After returning to the Blacksmith Association, Lou Gao and the others tacitly avoided asking about Qi Ling's matter. To everyone, Qi Ling and Tang San's outing that night was simply a walk in Gengxin City.
The news of the destruction of the main temple of the Divine Court spread throughout the entire Gengxin City early the next morning. However, everyone in the city believed that Bishop Miles must have been summoned by the main god, otherwise no miracle would have occurred.
Looking at the rumors spreading throughout the city, Lou Gao couldn't help but say to Qi Ling, "They're arresting you everywhere in the city right now. Don't you need to escape?"
Qi Ling laughed and said, "Hmm? Arrest us? Why would you arrest us? Bishop Miles felt God's call and was taken to Heaven by God. It has nothing to do with us."
From the Divine Court, Qi Ling and the others also brought back a large amount of wealth and rare metals, which were exactly what Qi Ling and the Blacksmith Association needed. After discussing it, they decided to divide everything up among themselves.
As Qi Ling and the others were leaving, Lou Gao specifically asked Qi Ling how his thing was to be made. Qi Ling replied helplessly, "Senior Lou Gao, you've seen the blueprints too. Something of that size can't be built casually. Even with a Storage Soul Tool, it still needs a fairly spacious and secluded place."
"So I can only start building after I return to my own territory, and it will take quite a while, so I can't show it to you."
"What kind of talk is that! Why can't I see it? I'll go with you!" Lou Gao said. "Anyway, I've already handed over the Blacksmith Association to my apprentice, and I don't have anything to do now. It's a good opportunity to go out and experience the long-lost life of a blacksmith!"
In order to take care of Lou Gao, his two disciples also decided to go along. As master-level blacksmiths, they were undoubtedly rare talents.
The group then embarked on their return journey, heading back to Heaven Dou City Heaven Dou City. By the time they arrived back, Xue Ke's coronation ceremony would be just a few days away.
Back at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, upon seeing Xue Ke, even she, who was never one to feel nervous, was flustered and somewhat at a loss. So, upon seeing Qi Ling, she immediately greeted her happily, "Teacher, you're finally back! I was worried you wouldn't make it."
"How could I not come back? This is your most important day." Qi Ling smiled. "So, you're about to become Empress, are you excited and nervous?"
"I was so nervous! If it weren't for Bibi Dong constantly teaching me what to do, I wouldn't know what to do," Xue Ke said.
Bibi Dong, standing to the side, also smiled and said, "It's alright, Xue Ke. You've already done better than you ever imagined. You will become a qualified king."
Qi Ling wasn't worried about Xue Ke's coronation ceremony. After all, the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family had a solid foundation and wouldn't panic just because the king was a woman.
The only thing that worried Qi Ling was whether anyone would cause trouble on that day. Although the Divine Court and the Heaven Dou Empire were already at loggerheads, as the representatives of the Soul Master, the Empire could not easily break with the Divine Court completely. Only when the Divine Court revealed its ambitions could the world know its true face.
Therefore, on the day of the coronation ceremony, Qi Ling was on high alert, paying close attention to her surroundings. Fortunately, nothing unusual happened until the ceremony began.
When Xue Ke, wearing a crown, came before everyone and officially became the new king of the Heaven Dou Empire under the auspices of Prince Xue Xing, all the residents of Heaven Dou City cheered enthusiastically. Qi Ling looked at Xue Ke, who was trying to appear calm, and felt that her child had grown up. She even felt that Xue Ke had a hint of Bibi Dong's charm.
"I'm sure Xue Ke will become a wise and benevolent ruler," Qi Ling said with a smile. "After all, she's my student!"
After that, Qi Ling immediately returned to Dragon's Glory City and began his forging business. These past few days in Heaven Dou City, he had been driven crazy by that old guy Lou Gao, who kept urging Qi Ling to start construction as soon as possible.
When Lou Gao first arrived at Qi Ling's workshop, even as the president of the Blacksmith Association, he was shocked by the workshop's enormous size and couldn't help but exclaim, "This place is for blacksmithing? It's huge!"
"Wrong, this isn't for forging iron; it's for creation!" Qi Ling said, spreading the blueprint on the table in front of her. "And this is my first creation!"
On that blueprint, what even the master craftsman Lou Gao couldn't decipher was a humanoid Gundam! It was almost identical to the original in both appearance and internal structure.
Of course, the internal structure of this towering structure couldn't possibly be so futuristic, since this world doesn't even have electricity. It should be described as a super-large Soul Tool puppet.
Upon seeing the blueprint again, Lou Gao's brow remained furrowed. After all, for him, a problem that couldn't be solved with a hammer and flames was truly unsolvable.
"Alright, Senior Lou Gao, I'm going to start forging the parts for this thing. After the forging is complete, you can come and help me with the assembly." Qi Ling said.
Upon hearing Qi Ling's words, Lou Gao asked in confusion, "Kid, this is quite something. Your younger brother Tang San, for example, outsources all the parts to others forging, but insists on doing the final assembly himself."
"You've completely reversed things. You insist on making the parts yourself, but you don't hide anything from others when it comes to the final assembly. What kind of logic is that? Aren't you afraid I'll learn it?"
Qi Ling smiled slightly and said, "My approach is different from Xiao San's, of course, because our situations are completely opposite! The most ingenious part of Xiao San's Hidden Weapon is their assembly method, while the most important part of my thing is precisely its components!"
Lou Gao, unable to understand, could only wait for Qi Ling to finish making the parts, as she had instructed. During this time, he was not idle, but carefully studying the Hidden Weapon blueprints that Tang San had given him.
As for why Qi Ling made these parts all by himself, the reason is actually quite simple: he simply didn't know how to make them!
Just kidding, how could someone like Qi Ling, who has never even swung a hammer, possibly create something that would be difficult even to Lou Gao? So he never intended to do it in the first place. What he wanted to do was "change"!
"System! I've collected all the materials you needed. Should I be able to get the parts I need now?" Qi Ling said to the system after taking all the materials out of the Infinite Space.
[Ding! Host is faced with an exchange option. Please select whether to make the following exchange: Provide the system with all metal materials, and obtain all the parts to manufacture the Gundam.]
"Is there even a question? Just switch!" Qi Ling genuinely felt that having this system was truly convenient.