After settling on the first order, Hu Tao could barely wait to see the finished product.
She asked Bai Ye, "So, now that the drawings are done, roughly how long will the actual production take?"
"Hmm, we can start work right away, actually. Assembling one vehicle won't take too long, but if you want it finished immediately, I'll need your help."
Bai Ye thought for a moment before speaking to Hu Tao and the others.
"Whatever you need help with, we'll do it right away."
Xingqiu knew this was to help his family's commerce guild through its difficulties, so he immediately declared that whatever Bai Ye needed, he would help at once.
"Mm, the vehicle will require a great deal of steel. Your commerce guild will need to supply the raw materials for that."
"That goes without saying."
"As for the rest..." Bai Ye looked at the group. "If we want to speed things up, we'll need the power of several Genshin Eyes."
Bai Ye realized that the people who had come were perfectly suited for the job.
Hu Tao had a Pyro Genshin Eye, making her ideal for controlling the flames—she could make the fire strong enough without letting the temperature get too high. Xingqiu, meanwhile, had a Hydro Genshin Eye, which was perfect for quenching.
As for Chongyun, he wielded a greatsword, making him the best choice for smashing ore.
Bai Ye himself would use the Art of Automata to make molds and assemble the vehicle.
Finally, Xiangling would naturally be responsible for providing meals. Whenever she was not busy at Wanmin Restaurant, she would bring food over for Bai Ye and the others.
Don't misunderstand—Bai Ye had no intention of freeloading off Xiangling. The Feiyun Commerce Guild would definitely cover the meal expenses.
After hearing Bai Ye's explanation, everyone thought it over and agreed.
However, Hu Tao pointed at Bai Ye first.
"I still need to go back and explain things to Zhongli. It won't be a problem for Zhongli to cover the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for a couple of days. Mm, Zhongli is the Guest Official of our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. It'll be fine to have him watch the place. Also, while I'm explaining things to him, Bai Ye, hurry up and get some rest." She looked again at the dark circles under Bai Ye's eyes.
"I don't want you becoming my client halfway through production."
"Yeah, yeah."
Xiangling nodded seriously.
Bai Ye said, "Alright, then we'll gather again this afternoon."
They agreed to return that afternoon.
Bai Ye had originally planned to go straight to sleep, but Xiangling stopped him.
"You're going to sleep just like that? Wait for me first. I'll make you some soup, and you can go to sleep after drinking it."
She spoke to Bai Ye.
After saying that, Xiangling returned directly to Wanmin Restaurant without waiting for Bai Ye to say anything else.
Inside Bai Ye's mind, Hagintos watched the scene and could not help but chuckle softly.
"Little Bai Ye, you really are popular. Every one of those little girls cares about you. I wonder which one you'll choose in the future?"
"Hey, hey, hey, we're just getting along as friends. Teacher, you're thinking way too much."
"Is that so? All feelings begin with innocent friendship. The mutual fondness when young people first meet, the familiarity that comes after spending a long time together—perhaps one day, someone might suddenly say something like, 'Why don't we give it a try?' or 'I want to try,' and that's how feelings begin. The longer you spend together, the deeper those feelings become. Perhaps friendship will turn into something else."
Hagintos continued teasing him.
"Teacher, I get the feeling that even when you were a god, you were an unserious god."
"How could that be? At most, I was a little more approachable. Mm, a little more approachable."
Hagintos was quite dissatisfied with Bai Ye's impression of her and said angrily.
Listening to Hagintos, Bai Ye somehow formed an image in his mind of a young girl with her hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out like buns in anger.
That afternoon, after drinking a bowl of soup Xiangling had brought him and enjoying a good sleep, Bai Ye arrived at the agreed location on time.
Besides the five youths, there were more than a dozen workers and a blacksmith.
"Bai Ye, I've prepared the ore and all the other supplies. From here on, we'll follow your instructions."
"Good. Start smelting the iron. As for the heat, Hu Tao, you'll handle all of it."
Bai Ye glanced at everyone, then took out a blueprint and handed it to Hu Tao.
It listed the required heat levels and other precautions.
"Alright!"
Hu Tao answered loudly.
She then turned to the workers.
"Come on, follow my instructions from here on."
At first, the workers thought Hu Tao, Bai Ye, Xingqiu, and the others were merely fooling around. They had come with the mindset of helping children play house.
However, as Hu Tao began directing them, they realized just how extraordinary she was.
Everyone's duties were clearly assigned, and no one interfered with anyone else. Everything appeared neat and orderly.
The workers were surprised at first, but then they figured it out.
After all, Hu Tao was the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Even if the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor did not have many employees and she had not commanded many living people, she must have commanded plenty of dead ones. She surely had plenty of work experience.
Hu Tao controlled the flames and directed the workers in smelting the steel, while Bai Ye took charge of the forging process, with Xingqiu handling the quenching.
Bai Ye had previously made molds for crafting automata. Making parts far cruder than those produced through the Art of Automata was even easier.
Before long, Bai Ye had completed one mold after another for the engine components that would produce Elemental Reactions.
As for the low-tech work on the chassis, carriage, and similar parts, Bai Ye handed it all over to the blacksmith.
Everyone worked through the afternoon. When evening came, Xiangling, acting as the cook, brought Bai Ye and the others a lavish meal.
After they finished eating,
they continued rushing the work.
After another entire night of work,
with the aid of all kinds of Genshin Eyes, Bai Ye worked at tremendous speed.
Over the course of an afternoon and a full day and night, Bai Ye first completed the molds, then manufactured all kinds of parts.
Finally,
following the memories from before his transmigration, Bai Ye pieced together a fairly convincing off-road vehicle.
However, unlike trucks on Earth, the engine powered by Elemental Reactions was somewhat larger than an Earth engine. Bai Ye could only place the engine at the front of the truck, making it more like a sedan.
"Next, we need to figure out how to charge this vehicle."
"Then, Bai Ye, let's keep going and make a charging device!"
Hu Tao was exhausted, but she was more excited than ever.
She wanted to see what the thing they had made would be like.
"We can make the charging device later. Charging it now doesn't need to be so troublesome. Either find someone with an Electro Genshin Eye, or catch an Electro Slime or an Electro Abyss Mage."
At that point, Bai Ye froze.
If these vehicles became popular, charging facilities in every region would be one matter—but could those Electro Slimes and Electro Abyss Mages also serve as portable power banks?
"Should I hurry up and catch Electro Slimes and Abyss Mages now? I could sell them to people who buy vehicles in the future."
Bai Ye felt that he had found another path to making a fortune.
Before you continue