The lights in the lounge were almost painfully bright. As if deliberately flaunting their extravagance, the Soul Guidance Lamps overhead used concentrated light sources at maximum brightness, illuminating the entire room like broad daylight without leaving a single shadow.
Tang Wulin narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze settling on the ostentatious reception desk at the front of the room. The entire desk was a deep, dark gold, its surface gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. As a blacksmith, he recognized almost instinctively that this seemingly decorative countertop had actually been forged from a single piece of extremely rare starfall iron. With a Heavy Silver Hammer and a little refinement, it could certainly be made into the core of a near-grade-six Soul Tool.
"Tsk." Tang Wulin could not help shaking his head, a flicker of anguish at this wanton waste crossing his eyes. "If I had a Forging Hammer right now, I'd really want to dismantle this thing and throw it back into the furnace. What a waste of good material."
Standing before him, Gu Yue could not help letting out a soft sigh at his words. She was almost half a head taller than Tang Wulin. Lowering her gaze slightly, she looked at this silly boy who could not shake his professional habits even in enemy territory, torn between exasperation and amusement.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy isn't your friend. You still want to help them refine their metal into something more "noble"?
As that thought crossed her mind, the amusement in her eyes deepened. She stepped forward, her tall figure instantly overshadowing Tang Wulin. Before he could react, she dipped her head and, with an indulgence that came from looking down on him, gently pressed a kiss to his smooth forehead.
"Mmph!" Tang Wulin went rigid. Because