Chapter 144: Studying

Attracting attention was the absolute last thing Ye Chong wanted. On the garbage star, those who managed to survive to the end were almost always ambushers lurking in the shadows. The earlier one exposed oneself to the glare of the sun, the greater the probability of death! Moreover, if the Zong Clan were to discover Ye Chong's true identity, he could not possibly harbor any illusions about surviving under such circumstances.

Yet, the Han Family right before his eyes was practically shouting to the world about how special it was! It was simply too glaring! Ye Chong pondered to himself.

What should he do? Ye Chong frowned in deep thought. He had originally intended to build a mecha to disguise his identity, but the one he crafted had only made him stand out even more. He could not help but smile bitterly at the thought! Catching sight of various bottles and jars in the corner of the room, Ye Chong's gaze drifted aimlessly among them until, suddenly, his eyes involuntarily locked onto a silver-colored bottle!

Ye Chong cursed himself inwardly for his foolishness; how could he have taken so long to think of such a simple solution! He stood up and walked toward that silver bottle!

Looking at the Han Family before him, Ye Chong was thoroughly satisfied!

A dazzling, brilliant silver now flowed over the entire surface of the Han Family. It was so blinding that the subtle, inherent charm the Han Family once possessed instantly vanished without a trace. Right now, the Han Family looked just like a vulgar upstart, clumsily flaunting its wealth! Just moments ago, Ye Chong had sprayed a layer of brilliant silver coating over the Han Family. Yet, he was quite pleased with the result; even if it were him, if this version of the Han Family were placed among a pile of other mechas, he doubted he would spare it a second glance.

Almost any slightly experienced mecha pilot knew that true masters always kept a low profile. An advanced mecha that looked entirely ordinary was much more likely to be a high-end machine.

Only novices would paint their mechas in such dazzling colors, desperate to catch everyone's eye.

Just as Ye Chong finished uglifying the Han Family, he heard Hei Zi shouting for him, "Ye Zi, Master wants you for a moment!"

"Coming!" Ye Chong replied and walked outside. He had long since set the Han Family's user profile to himself; right now, no one else could access the interior of the Han Family. This was because Ye Chong did not want others to know its internal configuration, given that it contained certain things that could not bear the light of day.

The Han Family's spatial storage node was linked to a pale green wristband, which was securely fastened around Ye Chong's left wrist. Initially, Ye Chong had considered a ring, but realizing that wearing too many rings on his fingers would affect their dexterity, he had opted for a wristband style instead.

What greatly displeased him was that it was impossible to buy a brainwave-controlled spatial storage node component anywhere nearby; they were all primitive voice-activated models. Voice activation was far inferior in both reaction time and concealment. This had left Ye Chong feeling slightly depressed for a while.

It had to be said that the current Han Family possessed an overwhelming visual impact. When Hei Zi walked in and saw the transformed Han Family, his jaw dropped, and he froze on the spot. He was momentarily rendered speechless, completely unaware even as Ye Chong walked right past him!

Ye Chong arrived before the Old Man. Instead of tinkering with his instruments as usual, the Old Man was sitting at a desk in the rest room of the underground workshop, staring blankly into space.

Stepping inside, Ye Chong softly called out, "Master."

"Ah. Ye Zi, you're here. Sit down!" The Old Man snapped out of his reverie. Seeing Ye Chong seated and watching him, the Old Man hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, "Ye Zi, has that strange illness of yours acted up recently?"

Ye Chong shook his head, "No." He could not understand why the Old Man had suddenly brought this up.

The Old Man gave Ye Chong a deep look. "Hei Zi mentioned that your condition can only be treated outside the orbital ring. Is that true?"

"Yeah." Ye Chong nodded.

"It seems you are bound to leave the orbital ring after all," the Old Man suddenly sighed.

"Mhm."

"You are the first bone-crafter capable of truly manufacturing a full-bone mecha. Originally, I had hoped you could properly guide Hei Zi so that he might reach your level one day! I know your interests do not lie entirely in bone-crafting. Heh, I never expected to live to see a genuine full-bone mecha with my own eyes. I am already well satisfied! But you still must leave the orbital ring. Sigh, Hei Zi..." The Old Man trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished.

Ye Chong fell silent. He understood the Old Man's meaning, but what else could he do?

"When do you plan to apply for certification at the Zong Clan?" The Old Man changed the subject, turning his gaze back to Ye Chong.

"In a while," Ye Chong replied, then explained, "After I study mixology for a bit longer."

"Ah, that's fine too! Spend some time guiding Hei Zi during this period. Although he's a bit slow, he learns very solidly and never slacks off!"

"Understood," Ye Chong answered. In truth, even if the Old Man hadn't asked, Ye Chong would have done so anyway.

The Old Man's expression suddenly turned solemn as his eyes locked onto Ye Chong. "Ye Zi, if you wish to venture beyond the orbital ring, you must never let anyone know that you can manufacture a full-bone mecha. Otherwise, I fear you will spend the rest of your life living under the surveillance of the Zong Clan. Of course, if that happens, aside from your freedom, you won't need to worry about other matters—such as your strange illness. The Zong Clan would absolute not allow a bone-crafter capable of making a full-bone mecha to die of illness. As for the Zong Clan's power, I believe you understand it well enough. Heh, what do you think? Can you accept this kind of arrangement?"

"No!" Ye Chong replied without a moment's hesitation. If it meant losing his freedom, that was something Ye Chong could never accept under any circumstances.

The Old Man broke into a smile. "Heh, just as I guessed. But in that case, Ye Zi, you must be extremely careful. Make sure absolutely no one finds out you can build a full-bone mecha. Remember, absolutely no one! Otherwise, once the Zong Clan finds out, you can forget about leaving the orbital ring. I've already warned Hei Zi, and he won't breathe a word. As for that full-bone mecha, unless it is absolutely necessary, it's best not to bring it out too often; there are plenty of sharp-eyed people out there. Mhm, it's best to spray some more coating on that mecha so it won't stand out so much!"

Internally, Ye Chong admired the Old Man's seasoned experience, while simultaneously feeling deeply moved by the Old Man's care and concern for him.

Stepping out of the Old Man's room, Ye Chong ran into Hei Zi, who looked at him with a thoroughly bizarre expression. Hei Zi simply could not comprehend why anyone would deliberately make their own mecha ugly. Moreover, the person doing it was his usually calm and rational junior brother, leaving him utterly baffled.

Ye Chong found himself with some leisure time once again, spending his days reviewing the assignments left behind by Madman Guan. Although Ye Chong hadn't taken Madman Guan's so-called punishments to heart, he never compromised when it came to acquiring knowledge. He understood that knowledge was a part of his strength, and at times, it could determine whether he survived or not.

For someone like Ye Chong who believed in survival above all else, this reasoning was more persuasive than anything else.

During the rest of his time, Ye Chong instructed Hei Zi in the foundational theories of mecha design. However, the system was overwhelmingly vast, and Hei Zi lagged far behind Ye Chong in both intelligence and fundamentals, resulting in agonizingly slow progress about which Ye Chong could do nothing.

Ye Chong also deliberately carved out time to visit Room Number Five. Using the clearance password Madman Guan had given him, he unlocked the room's mainframe and meticulously studied the ancient profession of mixology, reading through its various arcane secrets and rules. The more he read, the more alarmed Ye Chong became. Unfolding before him was an immensely mysterious world, an unknown realm that operated by its own rules and codes of conduct.

What interested Ye Chong the most were the abilities possessed by certain specialized, highly niche branches of mixologists introduced in the texts, which had initially struck him as utterly absurd.

For instance, one branch specializing in microorganisms could cause specific strains of microbes to multiply tens of millions of times over in an extremely short period. Once, someone had made an enemy of a member from this faction, and without ever realizing it, that person had been infected with these microorganisms along with a specific catalyst. Almost instantly, the victim withered away and shrivelled up, dying a bizarre death.

This particular record immediately seized Ye Chong's attention. He always maintained a high degree of caution toward forces he did not understand. It was terrifying! Fortunately, these individuals were not warlike and never proactively provoked others.

Ancient aristocratic families formed the mainstream of this mysterious world. Through the long-term accumulation of knowledge, they were able to delve much deeper into this discipline. Traditional mixologists invariably held a deep disdain for the academic school of thought.

The information contained within the files was something Ye Chong had never heard of before. Bold as he was, reading through it occasionally gave him a creeping sense of horror. Many things were simply too bizarre!

After finishing the reading, Ye Chong could not help but sigh. The world was truly vast; just how many unknown domains and uncharted worlds were still out there?

Madman Guan finally returned, looking exhausted, travel-worn, and somewhat dejected. Upon seeing Ye Chong, he muttered a few casual questions before heading off to his room to rest.

Early the next morning, Madman Guan woke Ye Chong up for the so-called examination.

The entire morning was consumed by the test.

No outward change could be seen on Madman Guan's face, but storms were churning within her heart. The assignments she had given Ye Chong were deliberately somewhat difficult. Although they consisted of foundational knowledge, the sheer volume of information was immense, and for someone with no prior background in mixology, mastering it all in such a short span of time was practically impossible. Yet, Ye Chong had actually completed it!

This guy is actually a genius! The thought flashed through Madman Guan's mind, and almost simultaneously, she realized she was feeling a faint surge of excitement!

Little did she know that Ye Chong was hardly a blank slate when it came to mixology, and compared to the massive ocean of pure theoretical mixology that Shang had relentlessly forced him to study, this was merely child's play.

On the surface, Madman Guan nodded approvingly. "Not bad, not bad at all! You've completed the assignment well. Mhm, since you've finished these lessons, we will move on to the next stage of study. The focus of this stage is the practical execution of the mixological process. Of course, theoretical study will not stop.

Remember, for a mixologist, doing is always more important than talking!"

As she delivered these final words, the expression on Madman Guan's face was one of rare, solemn seriousness.