No joke—given Zhou Yi's current small frame, grabbing that Crystal Marrow with his bare hands was more than he could bear.
Although holding it briefly would not do much, at worst giving him a nosebleed, Zhou Yi was unwilling. Every drop of his blood had been bought with food. Every drop had cost money.
Zhou Yi looked with satisfaction at the little box and large tongs he had made. After thinking it over, he cut another thin strip from the soft material, roughly the width of the tongs, and wrapped it around one side of the box—just enough to secure the tongs there.
Now Zhou Yi was completely satisfied.
Being a Mech Master was really great.
Intelligent Brain: Great my ass! You weren't learning mecha engineering just to make your tools look so pretty! Wake up! Playing with toys will ruin your ambitions!!
It was practically furious at his failure to live up to expectations.
Using the finished tongs, he placed the Crystal Marrow into Little Pink's little box, then shut the lid.
Zhou Yi sat down on the ground and began circulating the Star Gathering Art beside the box.
The box blocked most of the originally violent energy fluctuations, while the energy that seeped through was just right for Zhou Yi's level of adaptation.
"The energy fluctuations are even stronger than what I felt when I first arrived at Huadun. This is enough!"
Feeling the rate at which star power was growing within his Chakra, Zhou Yi was extremely satisfied.
Over the past few months at Huadun, he had been studying theoretical knowledge, personally dismantling and assembling mecha, attending classes, and reading in the library. He had barely had time to sleep, so compared with when he was at home, he had been much more lax in his cultivation.
But his foundation was too weak. All of this basic learning was necessary.
If you can find some crystals, the Crystal Marrow can purify them to the point where they can be made into Energy Crystal Cores. Then you'll be able to assemble a real mecha from all that scrap metal.
The system made the suggestion kindly. It was omniscient, so of course it knew that what Zhou Yi wanted most right now was a mecha of his own.
Zhou Yi was tempted.
Only by owning a complete mecha would he have the chance to test engraving star patterns onto one.
He had read the books left behind by both his ancestors and the master he had never met countless times. He knew them by heart.
All he lacked was an opportunity to experiment.
After downing two tubes of Nutrient Solution, Zhou Yi cultivated in the warehouse for the entire afternoon. There were not even any windows here, so energy could not leak out. It was very safe.
The energy in his Chakra circulated again and again, flowing through his dantian and then throughout his body.
Zhou Yi only felt a warm current enveloping his entire body as his muscles and bones were constantly strengthened.
No wonder only people with high star power levels could pilot advanced mecha. It was not merely because they had more abundant energy; physical strength was also crucial.
After all, even though people were inside their mecha, they could still be injured by impacts and falls during battle. And the weight and pressure of high-level mecha caused even greater harm.
"Ah, that feels good."
When Zhou Yi opened his eyes again, six hours had already passed.
Though he had sat there for so long, his whole body felt as if it had been thoroughly stretched. There was not the slightest stiffness or discomfort.
He stored Little Pink's precious little box in his spatial storage, placing it together with the two Star Weaver books.
Zhou Yi briefly tidied up the warehouse he had messed up, drank another two bottles of Nutrient Solution, and returned to his dormitory.
Night had fallen. He needed to sleep early tonight, because he had something more important to do when he woke up tomorrow.
Early the next morning, when the sky was barely beginning to brighten, Zhou Yi got out of bed.
He had something extremely important to do today: work a part-time job.
Of course, this was not at the library. He was going outside the school.
His destination was the crystal mine he had visited before, the one that produced low-grade crystals.
"Heading out?"
When he reached the school gates, the familiar security guard uncle asked anxiously as usual.
"Well, have you gotten used to school life lately? Young people need to be brave enough to overcome difficulties."
Huadun did not have many students each year. As the school's only security guard, he also handled regular patrols, so recognizing roughly every student's face was not difficult.
There was not much to do on D72 Star Block, and the best buildings were all inside Huadun. Other than local students, few students went out regularly.
"Don't worry, Uncle. Huadun is my home. If it doesn't flourish, it depends on all of us. I love Huadun, and Huadun loves me."
Zhou Yi said it with complete seriousness.
Indeed, considering everything he had gained at Huadun so far, he truly loved this place. Even if someone told him to leave, he would not go.
Under the security guard uncle's gratified gaze, Zhou Yi happily left the school and headed straight for the crystal mine from last time.
Unlike last time, when he had hidden off to the side, Zhou Yi walked right over this time.
Just like last time, before he even reached the mining area, someone stopped him again.
"What are you here for? This is a mining area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed in."
The burly man who stopped Zhou Yi did not have a Huaxia face. His greasy brown curls were tied up on top of his head, the same color as the beard on his chin.
The people living on D72 Star Block were mainly of Huaxia descent. Clearly, the boss of this crystal mine's mining area was not from around here.
This was the first foreigner Zhou Yi had encountered since coming here. Oh, no—he should call him someone of foreign descent now.
After all, nations had long ceased to exist.
Fortunately, the Star Brain on his wrist allowed people to communicate without language barriers. Otherwise, with Zhou Yi's barely passing English proficiency, he really would not have managed.
"I'm here for an interview. Can I work part-time here?"
Jobs that required physical labor, like mining crystal ore, were paid by the day, and there were plenty of people who came to do temporary work.
"You?"
The curly-haired burly man looked Zhou Yi up and down.
Zhou Yi was quite tall, over 170 centimeters. Recently, because he had been taking plenty of Nutrient Solution and frequently doing physical work moving and dismantling mecha, he looked much sturdier than the average young girl.
"Mining is hard physical work. You... very good."
Just as the curly-haired man had gotten out the word "you," Zhou Yi picked out a boulder by his feet that stood taller than his knee and effortlessly lifted it.
That action smoothly changed the curly-haired man's tune.
"Men get fifteen tubes of Nutrient Solution per day, women get ten. If you fail to meet the minimum quota, your wages will be cut in half. Eight hours a day. If you have no objections, get ready to work."
Ten tubes of Nutrient Solution were enough for him to drink for two days. Zhou Yi was desperately short on Nutrient Solution right now. This really was timely help.
Eight hours for just ten tubes of Nutrient Solution? What a heartless capitalist. And you're actually satisfied! You're beyond saving.
Xiao Fu was heartbroken.
"You know what a capitalist is?"
Zhou Yi laughed. He had thought it was a term unique to Earth. He had not expected the power of capital to spread throughout the universe.
Capitalists aren't exclusive to you Earthlings. How ignorant.
Zhou Yi froze when he heard the system casually refer to him as an Earthling.
His transmigration was not a secret anymore?
Before you continue