Chapter 133: Master Gongshu

Under Tingyun’s expert guidance, the group swiftly made their way to the outskirts of the Department of Craftsmanship.

The scene that greeted them, however, was a world away from what they had anticipated.

A massive crowd had gathered before the grand entrance, forming a dense, dark sea of people. Judging by their attire, most were artisans and apprentices from the Department, interspersed with a few who appeared to be deacons from the commission.

They had neither entered the building nor dispersed. They simply huddled at the entrance, their faces a collective mask of anxiety, fear, and utter helplessness. Pointing and whispering toward the tightly shut gates, the air buzzed with a cacophony of worried murmurs.

Seeing this, Tingyun let out a soft, weary sigh. “It seems today is… a fine day for closing shop, but a most ill-omened one for starting work.”

Ms. Welt Yang’s brow furrowed. “These people from the Department of Craftsmanship…” she began, her voice low and contemplative. “They should have evacuated to the designated safe zones the moment the Stellaron erosion intensified. Why are they still gathered here?”

Chen’s gaze swept over the panicked artisans. He rubbed his chin, a wry smile playing on his lips as he replied in a tone that was half-joking, half-serious. “Maybe they’re just so dedicated to their craft they can’t bear to abandon their posts?”

He shot a pointed look in Tingyun’s direction. “Compared to a certain diviner from the Divination Commission who’s all about that work-life balance, look at this—talk about a stark contrast. And this is their livelihood, after all; people have families to feed. In the world of adults, the word ‘easy’ simply doesn’t exist.”

Hearing this, March 7th turned to Ms. Welt and blinked his wide, curious eyes. “Aunt Yang, why does Chen sound… like he’s lived through a thousand years of hardship?”

Ms. Welt adjusted her glasses, her expression unreadable and her tone perfectly flat. “He is merely speaking from the heart, I suppose.”

Tingyun shook her head, her gaze fixed on the sealed gates of the Department with a grave expression. “I’m afraid it’s not a matter of them being unwilling to leave. In my view, something major has likely gone wrong inside. The door might be blocked from within, or some other incident has occurred. These artisans want to flee but don’t know where to go, or… they simply can’t get out.”

She turned to the group, her voice dropping to a cautionary whisper. “Everyone, the situation ahead is unclear. Please be careful.”

Chen waved a hand dismissively, even shrinking back a bit to use Ms. Welt’s frame as a partial shield. A ‘supremely confident’ smile bloomed on his face. “Fear? What’s there to fear? With Aunt Yang holding down the fort, I don’t care what kind of monsters or ghosts show up, they can all go drop dead!” He peeked out from behind her. “Aunt Yang, we’re counting on you! We’ll be cheering for you from the sidelines!”

Ms. Welt glanced down at Chen, who was hiding beside her with only his head poking out, a wide, shameless grin plastered on his face. She shook her head with a hint of helpless exasperation but didn’t argue, instead tightening her grip on her cane. The steady, powerful aura she exuded was enough to invisibly bolster everyone’s confidence.

“Let’s go,” she announced, her voice cutting through the tension. “We’ll head inside and assess the situation. Tingyun, please lead the way. We’ll try to find a side door or another entrance.”

Tingyun nodded, guiding them around the anxious crowd huddled at the main gate toward a small, unassuming side door. This entrance was also tightly shut, but Tingyun seemed to possess an intimate familiarity with the Department’s layout. After manipulating an inconspicuous mechanism hidden beside the doorframe, the small door clicked open, swinging inward just enough to create a narrow gap.

The group slipped inside, moving cautiously along the passage.

They hadn’t gone far when a noise echoed from an area piled high with various semi-finished machinery and tools. A figure was struggling to move a heavy metal plate that was blocking the path.

It was a middle-aged woman, perhaps in her forties or fifties, and not particularly tall. She was, however, built sturdily. She wore the standard artisan’s uniform of the Department, its cuffs and lapels stained with oil and dust. Protective goggles were pushed up on her forehead, and her hair was tied back in a neat, functional bun. At that moment, she was gritting her teeth, her muscles straining as she tried to shift the metal plate, which was clearly immensely heavy.

“Master Gongshu?” Tingyun called out, a note of recognition in her voice.

Hearing her name, the middle-aged woman looked up and took off her goggles. She revealed a serious face, etched with the lines of time and long years of focused, demanding work. Her eyes fell on Tingyun, then scanned over Ms. Welt and the others standing behind her. When she noticed their attire, so clearly different from that of the native Xianzhou people, her eyes immediately lit up.

“Tingyun, little one? It’s you! And these people…” Her gaze swept quickly over the group, lingering for a moment on Ms. Welt as if she had deduced something significant. A look of relief mixed with deep anxiety washed over her face. “Are you the reinforcements sent by General Jing Yuan? That’s wonderful!”

Chen stared at this Master Gongshu, momentarily stunned.

‘Good grief! Master Gongshu!’ he thought, his internal monologue running wild. ‘I can’t believe it! Even you, the honest-looking, single-minded blacksmith NPC, got gender-swapped! And you turned into this capable, powerful-looking auntie! This gender-swapped universe really is… impressively egalitarian.’

“Indeed,” Tingyun confirmed, stepping forward to quickly explain. “The General has ordered me to lead these distinguished guests from the Astral Express through the secret paths of the Department of Craftsmanship to reach the Alchemy Commission. Master Gongshu, what happened here? Why are the artisans gathered outside, and why is the Department in such a state?”

At this question, the anxiety on Gongshu Liang’s face intensified. She pointed deeper into the passage, from where a strange, vibrant aura of unnatural growth emanated.

“Don’t even get me started! It’s the Ambrosial Arbor!” she exclaimed, her voice strained. “I don’t know how, but the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor have actually pierced through the ground and all our defenses! They’ve entangled themselves directly into the depths of the Department of Craftsmanship!”

She took a ragged breath. “Their target seems to be… the Creation Furnace!”

“The Creation Furnace?” Tingyun’s expression turned grim. She had heard of it; it was the core treasure of the Department of Craftsmanship—a crystallization of the life’s work of countless generations of artisans and the pinnacle of Xianzhou technology, possessing the legendary power to turn the mundane into the miraculous and forge divine weapons.

“Yes! The furnace!” Gongshu Liang stamped her foot in frustration. “Those damned roots are like they’re alive, frantically wrapping around and eroding the furnace’s outer walls and energy circuits! They seem to want to seize or contaminate the power of the furnace itself!”

Her voice grew more frantic. “Many of the automated defense mechanisms and unfinished inventions within the Department have been affected by the roots and have gone completely berserk! I told the other artisans to evacuate first. I stayed behind to see if I could sever the roots or shut down part of the furnace’s energy output, but I simply can’t manage it alone! The doors are also partially blocked by the berserk machines and the spreading roots!”

She looked at Ms. Welt, Chen, and the others, her eyes filled with desperate entreaty. “Everyone, since you were sent by the General, you must be incredibly capable! Can you… can you please lend a hand? At least help me clear the obstacles to the furnace’s main control area and see if we can stop those roots! If the furnace is completely eroded or destroyed by the Ambrosial Arbor, the Department of Craftsmanship is finished! It would be a catastrophic loss for the entire Luofu!”

Tingyun looked to Ms. Welt, deferring to her judgment.

Ms. Welt nodded without a moment’s hesitation. “The Creation Furnace is of vital importance; it must not fall into the hands of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. We will assist you, Master Gongshu.”

“That’s wonderful!” Gongshu Liang was overjoyed, but then she frowned, her gaze sweeping over them with a hint of doubt. “However… the path to the furnace’s core area won’t be easy to traverse. It’s crawling with eroded, berserk machines, along with strange creatures spawned by the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor… You…”

Chen had by now snapped out of his shock over Master Gongshu’s gender. Hearing her concern, he puffed out his chest and put on a reliable, ‘leave-it-to-me’ smile.

“Don’t you worry, Master Gongshu! Clearing obstacles, you say? We have a professional team for that!” he declared grandly. “Aunt Yang is in charge of strategic deterrence and large-scale area-of-effect clearing. Our Precious Qiong is in charge of precision strikes and paving the way. Little March is in charge of… uh, he’s in charge of lighting and morale-boosting cheers!”

He jabbed a thumb at himself. “As for me… I’m in charge of filling in any gaps and providing crucial moral support! I guarantee we’ll flatten the path for you!”

March 7th’s face went red. “…Chen! What do you mean, in charge of lighting and cheering?! I’m a great fighter too, you know!”

Gongshu Liang looked at this bizarre group of reinforcements, who had vastly different styles but all seemed quite capable in their own right. Her mouth twitched, particularly at the black-haired young man who seemed the least reliable of the bunch, but she was in no position to be picky.

“…Fine! Then… then I’ll leave it to you all!” she said, her voice firm with renewed resolve. “Follow me. I know a path that’s relatively short, though it also has the most active defenses!”

With that, she snatched a heavy wrench from a nearby workbench, swinging it with a whistle of displaced air. She took the lead and marched decisively toward the darkened passage.

Chen watched Auntie Gongshu’s resolute back as she disappeared into the gloom. He then glanced ahead at the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor, faintly visible in the dim light, squirming like a nest of giant pythons.

‘Alright,’ he thought, a grin spreading across his face. ‘Time to grind. Let’s enter the dungeon!’

[Elysian’s Note:

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Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]