Chapter 70

As the peony pavilion's girls were causing another scandal, Fat Lei knew it was an acquaintance teasing him.

Others enjoyed listening to this story, and he himself liked telling it, feigning distress and pounding his chest: "Oh brother! Do you know what those girls bought? Mechanical snakes! Do you know what mechanical snakes are for?"

Cough, cough...

Some who knew the inside story were secretly laughing, while the clueless bookworms recited from memory: "Mechanical snakes, driven by a small amount of beast soul, can dig tunnels underground, explore paths, and search for treasures. Occasionally, they can also catch mice and other small animals in the academy. They are very low-level mechanical beasts, right?"

Fat Lei indignantly said, "Exactly! When those stinky women wanted to buy them, I thought they were just for catching mice. They even specially picked the thickest and longest mechanical snake. Hey! Those stinky women really used it for digging. Seven or eight women took turns digging, and the peony pavilion was filled with all sorts of screams all night. A few days later, they came to me saying the snake was broken. When I saw it, I was furious. Damn, what had the mechanical snake been through? It was covered in a strange stench, rusted all over, and several joints and parts were missing! Is this my fault?"

"Ha ha ha! Screaming all night..."

A group of people burst out laughing, the men laughing wildly, and the women, after understanding, blushed and covered their faces as they ran away.

But there were still some innocent guys who didn't get it. A bookworm-looking student asked, "Fat Lei, your mechanical snake must have a problem. Why did I hear that a few guys from the Martial Academy also want to complain about your mechanical snake, saying it likes to bite people?"

Oh, those guys who hadn't straightened up yet all laughed, finding it stimulating. Women loving snakes was understandable, but men also found the mechanical snake's flexible and large mouth useful for private matters. This was really pushing the limits!

Fat Lei laughed until his body twitched, his expression extremely smug. He waved his hand and said loudly, "Anyway, whatever you say, everything I, Lei Hai, make is top-notch. I can customize anything below the third-level craftsman level! I hope you all spread the word and bring more customers!"

Yue Heng listened to the whole thing with a smile. Fat Lei seemed to have good relationships and was quite capable. Soon, a few people approached and finalized custom orders. He opened the two wooden boxes in front of him; one was neatly arranged with a full set of craftsman tools, and the other contained the materials and processing fees from these customers. The negotiations were very smooth.

Yue Heng's heart stirred. He quickly walked into the pavilion and briefly looked through the powerful stalls. There were documents, martial arts manuals, craftsman blueprints, rare herbs, and materials, but nothing he wanted.

Leaving the pavilion, he saw Fat Lei about to pack up. Yue Heng hurriedly called out to him.

"Senior Brother Lei, I have a request."

Fat Lei, one hand on a tool box and the other on a material box, a blade of grass in his mouth, squinted at the first-level student and said, "You look unfamiliar. Are you a new student?"

Yue Heng bowed and smiled, "Senior Brother Lei has keen eyes. I just enrolled today."

Fat Lei walked a few steps to a less crowded area, put down the heavy boxes, wiped his forehead, and panted, somewhat impatiently, "Speak quickly, I'm busy!"

"Do you have a quick-to-assemble and easy-to-store simple tent?"

"Of course! Do you want a full set of military tents that can sleep dozens of people, or a carriage with built-in bedding? If you're not in a hurry, I can even make you a comfortable and luxurious mobile home in ten days!"

Yue Heng laughed softly, "I want to get it now. It doesn't need to be luxurious, but it would be best if it had an alarm function."

Fat Lei was a bit surprised, took a breath, and narrowed his eyes, staring at Yue Heng like a fat sheep. "An alarm array isn't cheap, and it can only be traded with the academy's contribution points. The simplest one costs at least a thousand points. Are you sure you can afford it?"

Yue Heng didn't expect the alarm array to be so expensive. He only had a few thousand points in total. How could he spend so much on this?

"Senior Brother Lei, do you have any Fuxi script disks with a '戒' (restraint) character for sale?" Yue Heng asked softly.

To his surprise, this question seemed to make Fat Lei wary. Without a word, he picked up the two large boxes, threw them onto an empty single-person mobile vehicle, and left without even a response.

"Senior Brother Lei, let's talk it out..."

Yue Heng followed, not understanding why the other's attitude had suddenly changed.

They didn't exchange words until they were almost at the craftsman academy. Fat Lei finally relaxed, parked the single-person mobile vehicle behind a big tree, and squinted, "Kid, are you really clueless or just pretending?"

Yue Heng was unsure, "Senior Brother Lei, I just enrolled today. I really don't know the rules. Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Lei."

Lei Hai snorted, jumped off the vehicle, and circled Yue Heng a few times, his gaze making Yue Heng uneasy.

Suddenly, he reached out and, in a flash, slipped his hand into Yue Heng's loose collar, pulling back with a Qiankun bag in his hand, stunned.

"Greedy beast skin Qiankun bag? Heh, what's your background? You're not a secret agent from the Literature Department, are you?"

Fat Lei's words were light, but his actions were cautious. He didn't try to open the Qiankun bag to see what was inside. As a craftsman, he knew it would take some effort to open a Qiankun bag sealed by a literati's divine palace.

Yue Heng swore, "Senior Brother Lei, I'm a new student from Hong County, named Yue Heng. I'm a genuine poor student. This Qiankun bag is a gift from a senior in the military, and I have no idea what a secret agent from the Literature Department is."

Lei Hai tossed the Qiankun bag back to Yue Heng, sniffing, "I'll believe you for now, but Brother Yue, as a literati, don't you know that the production of Fuxi script disks must be approved by the Literature Department?"

Yue Heng was surprised, "Is that so?"

"Of course! If anyone could make them, couldn't you use a Fuxi script disk to activate Fuxi arrays anywhere? So without the Literature Department's approval and the corresponding characteristic arrays, a Fuxi script disk is just a dead object, useless!"

Fat Lei briefly explained the principle of Fuxi script disks, and Yue Heng finally understood. No wonder the Literature Department controlled it so strictly. It was both for unified management and safety considerations.

"Someone as honest and upright as me wouldn't have any Fuxi script disks for sale," Fat Lei shook his head, but Yue Heng noticed the cunning look in his eyes and slowly smiled.

People who often claim to be upright are often not. Fat Lei, who could navigate the academy so smoothly, was definitely not an honest person.

Yue Heng blinked, took out an item from the Qiankun bag, and introduced it, "Senior Brother Lei, this is a useless Three Lives Stone. I'm very interested in it. If you have this material, I'll definitely buy it from you when I have enough contribution points."

Fat Lei couldn't take his eyes off it, leaning in eagerly, "Brother Yue, will you sell this waste stone? I'll buy it! Even though it's worthless, it can still fetch a few dozen contribution points..."

"It has important sentimental value to me, so I won't sell it," Yue Heng smiled and shook his head, putting the Three Lives Stone back into the Qiankun bag and taking out a second item, "Look at this. Do you know a person named Min Xuhuai?"

Fat Lei took the name card, saw the name, and his eyes flickered, asking curiously, "Min Xuhuai? How do you have his name card? What's your relationship?"

Yue Heng waved his hand, and Fat Lei obediently returned the name card, smiling, "He's my friend."

Fat Lei finally relaxed, putting his arm around Yue Heng's shoulder, winking, "Hey! I knew Brother Yue wasn't an ordinary person. If you had said you knew Min Iceface earlier, I wouldn't have been so cautious. Whatever you need, I, Fat Lei, won't hesitate for a moment!"

Yue Heng couldn't stand the excessive friendliness. Fat Lei's over 200-pound body was half-pressing on him, and his thin frame couldn't bear it.

One Min Xuhuai might not be enough to impress him, so he took out a third small item, "Senior Brother Lei, and this, a pass stone for the third floor."

Fat Lei shuddered, withdrew his fat hand, and fell silent.

The first two were manageable. Being wealthy and having a wide circle of friends was possible.

But a pass stone for the third floor of the academy, which only core students could enter, wasn't easy to obtain. This new student had just enrolled and already had a pass stone. What was his background? Did he have some extraordinary connections?

Yue Heng slowly put these things away, looking at the uncertain Fat Lei, and smiled, "Senior Brother Lei, I want to exchange a future promise for your support today. Do you think these things can be used as collateral?"

Fat Lei squinted, "What's your future promise?"

Yue Heng said slowly, "To write a poem that can enhance a certain craftsman skill for you."

Fat Lei rubbed his hands and laughed, "That's a bit vague! I think something more practical would be better. How about this: when Min Xuhuai comes to the academy, you introduce me to him when you meet."

"I can't treat Brother Min as a bargaining chip. I need to ask him first. If he agrees, it's fine. If he doesn't, I can only offer something else of value as compensation," Yue Heng valued his friendship with Min Xuhuai and cautiously said this.