

"That is one aspect; the other aspect is that the casting speed is too slow."

Li Lin agreed with this point; he had always been seeking ways to avoid this weakness.

That was why he invented the Fallen Thunder Talisman.

Unfortunately, he had recently discovered a flaw in the Fallen Thunder Talisman: the maximum power of thunder techniques it could store has a limit.

It could no longer keep up with the growth speed of Li Lin's thunder techniques.

This was due to the materials used; ordinary thunder-struck wood has a limit to the lightning it can draw down.

To increase the power limit of the Fallen Thunder technique, one must use superior materials for its creation.

Or Li Lin's talisman and incantation arts must develop new theories, enabling the creation of high-grade talismans using low-grade materials.

"Although slow, every technique will have its place," Li Lin said with a smile.

The Fallen Thunder Incantation is indeed slow, but its power is strong.

The thunder techniques used by an Eighth-Rank Spirit Hunter produce an impact effect no less than the power of techniques used by a Sixth-Rank Spirit Hunter.

When he reaches Sixth Rank, the power of his thunder techniques will advance even further.

This is precisely why, despite the slow casting speed of the Fallen Thunder Incantation, he still practices it diligently.

Li Yanjing propped her chin and said, "I do not understand thunder techniques, but I know that all thunder techniques can be enhanced or have their casting time reduced by using artifacts."

Artifacts?

Li Lin pondered thoughtfully.

"You actually have no artifacts?" Li Yanjing found it somewhat amusing: "No way, someone as powerful as you actually has no artifacts? How did you practice your techniques before?"

A good artifact can reduce the difficulty of casting techniques.

Therefore, almost everyone who practices techniques possesses an artifact.

"But Su Huafang, Bai Zhiwei, and the others don't have them either."

"How do you know they don't?" Li Yanjing laughed: "They do have them; they simply do not bring them out for daily use, because artifacts are precious. Almost any powerful Spirit Hunter with some means will possess an artifact. Whether bought, seized, or inherited, they will have one."

Li Lin understood Sister Yan Jing's meaning.

Bai Zhiwei and the others have artifacts; they simply use them only during practice.

They do not carry them out.

If something happens, keeping the artifact at home ensures that descendants can continue to use it, and it won't be looted from a corpse by others.

"Only those who know how to craft artifacts carry them out every day, because they have many; if one breaks or is stolen, they do not mind."

Li Lin said helplessly: "I have no choice; I am poor."

"How about we make a deal?" Li Yanjing floated to Li Lin's side, leaning against him and smiling.

"You have an artifact?"

"Yes, I have some. Though I cannot use them myself, having lived so long, I do have a small fortune saved up."

"What do I want?"

"Five sips of your blood qi."

Li Lin looked at her.

In Li Lin's view, this was practically handing a magical artifact over to him as a gift.

He was merely pondering whether his blood qi reserves were sufficient.

"Five sips is still too expensive," Li Yanjing pursed her lips and said, "Then four sips it is. I cannot lower the price any further."

Li Lin calculated the next day he would go to Shangti Kou Village to 'pay tribute'; there were still several days left. Having four sips of blood qi drained could still be replenished, so he nodded.

"Then wait a moment; I will go fetch it for you."

With that, Li Yanjing floated away.

Li Lin practiced the Fallen Thunder Incantation again, only stopping when the yin qi within his body was nearly exhausted.

At that moment, Li Yanjing returned.

She held a black short sword in her hand.

"Here, this is the magical artifact I have treasured for so long."

Li Lin took it and found that only the scabbard and hilt were black; after drawing the short sword, the blade itself was blood-red.

"I snatched this magical artifact from a Daoist more than thirty years ago," Li Yanjing said with a smile. "This thing is very valuable, but since I cannot use it, I have kept it hidden all this time."

"It seems you have saved quite a lot of money."

Li Yanjing had been somewhat proud, but then she let out a soft sigh.

"All of it was exchanged for the flesh and skin of women I possessed; no matter how much there is, it is dirty money."

Li Lin did not know how to respond for a moment.

He could only change the subject: "What is the name of this magical artifact?"

"Sha Gu Chou."

"What is the origin of the name?"

"Long ago, there was a Great Apparition named Sha. A Daoist found its corpse bones from before its death, mixed them into poisoned wine to create poisoned Chou. Then, a yin wood was carved into a sword, soaked in the poisoned Chou for nine years. The yin wood sword absorbed the yin qi of the poisoned Chou and became a magical artifact. It is very suitable for Spirit Hunters to use."

"Was that Daoist also a Spirit Hunter?"

"He was a demonic cultivator."

I see.

At this time, the yin qi within Li Lin's body was already low, but after obtaining this short sword, he felt a sense of connection.

He stored the magical artifact in his sleeve, pressing it against the skin of his arm, and then formed the hand seal.

A bolt of green and red thunder struck the stone in front of him.

"Indeed powerful," Li Lin said admiringly.

Using the magical artifact indeed saved yin qi, and the casting speed was also slightly faster; it was truly a good tool for practicing spells.

"I did not lie to you, did I?" Li Yanjing approached with a seductive smile, "So, what about your promise?"

Li Lin extended his palm.

Sister Yan Jing excitedly grasped it, her face showing a look of 'thirst'.

Then she began to lick.

Seeing her so agitated, Li Lin had thought he would lose a great deal of 'blood'; although she said she would only take four sips, he expected her to drink in huge gulps.

However, contrary to Li Lin's expectations, Sister Yan Jing actually sipped in small mouthfuls.

With each sip, she would close her eyes to savor the taste.

Therefore, taking four sips also wasted some time.

"You are actually so restrained?" Li Lin asked in surprise.

Li Yanjing gently touched her lips and smiled, "I can distinguish between a full meal and one that is occasionally satisfying. If I truly drank in huge gulps, you certainly would not make any more deals with me in the future."

Li Lin raised an eyebrow; he felt that Li Yanjing seemed more intelligent and self-controlled than he had imagined.

No wonder she could become a Great Apparition.

Li Lin began practicing short sword techniques again.

He had 'thrown away' the previous short sword; from now on, he would carry this magical artifact short sword when going out.

Unlike other Spirit Hunters who possessed magical artifacts, he felt that weapons were meant to be 'used'.

Keeping them at home always felt like a waste.

Of course, this was a difference in personal philosophy; one could not say that Bai Zhiwei and the others were wrong in their thinking.

Time quickly passed to the second day.

In the early morning, the craftsman arrived with the hand-cranked gear machine.

After Li Lin paid the manufacturing fee, he moved it into the study.

Then he summoned Huang Qi and Hong Luan.

Seeing Li Lin close the study door and also shut the windows, Huang Qi did not know what came to mind; her face flushed red as she said, "Are you trying to die? This is a study, and it is still daytime... do not be frivolous."

Hong Luan, on the other hand, wore an expression of anticipation.

"What are you thinking of!" Li Lin said helplessly, "This is serious business, and very important; only the three of us can know about it."

Seeing Li Lin's serious expression, Huang Qi immediately nodded.

Hong Luan, however, looked disappointed.

Li Lin lit the candle, then took the immortal artifact down from the bookshelf.

The two of them had seen this object before and knew of its preciousness.

Li Lin secured the immortal artifact onto the card holder and said, "If any text or pictures appear on the wall later, you two must find a way to record them for me. Understood?"

The two nodded repeatedly, and Huang Qi even went to the side to fetch paper and a brush.

She could read and was skilled in fine-line painting.

Li Lin took a deep breath, then quickly turned the hand crank.

The gears drove the card holder into rapid rotation.

The candlelight passed through the center of the black-and-white spherical objects, forming spots of light on the wall.

And as the light spots spun rapidly, images gradually began to form.

The two women were somewhat startled upon seeing this.

But the image remained very blurry.

"It looks like characters..." Huang Qi said, "but I still can't see them clearly."

Li Lin increased the speed of his cranking, summoning nearly all his strength.

The hand-cranked gear mechanism clattered and clacked, seeming on the verge of falling apart.

The immortal artifact spun into a blur on the card holder.

Under the rapid rotation, the black-and-white spherical objects seemed to have become a single gray sphere.

At that moment, Hong Luan cried out, "I can see clearly now! It's characters, so many characters."

Huang Qi was already recording rapidly.

(End of this chapter)