Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Holman was genuinely taken aback.

Lao Liao actually took the initiative to give him money!

Lao Liao, whose real name was Liao Xingping, lived in the slums too. However, thanks to his exceptional mechanical skills, his financial situation was probably better than 90% of the people in the slums. Yet, even so, Lao Liao was notoriously stingy in business dealings—a trait not so much a flaw, as it was a common affliction among the poor. But the fact that he willingly gave money already proved his high satisfaction with Bai Sha as his apprentice.

And to think, a senior mechanic...

In the vast population of the Interstellar Federation, only tens of thousands bore the title of senior mechanic. Unlike junior or intermediate certificates, which could be handed out more freely, the senior mechanic certification required official examination and approval by federal agencies, and only the "main stars" of each administrative region had the authority to grant it. Blanslo Star, a minor planet, lacked such authority. To acquire the title, one must travel by spaceship to the nearest "main star," Loden Star, for the examination.

If Bai Sha truly attained the senior mechanic qualification, escaping poverty would be just the beginning. She might even be employed by major corporations or government departments, propelling her into the middle class.

"Seems this kid really has extraordinary talent," Holman said with a whistle. "You're that confident in her?"

Lao Liao frowned and looked up, "Didn’t you already claim she was a genius when you brought her to me?"

Holman was momentarily speechless, coughing twice before going in to find Bai Sha. She was sitting in a swivel chair, with an open dark green toolbox beside her. Wearing gloves, Bai Sha occasionally picked out tools to inquire about their specific uses from the little robot in front of her. The robot's green light blinked as if it was blinking its eyes, answering Bai Sha's questions in a meticulous manner, making the scene resemble a kind of teaching environment.

Holman was quite impressed with Bai Sha; not fully recognizing repair tools and yet still receiving such high praise from Lao Liao!

"Hey, it's time to head home," Holman approached and ruffled Bai Sha's hair, handing her the sandwich he had bought earlier. "Lao Liao agreed to take you as his apprentice. He has high hopes for you."

Bai Sha nodded, accepting the sandwich and noticing it was still warm. She opened the wrapping, and a familiar tomato scent instantly filled her nostrils. "Lao Liao wants me to come learn from him every Wednesday and Friday. You're in charge of picking me up and dropping me off."

Holman laughed heartily, visibly pleased, "Alright."

"Lao Liao asked me to take you to buy a cyber-brain. Probably for research and submitting assignments. If you need to model inside the cyber-brain, it will cost extra for two more components," Holman explained. "We won't make it today... Let's do it early tomorrow. Hahaha, are you going to be so excited tonight that you can't sleep?"

When you promise a child a new toy for tomorrow, they often can't sleep due to excessive excitement. Everyone has been through this stage of life.

"Yes," Bai Sha's deep blue eyes seemed to ignite with two flames, just as Holman had predicted. "Cyber-brain mechanical modeling is even more fascinating than I imagined."

No wonder people say technological advancement signifies the progress of production tools.

The world of mechanical modeling had completely overturned Bai Sha's understanding—yet, it didn't mean she was 'useless.' Rather, it meant she could create even more possibilities in this new world!

The next day, Holman took Bai Sha to the commercial district to buy a cyber-brain.

Under Bai Sha's starry-eyed assault, Holman gritted his teeth and spent all of his budget, even dipping into his own pocket to get Bai Sha a top-tier cyber-brain.

The salesperson smiled at Holman like a blooming flower: "Not many people here buy this model of cyber-brain. You really spoil your daughter."

Holman: "..."

Bai Sha: "..."

Holman, fighting the shock of suddenly becoming a 'dad,' helped Bai Sha set up the cyber-brain, but struggled for several minutes at the step of creating a personal account, unable to proceed.

Bai Sha hesitantly said, "Is the internet connection of this cyber-brain poor?" It can't be, it's so expensive!

Holman stood still and hissed, then suddenly slapped his forehead, "Ah, I forgot to register you for a household account after picking you up."

In other words, Bai Sha was completely unregistered—a black market citizen! Of course, she couldn't register on the star network with the cyber-brain!

Bai Sha: "Then just register me for a household account."

Holman faced the situation like a looming battle: "Most children from the orphanage have birth records, so they don't have to pay for registration. But in your case, getting a household registration will cost two thousand star coins."

Holman looked down, gazing seriously at Bai Sha, and gripping her shoulders, he said word by word:

"We're out of money."

Bai Sha: "..."

Eventually, Holman had to call Lao Liao to borrow two thousand star coins, taking Bai Sha to get registered. Being from the orphanage, Holman was familiar with the process, and the government officials didn’t make it too difficult for them. After paying, Bai Sha was swiftly registered. Finally, Bai Sha bound the cyber-brain with her newly acquired identity code, while Holman, after a scolding from Lao Liao, found himself in debt of two thousand star coins. Holman now faced a massive debt of about five thousand star coins, to be repaid slowly through his future garbage collection.

As they stepped out of the registration hall, Bai Sha followed Holman, watching as he slowly reached for a cigarette at his waist and lit it, seeming to age considerably in the moment.

"No matter how tough life gets, the children shouldn't have to suffer," Holman exhaled a ring of smoke, as if hypnotizing himself, "And no matter how poor, education shouldn’t be compromised..."

Then, Holman painfully closed his eyes and gently pounded the wall, muttering with each thud. Bai Sha moved closer and heard him repeating, "Five thousand star coins, five thousand star coins."

Bai Sha: "..."

She felt it was better not to disturb him with any sound at this moment.

……

Bai Sha’s life became unprecedentedly enriched.

Every day she attended classes, helped in the kitchen, studied martial arts with Jing Yi and Ya Ning, went to Lao Liao's repair shop on Wednesdays and Fridays for learning and practice, and devoted her remaining time to self-study. She found numerous books of interest and even practical teaching videos on the star network.

Bai Sha's goal was to qualify as a senior mechanic. In reality, to pass the assessment for a senior mechanic with confidence, one needed to master the industry's top mechanical design skills, and such talent would not go unnoticed. This means that many mechanics achieve significant accomplishments in certain areas before being officially recognized as "senior."

What Lao Liao could teach Bai Sha now included power theory, material properties, manufacturing processes, and design principles, all foundational to the discipline. Bai Sha still needed to decide what she would specialize in for her future studies.

Since Bai Sha was still young, she had the luxury of time to slowly choose her field of interest. However, eventually, she had to embark on a specialized professional path, or else she would end up running a repair shop or being a repair worker who scrapes by on recycling trash (these were Lao Liao's exact words).

Bai Sha limited herself to only five hours of sleep each day, dedicating the rest to relentless study. The good news was, although her body and mind were undergoing intense training, she didn’t faint from physical exhaustion anymore. Perhaps the two nutrient supplements she took had nearly restored her.

This emboldened Bai Sha even further. She multitasked, washing dishes in the kitchen while listening to her cyber-brain read books to her.

Ya Ning and Jing Yi were the first to become concerned. They felt Bai Sha might overdo it and become obsessed, so they tried various ways to divert her attention, but none succeeded.

Eventually, they had to resort to a more indirect approach.

One day, Ya Ning stopped Bai Sha with a familiar, pitiful expression, like a little puppy: “Dear, you’re the only one in the orphanage with free access to a cyber-brain. Could you lend it to me and Jing Yi? We want to gather information about military schools—the more, the better!”

Bai Sha was momentarily stunned, then felt a twinge of guilt. Her closest friends were also planning their futures, yet she, holding such advanced technology, hadn’t thought of helping them.

Without hesitation, Bai Sha agreed: “Sure, come to my room after dinner.”

After dinner, Ya Ning and Jing Yi arrived as expected. Bai Sha, sitting on her bed, gestured them over friendly and then activated the projection mode of the cyber-brain, splitting the screen in half, with one part facing them.

“The cyber-brain has a split-screen mode. Feel free to browse the star network as long as you want. I can work on my modeling on this side.”

Ya Ning and Jing Yi instantly broke into a sweat.

This wasn’t working! Weren't they here to distract Bai Sha?

Jing Yi shot a look at Ya Ning, who cleared his throat and said, “Hey, why don’t you stop your modeling for a bit and join us in looking at the military schools' admission requirements? The forums of different schools even have videos of previous years' military academy battles—really exciting stuff!”

“We can learn a lot of combat techniques,” Jing Yi quickly added, “The fighting styles and strategic focuses of command differ from one military school to another.”

Unfortunately, Bai Sha had no interest in military schools, combat, or command.

“And mechs!” Ya Ning suddenly spoke up, as if remembering something important, “Apart from defense propaganda, only military school forums have so many types of combat mechs to see!”

Bai Sha's hand, poised to open the modeling interface, paused.

Seizing the moment, Ya Ning swiftly typed in keywords on the light screen, then pushed the videos he found right in front of Bai Sha.

“Look, mechs!”

The video Ya Ning showed Bai Sha was from the Central Military Academy's freshman induction ceremony, featuring a showcase of mechs. The ceremony didn’t involve intense combat performances, as mechs, being strategic weapons, were displayed by the academy, highlighting their sleek, impressive, and legendary designs.

Bai Sha had heard of the Central Military Academy.

There were many military academies in the Interstellar Federation, with about nine well-known ones, each with its own comprehensive strength ranking. However, the Central Military Academy and the Saint Cyril Military Academy were neck and neck for the first and second positions, far outstripping the rest.

Ya Ning and Jing Yi often vacillated between the Central Military Academy and Saint Cyril Military Academy, much like students in Huaxia agonized over whether to attend Tsinghua or Peking University.

Bai Sha wasn’t particularly interested in military academies before... but now, her gaze was glued to the screen, captivated by the metallic sheen and imposing presence of the mechs—

She found herself completely engrossed.