Departing for the Crystal Mine

Joking aside, with Zhou Yi's current frail body, her hands couldn't handle grasping the Crystal Marrow.

While holding it for a brief moment wouldn't be an issue, at most causing a nosebleed, Zhou Yi was unwilling. Every drop of her blood was earned with food, and it cost money.

Zhou Yi looked with satisfaction at the small box and large clamp she had made. After some thought, she cut another small strip from the soft material, about the width of the clamp, and wrapped it around one side of the box. It was just enough to secure the clamp in place.

Now Zhou Yi was completely at ease.

Being a Mech Master was truly wonderful.

Intelligent Brain: [Wonderful my foot! You didn't learn to be a Mech Master just to make tools look this good. Wake up! Don't let playthings distract you from your goals!!]

It was practically a case of "angry at their lack of progress."

Using the finished clamp, she placed the Crystal Marrow into Little Pink's box and then closed the lid securely.

Zhou Yi sat on the ground beside the box and began circulating the Star Gathering Art.

The originally explosive energy fluctuations were largely blocked by the box. The small amount that seeped through was perfectly suited to Zhou Yi's level of adaptation.

"The energy fluctuations are even stronger than when I first arrived at Huadun. That's enough!"

Feeling the growth rate of the Star Power in her meridians, Zhou Yi was very satisfied.

In the few months she had been at Huadun, from studying theoretical knowledge to personally disassembling and assembling mechs, coupled with attending classes and visiting the library, she had barely had any time to sleep. Compared to when she was at home, her cultivation had become much more relaxed.

However, her foundation was too weak, and all this was necessary foundational learning.

[If you can find some crystal stones, the Crystal Marrow can also help you purify them to the point where they can be used to create energy cores. Then you'll be able to assemble a real mech with this scrap metal.]

The system offered its advice very kindly. Being omniscient, it naturally knew that Zhou Yi's greatest desire at the moment was a mech of her own.

Zhou Yi was tempted.

Only by possessing a complete mech would she have the chance to experiment with imbuing a mech with Star Weaves.

She had read the books left by her ancestors and her unseen master countless times, to the point of reciting them from memory.

All she lacked was an opportunity to experiment.

After injecting two tubes of Nutrient Solution, Zhou Yi spent the entire afternoon cultivating in the warehouse. It had no windows, so the energy wouldn't leak out, making it very safe.

The energy in her meridians circulated in cycles, moving through her dantian and then throughout her entire body.

Zhou Yi felt as though her whole body was enveloped in a warm current, her muscles and bones constantly being strengthened.

No wonder only those with high Star Power levels could pilot advanced mechs. It wasn't just about having more abundant energy; the robustness of the body was also extremely crucial.

After all, even though a person was inside a mech, they could still get injured from collisions and falls during combat. And high-level mechs, with their immense weight and pressure, could inflict even greater damage.

"Ah, that feels good."

When Zhou Yi opened her eyes again, six hours had already passed.

Despite sitting for so long, her entire body felt as if it had been stretched, with no stiffness or discomfort whatsoever.

She put her precious Little Pink box into her spatial warehouse, placing it alongside the two books on Star Weaving.

Zhou Yi tidied up her slightly messy warehouse a bit, drank two more bottles of Nutrient Solution, and returned to her dormitory.

It was already dark. She needed to get to bed early tonight, as she had something more important to do tomorrow morning.

The next morning, Zhou Yi woke up almost as soon as it was dawn.

She had a very important task today: working.

This job, of course, wasn't at the library, but outside the school.

Her destination was the crystal mine where low-grade crystal stones were produced, the same one she had visited last time.

"You're going out?"

At the school gate, the familiar security guard uncle asked with his usual concerned tone.

"Are you adapting well to school life here? Young people should bravely overcome difficulties."

Huadun didn't have many students each year. As the school's sole security guard, who also handled regular patrols, it wasn't difficult for him to recognize most students' faces.

There wasn't much to do on D72 Star Block; the best buildings were all within Huadun. Besides the local students, other students rarely went out.

"Don't worry, Uncle. Huadun is my home, and we all rely on each other. I love Huadun, and Huadun loves me."

Zhou Yi said this very seriously and earnestly.

Indeed, given everything she had gained at Huadun so far, she truly loved it. She wouldn't leave even if she were asked to.

Under the security guard uncle's gratified gaze, Zhou Yi happily left the school gate and headed straight for the crystal mine from last time.

Unlike last time when she hid to the side, Zhou Yi walked directly towards it this time.

Just like last time, before she even reached the mining area, she was stopped again.

"What are you doing here? This is the mining area, unauthorized personnel are not allowed."

The burly man blocking Zhou Yi was not of Chinese descent. His greasy brown curly hair was tied up on his head, the same color as his beard.

D72 Star Block was mainly inhabited by people of Chinese descent. Clearly, the leader of this crystal mine's mining area was not from here.

This was the first foreigner Zhou Yi had encountered since arriving here. Oh, no, she should call them foreign-blooded now.

After all, the unit of country had long ceased to exist.

Fortunately, the Star Brain worn on his wrist allowed for communication without language barriers. Otherwise, Zhou Yi, who had barely passed the CET-4 English exam, would have been completely lost.

"I'm here for an interview. Can I do this part-time?"

Jobs like mining crystal ore were paid daily, and there were usually many people who came to do short-term work.

"You?"

The curly-haired big man sized up Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi was quite tall, over 170 centimeters. Recently, due to increased Nutrient Solution intake and frequent physical labor moving Mechs, he looked much sturdier than an ordinary young girl.

"Mining is a physically demanding job. You... are good."

Just as the curly-haired big guy was about to say "you," Zhou Yi picked up a stone taller than his knee from the ground and easily lifted it.

This action smoothly changed the curly-haired big guy's tone.

"Men get fifteen tubes of Nutrient Solution a day, women get ten. If the minimum task isn't completed, the salary is halved. Eight hours a day. If you have no objections, get ready to work."

Ten tubes of Nutrient Solution were just enough for her to drink for two days. Zhou Yi was in dire need of Nutrient Solution right now, so this was truly a timely rain.

Ten tubes of Nutrient Solution for eight hours? What a scumbag capitalist! And you're satisfied? You're hopeless.

Xiao Fu lamented with great pain.

"You even know about capitalists?"

Zhou Yi chuckled. She thought "capitalist" was an Earth-specific term, but she didn't expect the power of capital to be so widespread across the universe.

Capitalists aren't unique to your Earth. Don't be so surprised.

When Zhou Yi heard the system casually refer to her as being from Earth, she froze.

Was the fact that she had transmigrated no longer a secret?