A Technical Education Does Away with Gender Distinctions
Bailin Country Maika City, Bailin Kingdom, Feng Xue stepped out of the subway, took a deep breath of the oily air, and said nostalgically:
"These are truly nostalgic scenes of my hometown!"
"Hometown?" Mang Ke didn't mind the smell in the air. As a female engineer Mecha design and manufacturing major, this smell also gave her a sense of relaxation.
As she walked out of the subway station, she was somewhat surprised to see the outdated architectural style around her.
"Is this really the Bailin Country, or some third-world country?"
Hearing Mang Ke's blunt question, Feng Xue shrugged and said:
"This is what heavily industrialized cities are like. After all, their pillar industries are various light and heavy industries. Pollution control is a false proposition. Or rather, even in the Four Extremes, it is impossible to weaken one's combat potential in a complex situation for the sake of a little quality of life."
"But if the environment is bad, Rich Person won't come. Without Rich Person, the consumer industry won't thrive, and naturally, it won't develop. If you really want to say something, the only things this place can be considered good are its transportation system and its industrial population."
As Feng Xue spoke, she pointed to the small tavern on the street and said:
"Here, you can just shout and summon a group of highly skilled technicians. As long as the price is right, they can build a second-tier mecha within three days. Of course, the quality control can't compare to that of major manufacturers, but if you're only planning to fight one battle, its Combat Power can be stronger."
Upon hearing Feng Xue's words, Mang Ke's eyes immediately lit up. Although Bailin Country was not known for its technology, as one of the Four Extremes that could be at war with the Ideal Country for a long time, even if it was not in an advantageous zone, it was still much stronger than a small country like Palin that could only pick up the leftovers left by its suzerain state.
Despite the city's seemingly dilapidated appearance, in Mang Ke's eyes, it was far more attractive than those glitz and glamour of tourist cities!
"So where do we go next? To hire workers?"
Mang Ke's tone was filled with excitement, as if he couldn't wait to see how the workers of Bailin Country manufactured the mechs. Feng Xue, however, sighed and said:
Have you forgotten that I'm a local?
As he spoke, he strode toward the tavern that he had previously pointed out to Mang Ke, which looked rather low-class. Mang Ke immediately followed.
"Clang... Clang..."
The door was pushed open, accompanied by a somewhat dull ringing bell, and a very retro little bar appeared in Mang Ke's eyes. Apart from a bar counter, Mang Ke would even think that this place was more like a hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
It was still quite some time before dark, but the bar was already filled with middle-aged men who were gulping down cheap drinks without any regard for appearances, as if they had no worries about making a living.
"What would you like to drink?" Just as Mang Ke was looking around at this novel sight, a bartender who didn't even have time to strike the standard pose of wiping glasses asked, while also handing two large mugs of draft beer to the waiter.
Mang Ke immediately turned her gaze to the names of the drinks on the shelf behind the bar, while Feng Xue smiled, took a coin with a scale on it from her pocket, placed it on the table, and said with a smile:
Is Old Li there?
As Mang Ke stared at the coin, still pondering, "This doesn't seem to be the currency of Bailin Country," the bartender's expression suddenly changed, and he spoke in a voice only the two people in front of him could hear:
"Entertainment Room No. 7."
"Didn't you go abroad to study? Why are you back again? Did you fall behind?"
The Room Door to Entertainment Room No. 7 was pushed open, and a middle-aged man, around forty years old, saw Feng Xue, immediately dropped his ping-pong paddle, walked over and gave her a tight hug, before turning his gaze to Mang Ke.
Mang Ke felt somewhat uncomfortable under that strange gaze, but Feng Xue stepped between the two of them and said with a smile:
"I originally wanted to learn some skills for next time, but I just happened to run into a great mechanic and got a good heart, so I decided to come back!"
"Oh?" Mang Ke noticed that the middle-aged man's eyes sharpened instantly, and then the people who had been playing ball with him in the room tactfully left. After a brief silence, the man finally spoke:
"You're only seventeen, you still have room for improvement. Are you sure you don't want to wait a few more years?"
"You have to experience it first." Feng Xue maintained her smile. The man nodded, then said to Mang Ke beside him:
"You're the mechanic this kid kidnapped?"
"Ah, um!" Mang Ke was taken aback by the sudden shift in topic to himself, then quickly replied:
"I specialize in mecha design and manufacturing, hold two doctoral degrees, and have the title of associate professor. I have participated in three..."
"Ahem!" Seeing that Mang Ke about to recite her resume, Feng Xue quickly coughed twice. The man then took a bag from a nearby cabinet, slung it over his shoulder, carefully examined Mang Ke, and then said:
"In our area, academic qualifications are useless. You have to put them to the test to see what they're really made of!"
After saying that, he reached into a painting hanging in the entertainment room. The next moment, with a creaking sound, the wooden wall slid open like a sliding door, revealing a passageway from which a commotion could be faintly heard.
"Let me see what you're made of!" With that, the man waved his hand and led the way into the passage. Feng Xue immediately followed, whispering to Mang Ke at the same time:
"This is Old Li. This tavern is his business. I used to intern at his Mecha Factory, and he was the one who introduced me to the shady jobs. Hmm, didn't I tell you about 'Iron Armor Steel Fist' before? You can think of him as a bookmaker for a lower-level tournament."
"He said he wanted to test my strength..." Mang Ke had some guesses, but still asked. Feng Xue walked on, saying nonchalantly:
"Of course, I'll have you assemble a mecha directly." As he spoke, the passage came to an end, and a factory filled with the mixed smells of machine oil and sweat appeared in Mang Ke's view. Large mechanical cranes were everywhere, and about twenty men in work clothes were gathered in twos and threes. Some were assembling mechas, while others were discussing in front of computers. This scene instantly made the originally uneasy Mang Ke more confident.
"Oh ho, good eyesight!" Old Li grinned, greeting passersby as he led the two to a cubicle. As the heavy door opened, a vast array of mecha parts, some neatly arranged, others haphazardly, were displayed in the enormous warehouse. Mang Ke, who had never seen anything like it before, stared in as if Pig Talisman, occasionally letting out a gasp of surprise.
"Is this the pelvic shock absorber of the Silver Knight of the Ideal Kingdom? Is this the magic-powered thruster of the Buda Ali Typhon III? And this! The Blue Armor III power structure... I've only ever seen these at expos! Good heavens... can I even use these?"
Regarding the protagonist's character design... surely he knows how to speak to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghost way, right?
The pilot is a naive and somewhat foolish female engineer who can be easily fooled, but the officials behind her are not stupid, so the communication methods must be different.
To put it bluntly, if you don't project confidence, why would anyone believe you can take someone out? And why would they let you take a research result? Even though the protagonist isn't afraid of being double-crossed, why force things that can be avoided?
Finally, the protagonist's behavioral logic is always "attracting attention" rather than "deceiving" or "maintaining his persona." His fundamental goal in maintaining his persona and deceiving is still to attract attention. Once he attracts attention, he will naturally find a way to let others see what he wants them to see. But if he doesn't get enough attention and is seen as a lucky little rascal, then no matter how well he makes up his lies, it's meaningless.
Throughout the protagonist's journey, every Trait is actually a calculated scheme. For example, in the Lovecraftian Wuxia entry, he provides a means to combat Evil Cultivator. Anyone who wants to fight against Evil Cultivator has to accept the promises he makes. The other Trait are similar. He is never worried about his lies being exposed because even if they are, it doesn't matter.
This is similar to a celebrity who only cares about popularity; whether the popularity comes from a scandal or a celebrity is irrelevant.
P. S.: I had a dream at noon where Skadi was carrying Sesa's Calcified form in her left hand and wielding a 42-star Twilight Blade in her right. The scene was quite absurd... Why would I have such a dream?