Yang Yong kept his eyes on the blueprint, rapidly breaking down the structure of its patterns in his mind.
He replied offhandedly, "Hard to say."
After a pause, he gave what he considered a conservative estimate. "Three days, I suppose."
Three days.
The moment those words left his mouth, the pale-faced man lost control of his expression.
For the first time, undisguised shock appeared on the face that had worn a perfectly appropriate smile.
The attendants behind him also visibly froze for a moment, streams of rapidly flickering data flashing through their mechanical pupils.
Three days.
The Mechanics of the Inner City needed three full days just to melt this alloy.
To turn the alloy from solid to liquid, the temperature had to be held at precisely 3,750 degrees. Every degree above that would cause deviations in the alloy's internal energy pathways, and a Mechanic had to watch the entire process without even daring to blink.
Three days, just for the melting step.
After that came purification, shaping, quenching, pattern engraving, energy infusion...
A complete scope took fifteen days at the very least.
Yet this man had casually said three days?
For the first time, the pale-faced man truly took a proper look at Yang Yong.
His gaze no longer held that formulaic politeness, but a gravity that bordered on scrutiny.
"Are you certain... you only need three days?"
Yang Yong finally looked up from the blueprint, glanced at him, and nodded.
Then he added, as casually as if commenting on the fine weather, "It probably won't take that long. Three days is just to leave some leeway. But I have a condition."
"What condition?" the pale-faced man asked almost instinctively.
Yang Yong raised his hand and pointed overhead.
He was pointing at that expanse of artificial sky.
At that