Feeling the warmth and strength conveyed by that rough, calloused hand, the tension in Zhu Zhuqing's heart eased considerably. She spoke softly,
"Thank you, Brother Silong."
Silong grinned, then looked back at Lin Xia. His eyes once again blazed with the same excitement as the blacksmiths in the plaza.
"Alright, let's talk business! You said at the entrance that the good things you brought back weren't limited to that imperial decree. What else is there? Hurry up and let your senior brother have a look!"
A gleam also flashed in Lin Xia's eyes. The caution he had shown regarding Zhu Zhuqing's background was instantly replaced by the enthusiasm of a true technical fanatic.
He leaned closer to Silong, his voice carrying barely restrained excitement.
"Senior Brother, the most important thing is right here!"
He tapped his storage soul tool.
"Our trip to the Star Luo treasury wasn't truly about those mining rights and imperial contracts. Our greatest gain was finding the core material needed to solve the most critical problem of the mecha!"
Mecha!
Silong's heart trembled. The name instantly stirred his anticipation.
It was the super war machine that Lin Xia and Master Lou Gao had poured countless hours of effort into designing, only to be halted by problems involving the energy core and soul tool arrays, forcing the project to be shelved temporarily!
"You mean…"
Even Silong's voice trembled.
"The energy core and the array materials?"
"That's right!"
Lin Xia nodded heavily, stars seemingly burning in his eyes.
"I obtained the Tears of the Star Core!"
"The Tears of the Star Core?!"
Silong sucked in a cold breath. He didn't know exactly what it was, but from the name alone, he knew it was no ordinary treasure.
"That thing can really power the mecha?"
"Not just power it!"
Lin Xia's tone was absolutely firm.
"The vast power of stellar origin contained within it is enough to support the operation of the mecha's most complex and energy-consuming core arrays!"
"The issues that have been troubling us before, insufficient power, energy dissipation, and the lack of durable materials for the arrays, now all have a foundation for a solution!"
Lin Xia grabbed Silong's thick arm, his grip surprisingly strong.
"Senior Brother! Once the banquet is over, forget about the wine! Come with me to the Core Furnace Workshop! We'll assemble the mecha's core frame and power unit first and run a test! Let's see whether the vision we once had can finally become reality!"
Silong was completely ignited by Lin Xia's excitement and confidence.
The glory of repairing a national treasure and the empire's generous rewards were certainly exhilarating, but for a peak craftsman who had devoted his entire life to forging and soul tools, nothing was more thrilling than personally witnessing a historic, epoch-making creation transform from blueprints into reality.
He gripped Lin Xia's hand tightly in return. His massive palm trembled slightly with excitement, and his eyes shone like the blazing core of a furnace.
"Good! Good! Good! We'll go to the Core Furnace Workshop! Damn it, I've been waiting for this day for far too long!"
He drained the remaining liquor in his cup and slammed the iron mug onto the ground with a loud clang, drawing curious looks from those nearby.
He paid them no mind. The immense joy and anticipation made his already imposing figure seem even larger.
"Xia, you have no idea. Every time I saw that half-finished mecha frame lying in the workshop, my heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat! If Master knew…"
His voice suddenly stopped. Amidst his overwhelming excitement was a trace of indescribable bitterness and regret.
He looked up at the brightly lit headquarters building and then toward the direction of Star Luo City, as though he could see the old man who had devoted himself to the Association and was now deeply entangled in the imperial family's affairs.
"If Master could come back and see the mecha move with his own eyes…"
Silong's voice grew low, filled with longing and regret.
"He would be so happy. It was the life's work of both of you!"
Lin Xia also fell silent, a complicated expression flashing through his eyes.
Lou Gao was not only his master but also his guide on the path of soul tools and one of the creators of the mecha.
Now that the dawn of success was finally within reach, one of its most important founders could not witness it in person...
"Senior Brother."
Lin Xia's voice became firm, carrying unquestionable determination.
"Master may not be here right now, but his skills and his dream are in our hands! We'll build the mecha and make it the true treasure of the Blacksmith Association!"
"When Master returns, we'll pilot the mecha to welcome him back! We'll let him see with his own eyes that his disciples have not failed his expectations! We'll fulfill his dream for him!"
Silong shuddered. The regret in his eyes was instantly replaced by even stronger fighting spirit.
He heavily slapped Lin Xia on the shoulder, nearly making him stumble, then burst into hearty laughter. His voice was so loud that it even drowned out part of the commotion in the plaza.
"Hahaha! That's right, Xia! That's exactly what we'll do! Tonight, let's give this big guy some power and bring it to life for ourselves! And when Master returns, we'll give him the biggest surprise imaginable!"
Standing nearby, Zhu Zhuqing looked utterly confused. She had no idea what Lin Xia and Silong were talking about, but she wisely chose not to ask.
Instead, she thoughtfully said,
"Brother Lin Xia, if you have something important to do, then go ahead and get busy. I'll stay here and eat something."
Hearing this, Lin Xia and Silong exchanged glances.
Lin Xia then said directly,
"Then, Zhuqing, stay here and have some fun for a while. I'll come find you as soon as I'm done!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded obediently.
Seeing this, Lin Xia and Silong no longer lingered at the celebration plaza behind them, which was boiling like a blazing furnace. They turned around and strode toward the depths of the Blacksmith Association headquarters, heading for Lou Gao's forging workshop.
There, the steel giant that had slumbered for so long was about to experience its first heartbeat.
The two soon arrived at their master's forging chamber. Looking at the massive figure concealed beneath a huge canvas, their hearts were filled with excitement.
Lin Xia suddenly pulled away the enormous canvas. The dull sound of cloth scraping echoed through the spacious yet industrially charged core workshop known as the Core Furnace.
The accumulated dust danced beneath the bright soul tool lamps like metal spirits that had been disturbed.
Beneath the canvas stood a colossal crimson figure, filled with power and the beauty of precise mechanical craftsmanship. It stood silently upon a specially made alloy platform, like an ancient beast lying dormant.
This was the conceptual creation into which Lin Xia and Lou Gao had poured countless hours of effort.
The Mecha!
Its main structure had been forged and cast from the finest Star Metal, giving it a heavy yet restrained dark-red luster. Its surface was not smooth like a mirror but was instead covered in precisely calculated ridges and grooves that served both to reinforce the structure and to conduct soul power.
The thick joints of its limbs were covered in multiple layers of composite armor, and the intricate transmission mechanisms within could faintly be seen.
Its head was simple yet imposing. There was no elaborate faceplate, only two deep observation windows that were currently dark and lifeless, like closed eyes.
Its back had been designed with a massive interface, clearly intended as a platform for future weapon systems. It was empty at the moment, but that only made it seem even more like a beast waiting to awaken.
Gulp.
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