Pom-Pom's Incredible AI!

[Here's a picture of our hero. This is what he looks like.]

"How does little Chen learn all this so quickly when he has no Soul Power?"

It was a shame, though. Without Soul Power, he couldn't make Soul-Guidance Mecha.

Wang Dagou turned back, his gaze on Chen Xing changed.

He had to admit the kid was sharp. A hint was enough for him to understand, and he could even take an idea a step further.

He was only a little behind Wang Dagou himself at that age.

But being clever was one thing. What good was knowing the theory?

Without Soul Power, the kid couldn't even make parts for a Soul-Guidance Mecha. All that studying would amount to empty talk.

Wang Dagou was a Soul Grandmaster with a Soul Power level above twenty. After three years in the trade, he'd seen plenty of people who could talk a good game but couldn't make a thing.

"Fine. Since you learn fast, I'll cover more."

Over the next hour or so, Wang Dagou went through the basics of Mecha from start to finish.

How the energy core worked, how to connect the drive chain, how the control system received commands, and how the armor's layers provided protection.

As Chen Xing listened, he called on AI Pom-Pom in his mind to help analyze everything.

With AI Pom-Pom's help, concepts that had sounded dry and abstract soon became clear and vivid.

He could even build on what he'd learned.

But the real surprise for Wang Dagou was still to come.

"Senior apprentice brother, if we add a buffer at a junction in the drive chain, wouldn't that reduce energy loss?"

The question caught Wang Dagou off guard.

What's this supposed to be? Master never taught me that!

So he could only bite the bullet and answer.

"Well, it should work in theory, but nobody does it. Every extra component adds load."

Chen Xing nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing how serious he was, Wang Dagou felt another bit of his skepticism slip away.

Still, the kid hadn't tried making anything yet.

Theory was one thing. When it came to hands-on work, having no Soul Power was a serious problem.

After so long in the trade, Wang Dagou knew exactly what Soul Power meant to a Mecha Engineer.

"All right, that's enough theory."

Wang Dagou stood and stretched.

"Want to try putting something together?"

Chen Xing's eyes lit up.

"Can I?"

"Of course. Master told me to teach you. I can't just talk your ear off."

Wang Dagou went to the workbench and dug out a half-finished Mecha component.

"This is a simple Drive Arm Base. Try assembling it."

Chen Xing went over and took a look.

Seven or eight small parts lay scattered across the table, with an assembly diagram beside them.

Xu San had set down the list he'd been holding and walked over openly to watch.

Wang Dagou stood to one side with his arms folded.

"Take your time. There's no rush. Ask me if you don't understand anything."

Chen Xing picked up the diagram and studied it.

Honestly, if he'd seen this yesterday, he wouldn't have known where to start.

But things were different now.

He called out in his mind.

"Pam Pam, help me analyze the assembly logic in this diagram."

"Got it, pom. Thinking..."

"This Drive Arm Base consists of four components: the main base, drive rod, locking bolt, and energy input terminal."

"Assembly order: insert the drive rod into the groove at the center of the main base, install the locking bolt to secure it, then connect the energy input terminal, pom."

"Notes: do not install the drive rod backward. Tighten the locking bolt three and a half turns..."

Chen Xing put down the diagram and got to work.

After some fiddling, he actually finished it.

The whole thing took less than three minutes!

Wang Dagou stood beside him, mouth slightly open, unable to close it for a long moment.

"You... have you learned this before?"

Chen Xing shook his head.

"No. First time."

Wang Dagou didn't believe it. He stepped forward, picked up the assembled base, and checked it over.

The drive rod faced the right way, the locking bolt was tightened just enough, and the energy input terminal fit perfectly.

He couldn't find a single fault.

Wang Dagou scratched the back of his head.

"Seriously, how are your hands that steady? You got it right on your first try?"

Chen Xing smiled without answering.

He couldn't exactly say he had an incredible AI giving him real-time instructions inside his head.

Wang Dagou set the base down. When he looked at Chen Xing again, even more of his earlier skepticism had faded.

But he wasn't entirely convinced.

After all, assembling something and making it were two different things.

Someone who could only assemble parts was just an assembly worker, nowhere near a true Mecha Engineer.

"Fine. You pass."

Wang Dagou waved a hand.

"Take a break. I'll see if Master needs help inside."

Chen Xing nodded, but he didn't rest.

He walked to the other side of the workbench, picked up a blank sheet of drafting paper, and summoned his Martial Soul.

It was a brush, gleaming white from end to end.

Xu San was about to head into the back room to help when he caught sight of Chen Xing's Martial Soul. He stopped and came back.

He'd heard from Master that the kid had awakened with Zero Soul Power, but that brush looked unusual.

He lowered his voice and asked Wang Dagou.

"Dagou, our junior apprentice brother's Martial Soul..."

Wang Dagou shrugged.

"It's a brush. For painting. Who knows where it came from?"

Chen Xing held his Martial Soul brush, well aware of its value.

After arriving in this world, Chen Xing had thought awakening with Zero Soul Power meant he was destined to live as an ordinary person.

But to his surprise, the brush carried a special ability called Illusory Creation.

That ability came from Himeko, a train navigator in a game he'd played in his previous life.

Anything he painted with the brush could be brought directly into existence.

But the ability had its limits.

He'd tried painting a giant Mecha called the Starfarer before, but failed.

Illusory Creation required something called Wish Power. He had too little of it right now to bear the cost of creating a giant Mecha.

Still, Chen Xing hadn't given up on his dream of piloting a giant Mecha. He'd asked AI Pom-Pom to find a solution.

AI Pom-Pom's analysis told him he could increase his Wish Power by continually understanding the truths behind all things and using Illusory Creation to make new things.

And now he had the perfect chance to try.

While assembling that Drive Arm Base, one question had stayed on his mind.

Could that Drive Arm Base transmit power more efficiently?

"Pam Pam, what if I take a different approach to this Drive Arm Base? If I replace the drive rod with a lighter material and add a small buffer at the input terminal, would the whole thing transmit power more efficiently?"

AI Pom-Pom soon gave him an affirmative answer in his mind.

"Theoretically feasible, pom. A lightweight material can reduce energy loss, while a buffer can smooth out energy fluctuations. Together, they could increase transmission efficiency by approximately 12%."

Twelve percent? That much?

Chen Xing took a deep breath and immediately put brush to the blank paper.

First came the outline of the main base, then the drive rod.

He drew the drive rod a little thinner than the original and added holes through its middle to reduce its weight.

Next, he tackled the buffer, drawing a small ring-shaped device between the energy input terminal and the base.

He worked slowly, but with great care.

More than an hour passed.

When Wang Dagou came out of the back room, he saw Chen Xing drawing.

What's the kid drawing?

He went over to take a look.

But when Wang Dagou saw what Chen Xing had drawn, he stopped short.

"Is this..."

"You changed the drive rod's structure?"

"Yeah. I wanted to optimize the design and reduce energy loss."

Chen Xing pointed to the buffer on the diagram.

"If we add a buffering ring here, it should smooth out the energy fluctuations."

Wang Dagou thought for a few seconds, then patted Chen Xing on the shoulder and said helplessly,

"Junior apprentice brother, it's a good idea. But a drawing is one thing; actually making it is another. You don't have Soul Power, so you can't use it to shape metal. Drawing it won't make it real."

But Chen Xing looked up.

"Senior apprentice brother, what if I can make it?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Wang Dagou laughed.

"If you can make it..."