In an office some hundred or so feet away from where the Zhen Clan Treasure Vault was situated, Zhen Jun Yao was meeting with an elder of the Zhen Clan named Zhen Tinh. The aforementioned elder was currently looking into a special scrying mirror that was directly connected to the inside of the Zhen Clan’s Treasure Vault, allowing the man to see everything that was going on.
As Zhen Tinh watched the children of the "branch clan" continue to browse through the vault’s contents without a care in the world, a growing feeling of dissatisfaction and distaste began to well up in his throat.
<> Elder Zhen Tinh muttered.
Despite both the performance of the branch clan’s scions during the competition and the branch clan’s meritorious service in regards to fighting the Fallen Clan and cleaning up the aftermath, there were still members of the Zhen Clan’s power structure that still held a massive amount of disdain and distaste towards the branch clan and anyone associated or related to the them. Perhaps it was due to their innate desire to get closer to the Imperial Family of Pearl Scale, perhaps it was due to the immense pride they felt in regards to their identity as members of the Zhen Clan, or a combination of both. Either way, while Zhen Jun Yao wasn’t originally in either camp in regards to how to treat the branch clan, but had since joined up with the more vindictive elders due to recent events. Besides, causing some internal strife was an excellent way to destabilize the Zhen Clan even further was a nice little bonus.
’Oncs they’re either dead or injured, I’ll take my time to pick through their bodies for my necklace. Simple.’
The elder proceeded to dismiss the scrying mirror with a wave of his hand, returning it to a storage ring that was resting on the man’s fingers. With another of wave his hand though, Elder Zhen Tinh produced a small rune stone that seem to radiate the same type of energy that the entrance array at the vault. However, there was something awfully sinister mixed in with the energy signature of the vault. Whatever this thing was, it enough to cause Zhen Jun Yao’s pupils to dilate out of shock.
<> Zhen Tinh began to explain as he idly played with the rune stone in his hands. <> To emphasize his point, he placed the stone on the desk between himself and Zhen Jun Yao.
Elder Zhen Tinh began to infuse his aether into the stone, causing it to glow with a dark red light before shattering into pieces.
Zhen Jun Yao was confused as to why breaking this rune stone would help and was just about to ask that, until Elder Zhen Tinh reproduced the scrying mirror he had just put away. However, the mirror wasn’t showing the branch clan scions anymore.
Instead, it was showing a heavy looking sealing array that was located inside the vault that just so happened to be the same color and design as the rune stone that had just shattered. Not only that, the mirror was showing that the seal was in the process of undoing itself.
<> Zhen Tinh said with a smile. <>
[Shit. Of course there were still some old fogeys that weren’t friendly with the ringmaster. I can’t fucking ice these guys without causing issues...well, at least right now. But maybe I can do a little tit for tat at least. I just need to find someone...specific...]
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After grabbing the shark made of storm clouds by the tail, Zhen Hai proceeded to slam the damn thing into the non-existent ground. Zhen Hai was the type of person who learns how to do stuff in the heat of the moment, which is why he had just realized he was about to make solid platforms out of aether mid-air. Granted, he wasn’t really paying attention to that as he was more focused on his newly acquired prize. Especially now that it was about to reveal it’s true form.
"Damn! I honestly keep forgetting how strong Zhen Hai is on the regular..."
"Wait, look! The shark thing is disappearing."
"Is...is that a sword or a club?"
"Forget that, can’t you guys sense that? That damn thing is a Gold grade aether treasure!"
"Unbelievable," Zhen Liu commented at the sight.
Due to the concussive force of Zhen Hai’s actions, the shark shaped storm cloud began to disappear in order to reveal what exactly Zhen Hai had grabbed when he decided to counterattack.
Appearing in Zhen Hai’s hand was a strange wooden club that was about the length and size of a broadsword. Instead of having a singular sharp edge though, the body was surrounded by dozens of shark teeth that had been polished to a shining finish.
"Oh yeah...I can work with this," Zhen Hai smiled as he held the strange sword-club hybrid aether treasure. "Oh! And it actually has a name carved in its side...wait...I think that’s the name of the guy who made this club..."
Thankfully for Zhen Hai, Zhen Liu would be able to tell him what the club was called, but he was in the middle of a brief mental discussion with his sources of information.
Because at this point, he was getting curious as to how their luck was this good...and was wondering when the show was going to drop.
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Name: Shark Fang of the Berserker.
Abilities: Enhanced Sharpness, Extreme durability, Regenerating Fangs, Blood Berserker, [Shark Fang: Stormthresher], [Shark Fang: Tidecaller], [Shark Fang: Landripper].
Description: A war club that belonged to a warrior from the islands of Roaring Tide, carved from the wood of a millennium old Spirit Tree and lined with fangs acquired from the three most dangerous shark beast kings at the time.
It’s said that the fury and spirit of those beast kings are sealed within the club, and can be channeled via several exclusive aether arts unique to the club.
Only a warrior with a nature as aggressive as it’s original wielder will be able to wield it’s power to the fullest...and perhaps beyond even that...
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’Alright, I’m just gonna put aside the fact that my elder cousin is currently swinging around what I can assume is a leiomano/macuahuitl hybrid to ask a simple question to you two that’s been bothering me for a while: how and why?’
’How and why, is it possible for my cousins and I to attract what I can only describe as absurd amounts of luck? I didn’t really think about it during the wandering ruins thing where we left with a powerful as hell World Aether art, but how the fuck did we manage to find the aether treasures that have that high of a compatibility so easily?! Once is a fluke, twice is questionable, third is a pattern.’
=To put it in a more explainable way, due to you and the kaijin being high concentrations of [Chaos], the world around you gets affected by it as well. Think of it as being a good luck charm and a bad luck charm rolled up into one. Except you actually work.=
’The...the implications of your statement is that I’m about to get blasted with a crazy amount of misfortune after back to back lottery wins over here.’
<=Exactly, which is why you should probably deal with that rising spike of cursed aether after telling Zhen Hai what you know about his fancy new sword-club.=>
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"[Shark Fang of the Berserker]? Well damn! It was thing was made for me! I like it!"
"Wait...first a bear related belt for Zhen Yue and a shark related battle club for Zhen Hai, are the rest of us going to get animal related aether treasures too?," Zhen Xing asked the others.
"I...don’t think so?," Zhen Guo replied. "I mean...it could just be a coincidence."
"You say that, now, but watch me get a fox themed treasure."
"Y’all can speculate later, it’s my turn."