"Tsk, that old man must have found palladium isotopes from the Tesseract. So you must have found yours from other extraterrestrial materials…
Let me think… Loki's Scepter? Speaking of which, I haven't seen you use that Scepter in ages. We agreed back then that Banner and I would also have permission to study it, but you never let us."
Tony looked at the atomic structure diagram and quickly deduced its origin.
"It's already been disassembled. If you want to study it, you can do so in my lab. There's also an extra little surprise."
Qingshui pulled a safe out from under the table, opened it, and presented the Mind Stone and a fragment of the Tesseract to Tony.
"You actually pried a piece off the Tesseract?!"
Just like you, huh!
"Just tell me if you're going to help or not."
Qingshui rolled his eyes.
Tony rubbed his nose.
Alright, this time he was genuinely tempted.
"Fine."
"Tomorrow, I'll compile the technical data and have Watos send it to J.A.R.V.I.S."
"Okay."
Tony said absently, his gaze fixed on the holographic atomic model of the ruthenium isotope, contemplating how to synthesize it.
At this moment, he had many new inspirations.
He suddenly added, "You know, if there are other isotopes of platinum group metals, could we find a pattern through these two elements and directly deduce the other four?"
Qingshui paused.
It seems…
It really might be possible to use this method to deduce the elements corresponding to other Infinity Stones without directly touching them?
If two elements don't reveal a pattern, what about three?
Anyway, it wouldn't be long, less than half a year, before the Time Stone would be in his hands.
Qingshui silently made a mental note of this.
"Let's research that later when we have time. First, tell me about the palladium isotope. How did you synthesize it?"
"That's simple. Your approach was wrong from the start. I have an unpublished paper on linear Particle Accelerators that you can read. You can't control nuclear reactions just by brute force. You don't lack energy; what you lack is the quantum entanglement algorithm to make the palladium's electron cloud arrange itself in a lattice according to the isotope model."
Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. send Qingshui a paper and began explaining.
After an afternoon.
Qingshui's lab had been reconfigured again.
A brand new Particle Accelerator stood in the center.
This was something Qingshui and Tony had built from scratch.
A new radioactive element was carefully picked up by Qingshui with tweezers and placed on the nearby detector.
The predicted stability island of the palladium isotope perfectly overlapped with the data on the monitoring screen.
This meant the test results matched the predictions.
"The new element's hydrogen saturation limit is several times that of the previous palladium metal, its output power is 3.4 times that of the first generation, and its endurance is 7.6 times. I've installed six of them on my 'Prodigal Son,' and I've never run out of energy since."
Tony looked at the newly synthesized palladium isotope metal, not without pride.
Just one palm-sized second-generation Arc Reactor had a power generation capacity almost equal to half of the Three Gorges Dam and could sustain itself for nearly two hours.
And of the two core materials used, the palladium isotope could be artificially synthesized, while hydrogen was the most common element in the universe.
One could say that as long as the technology for the second-generation Arc Reactor existed, humanity would no longer have to worry about running out of energy.
"Now, let's try to see if we can use this method to synthesize another new element."
Qingshui placed the newly synthesized palladium isotope into a nano-processing device designed to inject hydrogen into palladium metal, speaking to Tony.
…
…
Anomalous Human World.
Modu.
Jiaotong University.
Qingshui, holding a document bag, walked out of the school gate with Yue Qian, accompanied by several leaders.
He had just finished a lecture there.
"Professor Zhuo, there are no other appointments today. Do you have any other plans? I'd like to make arrangements in advance."
Yue Qian, in the driver's seat of the car, asked Qingshui, who was in the back seat.
"No, it's no trouble. You can rest this afternoon. My Magic Tool is almost finished, so I'll strike while the iron's hot and complete it today. Tomorrow morning, I'll take the high-speed rail back to the capital. Oh, by the way, do you want me to forge a Magic Tool for you too? Come to think of it, I've known you for so long, but I've never seen you make a move. I wonder what kind of martial arts you specialize in."
"This…"
Yue Qian hesitated.
"Forging a Magic Tool must take a lot of your time, right? Without a Magic Tool, my strength is still enough to contend with the sect leaders and elders of those major factions. Protecting you completely would certainly be no problem."
"It does take a while, actually. Even for me, a high-grade Magic Tool takes a week or two."
Huh?
Yue Qian stopped the car, looking at the countdown on the traffic light ahead.
He never interfered with or inquired about what Qingshui did. His only task was to ensure Qingshui's safety.
So, he still didn't know about Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.
"Is this your new research achievement? Rapidly manufacturing Magic Tools?"
"It's not my achievement, it's Ma Ben Zai's."
Yue Qian was silent for a moment.
"You know Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements?"
"Otherwise?"
Qingshui didn't mind revealing it.
It was just Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.
With the scientific research achievements he had currently displayed, he could be considered a national treasure scientist, and he was not yet thirty years old. His value to the country far exceeded that of Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.
They weren't even in the same league.
Even if the news got out, those Anomalous Human forces who understood the implications would absolutely not dare to touch him. As for those who didn't understand, they were just small fry who couldn't even get past his security detail, posing no threat.
"Professor Zhuo, does this need to be kept confidential?"
"You decide."
"Then I will inform my superiors – the central government superiors – and suggest that it be kept confidential externally, and internally, only revealed with special authorization."
"Then let's do that."
"I will apply to my superiors to purchase it from you at the highest level of special equipment subsidy price, estimated to be between five million and ten million RMB. If you feel that's not enough, I can personally add more."
This price was quite reasonable.
Even for an Anomalous Human, making money wasn't easy.
Especially in a relatively stable society like China, even if many Anomalous Humans had powers, most of them had no use for them. There were rich ones, like the Wang family and the Lu family, but their families had ancestral businesses that, after modern transformation, had accumulated considerable wealth. There were even self-made individuals like Feng Zhenghao, who built up tens of billions in assets and whose company was valued at over a hundred billion.
But for the vast majority of ordinary Anomalous Humans, money was still not that easy to earn.
Of course, earning a salary above the average income was relatively easy for them—as long as you passed the political review and had no criminal record, you could join Nadou Tong after passing training and exams, earning a fixed salary equivalent to the local average.
The main reason for this was to prevent these idle Anomalous Humans from causing trouble and disrupting social stability.
And among them, some with certain abilities could become combatants for Nadou Tong, with a starting monthly salary of 20,000, which could increase further. In combat situations, completing missions also earned additional bonuses.
Some highly capable frontline combatants earned millions annually—if you wanted these Anomalous Humans to risk their lives for you, you had to pay them enough.
As for experts like Yue Qian, who were part of special forces and possessed strength comparable to that of major sect leaders and elders, their salaries were even higher.
Such a sum of money, in Nadou Tong, was equivalent to a capable Anomalous Human working for five to ten years. Comparatively, it was also roughly the time an Artificer spent forging a Magic Tool.
"It's fine, you handle it. I'm not short on money. First, tell me what kind of Magic Tool you want."
The products manufactured by Lei Bus and Ren Zhengfei based on his technology had already been released. As soon as they hit the market, they caused a huge sensation, delivering a dimensionality reduction strike to companies like Nvidia.
The upfront licensing fees alone had already made him a billionaire, and the subsequent revenue sharing was expected to push his net worth to tens of billions soon, and then accumulate to hundreds of billions.
These were the results of epoch-making inventions, like those of Bill Gates in his time, perhaps even more influential.
"I know many martial arts. I have the military's horizontal training methods, the ancient military's baleful Qi, and Yanwu Hall's acupoint striking techniques and Flowing Cloud Sword's sword Qi art."
Yanwu Hall and Flowing Cloud Sword were both sects within the Anomalous Human World. However, the former had suffered setbacks due to wars and the Jia-Shen Rebellion seventy years ago, and thus, after the founding of the nation, merged with Natural Gate, One Qi Flow, and Huangmen Sancai—several other sects that had also declined for similar reasons but had good inheritances—to form the Truth-Seeking Society.
This faction competed for a spot among the Ten Elders last year and ultimately failed, but it should not be underestimated. Its power was indeed comparable to that of the factions to which the Ten Elders belonged, at most only slightly inferior. But like Tangmen, it was a major force in the Anomalous Human World that no one could ignore.
The state should have mastered the cultivation methods of these Anomalous Human sects. At most, the most core parts were not widely circulated, but the foundation accumulated over decades was enough to cultivate a large number of experts.
"You also use a sword?"
Qingshui scrutinized Yue Qian's physique for a few moments.
"Mhm, but it's primarily through sword Qi. A military bayonet or even an engineer's shovel can cleave with sword Qi, or even a pen."
"Then, shall we spar a bit later?"
"Professor Zhuo, my job is to protect you, not to be a sparring partner. My superiors would punish me if they found out."
"No problem then. If you don't want to practice with me, practice with my Magic Tool."
"Practice with a Magic Tool?"
"Yes, consider it helping me test a scientific research project."
Amidst the sounds of conversation, the car slowly pulled up to the hotel where Qingshui was staying.
The following morning, in the hotel suite.
A tall, silvery-white Puppet, over two meters in height, stood quietly in the corner of the room.
Its sleek, streamlined contours outlined a perfect geometric aesthetic. The metallic sheen of its thick outer shell, seen against the light, gave it a sharp, blade-like coolness, making it look incredibly cool and futuristic.
"Whew… it's finally finished."
Qingshui replaced the metal mask onto the Puppet's hollow face, surveying it with satisfaction.
[Puppet Name]: Platinum
[Overall Parameters]:
Height: 2.04 meters
Weight: 134.39 kilograms
Material: Qi-infused high-strength lightweight alloy, Qi-infused composite fiber, Qi-infused Graphene-Enhanced Elastomer…
Energy: Qi
Operation Method: Chakra Threads, Qi
[Puppet Rating]: A+ (S-)
[Overall Assessment]: Armored combat Puppet, a product of the highly integrated modern engineering, Puppetry, and Artificer techniques. Upgraded and modified from the Black Gold type Puppet, it boasts powerful overall performance and is equipped with ion thrusters and concentrated ray cannons.
Note: Can be fitted with an Arc Reactor, freezing devices, and conventional heavy firepower. Currently not equipped with an Arc Reactor.
An S-tier Puppet!
And no extraordinary metals or special substances were used!
This meant that Qingshui truly possessed the ability to manufacture S-tier Puppets!
"The power consumption is quite high. Even with Sealing Jutsu storing a certain amount of Qi within the Magic Tool, it can only sustain full power output for less than half an hour, even with my own Qi. Once my own Qi capacity increases, or after I manage to incorporate an Arc Reactor, it should be able to last longer.
Once the Qi stored by the Sealing Jutsu is depleted, there won't be enough vast Qi to support the Magic Tool in unleashing its full power, and its combat effectiveness will drop a notch."
"An Anomalous Human skilled in Object Manipulation could probably operate it, but its combat power would further decrease. There's no need to consider that too much."
He wasn't selling this thing anyway.
Practical testing of Platinum wasn't very convenient at the moment.
So Qingshui didn't do anything else. Instead, he honestly went to bed to catch up on sleep and restore his energy.
The next day, 6:30 AM.
Qingshui, who had been busy all afternoon and most of the night, yawned, picked up his suitcase, and boarded the high-speed train with Yue Qian.
He had only slept for an hour, so he was still a bit tired.
Although his mental strength was strong and his physical condition was decent, the work of Materialization was still very draining.
Just as he was about to catch some sleep on the train, a message in a Weixun group chat jolted him awake.
Mohist Sect Disciple Exchange Group 2.
Ou Yuan: Just received news that Longhu Mountain will be holding the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony this year, starting on July 6th and lasting three days. At that time, the 66th Heavenly Master will be selected through combat trials. However, after discussion by the Ten Elders, the scope of this Luo Tian Grand Ceremony will be expanded to include all Anomalous Humans under thirty years old in the entire Anomalous Human World. If there are any disciples within the sect who are under thirty and have reached a cultivation level of Understanding Ghosts or higher, they can register to participate via the link below: h/t/t/p…
Note: This Luo Tian Grand Ceremony will have an additional prize: the Tongtian Lu, provided by Lu Jin, one of the Ten Elders, which holds relatively high scientific research value.
Qingshui scrolled through the messages below.
Mendel's Pea Shooter: "Under thirty? Excuse me, I'm already thirty-two."
Archimedes' Bathtub: "Excuse me +1, still have to finish my thesis in July."
Dr. Du, Proctologist: "Also over thirty."
Haha Emperor: "Better to go on a date with a girl than spend time on that."
Dr. Du, Proctologist: "Then why not bring a girl to watch the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony? Maybe you can even buy some talismans as souvenirs and ask about your relationship prospects."
Haha Emperor: "Good point!"
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