["First, find an apprentice named A-Wei and ask about the situation inside."]
["'There's been a tree disaster in the Artisanship Commission. Some potted plant suddenly grew wildly, with branches as thick as two people combined! It's climbing high and low all over the place, nearly tearing the place apart,'"] A-Wei said.
[From A-Wei's account, it seems he knows nothing about the growth of the Ambrosial Arbor.]
[His master, Master Gongshu, is the most senior craftsman in the Artisanship Commission's Smelting Workshop. After the incident, he stayed behind to save the furnace, and his fate is now unknown. Though A-Wei and the others are anxious, they refuse to abandon their teacher and can only wait outside for the Cloud Knights' reinforcements.]
[A-Wei handed a jade token to the Astral Express Crew: "If you find my master, please bring him out safely! If anything happens to him—"]
[Welt felt a pang in his heart: "Rest assured, young man, your master's safety…"]
[But before he could finish, A-Wei clutched his forehead, letting out a pained cry: "—our group won't be able to graduate this year or become full-fledged craftsmen…"]
[Welt: "…"]
[March 7th, with a cold expression: "Let's go, I don't really want to continue this conversation…"]
"I can only say, I totally get this guy's frustration."
Outside the Sumeru Akademiya, in a café, a group of uniformed students gathered, chattering animatedly.
"You guys don't know, my research topic was 'Geological Structure and Spatial Stability Analysis of Sumeru's Withering Zones.' Guess what happened? My advisor and I finally found a Withering Zone outside Gandharva Ville, studied it for three months, and were almost done with the thesis. Then… some blonde Traveler cleared out every single Withering Zone in Sumeru! My entire project just vanished!"
"Please! At least wait until I graduate before clearing the Withering Zones!" wailed a student from Amurta, echoing A-Wei's despair.
"Tch, that's nothing," scoffed another student from Spantamad.
"Our project was to study the ancient texts of the Scarlet King in the desert, led by a professor from the Akademiya. We finally found a stone tablet covered in ancient script in some ruins. But then my senior accidentally triggered something, and our professor got trapped inside the ruins!"
"Oh, Lesser Lord Kusanali, have mercy! We were deep in the desert with limited food and water. If we hadn't met a merchant heading to Aaru Village, I might've been done for—"
"When we made it back to the Akademiya and got Senior Faruzan to crack the ruins three months later, that poor professor had already turned into a…"
The students around the table gasped in unison.
"Anyway, because of that disaster, our whole group got delayed that year… So, I totally get A-Wei's pain!"
[Entering the gates of the Artisanship Commission, they indeed saw a mass of tree roots and branches, still growing uncontrollably.]
[With no time to waste, the group quickly found a path and headed inside.]
[Soon, they encountered a middle-aged man accompanied by several mechanical constructs.]
["The Artisanship Commission is a critical facility! Intruders, retreat—retreat at once~!" Master Gongshu spoke with a theatrical, sing-song tone.]
["Hey, hey! Let us explain! We're not bad—"]
["What's there to explain? It's always excuses like 'just passing by,' 'didn't mean to,' or 'the door was open'! The Commission's been struck by disaster today, and this old man knew someone was up to no good! As expected~!"]
[Cutting off March 7th's explanation, Master Gongshu gave an order, and the mechanical constructs surrounded them menacingly.]
[Seeing words were useless, Stelle wasted no time, smashing his prized constructs into scattered parts with two swings of her bat.]
["Cumulus Gold Cicada! Daylit Dragonfish! …What's wrong with you? Get up, quickly! This old man raised you like his own flesh and blood…" Master Gongshu looked at the scattered parts, his face full of sorrow.]
["If you're going to fight, fine, but why smash my little companions to bits—compensate me!!" Master Gongshu let out a battle cry.]
[March 7th muttered, feeling wronged: "You're the one who wouldn't listen to our explanation! We came to help, and you attacked without a word…"]
[Without his constructs, Master Gongshu finally listened. Only then did he learn the group was sent by General Jing Yuan. At the mention of "General," his expression did a 180, turning from stormy to sunny, chuckling: ]
["You're sent by the General? A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Forget it, those little gadgets—broken is broken!"]
——
"This Master Gongshu… haha, he's quite a character," Zhang Chulan said, puffing on a cigarette while lounging on a sofa, watching the Celestial Screen with utmost satisfaction.
"Daoist Wang, don't you think this Master Gongshu's craftsmanship kinda reminds me of my big nephew?"
"The Art of Divine Machinery… it's got the right vibe, but in terms of effect, it's nowhere near Ma Xianhong," Wang Ye recalled the battle in Biyou Village, where Ma Xianhong showcased all sorts of bizarre gadgets. That rural tech geek might've been stubborn, but his skills were the real deal.
"And I'm kinda curious about that furnace he's so desperate to protect."
Mentioning the furnace and Ma Xianhong made Zhang Chulan's fingers itch with curiosity.
[Welt hoped Master Gongshu could lead the way, as they were unfamiliar with the Artisanship Commission.]
[But Master Gongshu sighed incessantly. The Commission was now occupied by a tree spirit, and even their treasure, the "Creation Furnace," had been taken by it. He couldn't leave because the furnace contained…]
[He hesitated, but Stelle picked up on his unspoken request—help, and take back the furnace while they're at it.]
["Save some time. Where to, who do we fight?" Stelle cut to the chase.]
["Haha, if General Jing Yuan sent you here, there must be a reason. You're definitely here to resolve the Artisanship Commission's crisis," Master Gongshu laughed heartily: "Come, this way, please!"]
[Following Master Gongshu, the group passed through painted screens, smashing various monsters along the way, until they reached their destination.]
["Look, the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor…" March 7th gasped, covering her mouth.]
[Countless sprawling roots tightly entwined a massive furnace, each root as thick as dozens of people.]
["Little ones, come help this old man! Let's chop it down together and keep it from piercing the furnace!"]