Devil's Son-in-Law

The Jade Forest Sea, in the mechanics room of the Purple Heart Treehouse.

Finoia and Bernd were carefully appreciating a long sword which was forged by Chen Rui just now. It didn’t take much time. The shape looked very simple. It seemed that any ordinary blacksmith could create it. However, the looks of the 2 mechanics’ grand masters seemed very serious.

“This sword is quite good. It seems clumsy but it hides the ingenious principles. It has the essentials of mechanical skills. Although its grade is only excellent grade, the level of production has surpassed the level of the Master.” Finoia’s eyes flowed with undisguised appreciation, “It turns out that Sir Richard is a dual quasi-grand master of magic circle and mechanical skills. It is really amazing.”

“Please don’t mind my inadequacies, grand masters.” Instead of this kind of appreciation, Chen Rui hoped to hear really useful opinions or even criticisms, “Please give me some pointers.”

Bernd took a sip of wine, “Don’t worry, boy, this guy Finoia has a bad habit, which is to compliment first to make you flattered, then he will kick you off the cliff with relentless criticism.”

Chen Rui smiled and nodded, “This is exactly what I look forward to.”

No doubt, Finoia’s face was stern, “As far as mechanical skills are concerned, your technique, usage and other aspects are fantastic. You even have a certain sense of realization and have reached the quasi-grand master level of forging quasi-artifacts. However, in the eyes of the grand master, you made the most basic mistake, so this sword is quite unqualified. Just like a dead corpse, it is worthless.”

A corpse? Chen Rui finally understood Bernd’s previous metaphor. The elf grand master criticized him really harshly. He didn’t give any face, but Chen Rui was not at all discouraged by the blow. Instead, his eyes lit up, “I would like to hear the details.”

Finoia nodded secretly and said, “When we are learning mechanic skills, there was a sentence that was repeatedly mentioned, ‘mechanics is creating life’. But in fact, not many people can really understand this sentence and apply it to mechanics. Countless mechanics and even mechanic masters have regarded the artifact as the only criterion for becoming a grand master, but they are all wrong. In fact, this phrase that is most commonly heard and ignored is the true meaning of mechanic skills! Take a quasi-artifact as an example. Perhaps your production technology and details have reached a near-perfect state, but no matter how high the attribute is, it is ultimately a dead object. It cannot achieve a qualitative change. That’s why I said that your sword is a corpse.”

Life? This familiar word made Chen Rui reveal a thoughtful expression. Bernd said, “I don’t have Finoia’s eloquence. As he said previously, the hobbit has a saying, ‘The hammer can tell the truth best’. I’ll show it to you.”

Bernd came to the forging platform, picked up the hammer and slammed it. He used pliers to grab a piece of red-hot iron and began to beat it. Under the beating, a sword gradually took shape. It was also an ordinary-looking sword, and the old hobbit’s technique was not special. However, it revealed a kind of spirituality that Chen Rui’s sword did not possess.

“Any equipment is unique, be it an artifact or a non-artifact.” Finoia’s voice sounded in Chen Rui’s ear, “It’s like life.”

Chen Rui was shocked as he suddenly thought of the quasi-artifacts made by blueprints in the Super System- Thunderous Sound, Northsea, Judgment. These artifacts are produced by the system, and the refined purity of the materials has reached 100%. The craftsmanship is perfect, even the grand master can’t reach that level of perfection. It stands to reason that every detail has reached the state of flawlessness, but I have not been able to create a real artifact. It seems that something is missing. Now it seems that the missing thing is ‘spirituality’ or should be called ‘soul’!

Chen Rui realized that he had already unknowingly entered a dead-end previously. I was pursuing all kinds of ultimate perfection, but I ignored the most original and most important thing. It is like a painter who, after years of hard work, has brought his skills to the pinnacle and can copy the works of various famous artists which look very close to the original one. However, he can never become a real master - Although manufacturing and creation are only a word difference, there is a world’s difference.

In the words of another world, it is the difference between ‘skill’ and ‘way’.

As Chen Rui was deep in thought, his eyes became brighter and brighter. The old hobbit, who had been busy for a long time, walked over with the newly built sword. He couldn’t help but be offended when he found that this guy hadn’t even glanced at the sword.

But the elf grand master showed a surprised expression. After Chen Rui came back to his senses, he asked, “You have understood?”

Chen Rui nodded. The old hobbit, who was originally a little annoyed, was taken aback. It took him hundreds of years to understand this, this human kid was actually so fast…

“But it’s 1 thing to understand the truth, and it’s another thing to be able to apply it. I think I have found a new starting point. Maybe I need to comprehend not only mechanical skills, but more.” Chen Rui was speaking frankly. Although he understood the key point, he definitely could not truly understand and achieve a qualitative breakthrough in a short time. In any case, this would be a crucial turning point in his mechanical skills.

“You… really understand?” Bernd felt frustrated, “It seems that I’m really old… Finoia, what are you laughing at? I’m younger than you in terms of age!”

“Sir Finoia, I will stay in the Jade Forest Sea for a while. Can I come to consult you again these few days?”

Seeing the elf grand master nodding, Chen Rui was overjoyed and said to the old hobbit, “Sir Bernd, can you give me this sword?”

“You finally thought of this sword? Hmph, don’t even think about it, cunning human!” The old hobbit pressed on the sword, “Unless you have something good in exchange, preferably wine. This guy’s so-called orchid fragrance wine tastes pretty good, but it is not strong enough. The hobbit likes to drink…”

Before Bernd finished speaking, his eyes widened with the intense fragrance of wine, “Good smell!”

Even Finoia couldn’t help but look at the bottle of wine in Chen Rui’s hand. The old hobbit strode forward and stepped up to Chen Rui with a step length inconsistent with his height. He slid the sword into Chen Rui’s hand, then grabbed the wine bottle. At this moment, a red figure flicked toward the old hobbit’s hand. It was Ms. Duoduo who had been comforted so obediently previously.

Ms. Duoduo had always felt bored. Seeing someone actually dared to grab her daddy’s thing now, she launched an attack immediately.

The old hobbit seemed taken aback, but Ms. Duoduo’s launching missed a little. The wine bottle had fallen into the old hobbit’s hands, “Hey, the bird you raised is so ferocious. Isn’t it just a bottle of wine? You can learn other things from Finoia, but don’t learn that kind of petty style!”

Ms. Duoduo was about to continue launching when Chen Rui gently caught her in his hand, comforting her.

“Dad, what is that? Duoduo wants it too!”

Chen Rui didn’t want his adopted daughter to develop the drinking habit since she was a child, so he quickly said, “Duoduo can’t eat that. Dad will feed you the fire element crystal when we go out later, okay?”

“No! Duoduo wants that bottle!”

“Fire element crystal plus grilled fish!”

“Add another pudding!”

Chen Rui didn’t expect that the adopted daughter had learned how to bargain without teaching. Just as he was feeling embarrassed, the old hobbit over there could not wait to take a sip of wine. After just sipping it, he appeared extremely intoxicated and full of praise, “Good mellow taste! The taste is excellent, especially the lingering aftertaste. What kind of wine is this? I have been drinking wine for hundreds of years, and this is the first time I have tasted this fine wine! The orchid fragrance wine is simply boiled water by comparison!”

Chen Rui gave another bottle to Finoia and replied, “This is called the aromatic millet wine. It is… left to me by my grandfather. It is brewed with a secret formula.”

These top-quality aromatic millet wines were naturally produced by the Demon Realm. When Chen Rui took out the aromatic millet wine, he thought about the people in his mind. A few days later, the faith crystal will be converted to almost 1 million, and I can return to the Demon Realm to reunite with my family and friends. Before that, I must seize the time to learn more from the 2 grand masters not only for my mechanical skills, but also to increase Teacher Tetenis’ chances of survival.

“Deal!” The old hobbit slammed the table with force, “I will also stay at the Purple Heart Treehouse these days. I will give you pointers with Finoia, but every time I come, I must have a bottle of such aromatic millet wine!”

“No, 2 bottles.” Finoia added, and the 3 smiled at each other.

A few hours later, the students who had the trial in the Purple Forest unanimously felt the mysterious force field fluctuations around them. Under the tremendous power, they were involuntarily sent back to the entrance.

The students shouted out in surprise, “Didn’t he say that the trial time is until the end of the day? Why did it end early?”

A calm voice sounded, “It’s very simple, because 6 magic circles of the trial were cracked by someone other than the student, so for the sake of fairness, it ended early. The current result will be the final.”

“Why must it be whatever you say? Master Taranna, who is this guy?” It was the ignorant young man who had conflicted with Chen Rui in the restaurant.

“Melodan! Shut up!” It was Philly who actually spoke. The elf master politely bowed to ‘this guy’, “Sir Finoia.”

It turns out that this is the mechanics grand master of the elf tribe! The 3 teachers of Starlight College were taken aback and hurriedly bowed. Landbis saw Chen Rui next to the elf grand master. She was shocked when she thought of the sentence ‘6 magic circles’ just now.

“Teacher! Richard!” Michelle, who was waiting in boredom, was playing with Blanche who arrived later by the lake. Seeing Finoia and Chen Rui coming out, she hurried over.

“Michelle, don’t be rude, you have to refer Richard as ‘sir’. Taranna, Sir Richard can enter and exit the Purple Forest at will without notification. He will stay in the celestial capital for a period of time. If you have the opportunity, you should learn from him more. I believe you will benefit a lot.”

When Taranna heard the teacher’s title for this human youth, he knew that the other party’s level had surpassed the master level with at least the quasi-grand master level. He solemnly bowed to Chen Rui with an incredible expression in his eyes.

Chen Rui bowed back to Taranna and said, “Sir Finoia has overpraised. If I have the opportunity, I will communicate with Master Taranna. As for Her Highness Michelle and Ms. Blanche… It’s thanks to them that I can come to the Silver Moon Celestial Capital. We are friends, so we don’t need to be so formal.”

When Blanche heard the word ‘friends’, her eyes trembled slightly as she lowered her head in silence. Finoia nodded to Chen Rui. Then, without talking to everyone, he turned around and walked into the woods, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Without waiting for Chen Rui to mention the bet, Landbis had already walked over, “Sir Richard, our students were rude just now, and I now apologize to sir and Your Highness Michelle on their behalf.”