Lin Fan left the courtyard and returned to his room.
Once inside, he walked over to the wall and pulled a hidden mechanism. A dark passageway appeared, leading straight down.
Following the passage, Lin Fan arrived at an underground chamber. It was enormous, nearly five zhang high and dozens of zhang long and wide. Several luminous pearls were embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the entire chamber so brightly that not a single shadow remained. It was as bright as day.
The chamber was packed with puppets, crossbows, wooden wheels, and all kinds of intricate wooden devices. At its center stood a gigantic puppet, nearly three zhang tall.
A puppet less than half a zhang tall carried a tray in its hands and walked step by step toward Lin Fan. Aside from its slightly stiff movements, it was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
On the tray lay a spirit crystal about the size of a human head and a pot of cold tea.
Looking at the puppet, Lin Fan recalled what Lin Yusheng had said, and a wave of melancholy washed over him. He and Shi Lan had only just met, so there was no question of any deep affection between them. He could only say that Shi Lan had made a favorable impression on him.
What troubled Lin Fan was simply that Lin Yusheng's words had dealt him a blow. His life had always gone smoothly, and the art of mechanisms had fascinated him so much that he had never thought about strengthening himself.
Lin Fan gulped down some cold tea, picked up the spirit crystal, and went to the back of the nearly three-zhang-tall puppet. After fiddling with it for a while, he placed the crystal into a hidden compartment in its back.
"Vmmm—"
"Click—"
A dull grinding