Chapter 476: Desire
Chapter 476: Desire
Black Ring Private Mechanical College.
"Fang Xing, your absences have become more frequent lately, and you've already accumulated several records of skipping classes..."
Montaque Dean looked at Fang Xing with a disappointed expression, "If you continue like this, I doubt you'll be able to graduate on time."
"I'm sorry, Tutor." Fang Xing sincerely apologized, a rare occurrence for him.
"I've been working on the design of a mechanical device, and this is the blueprint." Fang Xing showed no intention of changing his ways.
However, Montaque Dean had some social connections that Fang Xing needed to appease.
Fang Xing promptly presented a set of drawings.
After his awakening, he possessed knowledge from the interstellar age, and designing a few mechanical wonders was a piece of cake for him.
"Hmm?" Montaque Dean's interest was piqued, and he took the drawings, glanced at them, and his eyes lit up, "Not bad, not bad at all... With a bit more precision, I think this could be your graduation project."
"Tutor, the reason for my absences is that I've been exploring Black Ring City, seeking inspiration for my mechanical designs. After all, this city was once home to the Mechanical Capital of Black Hestia." Fang Xing offered an excuse for his absences.
"Hmm... You should know that as mechanics, we are not only scientists but also artists... Every extraordinary machine requires passionate dedication." Montaque Dean seemed to accept Fang Xing's explanation.
After Fang Xing bid farewell and left, Montaque Dean stared at the drawings in his hand, lost in thought, "What a genius design! A once-pale soul, now filled with knowledge and passion, is so... sweet! My soul can feel the desire."
Montaque Dean paused for a moment, then picked up a bell from his desk and rang it.
A mysterious figure in a black cloak appeared beside him, seemingly having been there all along.
"This 'offering's' soul is almost ready for cultivation." Montaque Dean handed the design to the mysterious figure as he spoke.
"Inspiration, desire... What a sweet and fresh soul. It will surely satisfy those who wander in the Thirsty Forest and open the Indeterminate Gate for us." The mysterious figure's voice was hoarse, dry, and tinged with a hint of eerie fervor.
"Indeed, I felt his designs had a certain spirit when I first met him, which is why I recruited him. For a student without any background, disappearing suddenly wouldn't attract much attention. Of course, I can say I gave him a letter of recommendation to find work in a distant place." Montaque Dean smiled.
When he first met Fang Xing, he felt the boy fit the criteria for an 'offering', but there was still something missing. Aside from talent and inspiration, there needed to be a deep desire and obsession.
"But... His recent behavior has been somewhat abnormal." Montaque Dean brought up Fang Xing's recent changes, "I think we should investigate, maybe even take action sooner..."
"I'll have someone keep an eye on him. And you can give him that book, 'Beauty of Machinery', let his soul dry up, feel the thirst, and even become one of 'us'..." The mysterious figure suggested.
"A beginner with a certain level of mystical rank would make a better offering..."
"I understand." Montaque Dean nodded, and the desire in his eyes deepened.
...
"There are no books related to the extraordinary in the library..."
"That's to be expected."
Disappointed, Fang Xing left the library and headed to a villa.
Inside the villa, a massive training ground had been constructed. The redwood floor was seamless, displaying excellent resilience, and exuded a faint herbal fragrance.
'As expected, the upper-class knows how to indulge in extravagance that leaves one speechless...'
Fang Xing stepped on the floor, observing Shi Lei sweating as he practiced on a wooden post. He nodded in approval.
Ever since Fang Xing agreed to be Shi Lei's fitness coach, the latter had set up this villa.
For Shi Lei, this was just a drop in the bucket.
In Fang Xing's eyes, it was nothing special.
Interstellar tycoons would be ashamed to greet others without owning a few private planets.
The truly powerful conglomerates could control entire star systems if not for the Federation's restrictions.
It was this 'unhurried' attitude that made Shi Lei value Fang Xing even more.
"Coach, how am I doing?" Shi Lei asked eagerly after a bout with the wooden post, wiping the sweat from his face.
"One word... Bad!" Fang Xing replied.
"I didn't even break the skin, how can the medicinal power in the post be absorbed?" Shi Lei questioned.
Fang Xing approached the wooden post, flipped his left hand, and struck with his right.
Smack! Wood chips flew, and clear palm prints appeared on the two wooden roots.
"With my current strength, if you work hard..." Fang Xing spoke calmly.
"Then can I be like you, Coach?" Shi Lei's eyes lit up.
He knew how sturdy these wooden posts were, and leaving clear palm prints was even more challenging than breaking or destroying them.
"No... You need at least ten years of hard work, training every day without fail, and with all kinds of nutritional supplements." Fang Xing replied.
Fang Xing shook his head. "Practicing martial arts... it's a tough job, and in the end, it's still not as good as a gun."
This was the consensus of this era!
The so-called martial arts had long since died...
"That may be true, but I want to practice martial arts. I like fighting and the feeling of constantly surpassing myself."
Shi Lei was stubborn.
Or perhaps, without relying on external objects, watching one's body grow stronger day by day could indeed be quite captivating.
Just think of all those people in his previous life who were obsessed with fitness, torturing themselves daily for muscular aesthetics, even resorting to drugs.
Exercise could sometimes be addictive.
Fang Xing nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Since this rich young master wanted to play, he might as well indulge him for a while.
As long as he could find what he wanted, it would be fine.
Currently, he had no leads on establishing his own faction, so he could only rely on these upper-class individuals for now.
"In that case, I'll teach you a little trick... called 'Integrated Force'... It's about integrating your entire body's strength for a burst of power. With your current control, integrating your whole body's strength is a joke, but increasing the power of your punches is no problem."
Fang Xing shared a small technique.
This wasn't even a proper martial arts move, just a minor killing technique.
It was even a useless trick, because with Shi Lei's talent, integrating his strength would require a noticeable wind-up time.
In a real fight, a one or two-second pause would be enough to get beaten senseless.
However, it was very effective for punching sandbags, wooden stakes, and punch force testing machines.
And for this young master, who obviously lacked real combat opportunities, it was quite suitable.
"Good!"
Sure enough, Shi Lei's eyes lit up.
After another few hours of training, he took the white towel from the maid's hand. "Coach... I found a few things you asked me to look for. Do you want to see them?"
"Oh? You found a few things?"
Fang Xing became interested.
Shi Lei nodded, drinking some saltwater while someone brought over a few items.
One of them was a black stone ghost mask.
"This is a sacrificial item of the 'Blackkur Clan'... It's said to have mysterious powers to enhance one's physique, but it's just an antique."
Shi Lei explained.
Fang Xing nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He touched the stone ghost mask and then looked at the other items.
"There's also the rumored Wizard's Scroll and the Witch's Broken Crystal Ball... These aren't worth much."
Shi Lei smiled. "If you like them, Coach, take them all."
Fang Xing looked at the so-called witch's crystal ball, about the size of a fist, with cracks on its surface. It seemed familiar, as if he had seen it in Old Quinn's grocery store.
The cracks on it were from Old Quinn accidentally dropping it!
"You're thoughtful. Keep collecting related items or information..."
Fang Xing picked up the stone ghost mask. "I'll only take this one. Deduct the cost from my private coaching fees..."
As he walked out of the villa, he tossed the stone mask in his hand and shook his head. 'Not even a hint of strangeness... My Great Sun Bodhimanda Spell didn't react at all. It really is just an ordinary antique.'
...
Upon returning to the apartment, Fang Xing took out his keys and opened the door. His expression changed as he noticed something on the table in the rented apartment's living room.
"A letter from my sister?"
"No, even if there was a letter, it would be slipped through the door... How did such a large package get in?"
Fang Xing was curious. He tore open the packaging and found a book.
A book on mechanics.
"Beauty of Machinery?"
Fang Xing flipped through a few pages and found it to be an ordinary mechanical book, introducing several mechanical structures, but the terminology was somewhat inaccurate.
This made him, a mechanical engineering student, frown.
But soon, Fang Xing's expression turned solemn:
"The steam roars, the bell tolls, and the gears turn... The beauty of steel lies within..."
"Life as machinery, I am the spinning wheel..."
He softly recited the seemingly emotional words, which were out of place in a professional book. His tone unknowingly became rhythmic.
He even felt an invisible force permeating his heart and mind.
His years of academic pursuit had left his soul thirsting for this 'sweet rain'...
"It's like... searching for a needle in a haystack."
A smile appeared on Fang Xing's lips. Without hesitation, he opened himself up and embraced this 'sweet rain'!
Then...
In his heart, an invisible blazing sun seemed to rise, burning away all the toxic knowledge! A mere trace of pollution in the knowledge couldn't shake his will, even without the Great Sun Bodhimanda Spell.
"I've found the extraordinary object."
Fang Xing smiled. "I never expected that in the end... what I've been searching for has always been right by my side?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
