"Alright, alright, let’s drop it," Huang Jijian waved his hands repeatedly, his face looking as if he’d eaten a square-winged fly alive, with slime and jointed legs tumbling in his mouth.
What’s with this Huang guy? To think he’d get impatient after just a couple of compliments. Wasn’t he said to enjoy flattery?
Zhao Lei looked puzzled, vaguely feeling that the atmosphere was a bit eerie, as most people were casting covert glances at the young man sitting on the iron block.
Huh... why does he look so familiar?
After taking a good look, Zhao Lei’s expression suddenly became animated. He took a few quick steps toward Li Ming, while Ding Hui unobtrusively moved forward a step.
"You’re Li Ming?!" His face flushed, he looked around, threw the sawtooth knife aside, and fumbled hurriedly on his body, pulling out a somewhat outdated smart terminal and cautiously asked,
"Would it, uh, be possible to take a photo together? My son idolizes you."
"No problem," Li Ming nodded, and Zhao Lei immediately grinned, positioning himself beside Li Ming, then he raised the smart terminal but hesitated again. "And... my son’s name is Zhao Yi, could you record a message to encourage him?"
Feeling a bit awkward, Li Ming thought for a moment but didn’t refuse. He said a few words of encouragement.
Zhao Lei did not have any further unreasonable requests. After thanking him profusely, he turned back to Huang Jijian, full of emotion, "Big brother Huang, I’ve got to thank you too. Coming to you to craft weapons was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life."
"The weapons you made are not only perfect, but I also got to see Li Ming. My son will be so happy when I get back," he said.
Huang Jijian’s face darkened. For reasons unknown, each sentence that sounded like a compliment felt like a slap in the face, causing a burning sensation.
Ding Hui couldn’t help but laugh on the side.
Huang Jijian was about to speak, then stopped himself. In such a public setting, he didn’t want to tarnish Li Ming’s reputation, not that he could if he tried.
The students would spread the word soon enough, and Zhao Lei would eventually find out the truth.
Yet neither of the two men had any interest in explaining.
If he were to offer an explanation, that guy would surely start shouting and exclaiming in amazement.
Just imagining the scene made Huang Jijian feel his heart twitching, and he grew impatient. "Is there anything else? If not, please go."
Zhao Lei wasn’t upset. He expressed his thanks again and left the place.
After he left, the atmosphere here grew even more silent. Huang Jijian forced a smile, which then fell again, and then forced it back:
"Junior Brother Li, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean to steal your thunder. You saw how that guy was, if I tried to explain to him, he would’ve made a scene," he said.
"Old Huang, we all understand. No need to explain," said Ding Hui meaningfully, leaving Huang Jijian almost suffocating, only able to respond, "I’ll transfer the crafting fee to you later; don’t worry, I won’t keep a cent."
He appeared very open and honest.
"Thanks, Senior Brother." Li Ming wouldn’t refuse, as the money was rightfully his.
As for the fame and whatnot, such a reputation was pointless. D-grade weapons didn’t make much money.
Professor Xia interrupted, "Li Ming, have you rested enough? Come with me."
"Okay." Li Ming got up and followed Professor Xia out of the room.
After the two of them had left, Ding Hui sighed, "I didn’t expect Li Ming to advance so quickly; those materials worth tens of millions really weren’t bought in vain."
"Simultaneously studying the art of mechanical mastership and becoming a D-grade life form," Huang Jijian clenched his teeth in private, envy causing a sour taste in his stomach.
Ding Hui pondered for a moment, then advised, "Brother, Professor Wu’s offhand remark years ago, was it really worth holding onto for so long? Which professor, including Dean Chen, hasn’t been scolded by him? Why take it so seriously?"
In the distance, Cheng Tienan held a mechanical heavy hammer, with a head measuring a meter long, thick and solid, sharply pointed at the end. As he lifted it, a clicking sound came from inside, and the hammer’s surface glowed slightly, as if it harnessed the force of ten thousand juns.
Ding! Accompanied by a crisp metallic sound, the red-hot iron block on the alloy anvil was flattened into a pancake.
The sour noise pierced everyone’s eardrums, leaving Ding Hui dumbfounded; he could see Huang Jijian’s mouth moving but couldn’t hear his words.
Shaking his head, he looked at Cheng Tienan furiously, but before he could speak, he heard the other say, "Lies never hurt people; it’s the truth that strikes like a hammer."
After Cheng Tienan finished speaking, Huang Jijian’s face, which had just calmed down, reddened again. His arms trembling as if struggling to contain his emotions, he gave the two a cold glance and left with a snort.
Ah, ah..." Ding Hui felt helpless.
In Professor Xia’s office, the setting was even more retro, with brass gears and shaft-driven transmission structures visible everywhere.
Looking around, Li Ming couldn’t spot any trace of the mother ore.
Professor Xia asked him to sit down and then began, "Interstellar science is like a sky full of shining stars: mechas, firearms, cold weapons, and so on ..."
"A common person could spend their entire life without fully mastering even one of those minor branches. Tienan is right; only those with limited potential would choose such a path."
"Are you sure?" Professor Xia’s demeanor was unprecedentedly solemn, his gaze firmly fixed on Li Ming, as if the slightest hesitation would lead him to refuse.
"I’m sure." Li Ming nodded firmly.
"Good." Professor Xia smiled, and the dense atmosphere suddenly eased. "Large-scale technological weapons require many hands and various auxiliary equipment to make, so they’re not considered."
"For most mechanical engineers, the fastest way to fame and profit is as a mechanical master, taking on commissions to craft individual weapons."