The Flying Disc Workshop was an inconspicuous little workshop.
In the rudimentary workspace, Chen Cha frowned as he looked at the semi-finished mechanical artifact on the table.
Chen Cha was an old man, dressed in a black robe, with graying beard and deep-set eyes.
At this moment, he sat on a mechanical chair floating a few feet off the ground, racking his brain but failing to come up with a solution.
His design had once again encountered a bottleneck.
"This time, who knows how long I'll be stuck!" Chen Cha sighed bitterly.
Designing mechanical artifacts never had a fixed timeline. Sometimes, an idea would come in one or two days; other times, it would take weeks or months. Chen Cha had once spent an entire year overcoming a design hurdle.
He glanced at the account book on the upper right corner of the table, and his expression grew even grimmer.
Outstanding mechanical artifacts always required inspiration and ingenious planning. Chen Cha had a solid foundation and was particularly good at formations, but his inspiration was very scarce, lacking creativity.
Previously, he hadn't realized this and had borrowed money to set up this workshop.
Reality had given him a harsh slap, emptying his savings and leaving him in debt. Now, he found himself riding a tiger—selling the workshop wouldn't even cover his debts.
Regret was pointless now. Chen Cha knew that the only way out was to design an excellent mechanical artifact, make a huge profit in the market, and turn his fortune around.
Knock, knock, knock.
There came a knock on the door.
Chen Cha frowned slightly: "What is it?"
A voice came from outside: "Master, someone is here to consult with you."
Chen Cha nodded: "Bring him in."
He was in urgent need of money to pay off his debts. Normally, he wouldn't take on such consultation work, but he had no choice but to find money from every possible source.
A moment later.
Ning Zhuo walked into the workshop slowly: "Junior's surname is Ning, given name Zhuo. Greetings to Master Chen Cha."
The old man gave a light hum, holding his facade, while quickly sizing up Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo wore a clean, white robe. His eyes were calm and pure, and his face youthful and tender.
Chen Cha's gaze lingered for a moment on the jade pendant at Ning Zhuo's waist.
He saw the character "Ning" engraved on the jade pendant.
"Ning Family?" A gleam flashed in Chen Cha's eyes.
Fire Persimmon Immortal City had four major powers, first and foremost the City Lord's Mansion, with the current City Lord being a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. Next were the Zhou Family known for their formations, the Zheng Family for their weapons, and then the Ning Family for their talismans.
His heart stirred with slight joy: "Coming from a major family, there's a good chance this young man has a considerable fortune. This business deal might be big; I'll point out more deficiencies later, so he asks more questions."
After signing the confidentiality contract, Chen Cha invited Ning Zhuo to sit. The contract bound both parties to strict confidentiality regarding the questions and answers.
Chen Cha took a sip of bitter tea, maintained a calm expression, and asked about Ning Zhuo's specific query.
Ning Zhuo explained that he had designed a mechanical artifact and encountered a design problem.
Chen Cha smirked inwardly, thinking, "So, you're in the same boat as me?"
He didn't think much of it.
As a mechanism cultivator, workshop owner, and a seller of knowledge, he'd seen many like Ning Zhuo before.
"Youngsters always think they're extraordinary."
"Their designs are often unsightly, unbearable! Some even contradict themselves, collapsing the moment mana is infused."
Of course, these were Chen Cha's thoughts. Outwardly, he nodded slightly, signaling Ning Zhuo to continue.
Ning Zhuo said, "Every year during the Fire Persimmon Festival, there are casualties. I wanted to design a mechanical artifact to pick fire persimmons."
"I named it Explosive Flame Monkey. I've designed it, but it's just missing the final hurdle..."
Chen Cha grew impatient.
"Alright," Chen Cha waved his hand, "show it to me first."
Ning Zhuo then retrieved the mechanical monkey from his storage bag.
Chen Cha was slightly stunned, involuntarily letting out an inward sound of surprise.
The Explosive Flame Monkey's fur was a smooth, uniform red, exquisite and ornate. Its first appearance firmly grasped Chen Cha's attention.
Chen Cha was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator with divine sense.
He couldn't wait to use his divine sense to investigate.
The next moment, his brows almost shot up, but he managed to hold them back just in time.
"This mechanical monkey isn't simple!" Although his design ability was lacking, his vision was ample, and he immediately saw many extraordinary aspects of the Explosive Flame Monkey.
Chen Cha reached out to stroke the monkey's fur. It felt smooth and comfortable, and he silently praised: "The stitching is seamless, as though it's one piece. Multiple talismans were drawn inside the fur, enhancing its toughness. The craftsmanship is meticulous, the arrangement rigorous, comparable to an experienced tailor."
He wanted to find flaws but couldn't.
He had to settle for a lukewarm appraisal: "The basic sewing skills used for the fur are fairly passable."
Ning Zhuo nodded, agreeing: "Yes! I used traditional spiritual power embroidery techniques. The fur is from a Fire Velvet Rat. Its small size means the raw materials are too fragmented, requiring a lot of thread for stitching. This indeed has many flaws, with the fire resistance at the seams greatly diminished."
"Oh? You did it yourself?" Chen Cha raised his eyes, giving Ning Zhuo a puzzled look.
Designing mechanical artifacts didn't mean making them.
Ning Zhuo was so young; at such an age, having such craftsmanship?
"Perhaps, this is his strong suit," Chen Cha thought while continuing to scan with his divine sense.
He reached the monkey's skeleton, his heart stirred: "Is this Celestial Gold?"
"Celestial Gold is both lightweight and sturdy, with some spatial properties. Using it for the skeleton, is it to have storage function?"
Continuing his inspection.
"Indeed." Chen Cha thought. He saw the array patterns on the skeleton.
"This is a storage formation. It's laid out very fittingly, fully utilizing the skeleton, maximizing the compressed range of the formation."
"To compress the formation to this extent, the person laying it has considerable skill!"
"After doing this, the mechanical monkey still has room for upgrades. The creator has a broad vision."
Chen Cha silently praised, then gave Ning Zhuo another glance before focusing his gaze back on the mechanical monkey on the table.
Regarding the skeleton, there was nothing to criticize.
Chen Cha thought for a moment and then said, "Using Celestial Gold follows the book, without any highlights. The formation has been slightly adjusted. These adjustments are all based on predecessors' work, nothing worth mentioning."
Chen Cha was mentally prepared, waiting for Ning Zhuo's indignant retort.
But contrary to his expectation, Ning Zhuo nodded in agreement: "Actually, my first choice was Hollow Snail. Using the snail powder mixed with a small amount of refined iron, then melting, compressing, and shaping the skeleton, its storage capacity far exceeds Celestial Gold. Unfortunately, Hollow Snails are rare in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
Chen Cha was momentarily stunned, thinking, "So, he knows this too?"
Hollow Snail combined with refined iron was indeed better, and would pair better with the Fire Velvet Rat skin.
Chen Cha coughed twice, giving Ning Zhuo a penetrating look, his tone flat: "Good that you know."
He lowered his head and continued scanning with his divine sense.
He saw the monkey's muscles and speculated, "Are these muscles made of Oil Smoke Mud, further enhancing fire resistance?"
"No, it's a bit off—it should be a new material refined using Oil Smoke Mud as the main ingredient through alchemical methods."
"This... is probably an original creation."
"Is this also done by the young man before me? What's his name again?"
"Ning Zhuo?"
Chen Cha couldn't help but harbor some doubts.
Ning Zhuo was too young, yet had such mastery in alchemy?
Even the creation of a new alchemical material was incredibly rare and challenging.
Suppressing his suspicion, Chen Cha continued his observation, silently impressed: "Aside from the material, the monkey's muscle sculpting is superb."
"Just the foundation of material sculpting qualifies the creator to be the secondary hammer in an artifact refining workshop. For crafting smaller magic artifacts, even the main hammer isn't out of reach."
At this point, Chen Cha couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.
This mechanical monkey was so perfect, making it hard for Chen Cha to find flaws.
Without flaws, how could he expand this business deal?
Numerous people had consulted him in the past, paying far more spirit stones than initially planned. This was because Chen Cha would point out more flaws, guiding them to ask more questions.
Aside from complaining about the high fees, these people had no other grievances.
Because Chen Cha's guidance was indeed correct and effective.
Gritting his teeth inwardly, Chen Cha continued his inspection.
He opened the monkey's palm, and a flash of brilliance appeared in his eyes.
Clicking his tongue, he silently praised: "This palm design is ingenious."
"These several micro formations are nested within each other, making the monkey's palm movements sensitive and lively, capable of performing quite complex finger actions."
"This formation combination is very innovative, not a common assembly; the person who laid it is extraordinarily talented!"
"Did Ning Zhuo design this as well?"
"Who is this fellow? A genius cultivator of the Ning Family? How come I've never heard of him?"
Chen Cha tried to maintain a calm expression until he scanned the mechanical monkey's head.
At this point, he could no longer hide it, showing a trace of astonishment.
He found that the artifacts inside the monkey's head were actually three Circling Bullets!
"Circling Bullets are originally an attack artifact, capable of being remotely controlled to change flight direction. But now they've been modified to fly in circles inside the monkey's head, serving as receivers for divine sense. This is the first time I've seen this, unheard of!"
"Oh, and they're complemented by numerous talismans inside the monkey's brain."
"This is an outstanding innovation!"
With a rough calculation, Chen Cha knew this setup would work.
"What I'm lacking is precisely this kind of inspiration and innovation!"
Chen Cha felt a pang of jealousy and couldn't help asking Ning Zhuo: "How did you come up with this idea?"
Ning Zhuo replied, "Modifying Circling Bullets into divine sense receivers was a last resort for me. Because this Explosive Flame Monkey is meant to sell and make money. If I used an array plate, the costs would be much higher. So, I adopted this design."
"I feel this isn't the best solution. This design still has unexamined risks and instability factors."
Chen Cha's eyes lit up.
"Cost!"
"Yes, without using an array plate, the cost of this mechanical monkey is minimal."
"Isn't this exactly the excellent mechanism I'm striving for?"
"Going by its performance, it would definitely sell like hotcakes in the market!"
"Wait a moment..."
Chen Cha looked at Ning Zhuo and suddenly felt a bit angry.
This mechanical artifact had no flaws at all; what was he consulting him for?
Yet this young man brought it up for advice, what was his intention?
"Could this genius be intentionally toying with me?"
Anger followed by a surge of doubt filled his mind.
"Did this young man truly create such an excellent mechanism?"
"If I designed such an artifact and was this young, I'd have raised my head proudly, boasting everywhere."
"This is a testament to one's own abilities, something ordinary people cannot accomplish!"
"But this young man seemed excessively humble?"
"As if lacking confidence, with a guilty conscience of falsely claiming someone else's work."