Chapter 117 — The Cecil Mechanical Works
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 4
Hammel possessed a keenness rare among ordinary people of this age.
But what could Gao Yang say now? Tell Hammel to adapt as quickly as possible to his identity as "head of steel" and stop pining for his blacksmith's trade? Or tell him that craftsmen would not wholly decline, that even in another world of highly developed industry, blacksmiths would still have unshakable ground to stand on? It was far too early to say any of this to Hammel now.
He only hoped the man would adapt quickly to this world's changes—because faster changes were soon to come.
Gao Yang sighed inwardly, then spoke up to break the silence: "The newly formed department needs a name. For now, let's call it the Cecil Mechanical Works. Nikkhsi Dan, you are mechanical director and the first director of the works, of equal rank with Hammel as head of steel. In addition, you may select some from among those hundred craftsmen to serve as your long-term assistants, but the list must be submitted to me for review."
"Good. Having people to help will always be faster than me doing the whole set of machining alone—they can help with assembly." Nikkhsi Dan bobbed up and down in agreement.
On the road away from the Mechanical Works, Hetty glanced at Gao Yang again and again.
"What is it?" Gao Yang asked her curiously.
"Nothing. It's only that I rarely see you this happy," Hetty said, a warm smile on her face. "You're usually so serious, with a face like a board—but today you've smiled many times."
Gao Yang was taken aback: "Am I usually that serious?"
He reflected that his inner life was in fact rather turbulent, and that after years of grueling training alongside Amber, he had by now become a semi-professional straight man. He might not always be losing his ancestral dignity, but surely he was not the sort to go around with a face like a board?
Yet Hetty nodded quite seriously: "You may not have noticed, but your expression really is very serious most of the time."
Gao Yang at once touched his hairline with some concern, then stroked his chin, thoughtful: "Nine times out of ten, it's the square jaw and the full beard..."
"Ah?"
Gao Yang promptly waved a hand: "No, nothing."
Hetty still had a great deal of internal affairs to attend to, so she took her leave of Gao Yang halfway along the road. Watching her figure gradually fade from sight, the joyful expression on Gao Yang's face slowly subsided, and a trace of seriousness rose upon it.
He did not head straight back to his own tent. Instead, he made a small detour along the way, arriving before a wooden hut situated in the southwest corner of the camp.
The hut was a size larger than the surrounding buildings, with broad seedbeds stretching out before and behind it. A motley assortment of plants grew in those beds—more than half of them medicinal herbs of every conceivable efficacy, while the remaining smaller portion consisted of rather common plants that, once processed, could serve as casting materials.
Those seedbeds alone were enough to tell that this hut was something special.
This was the dwelling of the druid Pi Yun, and also the place where he worked. Unreliable as the man might appear, his residence-cum-workshop was quite respectably appointed.
Gao Yang came up to the hut and saw a sign hanging on the door, on which several lines of flamboyant, flourishing script had been written:
Pi Yun's Apothecary—various herbs and finished alchemical potions for sale; druidic charms and luck-bringing trinkets for sale; antique appraisal on the side; divination (still learning); professional lock-picking, lock repair, and roof patching; family cook (childcare negotiable; no children under three).
Gao Yang stared at the wooden sign, expression blank, not a ripple of feeling in his heart.