Once everyone was seated, Chen Xu was in no hurry to discuss business with the Lord of the Crafts Sect.
After all, it was easy to see from the gift just now that the Lord of the Crafts Sect had not come merely seeking a simple business contract, but a much deeper level of interaction.
Simply put, he wanted to build a friendship—one with Chen Xu, and by extension, one with the undead.
Thus, Chen Xu did not jump straight to business either. Instead, he made casual conversation, introducing Ghost Axe and Chen Yan.
“Fellow Daoist Tie, this is Ghost Axe, and this is Chen Yan. They are the top forging masters of my Undead Heavenly Crafts. When they heard you were visiting today, they pestered me to let them join, giving me quite a headache.”
“Hahaha! So they are the master smiths under you, Fellow Daoist Chen. No wonder! I was wondering why the two of them carried such a rich aura of Dao artifacts. Judging by the depth and layers of the scent, you two must have forged no fewer than ten Dao artifacts each, yes? Marvelous, truly marvelous!”
The Lord of the Crafts Sect truly lived up to his name. Just by sensing their auras and catching their scent, he could accurately determine the number of Dao artifacts Ghost Axe and Chen Yan had forged.
Such attainment was terrifyingly profound.
Hearing this, Ghost Axe and Chen Yan felt a bit self-conscious and let out embarrassed smiles.
The others beside the Lord of the Crafts Sect also turned to look at Ghost Axe and Chen Yan, wearing surprised expressions.
At this point, the Lord of the Crafts Sect introduced his companions.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, these three are my worthless disciples: my eldest disciple Niu Dachui, my second disciple Jin Gangzuan, and my third disciple Qian Youcai.
Sigh, despite following me for so many years, the Dao artifacts they have forged only number in the hundreds, and those they forged entirely on their own can be counted on both hands.
They are far inferior to young friends Ghost Axe and Chen Yan.”
Facing their master's complaints, Niu Dachui was quite easygoing, only offering a simple, honest grin.
Jin Gangzuan, being more introverted, lowered his head in embarrassment.
Qian Youcai, however, looked completely unfazed. He seemed long accustomed to his master's teasing and didn't even bat an eye.
After all, he knew very well that the skill level of the three brothers easily placed them right below the Lord of the Crafts Sect in the entire myriad worlds.
One had to realize that when the Lord of the Crafts Sect referred to forging entirely on their own, he meant custom Dao artifacts.
From the initial stage of coordinating with the client, finalizing requirements, and proposing designs, to the middle stage of allocating resources and carrying out the actual forging—they handled the entire process themselves. This kind of experience was not something Ghost Axe and Chen Yan could hope to match.
However, the three of them did not look down on Ghost Axe and Chen Yan. Instead, they were highly curious about and deeply respected this peculiar skeleton and the human who exuded the scent of an angel.
Setting the skeleton aside for a moment, just the youthful aura radiating from Chen Yan was remarkable; to have participated in forging over ten Dao artifacts at such a young age was incredible.
This kind of work experience would be considered top-tier even in their Realm of Crafts.
At the same time, before coming, the three brothers had been told by the Lord of the Crafts Sect that their primary objective for this visit was to establish relations with Chen Xu and the undead, while joining the grand assembly to get a piece of the pie was only secondary.
Thus, Qian Youcai followed his master's lead and extended an invitation to Ghost Axe and Chen Yan.
“Master is absolutely right. I am also quite curious about the forging techniques of Fellow Daoist Ghost Axe and Fellow Daoist Chen Yan. I wonder if the two of you have some free time to visit our Realm of Crafts for an exchange?
It would also let my junior brothers and sisters know that there is always a taller mountain out there, so they don't lose sight of themselves while basking in Master's glory all day.”
“Uh, well...”
Ghost Axe and Chen Yan were highly tempted, but since the leader of the Land of the Undead had not spoken, neither dared to say anything first.
Seeing their expectant gazes, Chen Xu did not disappoint them and gave a slight nod.
Their subordinates were actively proposing to go on an exchange program to study and improve their work capabilities. As a qualified boss, how could he refuse?
Chen Xu wanted nothing more than for Ghost Axe and Chen Yan to learn a thing or two from the Lord of the Crafts Sect's side, so they could elevate the forging standards of Undead Heavenly Crafts even further.
After all, the group of spiritually liberated skeleton heroes had already raised quite a few complaints, saying that the items provided by Undead Heavenly Crafts were too monotonous. Having a purely skeletal style made them lose face when facing the transcendents of the myriad worlds.
Having obtained Chen Xu's permission, Ghost Axe and Chen Yan excitedly said in unison:
“Fellow Daoist Qian, we have plenty of time! We can go for the exchange whenever you like!”
“Hahaha! Excellent. Once I return and make the necessary arrangements, I will invite you two to the Realm of Crafts to exchange ideas and improve together.
These are my tokens. Please keep them safe, and I will use them to contact you when the time comes.”
Qian Youcai handed over two tokens. The front of the tokens was engraved with the character for "Crafts," while the back depicted a crucible.
Ghost Axe took his token and pressed it directly into his eye socket, securing it against his skull. This spot was the preferred storage location for this undead forging master.
Chen Yan, on the other hand, placed his into a storage ring he had forged himself.
Seeing this, the Lord of the Crafts Sect also smiled.
Since Chen Xu's people had accepted the invitation to visit the Realm of Crafts for an exchange, half of the purpose of his visit was already accomplished.
In truth, the Lord of the Crafts Sect had long wanted to build a connection with Chen Xu, the Overlord of the Land of the Undead.
However, the situation in the myriad worlds back then was far too chaotic. With Hell causing trouble and Heaven launching its Great Expedition, everyone was on edge. The Lord of the Crafts Sect feared that approaching Chen Xu too abruptly would trigger unnecessary suspicion, which was why he had held back.
Later, after the final battle where Hell was defeated, Chen Xu, the Lord of the Undead, went into secluded cultivation. Aside from briefly emerging to slap the two yokai Dao Lords, there had been no other news of him.
It was only recently, when the announcement of the First Grand Assembly of Transcendents of the Myriad Worlds was made, that the Lord of the Crafts Sect knew the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Thus, he immediately arranged for someone to contact Boss, the well-known head of the Land of the Undead's commerce department, requesting an audience with Chen Xu, which led to today's meeting.
There were two reasons why the Lord of the Crafts Sect was so eager to establish relations with the Land of the Undead. First, he recognized the vast potential of the Grand Assembly of Transcendents, hoping to use it to boost the sales of his Myriad Crucible.
Second, he had his eyes on the massive, previously overlooked consumer base in the Land of the Undead—namely, the skeleton heroes and other undead creatures.
Thanks to Chen Xu being an open-minded Lord of the Undead, the outside world was able to interact with these undead creatures on a regular basis.
Be it the skeleton heroes who had accumulated countless riches by answering summons from across the myriad worlds, or the ghosts and Blazing Souls who could condense soul crystals on their own, or even the bone dragons whose extreme cold could nurture various ice-attribute treasures.
In the eyes of the Lord of the Crafts Sect, they were all prime potential clients.
And most importantly, the sheer, staggering quantity of the undead.
During the War of the End five years ago, countless living beings had been slaughtered by demons. Before the remnant souls of these beings could be drawn into the Land of the Undead, Chen Xu had sacrificed the entire realm.
It was only when Chen Xu rebuilt the new Land of the Undead and used the Undead Dao Court to reactivate its unique properties that those lost souls drifting in the Cosmic Sea began migrating toward the new Land of the Undead once more.
In recent years, the annual number of newborn undead had reached astronomical figures, which explained why the Lord of the Crafts Sect was so envious.
Now that the foundation of friendship had been laid, the Lord of the Crafts Sect quickly moved on to the next topic.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, I heard that your First Grand Assembly of Transcendents of the Myriad Worlds is currently looking for sponsors. I wonder if my Myriad Crucible is worthy of your consideration?”
“Hahaha! You must be joking, Fellow Daoist Tie. The Myriad Crucible is the premier equipment chamber of commerce in the myriad worlds. How could it not be worthy? May I ask how you wish to sponsor us, and what kind of sponsorship you have in mind?”
“I have an idea, though I'm not sure if it is appropriate.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“The Myriad Crucible can cover the rewards for the Transcendent Rank and a portion of the Epic Division. However, we won't provide Divine Power Crystals. Instead, we will offer equipment of equal value to Divine Power Crystals, along with custom-forging services. What do you think?”
Rate on N.U.
