The next day, the Red-Grade Mecha descended through the clouds over Heaven Dou City, its red frame gleaming with a subdued sheen in the afternoon sun.
Mu Ye piloted the mecha around the no-fly zone over the main thoroughfares, circling the edge of the city before finally landing on a black building.
The hatch opened, and hot air rushed in.
Xiao Mu and Na'er followed Mu Ye out of the mecha.
Before them stood a gray, three-story building. There were no signs on its outer walls, only a dark golden metal plaque set into each side of the entrance, engraved with an emblem of a forging hammer and flames.
This was the headquarters of the Blacksmith Association in Heaven Dou City.
Mu Ye stowed the mecha and led Xiao Mu and Na'er inside the Blacksmith Association.
After passing through a corridor, they arrived at Zhen Hua's little dining room. It was about twenty square meters, with a round table set in the middle and a white checkered tablecloth spread across it.
The window stood half open, and the afternoon sunlight slanted into the room, falling across the round table.
The little dining room looked plain and unadorned.
Mu Ye got busy at the stove. Oil crackled in the iron wok, and the instant the scallions, ginger, and garlic hit the pan, a cloud of white steam burst up. The aroma exploded through the room like a fuse had been lit.
Xiao Mu and Na'er sat beside the round table and waited. Two sets of bowls and chopsticks sat on the table, plain and simple.
Na'er sat in her chair, her feet unable to reach the floor. Her little feet, clad in white socks, dangled in the air, swinging back and forth. Each time her legs swung, the chair gave a faint creak. A delicate ruffle edged the tops of her socks, trembling lightly in rhythm with her movements.
She tilted her head. Her long silver hair spilled over the back of the chair, and the tip of her nose twitched faintly, like a cat that had caught the scent of canned fish.
"It smells so good. It seems even better than the food on the island."
Na'er was right. It really did smell better than the food on the island. They had more seasonings here, and the air wasn't as damp.
Different regions gave food different flavors.
As soon as she finished speaking, the door to the little dining room swung open.
Zhen Hua walked in. He had changed into a clean gray cotton shirt. After entering, he glanced at the table, then looked toward Mu Ye, who was tossing food in the wok.
"Mu Ye, what new ingredients have you found this time?"
Without looking back, Mu Ye flipped the spatula in the wok. "Something from the deep sea. I'm making the kid something tasty."
Zhen Hua nodded, pulled out a chair, and sat beside the round table. He poured himself a cup of tea. Steam rose from it as he blew away the foam, his gaze pausing for half a second on each of the two children. Of course, when he saw the clothes Xiao Mu was wearing, he was taken aback.
Xiao Mu's short-sleeved shirt and shorts faded from yellow to purple from top to bottom, making him especially conspicuous.
"Both of these are disciples of your Body Sect...?"
"The boy is. The girl's Martial Soul is a spear, and she's talented too. They're both at three rings. You two, this is the renowned Divine Craftsman, Zhen Hua. Mind your manners."
"I see." After getting a rough idea of the situation, Zhen Hua looked at the two of them. "What are your secondary professions?"
"Your Excellency, the Divine Craftsman, I'm a Level Two Mecha Repairman," Na'er said confidently. She understood now that being a Level Two Mecha Repairman at her age already made her a prodigy.
"I'm a Level Three Blacksmith, Level Four Mecha Manufacturer, Level Six Mecha Designer, and Level Three Mecha Repairman."
Xiao Mu counted them off on his fingers. He hadn't spent the whole semester doing nothing. Now he was qualified to forge One-Word Battle Armor on his own.
"Level Three Blacksmith? Little friend, lying isn't good," Zhen Hua said.
There were only a handful of Level Three Blacksmiths as young as twelve in the entire history of the Blacksmith Association.
This was no longer a question of whether he was a genius. Even if he'd started forging in the womb, reaching Level Six in a secondary profession at this age without neglecting his Soul Power was simply a miracle.
Xiao Mu didn't try to explain. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a badge, and placed it on the table. The badge wasn't made of precious materials, but its design and serial number were perfectly clear.
Zhen Hua lowered his head to look at the badge and fell silent for a moment.
He recognized one of the signatures on it: the president of the East Sea Blacksmith Association—his junior fellow apprentice.
"Well, well." He pushed the badge back and picked up his teacup again. "My junior apprentice is sending someone to show me up."
"There's such a talented blacksmith, and he didn't even tell me."
"By the way, little friend, why aren't you specializing in blacksmithing?"
"I study everything. I'm going to be a Soul Engineer."
Xiao Mu's voice was calm. Of course, he didn't reveal the real reason he'd studied blacksmithing: to rub it in their faces.
If I want something done, I'll do it myself. How hard could it be to make such a simple part?
The tiniest difference could have a huge impact.
Before long, Mu Ye brought the food to the table.
He placed the tray in the middle of the round table. The instant he lifted the lid, it was as if a beam of light shot out from the platter.
Golden light surged up to the ceiling, struck it, and shattered into countless fine specks that scattered across the table, chairs, and floor.
Wrapped in that radiance was an intense aroma—not simply the fragrance of meat, but the briny savor of deep-sea fish simmered over a low flame until the bones came loose, mingled with the sweetness of shellfish and the freshness of seaweed. Layer upon layer, the aromas filled the entire twenty-square-meter dining room.
Na'er's eyes narrowed. Her little mouth fell open, and drool was already running down her chin.
Xiao Mu looked at the whole deep-sea fish lying in the pot. The broth was milky white, and the fish's flesh gleamed like pearls. Every scale shimmered faintly.
Holding his teacup, Zhen Hua looked down at the fish that was still glowing in the pot. "We're having sea fish today?"
"Go ahead and eat. It was all caught in the deep sea."
Na'er reached for her chopsticks first. She picked up a piece of fish, its tender flesh quivering lightly at the tips of her chopsticks. When she put it in her mouth, she froze for a moment.
"It's so good!" she cried indistinctly, already reaching for a second piece.
She picked up a second piece, then a third. Her chopsticks moved faster and faster.
Xiao Mu glanced at her and nudged his own bowl half an inch toward her.
As they ate, Zhen Hua said to Xiao Mu, "When we're done, come with me to the Forging Room. I want to see what your hands can do."
Xiao Mu looked up. The test had come sooner than expected, but he wasn't surprised. He carefully considered his forging skill. He should have no problem with First-Grade Thousand Refinement.
As for Spirit Refinement, he couldn't understand it.
"Sure, no problem," he replied, then lowered his head and continued eating.
Mu Ye chuckled beside them and placed a piece of the fattiest part of the fish belly in Na'er's bowl. He could tell she really loved the food.
Xiao Mu was more restrained, but he still had to eat his fill.
By now, Xiao Mu had a good idea what was going on. The Divine Craftsman was looking for someone to take over. More precisely, he wanted someone who could inherit the Divine Craftsman's legacy.
Just as he'd once looked for Tang Wulin.
After all, in the forging trade, Heavenly Refinement meant being struck by lightning to carve the laws of heaven and earth into metal.
Xiao Mu hesitated for a moment. I can carve the Law of Universal Gravitation into metal, but can it bear the consequences?