Night Wind in Heaven Dou City
Red-Grade Mecha flew above the clouds.
The clouds cut by the six wings were dyed dark blue by the thruster exhaust flames, trailing behind the aircraft like a wound across the sky.
Yun Jingheng sat in the auxiliary seat behind the cockpit, his forehead resting against the observation window on the cabin wall, his eyes reflecting the outline of the land rushing past below.
The traces of the nuclear explosion gradually faded away as they moved further away from Shrek City.
The scorched wasteland was gradually replaced by low, gray-green vegetation, followed by scattered shrubs, patches of woodland, and drab farmland.
There was no one in the farmland, but the outline of the furrows remained, like the shadow of the earth's ribs as it breathes.
Further afield, the outline of Heaven Dou City rises from the horizon, first the cluster of industrial chimneys on the outskirts of the city, then the chain of streetlights along the ring road, and finally the towering Soul Guidance Towers in the heart of the main urban area.
Under the dim moonlight, the entire city resembled a giant beast lying prone on the plain, breathing in the glow of countless lights.
"Is this your first time in Heaven Dou City?"
"This is the second time," Yun Jingheng said. "I came here with my mom when I was a child."
Mu Ye piloted the mecha to begin its descent, the heat dissipation patterns on the outer wall of the mecha gradually changing from dark gold to crimson, and the angle of the thruster nozzles adjusted step by step amidst the whistling airflow.
"We've arrived. Hold on tight."
The mech landed on the internal helipad behind the main tower of the Blacksmith Association. The landing was so light that the vibration was almost imperceptible. The Red-Grade Mecha's cushioning system completely neutralized the impact of the final three meters of landing, only raising a fine cloud of dust.
The hatch opened, and the night breeze from Heaven Dou City, carrying the smells of smoke and fire, rushed in, mixed with the aromas of engine oil, rust, and spices from the distant night market barbecue stalls, instantly dispelling the deathly, burnt smell of the Shrek ruins.
Tang Wulin and the others were at the edge of the tarmac.
He changed into a clean blacksmith's short-sleeved shirt, with his blacksmith's badge pinned to his chest. His hair was clearly freshly washed, still damp.
Seeing Yun Jingheng peek out of the cabin door, he quickly walked over to greet him, his smile appearing especially genuine under the tarmac lights.
"How was the journey?" He reached out to help Yun Jingheng, but the latter gently pushed him away.
"I'm healed, I don't need help."
Yun Jingheng jumped off the mecha, his knees slightly bent to cushion the impact as he landed, his movements swift and clean. "How are you doing over here? Senior Mu Ye didn't torture you too much, did he?"
Tang Wulin's smile froze slightly as Mu Ye's booming voice came from behind him, "Who tortured him? I was teaching him things! Teaching him forging! Teaching him how to pilot a mecha! This kid doesn't know what's good for him, coming up here to complain?"
Yun Jingheng and Tang Wulin both shut up at the same time, their tacit understanding as if they had rehearsed it.
Ye Xinglan stepped down from the other side of the mecha. The moonlight and the lights from the helipad shone on her face, casting her expression in a mixture of light and shadow.
She walked to Yun Jingheng's side, her gaze sweeping over the helipad. There were two exits: a vehicle ramp leading outside and an underground corridor connecting to the main tower.
"Let's go, the teacher is already waiting." Tang Wulin led them towards the main tower.
As he walked, he added in a low voice, "The teacher is a very good person, but the others in the association may not be. Some veteran blacksmiths are very wary of the words ' Shrek remnants,' especially since the Spirit Pagoda and the Federation have been cracking down on them recently."
"You should stay on the top floor and in the basement workshop as much as possible, and avoid the public areas."
"Do I look like someone who likes to wander around public areas?" Yun Jingheng retorted.
Tang Wulin glanced at him without saying a word, but the meaning in his eyes was clear: You just don't like it, not that you can't.
The Blacksmith Association has ten floors, seven above ground and three underground.
The top floor houses the Divine Craftsman's exclusive forging workshop and Mu Ye's mecha maintenance workshop.
Tang Wulin led them through the internal passageway on the side of the helipad and swiped their cards to enter the main tower.
The elevator is an overload-type soul-guided elevator used exclusively by the Blacksmith Association. The walls of the car are inlaid with dark fireproof metal plates, and there are several drag marks of varying depths on the floor, as if some extremely heavy metal components frequently pass through here.
"We've arrived." Tang Wulin stepped out of the elevator first and stood in the corridor waiting for them to catch up.
As he walked, he said in a low voice, "The teacher doesn't like overly formal meetings. He told me to take you directly to his living room, saying it would be easier to talk there."
"His living room is cluttered with stuff, don't be intimidated."
Yun Jingheng hummed in agreement.
What truly interested him was the weight that Tang Wulin carried when he uttered the word "teacher."
Tang Wulin always spoke of this Divine Craftsman in a very flat tone, as if he were talking about an ordinary blacksmith, but Yun Jingheng could hear a deep respect in his voice.
The corridor wasn't long.
At the end of the alley was a half-open oak door. The door was thick and unmarked, bearing only a few marks from years of repeated opening and closing. Tang Wulin knocked lightly twice, and a gentle yet deep voice came from inside. "Come in, the door's open."
Tang Wulin pushed open the door.
The space behind the door was more like a crammed-in private study than Yun Jingheng had imagined, with things scattered everywhere.
The forging blueprints were scattered on the large workbench, their edges held down by metal paperweights.
The bookshelves along the wall were piled high with mineral specimens, from common iron ore to deep blue crystals that Yun Jingheng couldn't name, one after another.
In the corner stands a half-finished metal statue. Judging from its outline, it is a griffin about to take flight, but only the left half of the wing is completed, while the right half is still a rough metal skeleton.
The air was filled with a very faint smell, a mixture of hot metal and some kind of old paper, like a workshop that had been there for a very long time.
Zhen Hua stood by the window.
He had his back to the door and was adding water to an old-fashioned brass humidifier, his movements unhurried and his expression focused.
Hearing footsteps and Tang Wulin's address, he turned around.
This is a middle-aged man of medium build, with a thin face and slightly high cheekbones, but his eyes and brows are full of gentle smiles.
He wore a loose, dark gray house robe with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms, which, while not particularly muscular, were remarkably well-proportioned.
Yun Jingheng noticed his hands; his fingers were long and slender, unlike those of a blacksmith.
"You're here." Zhen Hua's gaze shifted from Tang Wulin to Yun Jingheng and Ye Xinglan.
He smiled slightly, his eyes crinkling into Mu Ye. It was a different kind of smile than when Mu Ye laughed heartily amidst the ruins. It was more like that of a lonely old man who had finally received a guest—simple, kind, and so welcoming that it made people feel completely at ease.
"Junior Yun Jingheng greets the Divine Craftsman." Yun Jingheng bowed respectfully.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear in the study filled with papers and metal, like a lightly placed chess piece landing on a wooden chessboard.
Ye Xinglan also bowed, her posture even more graceful than Yun Jingheng's; the clean and crisp movements of a swordsman were etched in every bend and lift of her head.
Zhen Hua waved his hand, his smile widening, "No need for formalities. Here, only forging skills matter, not seniority."
"I heard from Wulin that you can also forge?"
Yun Jingheng nodded. "Yes, I can too, but I've hardly ever taken any exams."
Zhen Hua became interested. "Oh? What stage have you reached now? If I remember correctly, you're Soul Engineer, right?"
Yun Jingheng smiled and replied, "I am indeed Soul Engineer. As for forging, I can currently stably Fusion Forging three kinds of metals."