Chapter 167: Artifice Divine Chosen

Gogris waved her hand. On her sorrowful, cool expression, she forced out a small smile with dimples. “You saved me. That means I belong to you now. You can do anything you want.”

“Put your clothes on first.”

Phield set the book in his hand aside. It was a cliché story about a knight slaying a dragon and rescuing a princess—one of the bestselling tales in this world.

Pointing at the maid outfit nearby, Phield smiled. “From today onward, you’re a member of my Nightfall Domain. Of course, the reason I saved you is to make you my Divine Chosen.”

“Huh?”

Gogris froze, looking at Phield in confusion, but then obediently picked up the maid outfit and began putting it on.

“No questions at all?”

He had expected her to ask something like, “Can humans and beastfolk even form a contract?”

“You chose to save me instead of someone else. I believe you’ve already arranged everything.”

The little fox swayed her big tail, her bright eyes blinking as anticipation filled them.

Just being alive was already lucky enough. And now, to become a Divine Chosen? Something this good felt unreal—like a dream. Gogris felt light, almost weightless.

“Smart.”

Phield nodded in approval and patiently waited for her to finish dressing.

“If I had to ask something, I’d like to know your name.” Gogris adjusted the maid outfit—it was her first time wearing something like this. Before, she had only worn rough linen clothes. “My name is Gogris.”

“Phield Ross.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Ahem… under normal circumstances, just call me ’my lord.’” Phield tugged at his collar, feeling a wave of heat, rubbing his hands with anticipation as he took out the Awakening Crystal. “This is the Awakening Crystal. Hold it and focus on it carefully.”

The moment Gogris’s right hand touched the crystal, red and yellow starlight surged forth, gathering into the faint image of a powerful goddess. Her features were indistinct, yet the sight stirred one’s blood.

The red-and-yellow starlight condensed into a cluster of runes resembling a hammer intertwined with threads. Gogris’s eyes widened as her trembling hand reached out to touch it. Instantly, the rune engraved itself onto her right shoulder.

Her already exceptional beauty was elevated once more by divine power. Her gray eyes shone like gemstones, her beautiful hair cascading over her small, delicate body. Dressed in the maid outfit, her bare white feet touched the floor, her fluffy tail swaying gently—she looked as obedient and delicate as a doll.

If used as a pillow, she would definitely be incredibly comfortable. In winter, there would be no need to worry about cold hands.

Gogris’s Divine Mark glowed brilliantly. An invisible link of divine power formed between them—the contract was completed instantly.

Information about Gogris appeared in Phield’s mind.

Name: Gogris

Level: Tier One (Artifice Divine Chosen)

Class: Artificer / City Defense Planner

Divine Artifact: Puppet – Tool Fox Type (The fox-shaped shell is extremely durable. The internal tools can be generated freely according to Gogris’s thoughts, and all produced devices possess divine artifact quality. It has no offensive capability. However, any defensive weapons she creates will be engraved with special runes.)

Divine Skill: Arcane Mechanism Overload (Enhances mechanical devices, increasing performance fivefold. When used on mechanical puppets, the fox-type pet will transform surrounding equipment, converting them into powerful offensive weapons.)

Trait: Master Craftsman (Creates devices with twice the efficiency.)

Territory Bonus: Within the lord’s domain, city walls and defensive structures will be enhanced by divine power, increasing defensive capability by ten percent.

“Huh? A type I’ve never heard of.”

Phield didn’t fully understand it yet, but he was clearly excited. “Exactly what the territory is lacking.”

Nightfall Domain was severely short on technical talent.

“My lord… will I be useless?” Gogris fell silent for a moment, her exquisite eyes avoiding Phield’s gaze as she spoke anxiously. “I don’t seem very strong.”

“Not at all.”

Phield immediately reached out and patted her head, rubbing her soft fox ears. “This feels amazing—so soft, so warm, incredibly smooth. Just these top-tier beast ears alone are worth it.”

“Mmm~”

The little fox’s face flushed red instantly at just having her ears touched.

“That big of a reaction?” Phield was startled. “Are ears a sensitive area? I don’t think I’ve ever asked.”

Whenever he met beastfolk, he would just reach out and touch their ears.

Did that make him look like a complete pervert in their eyes?

“N-No, not really. I’m just a bit ticklish. And… the sudden changes are a lot to process.” Gogris waved her hands quickly. “You can do as you like.”

“That makes sense. Yesterday your life was still uncertain, and today you suddenly became a Divine Chosen. And we’re not exactly familiar yet.”

Reluctantly, Phield withdrew his hand. “Let me explain some things first. Actually, I should start by telling you about the territory.”

It took him an hour to go through the basics.

“That’s about it. Oh, and this is Rosalia. You’ll be getting along with her from now on.”

“Hello, miss,” Gogris greeted politely.

“Good, good… fox-flavored food.” Rosalia licked her lips, revealing a charming smile. “Work hard for our lord. At such a young age, you’re already this pretty—when you grow up, you’ll definitely be a beauty no less than me.”

“You flatter me.”

Gogris scratched her head shyly, instinctively stepping a little closer to Phield. The dangerous aura of a corrupted being made any creature instinctively wary.

Even Ashina, who was quite familiar with Rosalia, wouldn’t normally get too close to her.

Fortunately, both of them liked to stick around him—otherwise, Phield would be worried about their mental well-being.

“You should be a bit more modest.”

Phield covered his face. Every time Rosalia appeared, things would take a strange turn.

“I’m just in a good mood.” Rosalia sat on the desk, crossing her long white legs. “I actually have a loli form too, but I rarely use it. Phield here really likes ’big white bunnies,’ so I reluctantly accommodate him.”

Gogris looked confused. “Big white bunnies… are they edible? Fox beastfolk love eating rabbits, though we don’t usually look at them like that.”

“They can be eaten and dr—mmph—!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t spout nonsense—stop right there!”

Phield nearly choked, rushing forward to cover Rosalia’s mouth before she could go any further.

Seeing how close the two were, Gogris couldn’t help but be affected, a faint smile appearing on her lips. Meeting such an approachable lord was truly a blessing.

A warm sense of happiness suddenly welled up in her heart. It was such a rare emotion that she didn’t know how to handle it. Her nose twitched for no reason, and ripples seemed to form in her eyes like a stirred lake.

They had only just met, yet the sudden sense of familiarity made her feel the warmth of home.

After the brief chaos—

Phield snapped his fingers happily. “Let’s test the little fox’s abilities.”

They arrived at an empty wasteland. Phield first had the soldiers stand guard on the perimeter, ensuring no one was watching, then called Gogris forward.

“This is my divine artifact. It can modify mechanical devices.”

As she spoke, the bracelet on Gogris’s wrist flashed with silver light, transforming into a mechanical fox. It had no fur—purely mechanical in structure. Not like modern robots, but filled with a steampunk, gothic aesthetic.

Crouching down, Phield tapped the body of the mechanical fox. It produced a deep, solid sound—its material impossible to discern.

Gogris’s ability looked rather complex.

“Better to demonstrate first.” Phield took out a standard-issue military crossbow. “Can you modify this?”

“Yes.”

The fox puppet split open, revealing all sorts of strange tools. In moments, it dismantled the crossbow into pieces.

“A simple structure, but effective.” Gogris grasped its design immediately. Divine power surged. “Tier One Divine Skill—Arcane Mechanism Overload!”

A burst of light flowed into the puppet fox. Its form rapidly changed, and the dismantled crossbow pieces were absorbed into the glowing mass.

As the light receded, a ferocious-looking crossbow appeared. Its gleaming body was engraved with mysterious runes and fox motifs, radiating the aura of a divine artifact.

“…What the hell? It turned the puppet fox into a completely different weapon. What is this—a fox crossbow?”

“Yes. This is now a divine artifact–grade crossbow. Unfortunately, once the overload ends, it will revert to its original state. I can’t mass-produce divine artifacts yet.”

Phield nodded in satisfaction. “That’s already impressive. Let’s test its power.”

Aiming at a massive tree a hundred meters away, Gogris held the crossbow—half her own size—and pulled the trigger.

The divine-powered bolt shot out with a hum, striking the tree. With a thunderous explosion, it blasted straight through, snapping the massive trunk in half.

“…Damn, it can do that?” Phield froze for a moment, then burst with excitement. “Can it turn into a self-propelled cannon?”

Creating a cannon in a medieval world would put them several generations ahead instantly.

“A cannon? My lord, I don’t understand. I can only dismantle machines and understand their structure before enhancing them with divine power.”

“Ahem… I got ahead of myself.”

With a wave, Gogris ended the overload and returned the reconstructed crossbow to Phield. “But I can also improve weapons. If there are design needs, leave them to me.”

“A skill with great potential.” Phield understood. “We’ll get some siege weapons later and let you experiment.”

He guessed that this ability scaled with stronger machinery—the more advanced the device, the greater its power.

Too bad he didn’t have a defensive ballista on hand, or he could test overloading that.

“Mm. I won’t disappoint you.”

The little fox said seriously.

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