Tang Wulin let Yun Jingheng into the room, leaving the door open.
Yun Jingheng sat by the table, took the folded blueprint from his pocket, unfolded it, and spread it across the tabletop.
"There are a few parts whose materials I'm not sure about. I wanted to ask you."
Tang Wulin sat beside him and lowered his head to study the blueprint.
The blueprint showed cross-sectional diagrams of several parts, with dimensions, precision requirements, and a column labeled "Material Requirements."
Xie Xie in the next room heard the commotion and poked his head out.
Seeing Yun Jingheng sitting in Tang Wulin's room, he froze for a moment, then crept over and leaned against the doorframe to peer inside.
"Oh? Shrek's guy is here?" His voice carried a hint of relish at the spectacle.
Tang Wulin glanced back at him. "Come in and close the door."
Xie Xie walked in and casually pulled the door shut, though an obvious gap remained.
He sat on the edge of the bed, crossed one leg over the other, and looked at the blueprint on the table.
"What is this thing?"
Yun Jingheng ignored him and pointed at the first component on the blueprint.
"This base—if I use Blue Pregnancy Copper, will the piece I have be enough?"
Tang Wulin considered it. "The piece you bought last time is pure enough. It'll be sufficient for this base."
"But after making the base, there won't be much material left."
He pointed to the second component. "This conducting rod should use Moon Silver Sand. Moon Silver Sand has good toughness, so a rod this thin won't snap, and its Soul Power conductivity is high too."
Yun Jingheng wrote it down on the blueprint. "Moon Silver Sand."
Xie Xie, listening from the side, interjected, "Moon Silver Sand is expensive."
Yun Jingheng nodded. "I know."
Footsteps sounded from the corridor.
Gu Yue came out of her room. As she passed Tang Wulin's room, her peripheral vision caught sight of several people sitting inside the open doorway.
She had already walked past, but her steps paused. Then she turned back and stood at the door, looking inside.
Tang Wulin looked up and saw her. "Gu Yue? Come in and sit?"
Without saying anything, Gu Yue walked in and sat beside Xie Xie.
She glanced at the blueprint on the table, then at Yun Jingheng, but said nothing.
Xu Xiaoyan came over from the other end of the corridor.
She saw Gu Yue standing at the door before walking inside. Curious, she followed over and looked in—Yun Jingheng was sitting at the table, writing something on the blueprint with his head lowered.
Her steps stopped, and her heart skipped several beats.
She stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, then walked in anyway.
Xie Xie saw her, and his mouth moved faster than his brain.
"Xiao Yan, you came too?"
Xu Xiaoyan gave a quiet "Mm" and sat beside Tang Wulin.
She kept her head lowered, not daring to look at Yun Jingheng. The tips of her ears were bright red.
Yun Jingheng raised his head and happened to see Xu Xiaoyan's flushed face.
He paused. "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"
Xu Xiaoyan clenched the hem of her clothes. "N-Nothing. It's hot."
Xie Xie blurted it out.
"She's crushing on—"
Tang Wulin kicked him in the shin.
Xie Xie hissed and swallowed the rest of his words, rubbing his leg with a twisted expression.
Tang Wulin looked at Yun Jingheng without changing expression. "Go on."
Yun Jingheng glanced at Xie Xie, then at Xu Xiaoyan. He didn't press the matter and lowered his head to continue studying the blueprint.
Xu Xiaoyan's face turned even redder, but the corner of her lips curved up slightly. It was so faint that no one noticed.
Gu Yue, seated opposite her, curled her lip.
Stupid humans...
Yun Jingheng pointed to the third component on the blueprint.
"This spring-shaped one—if I use Star Iron... is Star Iron elastic enough? I need to use it repeatedly, and it can't deform."
Tang Wulin thought it over.
"Star Iron has the best elasticity, but if it's going to be used repeatedly, it'll need heat treatment."
"After you finish it, quench it at high temperature. That'll increase its fatigue life."
Yun Jingheng wrote it down. "Are there requirements for the quenching temperature?"
Tang Wulin scratched his head. "That... I'll have to go back and look it up."
"When I forge, I usually go by feel. I've never carefully measured the exact temperature."
Yun Jingheng nodded. "Then I'll find you after I go back."
Tang Wulin froze for a moment. "You'll still contact me after you return to Shrek?"
Yun Jingheng looked at him. "What are we, cavemen? Can't we send messages?"
Tang Wulin scratched his head. "Sure."
Xie Xie, still rubbing his leg, couldn't help but cut in again.
"What exactly are you making? Blue Pregnancy Copper, Moon Silver Sand, Star Iron—it all sounds expensive."
Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "A small device. One that can alter gravity within a certain range."
Xie Xie was stunned. "What's gravity?"
Yun Jingheng fell silent. This scene felt strangely familiar...
I really don't want to explain...
"Uh... just treat it as a concept I'm working on, okay?"
Xie Xie opened his mouth, still wanting to ask more.
Tang Wulin kicked him again. "Stop interrupting."
Xie Xie rubbed his leg and obediently shut his mouth.
Gu Yue stroked her chin. "If you use Moon Silver Sand for this conducting rod, its surface will need to be plated with something. Otherwise, it'll oxidize over time and the conductivity will drop."
Yun Jingheng paused. "Plate it with what?"
"Iridium Gold."
Gu Yue's voice was calm. "Iridium Gold has the best oxidation resistance. Plate it with a layer, and it'll last a long time."
Yun Jingheng wrote it down on the blueprint. "Iridium Gold..."
Xie Xie watched the scene from the side, opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He looked at Gu Yue, then at Yun Jingheng. He always felt that the rhythm of the way those two spoke was somehow different from everyone else's.
He couldn't say exactly what was different. He just felt that... they suited each other pretty well.
He glanced at Xu Xiaoyan. She had her head lowered, her ears still red, though her lips were curved upward.
Then he looked at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin was seriously studying the blueprint, completely unaware of any 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 will bear quite a bit of force. Blue Pregnancy Copper isn't strong enough, while Moon Silver Sand is too expensive. Is there another option?"
Tang Wulin thought about it. "Dark Iron? Dark Iron is strong, and it isn't expensive either."
"But Dark Iron is too heavy. If you need to carry this thing around, it's not very suitable."
Yun Jingheng marked "weight issue" on the blueprint.
Gu Yue suddenly spoke. "Cold Iron. Cold Iron is about as strong as Dark Iron, but it weighs a third less. 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 utterly normal.
Yun Jingheng lowered his head and wrote it down on the blueprint. "Cold Iron..."
Xu Xiaoyan sat beside Tang Wulin with her head lowered, her ears red.
Her gaze secretly drifted toward Yun Jingheng. She took one look, then quickly pulled it back.
Then another look, and she pulled it back again.
Yun Jingheng had his head lowered as he drew, unaware of her attention.
The corner of her lips curved up. She hid her hand beneath the table, where a faint layer of starlight shimmered in her palm. It was very dim, but she could feel it.
Xie Xie sat opposite her and saw all of Xu Xiaoyan's little movements.
He looked at Xu Xiaoyan, then Yun Jingheng, then Gu Yue, and suddenly felt that the room was a little cramped.
He shifted to the side and cleared his throat. "Um... carry on. I'm just watching."
Yun Jingheng finished marking the material requirements for the last few components on the blueprint, straightened up, and let out a long breath.
"That should be about it."
He looked at Tang Wulin. "Are you confident about forging these materials?"
Tang Wulin thought for a moment.
"I've forged Moon Silver Sand once, but I'm not very familiar with it. Cold Iron won't be a problem."
He paused. "I'll need to practice with Moon Silver Sand. How much time do you have?"
"As much as needed."
"Then I'll contact you later?"
"Okay."
Before you continue