Starlight on the Blueprint

Tang Wulin ushered Yun Jingheng into the room, leaving the door ajar.

Yun Jingheng sat down at the table, pulled the folded blueprint from his pocket, and spread it out across the surface.

"I'm uncertain about the materials for a few of these parts and wanted to ask you."

Tang Wulin sat down beside him, lowering his head to examine the blueprint.

The drawing displayed cross-sections of several components, marked with dimensions, precision requirements, and a column labeled "Material Requirements."

Xie Xie, in the room next door, heard the commotion and poked his head out.

Seeing Yun Jingheng sitting in Tang Wulin's room, he paused for a moment before tiptoeing over, leaning against the doorframe to peer inside.

"Yo, that guy from Shrek is here?" His voice carried a hint of amusement.

Tang Wulin glanced back at him. "Come in and close the door."

Xie Xie walked in and pulled the door shut, though he left a noticeable gap.

He sat on the edge of the bed, crossed his legs, and stared at the blueprint on the table.

"What kind of contraption is this?"

Yun Jingheng ignored him and pointed to the first part on the drawing.

"For this base, if I use Blue Pregnancy Copper, will the piece I have be enough?"

Tang Wulin thought for a moment. "The piece you bought last time has high enough purity; it'll be sufficient for this base."

"But after the base is finished, there won't be much material left."

He pointed to the second part. "This transmission rod needs to be made of Moon Silver Sand. Moon Silver Sand has excellent toughness, so a rod this thin won't snap, and its soul power conductivity is high as well."

Yun Jingheng noted it down on the blueprint. "Moon Silver Sand."

Xie Xie, listening from the side, chimed in, "Moon Silver Sand is very expensive."

Yun Jingheng nodded. "I know."

Footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Gu Yue emerged from her room, and as she passed Tang Wulin's room, her peripheral vision caught the people sitting inside the open door.

She had already walked past, but her steps faltered, and she turned back, standing at the doorway to glance inside.

Tang Wulin looked up and saw her. "Gu Yue? Come in and sit?"

Gu Yue didn't speak; she walked in and sat down next to Xie Xie.

She glanced at the blueprint on the table, then at Yun Jingheng, but said nothing.

Xu Xiaoyan walked over from the other end of the corridor.

Seeing Gu Yue standing at the door and then walking inside, she felt a flicker of curiosity, followed her, and looked in—Yun Jingheng was sitting at the table, head bowed, writing something on the blueprint.

Her footsteps stopped, and her heart skipped several beats.

She stood at the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and then walked in.

Xie Xie saw her and spoke before he could think.

"Xiaoyan, you're here too?"

Xu Xiaoyan let out a soft "Mm," her voice barely audible, and sat down beside Tang Wulin.

She kept her head lowered, not daring to look at Yun Jingheng, the tips of her ears turning bright red.

Yun Jingheng looked up and happened to see Xu Xiaoyan's flushed face.

He was stunned. "What's wrong? Your face is so red."

Xu Xiaoyan gripped the hem of her shirt tightly. "It's, it's nothing, it's just hot."

Xie Xie opened his mouth to speak.

"She's just being a fangi—"

Tang Wulin kicked him in the shin.

Xie Xie hissed, swallowing the rest of his words as he rubbed his leg, his expression twisted.

Tang Wulin looked at Yun Jingheng, his face impassive. "Continue."

Yun Jingheng glanced at Xie Xie, then at Xu Xiaoyan, but didn't press the issue, lowering his head to continue studying the blueprint.

Xu Xiaoyan's face turned even redder, but the corners of her mouth curved up, ever so slightly, and no one noticed.

Gu Yue sat opposite them, her lips curling in a sneer.

Foolish humans...

Yun Jingheng pointed to the third part on the blueprint.

"This spring-like one, using Star Iron... is the elasticity of Star Iron enough? I need it for repeated use, and it cannot deform."

Tang Wulin pondered this.

"Star Iron has the best elasticity, but for repeated use, it will require heat treatment."

"After you finish, quench it at a high temperature; it will increase its fatigue life."

Yun Jingheng took note of this. "Are there specific requirements for the quenching temperature?"

Tang Wulin scratched his head. "This... I'll have to go back and check."

"I usually forge based on feel, so I haven't carefully measured the exact temperatures."

Yun Jingheng nodded. "Then I'll find you after we go back."

Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment. "You're still going to find me after we return to Shrek?"

Yun Jingheng looked at him. "Are we some kind of primitive people? Can we not send messages?"

Tang Wulin scratched his head. "Fine."

Xie Xie, who was rubbing his leg on the side, couldn't help but interject again.

"What exactly are you trying to make? Using Blue Pregnancy Copper, Moon Silver Sand, and Star Iron—it sounds incredibly expensive."

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "A small device. It can alter gravity within a certain range."

Xie Xie was stunned. "What is gravity?"

Yun Jingheng fell silent for a moment; this scene felt somewhat familiar...

I really don't want to explain it...

"Um... can you just treat it as a concept for now?"

Xie Xie opened his mouth, wanting to press for more.

Tang Wulin kicked him. "Don't interrupt."

Xie Xie rubbed his leg and shut his mouth, feeling aggrieved.

Gu Yue stroked her chin. "For this conduction rod, if you use Moon Silver Sand, you'll need to plate the surface with something. Otherwise, it will oxidize over time, and the conductivity will drop."

Yun Jingheng was taken aback. "Plate it with what?"

"Iridium Gold."

Gu Yue's voice was very calm. "Iridium Gold has the best oxidation resistance. Plating a layer on it will make it last a long time."

Yun Jingheng noted it down on the blueprint. "Iridium Gold..."

Xie Xie watched this scene from the side, his mouth opening and closing.

He looked at Gu Yue, then at Yun Jingheng, feeling that the rhythm of these two people's conversation was different from everyone else's.

He couldn't put his finger on what was different, he just felt... they were quite a match.

He glanced at Xu Xiaoyan. Xu Xiaoyan had her head lowered, her ears still red, but the corners of her mouth were curved upward.

He looked at Tang Wulin again, who was studying the blueprint intently, completely oblivious to all of this.

Xie Xie took a deep breath and decided not to say anything at all.

Yun Jingheng pointed to the fourth component on the blueprint.

"This connecting piece is under significant stress. Blue Pregnancy Copper isn't strong enough, and Moon Silver Sand is too expensive. Are there any other options?"

Tang Wulin thought for a moment. "Dark Iron? Dark Iron has high strength and isn't expensive."

"But Dark Iron is too heavy. If you need to carry this device with you, Dark Iron isn't very suitable."

Yun Jingheng marked "weight issue" on the blueprint.

Gu Yue suddenly spoke up. "Cold Iron. The strength of Cold Iron is similar to Dark Iron, but it's one-third lighter. Its soul power conductivity is higher than Dark Iron's, and it's cheaper than Moon Silver Sand."

Yun Jingheng looked up at her.

Gu Yue blinked, her expression perfectly normal.

Yun Jingheng lowered his head and noted it on the blueprint. "Cold Iron..."

Xu Xiaoyan sat next to Tang Wulin, her head lowered, her ears flushed red.

Her gaze drifted toward Yun Jingheng, took a peek, and then quickly retracted.

She looked again, then retracted it once more.

Yun Jingheng was busy drawing and didn't notice her.

The corners of her mouth curved up as she hid her hand under the table. There was a thin layer of starlight in her palm—very faint, but she could feel it.

Xie Xie sat opposite them, taking in all of Xu Xiaoyan's little actions.

He looked at Xu Xiaoyan, then at Yun Jingheng, then at Gu Yue, and suddenly felt that the room was a bit crowded.

He scooted to the side and cleared his throat. "Um... you guys continue, I'll just watch."

Yun Jingheng finished marking the material requirements for the final few parts on the blueprint, straightened his back, and let out a long breath.

"That's about it."

He looked at Tang Wulin. "Are you confident in forging these materials?"

Tang Wulin thought for a moment.

"I have forged Moon Silver Sand once before, but I am not very familiar with it. Cold Iron, however, is no problem."

He paused for a moment. "I need to practice with the Moon Silver Sand. How much time do you have?"

"I have all the time you need."

"Then shall I contact you later?"

"Good."