Master of Mechanical Engineering

Perhaps the sects that placed orders last time found the ice furnace useful and introduced it to others, or perhaps the hesitant customers were utterly defeated by the rising temperatures. Orders poured in from all over the place, and the organization suddenly became the busiest group in the entire valley.

"Senior Brother Li, my window is broken. Does anyone have time to come and take a look?"

The uneven ground, even riddled with mud pits, was piled high with unfinished furnaces. Some were missing two handles, others had holes in their bellies. Further inside were towering molds, several people tall, within which unfinished furnaces were being built. In another corner was a mountain of stacked wooden blocks of various sizes, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.

The junior apprentice who came for help was stunned as soon as he stepped into the courtyard. He went back and looked at the inscription on the wall with uncertainty. Yes, it was "Master of Mechanisms".

When he returned, two wood chips flew towards him and entered his mouth without warning, forcing him to retreat behind the wall and cough for a while.

"Is someone coming?" The woodpile shook a few times, and a man with a full beard emerged from it, his beard still covered with wood chips that he couldn't blow away.

A head popped out from outside the door and waved at him.

"Senior Brother Li, I..." The junior brother had just opened his mouth when a booklet was shoved into his hand, on which were written in large, flamboyant characters: Simplified Repair Guide.

Li Li stroked his beard as if he was thinking, and in the blink of an eye, his junior brother had another stack of paper books in his hand, just like the first one, all of which were "Simplified Repair Guide".

"You've come at the perfect time, saving us from running all over the valley to deliver orders." Li Li punched his junior brother's shoulder with his fingerless fist. "We've been getting a lot of orders lately, and we're short-handed, so we're working overtime every day. It's inevitable that repairs in the valley won't be on time. We discussed it in the middle of the night and each of us took a few pages and put together these. You can follow these instructions for now, and if you can't fix it, come back to us."

The weariness in his eyes made his already aging face look decades older. He then pointed to the wooden board hanging on the wall, "Or we can just write down the broken parts on it, and we'll fix them when we see them."

For some reason, watching Senior Brother Li walk towards the woodpile, I felt a sense of sorrow, as if it were a bit tragic.

.

A few days ago, I heard that the procrastination masters of the mechanical group, in order to facilitate the transportation of the ice furnace at present, and also to pave the way for the possible future heaters, ever-burning candles, etc., decided to mass-produce a group of improved mechanical sparrows.

But isn't this construction start too fast?

The junior apprentice had a stack of books in front of him and could only barely see the road with his feet. He prayed for a long time that he wouldn't bump into anyone, but perhaps the books in his hands were too full of resentment, and what he feared came to pass.

"Ouch, sorry, I can't see the road. Are you alright?" Despite being bumped, he held his hand firmly. He staggered back a few steps, but the solid wall of books in front of him remained standing.

Good news, they didn't say anything was wrong.

Bad news: the other side didn't say a word.

Seeing that he was about to become the first murderer in the valley to kill his fellow disciple, the junior brother couldn't care less about the books in his hands and casually let them fall to the ground.

He let go, but the book didn't budge; he was sweating profusely.

But as soon as he moved a step to the left, the wall of books moved a step with him. He took half a step back, and the wall of books suddenly pressed against him, directly in his face.

Could he have encountered a legendary artifact spirit?

"Spirit Master, the people who are crying and begging you all day are the senior brothers and sisters from the mechanical group. You and I, a shepherd, have nothing in common. Why don't you stop me? The sheep on the back mountain are waiting for me to take them for a walk!"

How heartbreaking, how miserable, what a good kid. Meng Yan silently hugged his book and stepped aside to make way for him.

The junior brother took two quick steps and then stopped back: "Senior Sister Yan, it's you?"

Meng Yan raised the book in his hand, indicating that he couldn't "speak".

"So, you just came back from choosing a storage location outside the valley?"

The junior brother was invited to climb onto the mechanical kite that Meng Yan had improved again. It was more than twice the size of the one he had first seen, and now it could carry two people and a bunch of miscellaneous things safely without any problem.

Meng Yan nodded and pointed to the side railing to remind him to sit firmly and hold on.

"Since this thing is so convenient, why are you still making small mechanical birds? Why not just make a few big, big birds and take turns flying them?"

The inexperienced junior apprentice quickly understood the reason.

It was a strange experience where everything except sensation seemed to have left him. Dizziness and weakness in his limbs were not enough to describe it. It wasn't until he had been lying on the ground for a while that he tentatively checked his breathing to see if he had any breath left.

Meng Yan sighed, helped him up and sat him against the wall, and used the time he spent sensing the world to casually fix the window.

"The mechanical kites are getting more and more complicated. Everyone is also busy making ice furnaces. We can't gather the manpower and materials to make another one in a short time. Even if we have a mountain full of mechanical kites, we still need someone to fly them to deliver goods."

The junior brother, who had just caught his breath, almost died again after hearing those words.

"Later we discussed and improved the mechanical sparrow, and now this little guy can carry heavy objects."

Furthermore, the "Master Strategists" had also proposed new arrangements for the future of boundless hope. Those who could travel far would be carried out of the valley by Meng Yan and settled in small storage points whose locations had already been confirmed. Those who remained in the valley would be responsible for manufacturing the finished products, while those temporarily residing outside the valley would be responsible for receiving deliveries from the mechanical sparrows and then delivering them to the guests' homes as conveniently as possible.

"Actually, I quite enjoy taking everyone out in the mechanical kite," Meng Yan said, her eyes sparkling with joy and enthusiasm. "But everyone may be used to staying in the valley, or they may not really like this kind of short separation. They don't seem very happy sitting in the mechanical kite."

The junior brother struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall, his face as pale as the clouds in the sky, each step he took seemingly floating. Even without any communication, he had completely understood the unhappiness Meng Yan had mentioned, and realized how great it was that the improved mechanical sparrow had replaced manual transport.

Seeing that he was at least outwardly unharmed, Meng Yan took the books back to him, then flipped over and jumped into the mechanical kite. "I'm going back to work with everyone on the mechanical sparrow and the ice furnace. While it's still hot, the more we make, the more we earn. I'll leave the distribution of these 'Guidelines' to you."

The wind whipped up by the giant wooden bird taking off blew his junior brother back to the ground. The paper books were scattered all over the ground, rolled up and smashed. He lay expressionless in the pile of papers, thinking, "Today, the sheep on the back mountain will have to fend for themselves."

.

It was a rare rain, and the dryness of everything was washed away by the water. The moss that had climbed the steps at some point was now riddled with small holes by the raindrops falling from the eaves.

The wood was wet, and some of it even sprouted mushrooms. Everyone looked at the back wall of the courtyard, behind which was a wasteland of weeds that had not yet been cleared.

It's probably going to be deserted for much longer.

The temperature wasn't so scorching, so the making of the ice furnace wasn't so rushed. Seeing that the time, place, and people were all in harmony, Meng Yan took out a small piece of the mechanical kite and tossed it in front of everyone.

Now, the shrunken mechanical kite is no longer the same as before, a whole bumpy, hard-to-look-at-wood lump. The brothers and sisters each took turns hammering and chiseling, while the sisters carved decorative pieces and even a feather. The little guy looks much more like a bird now, although it is still somewhat indescribable after its transformation and enlargement.

Her gesture immediately made everyone understand that she wanted to take someone out for a drive again.

Everyone coughed or had headaches in a rather harmonious way, as if they had all fallen ill from the rain.

After all, when they heard that Meng Yan could carry people, they practically fought over it before they had ever ridden in this novelty. Even after they were actually seated and holding onto the wooden railing, they still couldn't hide their bright white teeth.

Then, under Meng Yan's piloting, they experienced an unprecedented tumultuous journey, which took place inside his stomach. Some cried and begged to be put down before they even flew out of the valley. Most of them didn't utter a single word from the moment they took off until they returned to the valley. Only one or two exceptional individuals were able to chat and laugh with Meng Yan after landing.

After going back and forth like this, he was practically on the verge of death, let alone thinking about visiting his neighbors or introducing him to government agencies.

Meng Yan sighed helplessly, tossing the little wooden bird aside as he prepared to find a place to take off.

As she passed by Chu Ming's house, the people inside greeted her with smiles and welcomed her in. She immediately put away her magic device and bent down to check her clothes.

The problem seems quite serious: the left cuff is frayed, the right sleeve has a hole, the waist has a ripped seam somewhere, and the skirt hem... is a dark grayish-black.

I should have known better than to go to the government compound; now I'm in real trouble.

The people inside, seeing her freeze in place after a series of movements, could guess without even thinking what a miserable state she must be in. They slowly walked out of the house and teased, "Sister Yan Yan, now you know how to panic, don't hide anymore, we've made you some new clothes."

Meng Yan was dragged into the house by her.

Meng Yan usually follows three principles when it comes to dressing: wear whichever clothes are dry, wear whatever is convenient, and wear whatever clothes can withstand her rolling from east to west.

Therefore, she preferred old clothes with rough fabrics and simple designs. Chu Ming made her many new dresses, but she really couldn't bear to wear them.

"This outfit suits you; I think you'll like it."

She took out a dark-colored garment from a black wooden box.

Meng Yan blinked twice, thinking to himself, "So there's something in that box."

Chu Ming shook out the clothes and pointed them out to her.

This dress is different from the usual exquisite long dresses. Overall, it lacks large floral embellishments and is no longer a unified piece from head to toe. Instead, it is disassembled. The top has subtle floral patterns on the chest, which are decorative without being obtrusive. The cuffs are clearly thoughtfully designed, with the cuffs gathered at the wrists and embroidered with two small sparrows. The bottom has been changed from a skirt to trousers, and one can imagine its future convenience at a glance.

This wasn't the end. Chu Ming then pointed to the ornaments on her legs and waist. Meng Yan followed her movements and noticed that there were pockets in those places. At first glance, they were completely unnoticeable, and who else but the owner would have thought of them?

Upon receiving the dream dress, Meng Yan noticed that the fabric had changed considerably compared to the past. Before she could examine it closely, Chu Ming explained it to her from the side.

“This piece of cloth was newly acquired a few months ago. The cloth merchant said it was more durable and sturdy. As soon as I saw its color, I knew you would need it.”

Meng Yan fiddled with his new clothes, speechless, but his eyes and lips betrayed his uncontainable joy.

Suddenly, she threw the clothes back into the box, picked Chu Ming up with a tug at her slightly puzzled look, and spun her around the table.