Chapter 5: This Mechanism Is Ingenious

Flying Disc Workshop was a small, unassuming establishment.

In the humble workspace, Chen Cha frowned, his gaze fixed on the half-finished contraption on the table.

Chen Cha was an old man, garbed in a black robe, with a snowy beard and deeply set eyes.

At this moment, he sat upon a mechanical seat floating several feet above the ground, racking his brains, unable to find a solution.

His design had once again encountered a formidable obstacle.

"This time, who knows how long it will be stuck!" Chen Cha lamented.

There was truly no certainty when it came to designing automatons. Sometimes, an idea would come in a day or two, while other times, it could persist for weeks or months. In the past, Chen Cha had spent an entire year breaking through a particularly difficult bottleneck.

Chen Cha glanced at the ledger in the upper right corner of the desk, his expression darkening further.

Exceptional automaton creations invariably required inspiration and ingenious designs. Chen Cha's foundation was solid, particularly in formations, but his inspiration was woefully scarce, lacking creativity.

In the past, he hadn't felt it so keenly, so he'd borrowed heavily to open this automaton workshop.

Reality had delivered a harsh blow, emptying his coffers and leaving him with a mountain of debt. Now, he was caught between a rock and a hard place. Even selling the workshop wouldn't be enough to cover his losses.

Regret was futile. Chen Cha knew that his only way out was to design an outstanding automaton, one that would become a hit in the market, allowing him to make a fortune and rise from the ashes.

*Dong, dong, dong.*

A knock echoed.

Chen Cha's brow furrowed slightly, "What is it?"

A voice came from outside the door, "Workshop Master, someone is here to visit, seeking your guidance."

Chen Cha nodded, "Bring him to me."

He was short on funds and eager to repay his debts. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't offer consultation services. But he was left with no other choice. He had to earn money by any means possible.

A moment later.

Ning Zhuo slowly entered the workshop, "Junior Ning Zhuo greets Grandmaster Chen Cha, the 'Living Formation'."

The old man hummed in acknowledgment, putting on airs, but his eyes quickly scanned Ning Zhuo.

He saw Ning Zhuo dressed in a clean white robe. His eyes were calm and pure, 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 pendant.

"The Ning family?" A gleam flickered in Chen Cha's eyes.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City had four major powers. First and foremost was the City Lord's Manor, the current City Lord being a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. Next came the Zhou family of formations, the Zheng family of weapons, and the Ning family of talismans.

A flicker of delight bloomed in his heart, "Coming from a prominent family, this young man may be wealthy. This deal might be a big one. I should point out more shortcomings later to encourage him to ask more questions."

After signing the 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, his expression calm, and inquired about the specifics from Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo explained that he had designed an automaton and encountered a design problem.

Chen Cha chuckled inwardly, thinking, "You're in the same boat as me?"

He was not impressed.

As an automaton cultivator, workshop master, and purveyor of knowledge, he had encountered many cases like Ning Zhuo.

"Young people always think they are extraordinary."

"The automatons they design are often unsightly and appalling! Some even have self-contradictory mechanisms. The moment mana is infused, they fall apart on their own!"

Of course, these were only Chen Cha's inner thoughts. On the surface, he nodded slightly, signaling Ning Zhuo to continue.

Ning Zhuo said, "Every year, during the Fire Persimmon Festival, there are injuries and fatalities. I want to design an automaton to harvest the fire persimmons."

"I've named it Fireburst Monkey. I've already designed it, but I'm stuck on the last hurdle..."

Chen Cha was already losing patience.

"Alright," Chen Cha waved his hand, "Bring it here and let me take a look."

Ning Zhuo took the automaton monkey out of his storage pouch.

Chen Cha was slightly taken aback, unable to help but exclaim inwardly.

The Mechanical Fireburst Monkey's fur was a smooth, flowing red, exquisite and magnificent. Its very first appearance firmly drew Chen Cha's attention.

Chen Cha was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and possessed spiritual sense.

He couldn't wait to unleash his spiritual sense and examine it.

The next moment, his eyebrows nearly shot up. Fortunately, he suppressed it in time.

"This automaton monkey is not simple!" Although his design abilities were lacking, his insight was sharp enough to immediately see many extraordinary aspects of the Fireburst Monkey.

Chen Cha reached out to stroke the Fireburst Monkey's fur, its texture smooth and comfortable. He praised inwardly, "The stitching is seamless, as if it's a single piece. Talismans are drawn in multiple places on the inner lining of the fur, increasing the fur's toughness. The craftsmanship is meticulous, the layout rigorous, comparable to a seasoned tailor."

He wanted to find fault, but he couldn't.

He could only casually comment, "The basic skill of sewing fur is passable, I suppose."

Ning Zhuo nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, "Yes! I did it using traditional spirit embroidery techniques. It uses the fur of a Fire Floss Rat. Rat fur is small, and the raw materials are too fragmented, so I could only use too much thread for stitching. There are indeed many flaws. The fire resistance at the seams is reduced a lot."

"Oh? You made it?" Chen Cha raised his eyes and looked at Ning Zhuo, surprised.

Designing an automaton didn't mean being able to craft it.

Ning Zhuo was so young. How could he have such great skills at such a young age?

"Perhaps, this is where his strength lies." Chen Cha thought to himself as he continued to scan with his spiritual sense.

He scanned the automaton monkey's skeleton and felt a stirring in his heart, "Is that Heavenly Gold?"

"Heavenly Gold is both light and tough, and it has a certain spatial capacity. He wants the skeleton material to have storage function, so he's using it?"

Continuing to observe.

"Sure enough." Chen Cha thought. He saw the formation runes on the skeleton.

"This is a storage formation. The layout is quite apt, making full use of the skeleton to compress the formation's occupied area as much as possible."

"To be able to compress the formation to this extent, his formation skills are quite extraordinary!"

"After doing this, this automaton monkey still has room for improvement. The creator has a great overall perspective."

Chen Cha praised inwardly. He raised his eyes to look at Ning Zhuo again, then immediately refocused his gaze on the automaton monkey on the table.

There was nothing to criticize about the skeleton either.Chen Cha pondered for a moment, then spoke, "Regarding the selection of Celestial Gold, it's purely by the book, without any innovation. The array has been slightly adjusted, but these adjustments are based on the foundations laid by predecessors, not worthy of praise."

Chen Cha had already braced himself for Ning Zhuo's disagreeing rebuttal.

But to his surprise, Ning Zhuo nodded in agreement, "Actually, my first choice was Hollow Snail. Using Snail powder, combined with a small amount of Iron Essence, melted and mixed together, then compressed and shaped into a framework, the storage capacity would far exceed Celestial Gold. It's just a pity that Hollow Snails are scarce in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."

Chen Cha was taken aback, thinking, "So, he knew this too?"

Hollow Snail paired with Iron Essence was indeed superior, better able to complement the Fire-Fleece Rat skin.

Chen Cha cleared his throat twice, taking a deep look at Ning Zhuo, his tone indifferent, "It's good that you know."

He lowered his head, continuing to scan with his divine sense.

He saw the muscles of the mechanical monkey, guessing in his heart, "This physique... is it made using Soot Mud, further increasing the fire resistance?"

"No, not quite... It should be based on Soot Mud, but refined into a new material using alchemical methods."

"This... is likely a unique creation."

"Was this also made by this young man? What was his name again?"

"Ning Zhuo?"

Chen Cha couldn't help but feel doubtful.

Ning Zhuo was too young, yet possessed such alchemical attainments?

One must know that being able to create alchemical formulas, even if not complete pills, and to pioneer such a new material, was exceptionally rare.

Chen Cha suppressed his doubts and continued his observation, sighing inwardly, "Regardless of the material, the sculpting of the monkey's muscles is truly excellent."

"Just this skill in shaping the material is enough for the creator to serve as a second hammer in a refining workshop. Even, in the crafting of some small magical artifacts, taking on the role of the main hammer would be perfectly acceptable."

Seeing this, Chen Cha couldn't help but feel a little irritated.

This mechanical monkey was exceptionally perfect, making it impossible for Chen Cha to find any flaws.

Without finding flaws, how could he enlarge this deal?

Many people had sought his guidance before, and many had paid far more spirit stones than planned. This was because Chen Cha had pointed out more flaws, thus leading them to ask more questions.

Apart from complaining about the exorbitant fees, these people didn't have any other grievances.

Because Chen Cha's guidance was indeed accurate and effective.

Chen Cha gritted his teeth inwardly, continuing to observe.

He spread open the monkey's palm, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He clicked his tongue, admiring inwardly, "The design of this palm is exquisite."

"These several miniature arrays are nested together, making the monkey's palm movements nimble and lifelike, capable of performing fairly complex finger movements."

"This method of combining arrays is quite novel, not a common combination, the array arranger is exceptionally talented!"

"Did Ning Zhuo do this too?"

"Who is this guy? A contemporary genius cultivator from the Ning family? How come I've never heard of him?"

Chen Cha tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor, until he scanned the mechanical monkey's skull.

At this point, he could no longer conceal it, revealing a trace of astonishment.

He discovered that the magical instrument arranged in the skull was actually three Wandering Bullets!

"Wandering Bullets are originally a type of offensive magical artifact, capable of being remotely controlled to change their flight direction. But now they've been modified, spinning around each other in the monkey's skull, acting as the receiver of divine sense. This is the first time I've seen this, unheard of!"

"Oh, and there are also many talismans engraved within the monkey's brain, cooperating with it."

"This is a rather brilliant original creation!"

Chen Cha did some quick calculations and knew that this arrangement could succeed.

"What I lack is precisely this kind of inspiration and originality!"

Chen Cha felt a pang of envy, unable to resist asking Ning Zhuo, "How did you come up with this idea?"

Ning Zhuo replied, "Modifying Wandering Bullets into divine sense receivers, this junior did it out of necessity. Because this Mechanical Fire Burst Monkey is to be sold for profit. If I equipped it with an array plate, the cost would be much higher. Therefore, I adopted this design."

"I always felt that this wasn't the best solution. This design still has unexplored hidden dangers and unstable factors."

Chen Cha's eyes lit up.

"Cost!"

"Yes, without an array plate, the cost of this mechanical monkey is very low."

"Isn't this the excellent mechanism that I'm pursuing?"

"Based on its performance, it's sure to be a bestseller in the market!"

"Wait a moment..."

Chen Cha looked at Ning Zhuo, suddenly feeling a little angry.

This kind of mechanical creation has no flaws at all, so what is he asking for guidance on?

What is this young man's intention in bringing it out for guidance?

"Perhaps, this genius is deliberately doing this to make a fool of me?"

After the anger, more suspicion welled up in his heart.

"Is this excellent mechanical work really made by this young man before me?"

"If I had designed such a mechanical creation, and was so young, I would have raised my head and proudly proclaimed it everywhere."

"This is a manifestation of one's own ability, not something ordinary people can do!"

"But this young man is a little too humble, isn't he?"

"It's as if he lacks confidence, a guilty conscience of passing off someone else's work."