Section 135: Modest Progress

A polished mechanical arm held a semi-circular thin sheet. It was as thin as a leaf, polished to an extreme degree of smoothness on both sides. The dense, red bone-grain patterns across its surface resembled an abstract painting made of lines, with three circular holes the size of fingers arranged in a triangle in the center.

Ye Chong observed the thin sheet intently, calculating rapidly in his mind while recalling every bit of knowledge regarding bone materials that the Old Man had imparted to him, attempting to find the optimal point of engagement.

Unlike the Old Man or Hei Zi, Ye Chong possessed a profound foundation in theoretical knowledge, a direct result of the unique teaching methods employed by the elders during his time at Aurora.

In this fickle and utilitarian society, fundamental theory in any discipline was considered an unpopular field. Light armor theory, due to its multidisciplinary nature, was even more complex and vast than others, and as such, had yet to form a complete or unified system. Everything Ye Chong learned was the culmination of the life’s work of those elders at Aurora. They had spent their entire lives dealing with light armor, only to realize in their twilight years that the fundamental theories—once the most neglected—were the very foundation of everything. To ensure Ye Chong did not repeat their mistakes, they had insisted on guiding him to the root of every piece of knowledge.

Unknowingly, they had cultivated Ye Chong into the most unconventional mechanic among all types of light armor specialists.

Before Ye Chong sat a rectangular metal vat filled with a silver liquid; the calm surface was like a flawless mirror, reflecting every detail of his features. Hei Zi, watching from the side, stared nervously at the sheet held by the mechanical arm. This was the most critical step: submerging the sheet into this strengthening fluid. The depth, angle, and duration of the immersion would directly determine the component's final performance.

The preliminary work on this sheet had been completed entirely by Ye Chong alone. Now, he faced the final step: infusion. Infusion involved using a specific method to soak a component in a suitable strengthening fluid, thereby significantly enhancing the various properties of the bone material.

Ye Chong sat steadily before the control console. This console, which directly operated the mechanical arm, was far more intricate and complex than a standard light armor console. The holographic screen projected by the console’s optical computer reflected deeply in Ye Chong’s eyes.

Ye Chong’s expression was solemn. Up to this point, everything he had done was flawless; if this final step succeeded, this component would likely be the first truly perfect bone-based accessory.

Ye Chong had deliberated and calculated countless times, from material selection to design. He had chosen a breastbone from a Moonblood Bird with excellent texture, even bringing it to the Old Man to be inspected. Next was the structural design; after careful analysis of the bone, Ye Chong had finalized its purpose as a semi-circular light armor engine gasket. Then came the rough processing and the fine polishing—he had considered every step repeatedly, and his execution had been equally precise.

Infusion had always been the most complex step, characterized by high randomness. Even the Old Man’s current use of infusion was based entirely on experience, lacking any theoretical backing.

Unlike his solemn appearance, Ye Chong felt remarkably calm inside. No one knew that he was actually deeply confident about this final step. He had noticed the randomness of the infusion process long ago. Through careful exploration and repeated experimentation, he had finally summarized several methods to significantly increase the success rate. Now was the perfect opportunity to verify if his conclusions were correct.

Ye Chong entered a series of parameter commands into the console’s optical computer, switched the operation mode from manual to automatic, and stepped away from the console.

Hei Zi, who had been slightly nervous, was startled to see Ye Chong appear beside him. "Ye, why did you come down?"

"The settings are complete; it doesn't require my operation," Ye Chong replied calmly. As his voice faded, the mechanical arm began to move slowly.

"Ah!" Hei Zi gasped, "Ye, how could you use the automatic mode? Turn it off quickly!" He started to rush toward the console, but his movement was halted when Ye Chong grabbed him firmly.

Seeing Ye Chong acting as if nothing were wrong, Hei Zi grew anxious. "Ye, hurry! Otherwise, that thing will be ruined! Even Master has never dared to use the automatic mode for infusion! Ye, stop it quickly, or it will be too late!" His gruff voice was full of urgency.

Ye Chong’s hand held Hei Zi’s wrist like an iron hoop. No matter how hard Hei Zi struggled, he could not break free, making him realize that his junior’s strength far exceeded his own.

Ye Chong understood that Hei Zi’s concern was born of care. Although touched, he simply replied coolly, "Just watch until it's finished."

As they spoke, the mechanical arm completed its work, and the thin sheet rested quietly in the drying cabinet.

Ye Chong finally released Hei Zi’s wrist. Hei Zi rushed to the cabinet, opened it impatiently, and took out the sheet to examine it closely.

"Ah! How is this possible?" Hei Zi exclaimed again, staring at the sheet in his hand in disbelief.

In the underground workshop, the Old Man carefully inspected the semi-circular sheet, his face showing extreme satisfaction. This gasket was, by any measure, absolutely impeccable. What pleased the Old Man even more was that Ye Chong had produced such an outstanding work in such a short time. Thinking that this craft could be carried forward by him, the Old Man felt deeply gratified.

"Ye, Hei Zi says you used the automatic mode for the infusion of this gasket?" the Old Man asked, squinting.

"Heh, I accidentally discovered a few methods to improve the success rate of infusion. I recorded these methods on a chip and gave them to my senior," Ye Chong said, showing no desire to boast and simply attributing it to "accidental" discovery.

Hei Zi nodded from the side, marveling, "Yes, Master! Junior's methods are truly effective; I tried them a few times, and they all succeeded!" He grinned foolishly.

The Old Man nodded approvingly. "Heh, not bad, not bad! Ye, your foundation is solid, your perception is high, and your memory is excellent. Although you started learning later than your senior, you have learned better and deeper. Your future achievements will be limitless. Your senior is an honest man; you must look after him in the future."

"Yes," Ye Chong’s reply was concise and forceful, yet heartfelt.

"What you lack now is experience. That is not something I can teach; you must practice more to accumulate it. From now on, your task is to practice every day. Make whatever you like, and feel free to use any of the bone materials there," the Old Man said, gesturing toward the mountain of materials.

"Understood," Ye Chong nodded.

The Old Man mused for a moment before saying, "Ye, although you are clever and have learned most of these things, if you are willing, you can go to Guan Ling to learn compounding. After all, if you don't know how to compound, you will have to rely on others for strengthening fluids, which makes you easily controlled by others! However, Auntie Guan has a temper, and you will surely be mistreated if you go. Heh, you decide for yourself."

Guan Ling was a compounder who lived nearby. All the strengthening fluids used here were prepared by her. She was somewhat eccentric, often acting erratically, but her skills were highly sophisticated; she could produce almost any strengthening fluid according to the Old Man’s requirements.

For some reason, she complied with all of the Old Man’s requests, but for others, it depended on her mood.

Every so often, when the supply of strengthening fluid ran low, Ye Chong and Hei Zi would go to fetch more. Hei Zi disliked going there, and once he saw that Ye Chong remained unfazed by the mad woman, the chore fell to him.

Such a brilliant compounder was remarkably obscure throughout the Orbital Circle, with very few people knowing of her. This surprised Ye Chong slightly.

Ye Chong already knew the formulas for the strengthening fluids; Mu Shang’s scanning system had recorded all of them. Ye Chong had done this out of a fear of running out of supplies later, as he knew he would eventually leave this place.

"Good idea! Ye, you should go learn from her! She is definitely a master; those strengthening fluid formulas are entirely her own innovations—too brilliant! Ye, you should try to get the cultivation method for the Duokun Stone from her! Wow, then we’d be rich!" Mu Shang could not help but pop out, extremely excited.

Ye Chong fought the urge to roll his eyes, not wanting to appear disrespectful before the Old Man. Yet, Mu Shang’s words left him speechless—the guy was such a miser!

However, this also stirred memories of his past. He felt a sudden, inexplicable longing for his days at Blue Ocean Academy, though he did not know exactly what he missed.

The Old Man’s voice interrupted his thoughts. "Heh, Ye, I know about your strange illness! Don't be too anxious. Once your craft is truly mature, you will definitely pass the Clan Association’s assessment. Then you can leave the Orbital Circle to seek medical treatment. Besides, the Clan Association is powerful and gathers elites from all fields; perhaps they will have a way to treat your illness."

Ye Chong’s strange illness had flared up twice recently, terrifying Hei Zi and Nannan. By the time the Old Man arrived, Ye Chong had already recovered.

Seeking help from the Clan Association was, to Ye Chong, a joke. He was already doing his best to avoid them; going to them voluntarily would be suicidal. This option was immediately rejected by Ye Chong.

*Hmm, compounder... Duokun Stone... Clan Association assessment...*

A sharp glint flashed in Ye Chong’s eyes.