His eyes gleamed as his large face suddenly loomed close. Ye Buyu's eye twitched. "I do, but who are you?"
Realizing he had come on a little too strong, the bespectacled young man stepped back, his eyes curving with his smile. "Sorry, I got a little too excited. I'm Qiu Zhi, a third-year student in the Artifact Refinement Department.
"That's the Flower Edict in your hand, right? I just saw you asking at the front desk whether they had bullets or anything like that. What kind of weapon are you looking for? Could you tell me?"
Whoa, this guy looks so excited he might burst into flames. Ye Buyu swallowed and looked at the eager-eyed Qiu Zhi before speaking tentatively.
"I want something for physical attacks. Since I'm a Healing Type, I want a way to kill enemies."
"Oh, I see." Qiu Zhi pulled out a notebook and scribbled furiously, muttering as he wrote.
"Since Healing Type abilities can't inflict fatal injuries on enemies, you want a suitable weapon. Got it. Would you like to try my inventions?"
Qiu Zhi held out his hand, looking at Ye Buyu excitedly.
Ye Buyu slowly parted her lips. After thinking for a few seconds, she asked in all seriousness, "How much will it cost?"
Qiu Zhi fell silent for a moment. ...Huh?
Little Whale spat out a mouthful of water in her mind. "Asking about money at a time like this is so undignified! You can loot heaps of materials just by taking a trip through a Calamity zone. Are you really that short on cash?"
Ye Buyu tapped her fingertips together and grumbled softly, "I put all my materials into the Teleportation Channel earlier, so I really don't have much money now. Gathering materials takes time too. If it's too expensive, I genuinely can't afford it."
Qiu Zhi blinked and waved his hands earnestly.
"No, I don't need money. I just need someone to help me run experiments. All the third-years have gone to explore the War-Torn Zone, the second-years are out on missions, and the first-years haven't enrolled yet.
"But luckily, I found you. And since you're a Healing Type, any minor injuries will heal quickly."
Qiu Zhi grew more excited as he spoke, even starting to gesture wildly. "I'll modify your weapon however you want, and you help me test my inventions. How does that sound?"
"Ahem."
A somewhat aged voice cleared its throat, drawing their attention.
"Qiu Zhi, don't bully the new student. Wouldn't Calamities make better test subjects for your little bits of junk?" The teacher tasked with guarding the Equipment Room propped his chin on his hand, his mouth twitching.
When Ye Buyu looked over, the supervising teacher smiled as he wiped the desk. "Don't let him fool you. The things this kid makes carry calamity aura. It's easy to get corrupted, so be careful."
"Calamity aura?" Ye Buyu looked up at Qiu Zhi.
Qiu Zhi guiltily turned his face away. "There is a little residue. I want to make the weapons more powerful, after all. But you're a Healing Type, so you're absolutely the best candidate."
The supervising teacher scoffed. "Give me a break. Healing Types need time to recover too, and clearing calamity aura takes time. If she slips up and gets corrupted, she'll have to rest for a while before she recovers.
"Honestly, Qiu Zhi, can't you make some safe weapons?"
Qiu Zhi scratched his head in frustration. "But I want to see whether we can put the calamity aura lingering on the remains to use. Someone has to test the safety threshold."
The supervising teacher shook his head. "You'll have a hard time finding anyone under those conditions."
Calamity aura, more powerful weapons, and free modifications?!
Ye Buyu grabbed the dejected Qiu Zhi. "I'll help you test them!"
With Little Whale around, she was immune to most calamity aura, and her Healing Type abilities were particularly effective at clearing it.
Testing the weapons would not only let her train her abilities, but also get her a free weapon. It was a guaranteed win!
Qiu Zhi nearly dropped to his knees. "You're really willing to do it?"
Ye Buyu nodded fervently. "Let's go right now! I can't wait!"
The two hit it off immediately and strode away, discussing new equipment and ignoring the dumbstruck supervising teacher.
"Ah, another oddball at Four Symbols Academy. Hopefully, this student won't regret it too soon."
Ye Buyu followed Qiu Zhi out of the Equipment Room and into the Artifact Refinement Department's dedicated manufacturing facility next door, looking around with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"What's this shovel?"
"A multipurpose shovel. It can turn into a chainsaw or a long blade, and you can use it as a gun too."
"Wow! What about this fish tail?"
"It lets you turn into a mermaid and swim quickly through the ocean."
"And this ring?"
"It's for storing things. We've also made some things based on novels we used to enjoy."
"You even have earrings and hair accessories here!"
Qiu Zhi sighed. "They're small and easy to carry, after all. Both men and women like them. I can give you a few if you want."
Ye Buyu's eyes widened. "Really? You're such a good person!"
So this is what it feels like to get the 'nice guy' card?
Qiu Zhi scratched his head and pointed at the pile of things on the floor. "Help me test these first. I want to see how powerful weapons that retain calamity aura can be.
"All you need to do is activate these weapons and attack the machine in the testing area ahead. The data will be collected automatically. While you do that, I'll modify your weapon."
At this point, even someone as oblivious as Qiu Zhi knew he couldn't just do whatever he wanted. The weapons he modified carried calamity aura, and hardly anyone wanted to use them.
For conventional weapons, it was better to remove the calamity aura and ensure they were safe, so he said,
"Don't worry. I'll remove the calamity aura from the weapon I modify for you. It might be a little less powerful, but it'll be completely safe."
Hearing that, Ye Buyu turned around. "No need. Make it as powerful as you can reliably manage. I'll deal with the calamity aura."
The look in those red eyes was so casual that Qiu Zhi froze. "Even a Healing Type wouldn't have much energy to spare for clearing calamity aura during a fight, would they?"
Ye Buyu smiled. "Don't worry. I've got a trick up my sleeve."
She picked up a blade from the floor, channeled power into it, and swung it at the testing machine.
"If I dared to come help you test these, then I have a way to deal with their corruption."
Qiu Zhi's gaze stayed on the blade in Ye Buyu's hand. Infused with power, it gleamed coldly, and a visible wisp of calamity aura crept along the hilt and wound around her wrist.
Only to vanish a moment later.
Bang!
The blade struck the machine with a resounding crash. Seeing Ye Buyu remain completely unfazed, Qiu Zhi's eyes lit up.
Someone who doesn't fear Calamity corruption. People like that really do exist!
Ye Buyu crouched before the pile of weapons, picking through them. Everything piqued her curiosity, and her hands itched like a cat that had spotted a ball of yarn.
"Each of these is more fun than the last!"
Before you continue