"The Grand Artisan won't see us, and you'll hand out subcontracted production commissions to us directly instead?"
In their temporary lodgings, Li Chen and the others heard the news Mu Qing and Master Artisan Yang brought back and privately sensed that something was wrong.
They were all Puppet Master artisans who had already reached Foundation Establishment, not people who could be fobbed off so easily.
"Master Artisan Yang, Fellow Daoist Mu, this isn't what we agreed on."
"That's right. Weren't we supposed to receive commissions directly from Taiqiu Immortal City?"
Master Artisan Yang had already anticipated their dissatisfaction. "Start working first. Once you're familiar with things, you can find an opportunity to seek an audience with the Grand Artisan and formalize the arrangement. It won't be too late. Besides, Grand Artisan Qi has been conducting inspections in the east lately. Even if you wanted to see him, I couldn't take you to him right now."
"But earlier, you clearly said..."
"Ah, fellow Daoist, that was then, and this is now."
As he spoke, he ignored their objections and took out a thick ledger.
"Let me see what would suit you. Ah, you can choose for yourselves from these dozen or so types of components. Everything will be settled in contribution points, with a general exchange rate of one contribution point to one talisman coin. But even with the same talisman coin, you might not be able to buy the treasures unique to this place. For rogue cultivators like you, it's still an excellent deal."
"Don't think you're losing out. I don't mind telling you that other people scramble for opportunities like this and still might not get a turn."
Li Chen and the two rogue cultivators looked distinctly unhappy.
After careful consideration, however, they each selected tasks within their capabilities,