Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Opportunities don't last." Ji Xia didn't want to waste any time. Using the Crimson Heart Gear, she urged the girl, who was both excited and nervous.

"Immortal, Wan'er is ready!" Gong Shuwan's heart pounded wildly.

In the team channel, Hong Lan typed hesitantly, "In our current state, we're like ghosts; we can't touch anything or be touched. How do we help her sneak in?"

Lao Liu also typed, "This gear seems to only work for Wan'er, not for Gong Shuhuai or other NPCs."

They had already tried. Whether by shouting or touching objects, they couldn't interfere with this "plot" from the past timeline.

"Our greatest advantage right now is exactly our 'state'," Qing Shu pushed up his glasses and said. "We can't intervene, but we can 'see'—it's like having a god's-eye view of the entire workshop's dynamics."

He quickly issued orders: "Everyone, go to the coordinates I give you and keep an eye on Gong Shuhuai, his apprentices, and any senior craftsmen who might approach the side room."

"Ah, we're like Wan'er's 'Heavenly Eye' system!" Bei Chen immediately understood. "Everyone reports their positions and movements in real-time, and Qing Shu will synthesize the information!"

At the guild leader's command, everyone quickly moved to their assigned coordinates, keeping watch on the key NPCs.

In the team channel, information flooded in:

"Sui Yu: Gong Shuhuai was called to the east side by two senior masters to look at the No. 3 puppet. They're in a heated discussion and won't be back for a while."

"A Mu: The eldest apprentice is taking inventory in the materials area, facing away from the side room."

"Hong Lan: The guards at the entrance are changing shifts. There's a fifteen-second gap!"

"Lao Liu: Two junior apprentices are heading this way. Be careful!"

"Bei Chen: They turned toward the tool room. Good opportunity!"

Qing Shu's mind functioned like a precision processor, rapidly synthesizing all the information. After filtering out the noise, he quickly deduced the NPCs' movement routes.

"Three craftsmen are moving northwest. They'll enter the blind spot in twenty seconds."

"Gong Shuhuai is tied up for at least three more minutes."

"Now! Ji Xia, tell her to pretend to go to the tool room first, then sneak through the shadows of the scrap wood pile and into the side room!"

Ji Xia immediately relayed Qing Shu's instructions to Gong Shuwan in the form of an "Oracle."

Without a moment's hesitation, Gong Shuwan's slight figure melted into the dim light.

As agile as a black cat, and under the protection of everyone's "Heavenly Eye," she successfully avoided all lines of sight and slipped into the side room.

As soon as she entered, she turned and pulled the door to but didn't latch it, leaning against it while catching her breath with a few quick pants. Then, she rushed to the wooden table piled high with blueprints.

She had no time to lose. She swiftly and precisely searched through the blueprints and scattered bamboo slips. Her small face was smudged black, but her eyes shone with a burning intensity. She muttered to herself:

"Transmission ratio... here! As I thought, Father and the others calculated too conservatively..."

"Main shaft parameters... so that's it. They left such a large safety margin, no wonder..."

"Ah! Power output frequency... I knew something was off! This resonance point won't work! It should be offset... offset..."

She grabbed a piece of charcoal used for calculations and began scribbling furiously, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

In the team channel, everyone held their breath, not daring to disturb her as they "watched."

Via the Crimson Heart Gear, they could even hear her rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing.

Bei Chen even slowed down his typing: "Looks promising."

Ji Xia watched Gong Shuwan, but through this distorted historical projection, she was actually observing the essence of the *Two Principles Painting Scroll*'s operation—

It presented "plots," required players to help complete them to digest this fragment of civilization, and thereby anchor reality.

Knowing all this, Ji Xia still chose to "aid and abet."

Because the *Two Principles Painting Scroll* had been live for too long. Even if she entered earlier in this life, it was still too late.

Countless anchor points already existed in reality; the game's descent was only a matter of time.

All she could do was seize everything she could before it descended.

She needed the "Divine Cloud Brocade." She needed this power that could overturn the apocalypse!

Qing Shu's voice sounded again: "Gong Shuhuai is done over there. He's heading back now. Estimated arrival in two minutes."

Ji Xia's gaze sharpened. She immediately sent a brief message through the gear: "Leave quickly."

Gong Shuwan, who had been deeply immersed, jolted awake from her epiphany.

She burned the calculations into her mind, tidied up the items she'd moved as much as possible, and then, like a shadow, slipped silently out of the side room.

The very next second after she left, Gong Shuhuai's tired, heavy footsteps approached from a distance.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the hidden quest was mostly complete. Now, it was up to Gong Shuwan to create the power core.

Back among the crowd, Gong Shuwan bottled up her nearly overflowing excitement and spoke to Ji Xia in her heart: "Immortal! I understand! I know what to do now! Thank you!"

In the following time, the Starfall members felt like they were watching an immersive movie sped up dozens of times.

Day and night in the workshop flashed before their eyes, and the girl with the black-smudged face was the busiest figure in this slice of time.

Using every possible opportunity, she hid in inconspicuous corners, using scavenged scraps and secretly taken tools. Following her newly calculated parameters, she adjusted, polished, and assembled a brand-new power core bit by bit.

Her movements grew more skilled, and her eyes shone brighter.

Finally, on a quiet early morning, the small yet intricately structured device in her hands emitted a stable, low hum.

*Ding—*

System Notification: [Hidden Quest "The Power Core Ahead of Its Time" Completed.]

Rewards: "Civilization Fragment (Dan Qing) *10, Non-resistant Spirit Ink Bottle *10."

"We did it!" Cheers erupted in the team channel.

"Ten Dan Qing Fragments!" Hong Lan exclaimed excitedly. "They might even be a set!"

But what drew everyone's attention the most were the 10 "Non-resistant Spirit Ink Bottles."

In the *Two Principles Painting Scroll*, after continuous use of ordinary Spirit Ink Bottles, players would develop resistance.

After reaching a certain point, even if they upgraded to higher-quality Spirit Ink Bottles—costing tens of thousands per bottle—it became difficult to restore Spirit Ink values.

However, this 'Non-resistant' Spirit Ink Bottle meant that no matter how many one had consumed before, drinking this one would immediately restore their Spirit Ink!

This doesn't really matter for the average player.

But in such a high-risk dungeon, it's crucial for endurance.

If the final boss is just one sliver of health from falling, and the players have no Spirit Ink left, it would be enough to make them spit blood in frustration!

Bei Chen still dumped all the rewards into the team warehouse. He looked at Ji Xia seriously and said, "You were the most crucial for this hidden quest. Don't worry... we'll distribute the loot afterward based on contribution value!"

Actually, with the key item "Crimson Heart Gear," given more time, Qing Shu could have figured it out too.

But the subsequent 'divine bamboozling' by Ji Xia was something Qing Shu truly couldn't have pulled off.

Ji Xia deserves most of the credit for this hidden quest going so smoothly.

A system notification popped up again: "Congratulations, World Painter - Ji Xia, for obtaining the title 'God of Mechanisms Recognition'."

Everyone heard the notification. Hong Lan asked curiously, "What's the effect?"

Ji Xia didn't keep it to herself and directly shared the title's details.

Title: "God of Mechanisms Recognition"

Effect: Activate to invoke a single 'Gaze of the God of Mechanisms,' granting powerful one-time aid. The title disappears after use.

Description: It is said that in a sealed-away chapter of history, a young girl received personal instruction from the 'God of Mechanisms.' With a single spark of inspiration, she created an immortal legend. This title bears witness to the origin of that myth.

Qing Shu read it over several times, pondering, "Gaze of the God of Mechanisms? Can't really tell what the effect is..."

Hong Lan focused on the "Description." She said with a teasing look at Ji Xia, "Xia Xia, if you use it, you won't attract your own gaze, will you?"

Lao Liu cleared his throat lightly and added, "Yeah, after all, the God of Mechanisms that Gong Shuwan encountered *was* her."

Facing their teasing, Ji Xia responded calmly, "Then this title needs a name change—call it 'The God of Mechanisms' Bamboozle.'"

Everyone burst into laughter at Ji Xia's response.

Ji Xia was also smiling faintly, but her gaze remained fixed on Gong Shuwan.

"It seems there's a follow-up plot," Ji Xia said softly, pulling everyone's attention back.

After the rewards were distributed, the 'story' playing out in front of them wasn't over.

They had only completed a hidden quest; there was still a tough battle ahead.

Everyone wiped the smiles off their faces and focused intently on the unfolding "plot," afraid of missing any detail that might get them stuck.

Although Gong Shuwan had created the power core, she looked at the creation in her hands—something that could save her family—and fell into confusion.

How should she give it to her father?

Confess directly?

Her father would probably be furious enough to spit blood.

Starfall was also curious, but it wasn't appropriate for them to speak up now. They could only watch with bated breath.

Gong Shuwan's gaze searched the busy workshop...

Finally, it settled on a young apprentice boy slightly taller than her and about the same age.

"Junior brother..." she called softly, quickly walking toward that young apprentice boy.

"Junior brother!!!" Bei Chen typed a string of exclamation marks in the party chat.

"That 'don't trust' junior brother?!" Lao Liu also tensed up.

In the game world, Gong Shuwan quietly pulled the boy to a secluded corner.

The boy's face held a touch of youthful innocence and naivety. The look in his eyes when he looked at Gong Shuwan was one of undisguised admiration mixed with a hint of timid obedience.

Gong Shuwan seemed very familiar with him.

This boy seemed to have known all along that Gong Shuwan was disguised and hiding in the workshop, even covering for her the whole time.

"Senior sister, you were looking for me?" the boy asked in a low voice, his tone somewhat nervous.

Gong Shuwan corrected him, "You should call me senior brother!"

The boy lowered his eyelashes and obediently said, "Senior... sis... ter... brother..."

Gong Shuwan couldn't be bothered to correct him further. She shoved the power core and a pile of bamboo slips into his hands, speaking quickly, "Find a way to let Father 'accidentally' discover this, along with these calculation processes! Hmm, just say you figured it out."

The boy was startled, his hand trembling so much he almost dropped the core. The color drained from his face. "Th-this won't do, senior sister! This is deceiving the master! And I... how could I possibly have made this..."

"I say you can, so you can!" Gong Shuwan cut him off forcefully, then softened her voice. "Consider it... payment for helping me cover all these years! Take it!"

The boy looked at the core in his hand, far beyond his comprehension, then at Gong Shuwan's sparkling eyes.

He bit his lower lip, almost drawing blood. "Senior sister, you made this, you..."

Gong Shuwan's expression suddenly turned serious, her voice low and urgent. "If Father doesn't get this in time, I will die."

The boy: "!"

The word "die" struck like a thunderbolt, shattering his last hesitation.

Senior sister cannot die!

Absolutely not! As if having made a firm resolution, the boy nodded vigorously. With slightly trembling hands, he accepted the core and bamboo slips with utmost solemnity, carefully storing them in the safest place inside his robe.