Chapter 103 — What Kind of Nonsense Is That?

"Then let's build a prototype and study it further when we have spare capacity—call it accumulating technology," Gao Yang sighed. "First get the piston-type prototype working. Most of its parts should be hand-forgeable by Hommel and his apprentices; the more difficult portions and the repulsion mechanism can go to the newly arrived rune craftsmen. Remember, do not worry about cost for the first machine—so long as it runs safely and steadily, we will have succeeded. On that foundation, it would even be acceptable to sacrifice some performance."

Hedy and Rebecca left with a great stack of blueprints. Considering the administrative burden the former bore, Gao Yang assigned the main task of manufacturing the magic-energy engine prototype to Rebecca, while Hedy would merely provide technical support as before—which once again made Rebecca unspeakably happy.

After both had left the tent, Gao Yang gathered up the remaining blueprints and handed them to Betty, who was squatting on the ground nearby, earnestly practicing her writing with a little twig: "Put these away. Oh, and I had the carpenter make you a little desk—it will be delivered to your tent this evening. Along with a set of stationery and some blank paper. Use them sparingly."

Betty took the sheepskin bag holding the blueprints and froze for a moment, then her face lit up with particular delight. She bowed so vigorously she nearly flung herself headfirst onto the ground: "Thank you, master~! You are truly too kind!"

The little maid went off almost skipping and hopping.

Gao Yang watched the little maid's bouncing figure with a smile, unable to keep himself from shaking his head with a laugh. Beside him, Amber's expression turned strange. "I really do wonder—you're busy all day long, yet you still find time to look after this silly little girl... Don't tell me your real fetish is this sort of thing? Ugh, you people are all in the habit of making moves on your own maids... Ouch, ouch, ouch, that hurts!"

Gao Yang gave Amber's ear a hard twist, his tone exasperated: "Fetish this, moves that—I just like that child's diligence and eagerness to learn. Can't you keep your mind a little cleaner?"

Amber rubbed her ear and glared at Gao Yang indignantly: "Don't you always say my mind is perfectly clean?"

Gao Yang: "...I said your mind is a complete blank and you've never studied anything!!"

"Huh? So after all this time you weren't praising me?!"

Gao Yang shot a glance at this disgrace of a half-elf and strode toward the tent entrance.

Sure enough, Amber could not restrain her curiosity and followed: "Where are you going? Sneaking off to eat something tasty? Take me with you!"

Only after Amber had caught up did Gao Yang answer casually: "I'm going to have a heart-to-heart with that big iron ball. It's been lying low in the tent for so long, it should be willing to tell me something by now."

Hearing that it was about this, Amber instantly lost interest: "Oh, then I won't go..."

Gao Yang scooped her up on the spot, tucking this one under his arm to carry her off.

But this time he failed: Amber, having been manhandled like this once before, had learned her lesson, and the instant she was grabbed she had already slipped into the shadows. Gao Yang felt his hand close on empty air—the half-elf thief was already more than a dozen meters away.

"Go have your heart-to-heart with the ball~" Amber shouted from afar, looking utterly smug. "I'm going to mooch a meal off Betty~~"

Gao Yang looked at this self-willed "nominal bodyguard" with a mix of laughter and exasperation, waved his hand, and turned to leave.

In front of a special tent in the southern part of the camp, Gao Yang questioned the guards about the metal sphere: "Any movement from that fellow in the tent?"

"No," the dutiful soldier answered, straightening up. "We have been standing watch here the whole time. That ancient magical device has stayed quietly in the tent and shown no intention of coming out."

Ancient magical device—that was the explanation Gao Yang had given the soldiers who had witnessed the metal sphere, and now it seemed they had accepted it.

After a few casual words of encouragement to the soldiers standing their diligent watch, Gao Yang stepped into the tent.

The metal sphere was floating quite placidly in the center of the tent, about half a meter above the ground, looking for all the world like some prop from a science-fiction film.

But this thoroughly sci-fi-looking sphere opened its mouth and began to yammer: "Mother of mercy, I thought you'd dumped me here and forgotten all about me! The only ones standing guard around here are a bunch of blockheaded grunts, and either that nagging, tiresome little old man comes poking in, or that female human who's so fond of red dresses shows up—dead boring, all of it. I'm telling you, if this sphere didn't set such store by promises, I'd have been gone first thing this morning..."

Gao Yang ignored the sphere's prattling and walked straight up to it. "I've come to have a talk with you today. First, let me confirm one thing—you're not from around here... are you, sphere?"