This Mechanism is Quite Wonderful

The Flying Disc Workshop was a small, unremarkable workshop.

In the simple workspace, Chen Cha frowned, looking at the half-finished mechanism on the table.

Chen Cha was an old man, dressed in a black robe, with a grizzled beard and deep-set eyes.

At this moment, he sat on a mechanical chair that floated several feet above the ground, racking his brain, unable to come up with a solution.

His design had once again hit a snag.

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

There was truly no certainty when it came to designing mechanisms. Sometimes, he could figure it out in a day or two, other times, it would last for weeks or months. Like the time Chen Cha had previously overcome a difficulty, it had taken him a full year.

Chen Cha looked up at the ledger in the upper right corner of the table, and his face turned even uglier.

Outstanding mechanical creations always required inspiration and clever conception. Chen Cha's foundation was very solid, especially in arrays, but his inspiration was very scarce, lacking creativity.

He hadn't realized this before, so he had borrowed money to open this mechanical workshop.

Reality had given him a harsh slap, not only emptying his family's savings but also leaving him with a pile of external debt. Now he was in a difficult position; even selling the workshop wouldn't be enough to cover the losses.

It was too late for regret. Chen Cha knew that the only way out was to design an excellent mechanical creation himself, make it a hit on the market, and earn a large sum of money to revive himself.

Thump, thump, thump.

A knock came from the door.

Chen Cha frowned slightly: "What is it?"

A voice came from outside the door: "Workshop Master, someone is visiting and wants to consult you."

Chen Cha nodded: "Lead him here to me."

He was very short on money and eager to repay his debts. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't do this kind of consulting business, but he had no choice; he had to find ways to make money from all angles.

A moment later.

Ning Zhuo slowly walked into the workspace: "This junior's surname is Ning, given name Zhuo. I pay my respects to Living Array Master Chen Cha."

The old man grunted, putting on airs, but in reality, his eyes quickly sized up Ning Zhuo.

He saw that Ning Zhuo was dressed in a white robe, cleanly washed. His eyes were calm and pure, and his face was 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' carved on the jade pendant.

"The Ning Family?" A sharp glint flashed in Chen Cha's eyes.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City had four major powers. The first was the City Lord's Mansion, and the current City Lord was a Core Formation Stage cultivator. Next were the Arrays Zhou Family, the Weapons Zheng Family, and the Talismans Ning Family.

He was slightly pleased in his heart: Coming from a large family, this young man in front of me is likely wealthy. This business might be able to grow. Later, I'll point out more shortcomings to make him ask more questions.

After signing the contract, Chen Cha invited Ning Zhuo to sit down. The contract bound both parties to strictly keep the questions and answers confidential.

Chen Cha took a sip of bitter tea, his expression calm, and asked Ning Zhuo for the specific details.

Ning Zhuo then said that he had designed a mechanical creation and encountered a design problem.

Chen Cha immediately smiled inwardly, thinking, Is your situation the same as mine?

He didn't take it seriously.

As a Mechanical Cultivator, a workshop owner, and someone who sold knowledge, he had encountered many examples like Ning Zhuo.

Young people always think they are extraordinary.

The mechanical creations they design are eyesores, simply dreadful! Some even have contradictory structures, and as soon as spiritual energy is infused, they collapse on their own.

Of course, this was just Chen Cha's thought. On the surface, 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 creation to pick the fire persimmons."

"I named it the Fire Ape. I've already designed it, and it's just missing the final step..."

Chen Cha was already impatient.

"Alright," Chen Cha waved his hand. "Let me see it first."

Ning Zhuo then took out the Mechanical Monkey from his storage bag.

Chen Cha was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation in his heart.

The Mechanical Fire Ape's fur was a uniform red, exquisite and magnificent. From its first appearance, it had firmly captured Chen Cha's attention.

Chen Cha was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator and possessed divine sense.

He eagerly released his divine sense to investigate.

The next moment, his eyebrows almost shot up, but he managed to suppress them in time.

This Mechanical Monkey is not simple! Although his design ability was lacking, his vision was sufficient. He immediately saw that the Fire Ape had many extraordinary aspects.

Chen Cha reached out and stroked the Fire Ape's fur. It felt smooth and comfortable. He praised in his heart, The stitching is seamless, as if it's one piece. Many talismans are drawn on the inside lining of the fur, increasing its toughness. The craftsmanship is meticulous, and the layout is rigorous, comparable to a seasoned tailor.

He wanted to find fault but couldn't.

He could only comment indifferently, "This basic skill of sewing fur is passable."

Ning Zhuo nodded in strong agreement, saying, "Yes! I made it using the traditional method of spiritual energy embroidery. I used the skin of a Fire Velvet Rat. The rat skin is small, and the raw materials are too fragmented, so I had to use excessive thread for stitching. There are indeed many flaws; the fire resistance at the seams is greatly reduced."

"Oh? You made it?" Chen Cha looked up at Ning Zhuo, feeling surprised.

Designing a mechanism didn't mean making one.

Ning Zhuo was so young, and he had such good craftsmanship at this age?

Perhaps, this is his strength, Chen Cha thought to himself while continuing to scan with his divine sense.

He scanned the Mechanical Monkey's skeleton and his heart stirred slightly. Is it Sky Gold?

Sky Gold is both light and tough, and it has a certain spatial efficiency. Using it for the skeleton, is it intended to have a storage function?

He continued to look.

Indeed, Chen Cha thought. He saw the array patterns on the skeleton.

This is a storage array. It's laid out quite appropriately, fully utilizing the skeleton and minimizing the space occupied by the array.

"To be able to compress the array to this extent, the ability to set up arrays is quite impressive!"

"After doing this, this mechanical monkey still has room for upgrades. The creator has a great overall vision."

Chen Cha praised inwardly. He looked up and glanced at Ning Zhuo again, then immediately fixed his gaze back on the mechanical monkey on the table.

Regarding the skeleton, there was nothing to criticize either.

Chen Cha thought for a moment and said, "Regarding the selection of Sky Gold, it's just following the book, without any highlights. The array has been slightly adjusted. These adjustments are all based on the work of predecessors and are not worth mentioning."

Chen Cha was mentally prepared, waiting for Ning Zhuo's unconvinced rebuttal.

But to his surprise, Ning Zhuo nodded, deeply agreeing: "Actually, my first choice was Hollow Snail. Using snail powder, mixed with a small amount of Iron Essence, melting and fusing the two together, and then pressing and condensing to shape the skeleton, the storage capacity far exceeds Sky Gold. It's just that this kind of Hollow Snail is very rare in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."

Chen Cha was stunned for a moment and thought, So, he knows this too?

Hollow Snail paired with Iron Essence is indeed better and can cooperate better with Fire Velvet Rat skin.

Chen Cha coughed twice, looked deeply at Ning Zhuo, and said in a flat tone, "It's good that you know."

He lowered his head and continued to scan with his divine sense.

He saw the mechanical monkey's muscles and speculated inwardly, Are these muscles made of Soot Mud, further enhancing fire resistance?

No, it's similar but not quite... It should be a new material refined using alchemy techniques, with Soot Mud as the main ingredient.

This... this is probably original.

Was this also done by this young man in front of me? What was his name again?

Ning Zhuo?

Chen Cha couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

Ning Zhuo was too young, yet he had such alchemy attainments?

One must know that being able to create a pill formula, even if it's not for a complete pill, being able to create such a completely new material is quite rare.

Chen Cha suppressed his doubts and continued to observe, sighing in his heart, Putting aside this material, the shaping of the monkey's body is really well done.

Just based on this skill in shaping materials, the creator is qualified to be a Second Hammer in a refining workshop. In fact, for the crafting of some small magical artifacts, being the Main Hammer is also possible.

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

This mechanical monkey was quite perfect, making it impossible for Chen Cha to find any flaws even if he wanted to.

If he couldn't find any flaws, how could he make this business bigger?

Many people had consulted him before, and many paid far more Spirit Stones than planned. This was because Chen Cha pointed out more flaws in their work, thus guiding them to ask more questions.

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

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

Chen Cha gritted his teeth inwardly and continued to look.

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

He clicked his tongue and praised in his heart, This palm design is ingenious.

"These several miniature arrays are nested within each other, making the monkey's hand movements agile and lifelike, capable of quite complex finger actions."

"This method of combining arrays is quite novel, not a common combination. The array master is exceptionally talented!"

"Was this also done by Ning Zhuo?"

"Who is this guy? A genius cultivator of the Ning Family in this generation? Why haven't I heard of him?"

Chen Cha tried hard to maintain a calm demeanor, until his gaze swept over the mechanical monkey's head.

At this point, he finally couldn't hide it and revealed a hint of surprise.

He discovered that the magical artifacts placed inside the head were actually three Strolling Pellets!

"Strolling Pellets are originally an offensive magical artifact that can be remotely controlled to change their flight direction. But now they have been modified to spin within the monkey's head, acting as receivers for divine sense. This is the first time I've seen or heard of such a thing!"

"Oh, and there are also numerous talismans carved inside the monkey's brain to cooperate."

"This is a remarkably excellent original creation!"

Chen Cha calculated briefly and knew that this arrangement could succeed.

"Isn't this exactly the kind of inspiration and originality that I lack?"

A sour feeling welled up in Chen Cha's heart, and he couldn't help but ask Ning Zhuo, "How exactly did you come up with this idea?"

Ning Zhuo replied, "Modifying the Strolling Pellets into divine sense receivers was out of necessity for this junior. Because this mechanical Fire Ape is meant to be sold for profit. If it were equipped with array plates, the cost would be much higher. Therefore, this design solution was adopted."

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

Chen Cha's eyes lit up.

"Cost!"

"Yes, without using array plates, the cost of this mechanical monkey is very low."

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

"Based on its performance, it will definitely sell well in the market!"

"Wait a minute..."

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

This kind of mechanical creation is completely flawless, so why is he asking for guidance?

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

"Perhaps, this genius of his is deliberately doing this to toy with me?"

After the anger, more suspicion flooded his heart.

"Could such an excellent mechanical work really have been created by this young man in front of me?"

"If I had designed such a mechanical creation and were this young, I would have already held my head high and proudly publicized it everywhere."

"This is a manifestation of one's own ability, something that ordinary people cannot achieve!"

"But this young man is a bit overly humble, isn't he?"

"It's as if he lacks confidence and is feeling guilty about claiming someone else's work."