Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

As the White Triangle sailed north, the number of sea ice floes on the surface increased until icebergs appeared that needed to be avoided. Fortunately, sonar and radar provided early warning, so Hansite didn't need to run to look out, otherwise he would have suffered a lot.

Gradually, icicles appeared on the railings, and the deck was completely covered in white. Su Ming and Zijin, even in their winter clothes, felt extremely cold and had to turn on the heating in the work shed.

Now Qiluo spends all her time here. Fortunately, she is generally quiet, and most of the time she just doodles on a drawing board, and she is happy to help out when she can.

This is thanks to Hansite's constant enticement with delicious food; aside from being oily, his cooking was pretty much delicious.

Su Ming had occasionally seen some of the unicorn's drawings and found them to be quite beautiful.

Six days after leaving the Flounder, the group arrived near the coast of the Giant Horn Peninsula in the Northern Continent. The shore was covered with white ice and snow, and the shallow sea area was completely frozen.

Su Ming did not allow the White Triangle to dock, but instead moored it nearby. He then had Younier lead the zombies to dismantle the White Triangle's propulsion boiler, breaking it down into parts and carrying them onto Shenban's work area.

"Why dismantle the ship?" Qiluo asked, puzzled. Even Hansite felt heartbroken seeing it. Dismantling it like this would cause the strongest warship in the area to lose its power. Only the earliest Corliss steam engine would still be working, providing electricity.

"We'll just have to rob Peter to pay Paul," Su Ming said helplessly.

The main body of the steam boiler on the White Triangle is indeed made of heat-resistant steel plates, which consumed its already limited alloy elements.

He originally planned to use a carbon-based boiler for the steam locomotive, but Kong Ruifeng's mistake in choosing the right materials ruined his plans.

Su Ming made his choice immediately: dismantle the existing propulsion boiler to obtain the raw materials. The order he gave to Kong Ruifeng was actually planned to be reinstalled on the ship two months later.

Because the boiler was custom-made, Su Ming was able to overcome the limitations of alloy materials, thus achieving an unprecedented power output. The two boilers from the Youth Civilization will then be dismantled and used as auxiliary systems to form a complete system.

While these adjustments have not yet affected the plan to go to the Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison, they have actually brought risks and hidden dangers to the future.

Reassembling the steam engine for the White Triangle would take time. If they were pursued on their way back, it would be very troublesome.

On Earth, Miao Xin arrived at an open space where two fresh, huge mounds of earth stood.

A few days ago, Su Ming finally accepted the boiler delivered by Kong Ruifeng and arranged for it to be unloaded here. Miao Xin hired an excavator.

They dug two holes and buried it directly.

Kong Ruifeng was deeply shocked, but he didn't say a word more than necessary.

Su Ming controlled the Little Spiky Head, inserting its hand into the soil and touching the main body of the boiler, then unleashed the Summoning of All Things.

This time, the will of the plane did not react.

Su Ming had a hunch that what alerted the plane was probably not the equipment itself. Or rather, the plane's will itself hadn't actually recognized just how terrifying these inanimate objects were.

What he has been resisting may be something else entirely.

****

The new boiler was built entirely according to the configuration of the Qianjin Class locomotive. After installation and fixation, it was started up smoothly in a short time, spewing out large amounts of steam.

After all, it's a brand new device that has been fully tested and debugged, so its reliability is excellent!

Su Ming and Zijin's work thus entered its second phase: radical modification!

A literal, radical alteration.

"Replace the piston material." Su Ming checked the work list, yawned, and felt exhausted from days of work.

"This alchemical material has better sealing properties, but its main purpose is to enhance magic conductivity," Zijin explained. "I embedded a magic crystal in the center of the piston to maintain a constant Grease lubrication with grease."

This modification eliminates the need for continuous lubrication of the cylinder and removes the need for an oil press system. Furthermore, since the Grease is not actual oil and does not contaminate the steam, it avoids bringing oil into the boiler water tank during the recovery process, making it a win-win situation.

Unfortunately, the cost of Grease is relatively high, making it unsuitable for widespread adoption; otherwise, locomotive axle oil wouldn't be needed.

Just as Su Ming was about to proceed with the next step of preheating the boiler water, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his waist and was almost knocked over.

"Su Ming, I smell it! There are king crabs in the sea!" Qiluo exclaimed excitedly. "They're so delicious!"

"Go catch them yourself in the sea," Su Ming replied irritably. "In this regard, all of us combined don't even amount to a tenth of what you do."

"But the water is so deep!" Qiluo tugged at his clothes, jumping up and down, shouting, "Hurry up and think of something, I want to eat!"

Zijin closed the folder in her hand and suggested, "Why don't we take a break?"

Su Ming rubbed his forehead; he'd been feeling mentally and physically exhausted lately. With the boiler's power increased, the entire power system needed to be re-verified and any problematic parts modified, requiring constant communication with the design studio.

At the same time, he also needs to execute additional parts orders to machine shops and rewrite outsourced machining control programs; material delivery is only the least demanding task.

Unfortunately, time was limited.

He wanted to refuse the unicorn's request, but Zijin had already snatched the documents from his hand.

"Alright," Su Ming said helplessly.

The two put on their coats and stepped out of the work shed; the cold air immediately filled their lungs.

"Hoo!" Su Ming took a deep breath, facing the deep blue sea and the white icebergs in the distance, which cleared his dizzy head considerably. "I'll make a crab trap, and you guys get some sea fish as bait?"

Qiluo shook her head frantically, "No, the seawater is so cold!"

"How many fish do you want?" Zijin asked him.

"A few are enough if they're large."

Zijin nodded, then turned to Qiluo, "Little unicorn, transform back to your true form and lie down."

"What?" Qiluo asked, puzzled.

If you want to eat crabs, then behave yourself.

"Hmph!" Qiluo stubbornly turned her head, transformed into a unicorn, and lay down forcefully.

Zijin couldn't help but laugh. She lay down, using the unicorn as a pillow, snuggling into its mane, and closed her eyes.

The foredeck opened, and a white skeletal dragon burst out from the lower deck before plunging headfirst into the sea.

Su Ming had just gathered the bone materials for making crab traps when he said, "[Zijin, why don't you just catch some crabs?]"

[I can only dive to 200 meters, how deep do king crabs go?]

[Below 500 meters.]

Su Ming had no choice but to continue. He used bones to assemble a large cage and installed an easy-to-enter, difficult-to-exit entrapment. The bone dragon quickly caught five or six large fish and brought them back, dropping them beside him, where they bounced vigorously on the deck.

Su Ming kicked one of the salmon to Hansite, who quickly picked it up with his hand, gave a nod of acceptance, and headed to the kitchen.

Su Ming cut the remaining zombies into small pieces and stuffed them into the bait container placed inside the crab trap. The rope used to launch the balloons was still there. Su Ming filled the trap with bait, threw it into the water, and sank it all the way to the bottom of the sea.

"Alright, we'll get it up again tonight." Su Ming patted the unicorn's head.

"You go in, I'll keep watch," the unicorn said, gazing longingly at the sea.

The outside temperature was minus ten degrees Celsius, and Su Ming was only wearing ordinary winter clothes. After he and Zijin went inside, the girl quickly sat down around the radiator.

Su Ming poured a glass of hot milk and handed it to her.

"Are you so afraid of the cold?" Su Ming asked, seeing that Zijin was even shivering.

"Dragons hate winter, and they hate the north even more." The girl's voice trembled. "There's absolutely no way those dragons could possibly catch up to us in a place like this."

"Just wondering, do you have some kind of Plateau Bearfolk among your enemies?" Su Ming joked.

Zijin snorted.

[But you're human now, why are you still so afraid of the cold?] Su Ming asked Mind Synchronization.

"Low body fat, that's to be expected!" The scholar's physiological knowledge was well-deserved. "I've been so busy lately, I haven't been able to gain any fat."

The two glanced at the unicorn in the cold wind outside the window. Although it was almost as big as a crab-shaped rock, she was indeed stunned by its appearance outside.

No wonder she's been eating so much lately; she's definitely a seasoned traveler with plenty of experience! Su Ming thought to himself.

And they misunderstood Hansite!

The White Triangle had only been traveling from the equator to here for about ten days, and the two of them hadn't had time to adjust. Su Ming went over and spoke to Hansite, telling him to feel free to adjust his diet further.

When he returned, Zijin was leaning back in a recliner, her eyes half-closed. She wasn't the only one who was exhausted; the scholars had also worked very hard during this time.

Thinking that lunch was coming soon, and that her nap was a bit half-hearted, Su Ming poked her arm.

"How did you spend the winter when you were a dragon?" he asked.

"What else can I do but sleep, sleep as much as I can," Zijin replied, rubbing her eyes. "When I was a dragon, I was naturally a heavy sleeper, needing to sleep more than twelve hours a day. In winter, I could sleep through four and a half out of five months. It only got better after I moved to a warmer place."

"So, do you sleep in a human form, or...?"

"Of course, I sleep in the form of a dragon. When I was in the mining area, I slept in abandoned mine pits. Later, I was taken in by my mentor, Gilbert, who dug a large cellar for me in his home, where I hid to sleep."

"Your advisor is quite wealthy."

Realizing Su Ming was deliberately trying to keep her from sleeping, Zijin had no choice but to sit up. "He's quite wealthy," she recalled, "But I have a huge appetite, so he was still a heavy burden. Later, my mentor simply moved me to the seaside, where there were tons of fish, shellfish, and seaweed. At first, we had to buy them from the fishermen, but after I got the hang of it, I would go out to sea to find food myself, and one meal would last me two or three days."

No wonder Zijin was so skilled at catching fish earlier, only picking the tacky ones. Even Qiluo, a fish-eating expert, was amazed. "You've really got it done."

"By the way, what's your favorite color?" Su Ming asked again.

"Purple." Zijin looked up, her eyes crinkling. "What do you want to give me?"

"What else could you possibly need in this freezing, snowy place besides warm clothing?" Su Ming replied.

****

In the afternoon, Su Ming couldn't resist the unicorn's demands and began raising the crab cage.

The moment the cage was lifted out of the water, Su Ming saw that there were more than thirty king crabs inside.

Qiluo cheered, "I knew we'd caught them! I could hear them squealing in the cage!"

Hansite grinned from ear to ear; this was an extremely rare delicacy, and he never imagined he would have a day to enjoy it so heartily. The old man and Younier put on leather gloves and began to divide it up, throwing the smaller ones back into the sea, while keeping the dozen or so larger ones, which weighed four or five kilograms each.

Younier accidentally got pinched and jumped up with a scream. Hansite calmly broke off the crab claw for her.

Qiluo had some reservations about the two releasing some of the unicorns, but Su Ming let the unicorns go back into the cage and catch them again, and she happily went to refill the bait.

Dinner was almost entirely a crab feast. Fresh ingredients don't require complicated cooking; the crab legs were steamed after being split open, and the bodies were cut into pieces and stewed. Even Zijin, who doesn't usually like crabs, didn't complain this time, since king crabs are so big and peeling them isn't troublesome.

****

The next day, Su Ming noticed that Hansite was constantly observing the coastline with binoculars and asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"

"Let's find a berth," Hansite replied. "There's no dock here; we'll have to find something similar."

"No need, we're not exactly a respectable ship anyway," Su Ming said. "Just find a stretch of ice that's thick enough and has a gentle slope."

"Okay, Mr. Su."

"It would be best to get inside." Su Ming pointed to the tidal channels on the mudflats where the peas swam. "If there's a suitable place, hiding there would be ideal."

Hansite accepted the order and prepared to go ashore for reconnaissance. Unicorn, tired of seeing modified steam locomotives, gladly followed.

"When did they become so close?" Su Ming watched as the unicorn carried Hansite towards the shore.

"A fierce mutual appreciation among foodies?" Zijin said.

"Possible."

Sure enough, by evening, the two had not only found a suitable bay, but also carried back a large bag of lampreys.

I really don't know how they caught it in this freezing weather.

****

The unicorn was incredibly diligent when it came to food; the next day, she began harvesting the fruits and vegetables grown in the greenhouse.

She froze some of it outdoors as provisions for her upcoming journey; she pickled some of it.

Hansite and Younier were also called to help. Miss Beast could barely accept the skeleton servants, which could be boiled in hot water to sterilize them, but the zombies were absolutely forbidden from touching the food.

Su Ming was asked to make a large pickling jar. After the three of them stacked the vegetables layer by layer, they found a statue in the warehouse and prepared to place it on top.

Because it was too dirty, Qiluo, as usual, threw it into a large pot and boiled it in hot water. At the same time, she and Younier used a large brush to scrub it, and soon the pure white interior was revealed. The gold patterns inlaid on the statue were exquisite and delicate, with a gorgeous beauty that was pleasing to the eye.

As the area being cleaned expanded, revealing the statue's holy and solemn face, Qiluo and Younier both took a step back.

"Oh my god!" Younier covered her mouth. "So beautiful!"

The commotion attracted other people, and Su Ming walked over to take a look, finding the image familiar. He thought back carefully and realized he seemed to have seen it on the cover of a temple textbook by Zijin.

He ordered his servant to fetch the book, and sure enough, the cover depicted a magnificent and solemn church, with sunlight streaming through the towering, seven-colored skylight, illuminating the grand murals; a sacred statue of the Father floated beneath the dome, looking down upon all living beings; holy water, representing grace and love, flowed from the corners of his eyes, trickling into the pool below, creating ripples of white mist.