The problem is, as the senior brother of the Mechanical Sect’s Mechanical Technology Department, how can he fulfill such a burdensome task with those eyes?
"Senior Brother Cui, you’re too kind!" Zhao Ya suppressed his doubts and replied with a smile.
"Haha, that kid Liang Xin’an is quite lucky this time to have made a good friend."
As he spoke, Cui Guangyue raised his hand and gestured, speaking softly.
"You two also come over!"
Upon hearing this, Gui Xuanqing and Jin Fu hurried over.
This time, instead of stretching out his neck to look, Cui Guangyue reached out and touched their faces.
Despite Cui Guangyue’s unkempt and ragged appearance, his hands were fair and delicate.
Moments later, Cui Guangyue nodded appreciatively.
"Not bad, both are promising talents."
Upon hearing this, Liang Xin’an couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. He approached with a grin and said, "So, Senior Brother, does this mean I...?"
"Enough, this counts as making up for your past mistakes. If you dare to leave the mountain privately again, beware of the family law."
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
"Go and let them rest first!"
Liang Xin’an accepted the order and led Zhao Ya and the other two out of the workshop.
Upon reaching the guest room, Liang Xin’an invited them to settle in while serving them tea and water.
The Mechanical Sect is different from other sects; there are no servants dedicated to attending to others’ needs here.
Every disciple must take care of themselves.
Only a senior brother like Cui Guangyue, who faces mobility challenges, has disciples to assist him with daily living, but that’s the extent of it.
So even as a guest, Zhao Ya had to handle many things himself.
Once they were finally settled, Gui Xuanqing couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked softly.
"Master, our senior brother, he..."
"Don’t call me master. There are no master-disciple relationships in the Mechanical Sect, only senior and junior brothers. When I said I was taking you as a disciple, it was for the sect. So address me as senior brother in the future, understood?" Liang Xin’an replied seriously.
"Yes, Senior Brother!" Gui Xuanqing hurriedly responded.
"I know what you want to ask about, but there’s no taboo to it. Everyone is equal in the Mechanical Sect, and there aren’t many rules. As long as you achieve something in mechanical research that others haven’t, you are the best there is," Liang Xin’an explained and then continued.
"As you have seen, Senior Brother Cui has poor eyesight, but there’s a reason for it."
"Originally, Senior Brother Cui was just a bit nearsighted, recognizing neither people nor animals beyond five meters, hence the thick glasses."
"But in recent years, his vision has inexplicably started to deviate. Even if you’re standing right in front of him, he thinks you’re in a different spot."
"But I saw Senior Brother Cui assembling parts just now!" Gui Xuanqing couldn’t help but ask.
"That’s why I say his condition is strange—his vision is off with people, but spot-on with machinery."
"He adjusts the archery path of the Mechanical Crossbow even more precisely than I do," Liang Xin’an remarked.
Everyone felt somewhat baffled by this.
Is there really such a peculiar condition in the world?
Bad with people, precise with small objects?
"Remember this: although Senior Brother Cui has a bad temper and tends to curse, sometimes even hitting you out of anger, he’s a genuinely good person, especially in mechanical manufacturing. No one in the Mechanical Sect can surpass him."
"For the time being, you both need to attend to him consistently—not only to care for his daily needs but also to build rapport."
"Once he recognizes you, he will teach everything he knows, and you will be in for good fortune."
"Yes!" Gui Xuanqing and Jin Fu both nodded in agreement.
After that, Liang Xin’an turned to Zhao Ya and said, "I’ll go inform people from the Celestial Craft Department and the Thunder and Fire Department to first study your firearm."
"Alright!"
Zhao Ya naturally didn’t object.
His visit to the Mechanical Sect was firstly to see the miraculous creations stored here, and secondly, to craft suitable bullets for his firearm.
Although Zhao Ya’s current prowess means few can match him even without firearms,
nobody complains about having more good things.
If he could enhance this firearm, wouldn’t it become another formidable weapon?
If he doesn’t use it, he could give it to Zui’Er for self-defense.
Before evening, Liang Xin’an came to inform Zhao Ya to visit the workshop.
Gui Xuanqing and Jin Fu naturally went along to broaden their experience.
When Zhao Ya and his group arrived at the workshop, there was already a large assembly of people gathered there.
Among them, of course, was Cui Guangyue, and two others left a deep impression on Zhao Ya.
One was roughly fifty years old, lean and energetic, with bright eyes, a goatee under his chin, appearing very shrewd and capable.
The other was freshly shaved bald, his shiny scalp reflecting the workshop’s lights, making it almost blinding.
Importantly, this person had not only shaved his head but also his eyebrows, beard, and everything else until it was all pristine.
Yet, despite this, traces of soot and burns were still visible on his face.
There’s no need to ask; he must be the senior brother of the Thunder and Fire Department.
As for the lean man, he should be the senior brother of the Celestial Craft Department.
While Zhao Ya evaluated them, they were also evaluating Zhao Ya.
Meanwhile, whispers began to spread.
"Is this Zhao Ya from the Azure Dragon Temple? So young?"
"Indeed, heroes emerge at a young age, impressive, impressive!"
"I heard he has a miraculous creation; what exactly is it?"
Zhao Ya understood that for these tech-savvy individuals, pleasantries were unnecessary.
They gathered to see the miraculous creation in Zhao Ya’s possession.
Thus, without suspense, he nodded to Cui Guangyue and the two senior brothers before presenting the firearm.
"A firearm? A hand cannon?"
At the sight of it, the Thunder and Fire Department’s senior brother Jing Rou instantly became interested and nearly snatched it for himself to examine it closely.
"Truly a miraculous creation—just the streamlined body and intricate components indicate it’s no mundane artifact," Jing Rou murmured to himself, eyes gleaming as he examined it over and over.
The others watched alongside, then the Celestial Craft Department’s senior brother Huang Liang furrowed his eyebrows.
"Junior Brother Jing, how does this miraculous creation differ from the ones in our sect’s collection?"
"There’s a substantial difference. Though our sect has similar miraculous creations resembling firearms, none are as exquisite as this,"
Jing Rou gently opened the bullet loading port, eyes shining.
"Everyone, please look. Though the barrel can’t be detached, one can glimpse a bit of the mystery here."
Everyone craned their necks for a look and through peripheral vision, they noticed that the inner layer of the barrel seemed to have some ornate engravings.
"Is it rifling?" Huang Liang inquired.
Despite being the senior brother of the Celestial Craft Department with a focus on construction, he was somewhat versed in the knowledge of the Thunder and Fire Department.
The reason is simple.
In quarrying or excavating foundations on rock, gunpowder is both cheap and effective.
A single pack of explosives can save a lot of labor, so he researched the Thunder and Fire Department’s knowledge seriously.
"Of course, it’s not as simple as rifling. Even with our current Thunder and Fire techniques, hand cannons we make have rifling, but they only increase accuracy slightly. Their power can’t compare to miraculous creations, so I’ve always suspected that the power of miraculous creations originates from these unknown engravings."
Saying this, Jing Rou pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, which contained many strange patterns.
"These are the engravings I traced from miraculous creations. I’ve researched them for a long time but still haven’t found any insights."
He looked intently at Zhao Ya.
"I heard from Junior Brother Xin’an that you want to make some bullets suitable for this firearm?"
"Yes!"
"It’s useless. We’ve made countless attempts, but they never match the power of the original bullets."
Zhao Ya chuckled wryly, "No solution at all?"
"None. If there were, do you think we’d still need you? Our Thunder and Fire Department would have solved it already."
Zhao Ya pondered, "Can I see the miraculous creations your sect has collected?"