This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 321 - 174 [Battlefield Doctor] The Fish Took the Bait_2

Chapter 321: Chapter 174 [Battlefield Doctor] The Fish Took the Bait_2

At this point, Ulrich paused and continued, "The Alliance resistance is possible, but nobody wants to be the spearhead, everyone’s tiptoeing around."

"Furthermore, the Star Hunter Leader, Sandro, had the audacity to demand in the meeting that I hand over that mechanic!"

"What do you think?" Huo Tan inquired.

"If he’d come to me privately and offered me a little something, I might have agreed, but now..." Ulrich snorted coldly, "Does he really think I’m such an easy target to squeeze?"

Huo Tan then hesitated, "You’re right, and I also advise against handing over the mechanic."

"Oh, have you connected with him during the half-month I’ve been away?" Ulrich asked nonchalantly. Huo Tan tightened up and hurriedly explained, "You misunderstand."

"The reason I say so is that his skill level is indeed very high. In this half month, many have come to him with various ideas, seeking repairs or even custom weapons."

"He took on everything and didn’t mess up any job, even those intentionally looking for faults found little to complain about."

"Oh?" Ulrich’s interest was piqued upon hearing this: "He seems to be a highly skilled mechanic."

"Master, I suspect he might be a Master Mechanic," Huo Tan said through gritted teeth.

"Hmm?" Ulrich’s expression shifted slightly, "A Master Mechanic? To come to the Land of Stars?"

"How can you be sure?"

Huo Tan explained, "In this half month, he has taken on three custom B-grade weapons, completed with great efficiency, and almost without any flaws."

"His reputation is gradually spreading, and many come to him by reputation."

"Moreover, his repair skills seem particularly excellent; the items he fixes, you can’t find any trace of damage."

Ulrich’s eyes sparkled, "Half a month, three B-grade weapons, and still time to build and repair other things, this efficiency... That said, even if he’s not a Master Mechanic, he’s not far off."

Whether he’s a Master Mechanic isn’t clearly defined, but his skill level is already extremely rare in the Land of Stars, perhaps not capable of forging A-grade items on his own.

"Interesting, let’s take some stuff and have a look when we go back," Ulrich mused, intrigued.

"Yes." Huo Tan nodded, and soon, the two left the central castle on the Floating Island, having disguised themselves.

While walking, Huo Tan explained, "Due to the high number of visitors, the shop adopted an appointment system, arranged by time and charging standard from earliest to latest. I claimed an appointment slot for one person, half an hour from now."

"You were certain I’d be interested," Ulrich commented indifferently, not bothered.

Arriving at the shop’s entrance, quite a few people had gathered, most were there just for the excitement, with two mechanical bodies maintaining order, Kay and Ya Ro acting as servers,

"Appointment number--1103." Huo Tan stepped forward and reported their appointment number. Ya Ro took a glance and then had Kay lead them inside.

"Golden-eyed people." Ulrich’s interest surged though Kay wore a Mimic Mask, but from various bits of information and the gene inhibitor on the other person, he had guessed it.

These exiled nobles generally carried interesting trinkets with them.

"Guests, please wait a moment, it will be your turn soon," Kay had already slipped into the role, moving with graceful ease.

Ulrich nodded slightly, surveying the surroundings—the first floor had been divided into several small rooms.

In another room, a burly black man from Ross sat opposite Li Ming, with respiratory organs like nasal plugs on both sides of his face, his body wrapped in bandages.

Li Ming looked at a curved sword in his hands, broken into several pieces, "No problem, come to collect it in two days, seven million."

Pain flashed through the Ross man’s eyes, "Sure, I’ve heard about your superb skills, leaving no signs of repair."

"Naturally." Li Ming collected the curved sword, and said nonchalantly, "Looking at your wounds, have you been out on a big deal?"

He grinned widely, appearing very ingenuous, "Not a big deal, just raided some cargo, captured some slaves."

"Quite the profit, huh." Li Ming chatted casually.

"Not much to be made, all primitive metal materials," he shrugged.

"Oh." Li Ming paused his movement, his eyes lingering on the cross-shaped gun emblem on the other’s chest, "You’re from the Giant Cannon Pillaging Group, right?"

"Yes. You’ve heard of us?"

"I’ve heard a lot about you." Li Ming smiled wryly.

After sending the man away, the moment Li Ming emerged, a shiver ran through him, and his gaze instantly fell on one of the individuals, faintly discerning the crimson skin beneath the surface of the Mimic Mask.

"The big fish... has finally arrived." Li Ming took a deep breath, his senses tingling with alertness.

Thanks to the Intelligent Assistance, he was able to confirm that the person was A-level life form, the owner of the Floating Island, the Collector--Ulrich.

"Please come in," Li Ming gestured with an inviting hand.

Ulrich walked into the room with a smile, accompanied by Huo Tan.

"Are you here for a repair or a custom order?" Li Ming asked smoothly.

"Hard to say." Ulrich smiled faintly, and at his words, Huo Tan stepped forward, placing a metal box he was carrying onto the table and opening it to reveal three battered objects inside.

A broken metal sword, a damaged hollow mechanical sphere, and a rusty handgun.

"This is..." Li Ming said, puzzled.

Ulrich instructed, "Take a look first and tell me how many of these items can be repaired?"

Li Ming frowned, discontented, "This isn’t a place for playing around, sir."

"Don’t worry, you won’t be working in vain," Ulrich reassured casually, "If you can give me a satisfactory answer, I’ll give you a big business opportunity."

"Take your time, I’m not in a hurry. I hope you can give me a careful answer."

Li Ming hesitated briefly before looking down, picking up each item to examine it and then lifting his head to declare, "All three of these items can be fixed."

Huo Tan sighed, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop as Ulrich’s expression grew colder.

"Are you sure?" Ulrich’s tone had noticeably cooled, "I’m giving you another chance. Take a good look and then tell me, how many items here can actually be repaired?"

Li Ming snorted, "Are you questioning my professional expertise, sir?"

Ulrich shook his head and then glanced at Huo Tan, who seemed embarrassed and remained silent.

Knowing he couldn’t drag this out further, Li Ming said, "A Utonian high-frequency vibro-sword, forged from Noli Alloy, severely damaged."

Ulrich felt a jolt inside; the man had seen through it?

"A Super Energy Compression Cannon, with its compression core so expertly miniaturized, the origins of this gun are also remarkable." Ulrich’s surprise grew as the gun originated from the Red River Star Stream, which had taken him a long time to figure out its specific functions.

Li Ming’s gaze moved to the last item, "A Gultya Eight-Tone Ball, a rare ornamental object, crafted from the extremely scarce dream alloy."

Amazement flooded Ulrich’s eyes; had the man recognized it at a glance?

"To a general Mechanic, out of these three things, the metal sword might be repairable, and the gun with some difficulty, but this Eight-Tone Ball, just recognizing it would be impressive, as it’s essentially unrepairable."

Li Ming’s face bore pride, "Yet to me, all can be fixed."

Ulrich shook internally; with his level of life, he naturally had encountered Mechanics before.

He had once brought these three items to a Mechanic.

Indeed, that Mechanic could only repair the gun and the sword; the Eight-Tone Ball took a long time to even vaguely understand its function, with repair near impossible.

But if what this Mechanic claimed was true, did that make the previous Mechanic just "average" in his eyes?

If it weren’t for Huo Tan who didn’t even know the specific details and stories behind these items, Ulrich might have suspected collusion.

However, a fierce light soon flared in Ulrich’s eyes, "Impressive perception, the origins, functions, and materials of these items, even I had to study them closely at the beginning. I didn’t expect you to recognize them at a single glance."