Chapter 735: The Art of Zako Refinement begins with Introspection.
“So…when do we learn about that?”
=When you’re much older.=
∆Wow, I know that it’s a cliché to flirt in the library but you got to remember that there are children present.∆
“Sorry…”
∆∆Holy shit! What are you two?∆∆
∆=Well, you see…=∆
Shortly after being caught in the middle of some heavy flirting by Jasper and Janice, Logos and Pathos finally made an appearance.
Whether or not they timed their appearance in order to maximize Zhen Liu’s embarrassment wasn’t exactly relevant to this moment, but it was something that would linger in the back of his head.
‘Ah well…at least Jinju Ren is getting her crash course in kaijinology…kaijin 101? Either or works, I guess.’
Logos and Pathos proceeded to explain the library’s function to the Imperial Princess, who for her part looked positively enraptured.
Once they were done explaining basically everything to her, Jinju Ren shot Zhen Liu a look that simply screamed, “pure adoration/admiration”.
In fact she was so enamored that, immediately after being given the rundown on Zhen Liu and the kaijin, she proceeded to grab the man into a rather suggestive looking hug.
For some context, Jinju Ren was a little shorter than Zhen Liu, but her arms were long enough that she could easily grab him in a hug and shove his face into her chest. While he wasn’t able to visually confirm this for himself, Zhen Liu swore that Logos had sent the children away to do something else entirely while this hug was occurring.
“I knew you were something special!,” Jinju Ren exclaimed with gusto. “My siblings can now officially suck it, I have the best future husband!”
On the one hand, Zhen Liu appreciated his ego getting stroked to high heaven and back by a beautiful, if curt, dragon woman. On the other, he was also a bit confused.
He figured that she would be disappointed that a man that she claimed was her equal, could only get stronger via cultivating and leeching off of monstrous warriors that he could make only through using the desires of others. Zhen Liu did do some actual training and self-study on the side, but that was rather different than actively cultivating like everyone else in his family.
Evidently, he was so confused by this thought, that he deemed it necessary to just…ask her point blank.
“Wait, what? I figured you’d be a bit more disappointed that I’m not some super genius cultivator.”
“Pfft! Please. You being some kind of super strong monster maker is way more interesting than being a super strong puppet master. Besides, if anything, I’m relieved that you and I actually have more in common than what either of us thought.”
“We do?”
As soon as Zhen Liu asked this question, Jinju Ren proceeded to lift him off of her chest so that she could look at him in the eyes.
“You use the power of monstrous warriors to get stronger, I tap into the power of dragon-blooded beasts to increase mine. If doing what you do makes you a fraud, then call me a fraud as well.”
“I didn’t say the word ‘fraud’, but I appreciate you noticing the feeling.”
“You’re not the only one whosever felt that way.”
“Ah…”
This was an oddly tender moment for Jinju Ren and Zhen Liu, and significantly sweeter than their first meeting at the Zhen Clan welcoming banquet.
However, this moment didn’t last too long as Pathos decided to make themselves a bit of nuisance.
∆D’aww, you two are flirting in public again. Not gonna lie, it’s gonna be real funny when you two do this in front of Bellona and Alicia.∆
=I would’ve added, “what about Jin Fang and Rianna”, but I think the scarf on our lord’s neck is already proof of that.=
“Oh, haha.”
With the mood now sufficiently murdered though, Zhen Liu and Jinju Ren disentangled from one each other and the former could focus now on why he showed up to the library in the first place: kaijin creation.
Well…zako refinement.
“So…I guess I’m here so you can figure out what’s the deal with our boney banshee friend?”
∆Exacto mundo, milord! This is the first time either of us have ever seen a zako get like this. We got some theories, but we need to confirm it firsthand.∆
=We made sure to keep her safe and in relatively stable condition. However…the sooner you add the finishing touches, the better. This way, milord. Milady.=
“Milady… I’ve been referred to that before, but it feels different when these two say it,” Jinju Ren commented.
“They have that effect.”
________One short walk later…____________
“Huh…is this what you normally do when you make kaijin?”
“Nope, this is entirely new to me.”
=Is the chamber secured?=
∆Locked and loaded, baby.∆
=Don’t call me that.=
∆No.∆
The chamber that Logos and Pathos had led Zhen Liu and Jinju Ren was decidedly…ominous looking.
The chamber in question had a circular design, with a variety of what Zhen Liu assumed to be decorative designs etched into the walls and ceiling. He couldn’t sense any form of energy coming from any of these pieces, then again, Logos and Pathos had a habit of surprising him.
At the center of this circular chamber was a raised platform, which was also decorated with strange looking designs, that had this glass orb surrounding it. In Zhen Liu’s mind, it reminded him of a snow globe, but significantly larger and infused with literal magic instead of metaphorical.
Sitting inside this globe was the zako of the hour, the strangely feminine skeletal zako that had somehow form some kind of pseudo-core while imprisoned by Zhen Liu’s distant relatives. While Zhen Liu wasn’t entirely clear on the details due to his connection with her being hazy at best, he could tell that she had pilfered at least several body parts to replace her original set. The only part that wasn’t skeletal was the [Echo Stone] embedded in her throat.
The zako looked “healthier” than the last time he saw her, but what his sixth sense picked up was a different matter entirely. Needless to say, it wasn’t good.
‘Yeesh. Logos wasn’t kidding. It’s like staring at a candle flickering in the wind,’ Zhen Liu thought to himself as he analyzed the zako via his connection with it. ‘No, that ain’t right…its like a dinky water gun trying to use the ocean as its tank!’
From what Zhen Liu could see, the reason why the zako was unstable and looking…off, was because the amount of [Chaos] and aether in her body was too much for her aforementioned body. It also probably didn’t help that some of the materials that made up her body were pilfered corpse parts that were infused with a touch of [Lust]. Then again, maybe that sin infusion was the reason she hadn’t fallen part at the seams.
=Milord, we’re ready for you to activate the [Forge].=
“Alright.”
“Oh. Thank you…Pathos?”
Either way, it was Zhen Liu’s duty to try and figure out a way to safely convert this zako into a kaijin without possibly blowing her up…he just had no idea how exactly.
“So just to clarify…how would I normally convert a zako into a kaijin?”
=Well…,= Logos began to answer, =traditionally, a zako needs to reach some level of tempering and natural strengthening that makes it so their bodies can handle [Chaos] with all the benefits and drawbacks that go with it. Once it reaches that point, you’re suppose to place a [Desire Core] in them and see what happens.=
As if sensing she was being talked about, the zako redirected her attention towards Zhen Liu. Despite not having real eyes at the moment, Zhen Liu could feel that he was being stared at with eyes filled with curiosity.
=But-=
“But the order got reversed and now we’re dealing with a zako that has the soul of a kaijin, but a body unable to handle the load. If I were to go about this in the ‘normal’ way, there’s a possibility that this zako might explode into pure nothingness. That about sum it up?”
=Precisely.=
“Well then…,” Zhen Liu trailed off as he began to rack his brain for a solution…until he remembered some neat little treasures he had recently picked up.
“I suppose my first task is to reinforce and refine her body,” Zhen Liu determined while drawing his [Hammer of the Dearly Departed] from a recently acquired hip holster. “And for that…we’re going to need a little flame.”
Zhen Liu closed his eyes and began to spread his senses inward, more specifically, to the part of his existence that contained the [Chaos Body Forge].
‘Oh…this formula got a lot messier than when I last saw it…damn.’
