Beianqi's Secret

Su Ming woke up the next morning. Although he still had a headache and felt weak, he had been in bed for four days in a row and was almost moldy from sleeping.

He decided to get up and move around, even if it was a little difficult.

Su Ming's Magic Power has increased rapidly, far surpassing what it was when he first awakened, but he still keeps encountering situations that get out of control. Thinking of the thing that needs to be teleported next in the Sacred Mountain plan, he feels that he might be drained of his energy again.

A dignified space magic field, acting like Lin Daiyu every day.

He picked up a book from the room, put it in his pocket, and slowly walked to his workroom. There, a pile of packed luggage sat.

On the long table sat a sealed lunchbox, insulated by a magic spell. Su Ming opened the lid and found it contained a curry-like stew, which, judging from the style, was probably made by Beianqi.

Su Ming took a bite; it tasted good.

After lunch, Su Ming felt his strength returning somewhat. He went up to the deck and saw Zijin arranging the final loading of cargo. Besides coal, there were also some fresh vegetables and meat.

A small cargo ship was moored alongside the White Triangle from the outside of the dock, and a group of sailors, under the direction of Beianqi, were transferring the mechs and wreckage from the White Triangle to it.

Incidentally, the supplies seized from the orcs that the White Triangle couldn't use were all given to Beianqi to sell. She destroyed two mechs in the battle to kill Yexiya on Snail Island; part of the damage was given to her as compensation, and the remainder was used as fees for subsequent transactions.

She was also given a copy of some of the information from the Plundering Clock, including details of the sea monster incident and information related to Hairspring spy, Gossamer, as well as records of the Plundering Clock's "conspiracy" against various forces, which she arranged to be handed over.

This matter has been resolved. Zijin has contacted all parties involved, except for the Star Empire and the Dwarves, regarding this "revelation."

They demanded a total of 20,000 gold coins as an information fee.

Su Ming nodded to the two of them and greeted them. He didn't see Qiluo, but there was some commotion on the sea not far away, presumably some beast was fishing for seafood.

A gentle breeze and ocean waves—truly a scene of tranquility and peace.

Su Ming casually called over a dockworker, gave him a few copper coins, and asked him to run an errand and deliver a message to Hansite.

He then returned to his workspace, turned on his laptop, and began checking the bill of materials.

Among the spoils of war from the battle of Yexiya on Snail Island, an unexpected delight was recently discovered: a pile of stones salvaged from the deep sea—manganese nodules. Su Ming had already checked their composition; besides manganese, these stones also contained rare components such as cobalt, titanium, and zirconium.

Although it's unclear whether the Plundering Clock was collected intentionally or incidentally retrieved from the seabed while training sea monsters, this further alleviates Su Ming's limitations in terms of materials.

Su Ming checked the material composition and confirmed that he had gathered all the summoning materials for the large rolling blade he was planning.

He's obtained the key piece of the Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison Plan!

[I'm on my way to Shenyang.] Miao Xin contacted me.

Su Ming shifted his gaze and found Miao Xin nestled among a pile of dried corn cobs.

As she became more familiar with the vengeful spirits, her Human Form after merging with the Little Spiky Head made it easier for her to maintain emotional stability. Therefore, Miao Xin would choose a leisurely way of traveling when circumstances allowed.

Several books were piled beside her, which she was flipping through as the truck bumped along. Through the gaps in the truck's tarpaulin, she could vaguely see snowflakes falling outside.

What are these books?

"To prepare for this mission," Miao Xin replied. "We can't be completely ignorant."

[Thanks for your hard work.]

"By the way, the order for the new boiler is quite troublesome, so I asked my father for help," Miao Xin said.

Does he have a solution?

[Dad said he has some connections and can solve the problem.]

[Um.]

Beside Miao Xin, the faint Nether Sea was still rippling, but now it was merely a manifestation of power. She had learned to filter out ordinary ripples.

The vengeful girl in the train carriage, compared to her initial bewilderment, is rapidly maturing. This power, dancing on the edge of the Abyss, has given her, now that she is dead, a direction to challenge herself with.

However, after flipping through the pages for a while, Miao Xin put down the book in frustration and lay down on the corncob.

The Nether Sea then expanded considerably.

"I can only grasp the general idea," she lamented. "I can't understand the more complex equipment designs at all."

Su Ming chuckled, "[You've done very well.]"

Miao Xin dropped out of school after her high school graduation exams because her grades weren't good, which was quite difficult for her.

"[Miao Xin, what did you do for a living before?]" Su Ming suddenly asked.

[I work as a shipping clerk in the warehouse, and deliver food during mealtimes.]

"[So hard?] "Su Ming was surprised; neither of these jobs was easy.

"After the car accident, my family accumulated a lot of debt," Miao Xin explained. "I want to take responsibility, but there are only so many jobs I can handle."

The girl spoke calmly, but the Nether Sea surrounding her still rippled.

She could only say helplessly, "[This thing is kind of like an emotion indicator.]"

Su Ming laughed again, "[According to that guy Saenieka— ]"

As he said this, he suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since he had seen this necromancer who worked like a slave on the ship—it seemed to have been since Qiluo arrived.

"What did he say?" Miao Xin urged.

[You're now venturing into completely uncharted territory.]

No one has ever used a vengeful spirit like this, and no vengeful spirit has ever set foot in such a realm!

"It seems we are all special beings," Miao Xin said, then painfully picked up the book again.

Su Ming also had some books in his hands, and he took one out. The book was titled "In a Quiet Place," and it was the book about spirits and the dead that he had seized from the Plundering Clock.

[Miao Xin, the solution to this problem might not necessarily require mechanical knowledge.] Su Ming turned to a page. [How about we learn something else?]

After ending her contact with Miao Xin, Zijin walked in, looking unhappy.

"What's the matter?"

"Three days of hard work have been wasted, and a whole bunch of materials were wasted too." Zijin slammed her hand on the table, full of frustration she couldn't vent. "If you wanted to steal our Dawn and Dusk Bracelet and Dusk Bracelet, you should have done it sooner! You had to wait until we were almost finished!"

"Zijin, your manuscript." Su Ming took out the book "Principles of Economics" from his pocket and handed it to the girl.

Zijin shook her head. "Never mind, you can read it. Just put it back in the library when you're done."

Su Ming was somewhat surprised by her change of heart, but didn't ask any further questions. "Thank you."

Zijin glanced at Su Ming's wrist, "Where's that damned bracelet?"

1

Su Ming rolled up his sleeves, focused his spiritual power, and the Dawn and Dusk Bracelet materialized. After yesterday's absorption, one section of the bracelet had solidified, radiating a gentle and profound starlight. However, the remaining eleven sections remained in a state of nothingness.

"It will need more materials to be completed," Su Ming said.

Zijin gazed at the bracelet, sensing its undoubtedly high level. "I wonder what materials it needs—the remains of any Saint Rank expert, or a specific target?"

"A specific target?" Su Ming thought for a moment. "That doesn't make sense."

This means that the Dawn and Dusk Bracelet was made from Yexiya's corpse, but Yexiya was the one they killed.

However, since the individual characteristics of the soul and the corpse are extremely prominent, unlike common materials like steel, the latter possibility is actually greater.

"Neither possibility is easily satisfied," Zijin sighed. "Su Ming, is it necessary for us to complete this bracelet?"

Collecting so many Saint Rank remains and souls is less useful than chopping yourself into twelve pieces; that would be more direct.

"Let's just do our own thing step by step for now," Su Ming said helplessly. This bracelet was definitely not an ordinary item, but his life was more important.

"It took away Yexiya's corpse and soul, fine," Zijin still couldn't hide her resentment, "But why did it take away the materials for the Dread Skeleton I prepared as well?"

A thought suddenly popped into Su Ming's mind. He took out the bracelet again and tried to penetrate it with his senses, but he stopped because his mental strength was insufficient.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a guess about how to use the bracelet," Su Ming said, "But my strength isn't enough."

"Wait until you've recovered a bit before trying again?" Zijin became interested.

"It's not enough in terms of intensity or quantity," Su Ming said. "It still needs some growth."

Zijin pulled Su Ming 'Su Ming hand and, as if taking his pulse, sensed the pulse of his Magic Power.

"Indeed, your Magic Power power has increased significantly," she judged. "You've reached the level of a genuine intermediate-level mage."

"It seems the Elemental Resonance is quite effective; a few more times and it will be fine." Su Ming thought of what had happened at the bottom of the mine and felt somewhat dissatisfied.

"No!" Zijin warned sternly, "In just three months, you've already surpassed 95% of the combatants in this world..."

It has reached a height that one can never reach in a lifetime.

She paused, then added, "I was already pushing the car too hard at the original pace. Don't try to accelerate a car that's already running wild."

"Pfft, when we first met, you even tried to manipulate me by saying I was bad at things!" Su Ming brought up the old story again.

"I considered that a form of encouragement!"

****

Putting away the bracelet, Su Ming returned "Principles of Economics" to his pocket. Although Zijin had allowed him to read it, it would be too hurtful to gossip about someone's dark past in front of them.

"You seem to be interested in humanities?" Zijin asked. She had chosen that name to avoid attracting attention.

"No," Su Ming replied, "I just wanted to browse through it a bit, so I wouldn't be completely ignorant of this world."

The library in Zijin's room was almost entirely devoid of anything related to humanities. She pulled out a book from her pile of books, a copy of "Blue Bamboo Slips and Rue" that Katharine had captured during the Battle of Agate Sea.

"This is a marvelous artifact made through alchemy, containing many history books," said Zijin.

"Ah, I thought it was just a magic book!" Su Ming said.

Katharine is a mage proficient in both water and light magic, so it's normal for her to use a spellbook as a weapon.

"It is indeed a high-level magic book; the library function is just a side effect. I took some time these past few days to unlock Katharine's rune lock."

Su Ming inquired about how to use it. He activated the magic book, searched the catalog, selected the book title, and then opened it like a regular book. Sure enough, the contents of the corresponding book were displayed.

This spellbook is much thicker than a normal book, with remarkably durable, pale gold pages that feel wonderful to the touch. Aside from requiring a constant supply of Magic Power and being expensive, it has virtually no drawbacks.

Su Ming browsed through it and found that it contained nearly a thousand books, including not only humanities and history, but also climate and geography of other worlds.

He nodded in satisfaction. "It's quite useful."

"Take your time and look at it."

Besides these, Su Ming also saw several missionary sermons at the very end of the table of contents.

He had never seen anything like this before, and Su Ming opened one of the pages.

"—Countless stars, scattered like sand, each shining with its own light in the darkness. This vast starry sky is a revelation bestowed upon us by God: every person is an equal being and should have the right to pursue the light. However, those in power attempt to obscure this sacred light. They set locks, wanting to imprison us forever in darkness. Even when trampled on the ground, we still cherish the sacred flame within us."

"Dear brothers and sisters, let us join hands and stand together—we may be small, but we are never alone."

The article is signed at the end by Pale New Words.

He couldn't help but look up at the scholar sitting opposite him; wasn't that her title of saint?

It's not surprising that Zijin studied at the nunnery for eleven years and wrote something like this. What's interesting is that Katharine would specifically include it in her magic book.

Zijin also looked up at Su Ming, "What's wrong?"

"How did you get that title of Saintess?" Su Ming asked. "Pale New Words, it sounds weird."

"Why did you suddenly bring this up?" Zijin, somewhat puzzled, but she still replied, "I'm also baffled. I only learned I had this title when Yexiya called me that."

"You don't even know your own title?" Su Ming, quite surprised.

That's just the way it is.

This was strange, Su Ming began to ponder. "Pale" was understandable; Ailisha's health had been poor in the later stages of her time at the nunnery, so her complexion was predictably pale. But this inexplicable "new language"?

If you don't understand, just ask. Su Ming directly handed over "Blue Bamboo Slips and Rue," pointing to the speech draft, "You wrote this?"

Zijin frowned and glanced at it a few times. "No, I couldn't write such sentimental words." She looked at it more closely, her eyes narrowing. "Interesting. These speeches don't seem like they're seriously promoting the Church of the God of Light."

"So, this is Katharine stirring up trouble," Su Ming pondered. "Should we have Stanton investigate this?"

"Okay, I'll message him."

****

Beianqi and Qiluo entered the workshop and picked up their luggage from the floor.

"Gentlemen, I must go now. The problems Yexiya has brought me need to be resolved as soon as possible," Beianqi said to them. "I will recover quickly."

Su Ming put away the magic book and stood up with Zijin. The group walked to the deck and went down the gangway.

"I've had a very pleasant time, thank you both for taking care of me," said Beianqi, bowing slightly.

"You're a great friend, and it's a pleasure to be with you," said Zijin, and the two girls hugged each other.

Zijin whispered something in Beianqi's ear, and the latter trembled slightly, but was then held tightly by Zi Jin, causing Su Ming to glance at her.

When they parted, Zijin placed a set of jewelry in Beianqi's hand: a magic bracelet and a crystal crown.

Beianqi immediately refused.

"I've fixed it. You just need to modify the appearance and it'll be ready to use," Zijin said to her. "Consider it a piece of your spoils."

She didn't allow the other party to refuse, forcing Beianqi to accept it, and then gave her another letter before leaving.

Su Ming pulled out a booklet and handed it to the mechanic girl. The latter was still in a daze, and Su Ming called her name before she looked up again. Beianqi quickly reached out and took it, only to find that it was a design booklet for a sailboat.

"The clipper sailboat, at the cost of increased cargo capacity, boasts a 30% speed increase over existing sailboats," Su Ming explained. "However, we shouldn't build too many of these; after all, the future belongs to machinery."

Beianqi clutched the handbook, bit her lip, and reached out to hug him. Su Ming hesitated for a moment, but didn't push her away.

He patted the girl on the back.

Beianqi released Su Ming and let out a breath, "Alright, everyone, I'm leaving now!"

She waved to the group, turned, and disembarked onto the small cargo ship. Qiluo followed, carrying a wet bag that dripped water and smelled faintly of the sea.

The small cargo ship set sail and left. Beianqi jumped and waved goodbye to them before turning and going into the cabin.

"What you gave Beianqi was the Saint Rank item ' Zuyi's Blessing ' from Yexiya?" Su Ming asked Zijin only after watching the girl's figure disappear.

"Yes, that's the one."

From a combat perspective, "Zuyi's Blessing" isn't particularly powerful, but its continuous healing effect with minimal side effects justifies its Saint Rank rating. Yexiya's body seems to suffer from a stubborn injury, hence the choice of this equipment.

If fully activated, it can also unleash considerable recovery capabilities in a short period of time.

"Why give it to Beianqi?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

Beianqi is not a defensive character, which does not align with Su Ming's understanding of equipment setups.

Zijin is useless to this; she cannot withstand light-based healing magic, and wearing it would reduce her health. Su Ming is also not very interested. Currently, he cannot use spells other than dark magic and must use functional items to make up for his deficiency. The continuous effect of "Zuyi's Blessing" will interfere with the use of other items.

However, keeping this set of equipment as a backup provides more options.

"Beianqi desperately needs this." Zijin hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Her mentor is Holder, and Holder is involved in human alchemy."

Su Ming didn't realize it at first. Holder was the titled alchemist who participated in the birth of Zijin and the separation of her bloodline, and he had died in an accident a year ago.

But he quickly understood what Zijin was trying to say, "So, Beianqi, human alchemy?"

He wondered, considering the girl wouldn't let anyone see her back. "What kind of implant did she have in her back?"

"A powerful alchemical connector structure, capable of free deformation, achieving Magic Power synchronization and direct mind control," Zijin said. "Theoretically, it could allow her to combine with a puppet in combat, achieving a qualitative leap in mobility and reaction speed. But Holder didn't complete it before his death."

Su Ming instantly and unconsciously imagined how this system would work. After all, there were too many games on Earth with this theme—the combination of human and machine. Especially the otherworldly magic crystals, which far surpassed Earth devices of the same size and weight in terms of energy freedom and efficiency, combined with Earth's weaponry technology.

He pulled his wandering thoughts back. "So, the problem lies with this unfinished product?"

Zijin nodded in confirmation, "Having been severely injured twice by Yexiya, Beianqi's alchemical body is showing signs of going out of control, and this is gradually worsening. ' Zuyi's Blessing ' can help offset the physical damage and maintain the current state."

So, were Zijin checking things when she barged into the bathroom and the ward?

Even earlier, on the Molten Iron Mountain Range, the phrase "smelling a mysterious scent on her" was actually literal.

Su Ming gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Zijin looked at Su Ming's actions strangely, "What are you laughing at?"

"Did I laugh?" Su Ming shook his head, suppressing a smile. "Anyway," he steered the conversation back on track, "Is Beianqi here to find an expert in alchemy to solve a problem?"

"In the letter I gave her, I mentioned some of my ideas about this unfinished product," Zijin said, "But the required technical difficulty is too high, and it's uncertain whether the dwarves still have enough master -Master Rank figures."

"I see. I hope it goes well for her."

Zijin took out several high-end crystal items and tossed them around. "These were also seized from Yexiya. I plan to modify them into Burning Star for you to use."

The Burning Star series consists of one-time consumable items that can significantly increase the user's spell power for a short period of time.

Su Ming understood Zijin's intention after a moment's thought. Although his tactical skills were improving, and his Spell Penetration ability would play a greater role as his methods became more diverse, his spell power was still insufficient when facing superior enemies.

This incident should be blamed more on a teammate who was too prone to causing trouble, rather than on Su Ming himself. But when faced with a situation like this, corpses have no rights.