As they stepped into the store, it wasn't surprising that the front desk was missing Boss Mu's familiar figure. Instead, a newly hired female clerk greeted them in a professional outfit.
"Xiao Lin, go get Boss Mu," said Huo Yuhao casually.
The girl, named Lin Yi, responded respectfully, her eyes lighting up when she glanced at the two people in front of her. Handsome and graceful—a perfect pair. She nodded and entered the door behind the counter.
Moments later, Boss Mu walked out with a cheerful expression, smiling widely when he saw Huo Yuhao. Then his eyes landed on the curious Meng Hongchen, who was studying the soul tools displayed in the shop.
"Ah, you're here, Brother Hao... and this lady must be... your wife?"
Huo Yuhao froze. Meng Hongchen blushed.
Lines of exasperation surfaced on Yuhao's forehead. Boss Mu never failed to deliver with his awkward sense of humor.
"Not my wife. This is the granddaughter of my teacher, Elder Jing. Meng Hongchen. She's also my senior at the academy."
Realizing he had misspoken, Boss Mu subtly offered an apologetic look to Huo Yuhao. He glanced at Meng Hongchen's still-reddened face and thought to himself that maybe he hadn't been that wrong after all.
"My apologies, Miss Meng. That was inappropriate."
Meng Hongchen took a breath to steady herself. She realized her closeness to Yuhao today might have caused some misunderstandings, and that flustered her a little.
"Hello," she replied coolly.
Those two simple words carried the demeanor of a noble lady. 'She's a perfect match for our Brother Hao,' Boss Mu thought with a grin.
"Boss Mu, take us to the back. We want to check out the factory."
"Of course, Brother Hao. This way, both of you."
Boss Mu was eager to please.
Watching the middle-aged man lead the way, Meng Hongchen suddenly realized how he had been addressing Yuhao. Her composed expression cracked. Covering her mouth with a giggle, she whispered teasingly:
"Wow, Fish Hao, even 'Brother Hao' now? Should I call you that too? Brother Hao?"
"Have mercy, my dear aunt."
"Hee hee. But really, what do you mean by 'factory'?"
"You'll see soon enough."
Soon, Boss Mu led them into a large room where over ten soul engineers were hard at work assembling soul tools.
Interestingly, these engineers—low-level ones from Mingde Hall under Elder Jing's direct command—weren't assembling the entire soul tool themselves. They were only inscribing core formations. The rest of the process was handled by a series of mechanical arms stationed at various points along a conveyor system. The mechanical arms automatically completed the assembly based on the formations.
The production scene looked strikingly like a modern-day industrial plant.
Even the metal casings required for assembling soul tools were processed by automated machines—cutting, drilling, polishing—all with mechanical precision.
Meng Hongchen looked around, clearly amazed by the innovation.
"Hehe, as you both can see," Boss Mu said proudly, "our genius Brother Hao came up with this brilliant idea. He made these mechanical arms with the abilities of third-level soul tools. As long as they're charged with soul power, they can handle complex assembly tasks on their own. It saves us an incredible amount of time and labor."
"Even the casings you see? All automatic. Hao came up with several brilliant tricks, like using soul-powered laser cutters to shape the metal, or polishing with fine soul tool abrasives. Total genius, I tell you."
"He calls this production style 'factory manufacturing.' Fits the concept well, don't you think?"
"Right now, we're making about fifty Iron Fist Rocket Launchers a day, and we're also turning out other types of soul tools in parallel."
Huo Yuhao shrugged modestly. 'It's not really my invention anyway.'
In truth, all he did was draw on knowledge from his previous life—those Earth-style industrial production lines—and apply them using this world's soul tool technology. It had worked out surprisingly well.
The only real limitation was power. These machines required a constant supply of soul energy. This small 100-square-meter space already stretched the capacity of the dozen or so engineers working there.
'In the end, everything still comes back to Xuan Ziwen's research.'
Despite the limitations, the entire setup deeply impressed Meng Hongchen. She was well aware of how inefficient soul tool production remained throughout the empire. Most of it still resembled handcrafted workshops.
Only the military, with full state support, could afford mass production facilities. For the civilian world, soul tools were still luxury items.
"Wow, not bad, Brother Hao. If this kind of production gets implemented across the empire, our productivity could skyrocket."
Yuhao sighed.
"That's the problem. To build a full-scale factory like this, you'd need hundreds of soul engineers just to keep the machines powered."
After touring the facility a while longer, the sky outside turned orange. Evening had arrived, and the banquet they had planned to attend was about to begin. The two left the store and found a rooftop with a beautiful view to rest for a moment.
The sun dipped slowly below the horizon, and in its golden light, the grandeur of Mingdu's imperial palace gleamed in the distance.
Yuhao gazed at it in silence.
'I still remember, when I lived in the Duke's Mansion back in the Star Luo Empire, the imperial palace was right nearby.'
Compared to the majestic aura of the Sun Moon Empire's palace, the Star Luo palace exuded a heavier, more ancient atmosphere.
'Someday... whether it's that Duke's Mansion or that palace, I'll take them both by force.'
Meng Hongchen heard Yuhao mutter under his breath but said nothing. She understood he was thinking about his past.
Yuhao didn't bother hiding his intent. He deliberately spoke clearly enough for Meng Hongchen to catch the words "Duke's Mansion" and "Palace."
She narrowed her eyes slightly. 'Just who exactly is he?'
She had asked Elder Jing once before, but he had merely sighed and said Yuhao's background was not simple.
'Duke's Mansion... a palace... could he be a noble from Star Luo? Maybe even royalty?'
She drifted off in thought.
And if that were the case... wouldn't that make her, the daughter of the Hongchen family, a fitting match?
The sky gradually darkened. Lights lit up across Mingdu as night descended.
"Let's go, Fish Hao. The banquet's about to begin."
Yuhao nodded. The two stood and made their way toward the Sun Moon Imperial Palace.
They arrived at the Taiji Hall, the palace venue for such grand events. Outside, nobles in lavish garments presented their invitations to enter. The Royal Soul Engineer Legion was in full force for security—especially so tonight, because Crown Prince Xu Tiannan was attending in person.
At the entrance, the captain of the Third Squadron personally checked every invitation.
Meng Hongchen took out her invitation from her storage soul tool and handed it over.
After verifying it, the captain returned it and said respectfully, "Miss Hongchen, you may enter. However, the gentleman beside you must also present his own invitation."
Meng Hongchen frowned slightly.
"Doesn't my invitation allow me to bring one guest?"
"My apologies, Miss Hongchen. Due to the presence of royal family members, tonight's banquet has stricter security. Anyone without clear identification may not enter."
Worried, she turned to Yuhao. Of course, as someone with no official status in the Sun Moon Empire, he didn't have an invitation.
But Yuhao remained calm. He smiled, signaling her to relax.
"As long as I can prove my identity, that's fine, right?"
The captain nodded. Yuhao retrieved an object from his storage and held it out.
One look, and the captain's eyes widened in recognition. It was the famous ninth-tier defensive soul tool—Hongchen's Devotion—a symbol closely tied to Elder Jing.
The captain returned it with reverence.
"You must be Elder Hongchen's final disciple... Young Master Huo. Please, forgive my offense."
The identity of a closed-door disciple to someone like Elder Jing carried immense weight.
"No offense taken. A formal event like this deserves careful vigilance."
Yuhao flashed a proud smile at Meng Hongchen, and together they stepped into the hall.
Inside, the crowd turned their heads toward the striking pair who entered. Though young, Yuhao's calm poise and clean, handsome appearance caught every eye. And beside him, the white-haired, red-eyed beauty in her elegant black dress was a sight no one could ignore.
"Is that Meng Hongchen? She's absolutely stunning."
"No surprise. She's both a genius soul master and soul engineer. Grace and power, all in one."
"But who's that young man with her?"
"This is the first time she's brought a male guest to a banquet."
As the crowd buzzed, a familiar voice approached them.
"Hehe, if it isn't my darling little sister?"
"Hello, Brother Xiao."
Xiao Hongchen looked at them, feeling a pang of resentment. His precious little sister had clearly been stolen away.
"So that's where you've been. No wonder I couldn't find you. I see how it is... Poor big brother, all alone again."
"Oh come on. You're upset just because I didn't come with you this time? If I showed up solo again, those annoying girls would've been all over me with their nonsense."
(End of Chapter)
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