Sylvia turned a puzzled gaze towards Qingque, who seemed inexplicably flustered.
Only as she drew closer did she notice that Qingque was standing not alone, but alongside Master Gongshu.
"Oh, Master Gongshu's here too! I was actually just planning to look for you."
Sylvia raised a hand and greeted the craftsman as well.
"Ah, right, we were just talking about you…"
Ahem—!
Before Master Gongshu could finish, Qingque cleared her throat twice, cutting him off. Then, with a sheepish grin, she scurried over and linked arms with Sylvia.
"Girl, how come you came straight to the Artisanship Commission this time? Could've told me you had business here—if you'd said something, I'd have tagged along. Almost missed you entirely!"
"…"
Sylvia was thoroughly baffled by Qingque's sudden, inexplicable enthusiasm.
What is she up to?
"What, cat got your tongue?"
"…No, it's nothing. I came to ask Master Gongshu about making something. But what about you—here for a new Celestial Jade table?"
Sylvia looked down at the petite Qingque, who immediately nodded vigorously.
"Ah, yes, exactly! A new table. My old one's been with me for decades, figured it's time for an upgrade."
"I see."
Sylvia glanced over at Master Gongshu, who simply stood with his arms crossed, wearing an amused smile as he watched them—for reasons she couldn't fathom.
"Master Gongshu, I was wondering if the Artisanship Commission can craft custom, portable delves. Something you can carry with you."
"How big do you need it? And what for?"
Master Gongshu eyed Sylvia curiously. He knew she already possessed a personal storage space larger than most.
What, that's not enough? She wants even bigger?
Sylvia did a quick mental calculation. Bella's body was around a hundred meters long—at the very least, the space would need to allow her a few steps of movement.
"Hmm… At least a square kilometer in area. I plan to house a Doomsday Beast inside."
Clearly, the figure she threw out was a bit too abstract.
Master Gongshu was taken aback.
Does she even realize how much energy a delve that size would consume?
Forget whether it could be considered "small"—just the power supply alone would require cables as thick as her arm.
"That large?! Impossible."
Master Gongshu shook his head firmly. Such devices were installed in large-scale machinery; who in their right mind would attach one to a person?
"Oh… What about something smaller, then?"
"It's not about size… Miss Sylvia, first tell me why you want to contain a Doomsday Beast. If I recall correctly, those are weapons of the Antimatter Legion, aren't they?"
As a member of the Artisanship Commission, especially after the recent incident with Phantylia, Master Gongshu was quite familiar with the Destruction Legion.
What normal person would carry one of those around?
"Yeah, Sylvia, have you run into trouble again? Tell me all about it—let your girl here share the load~"
Qingque's curiosity was piqued as well. She tilted her head up, blinking wide-eyed as she stared at Sylvia.
She hardly looked like a proper adult.
"What's with you…"
Sylvia pursed her lips and briefly recounted the events that had recently unfolded at Herta Space Station.
Of course, she omitted the involvement of the Stellaron Hunters, simply stating that a small force of the Antimatter Legion had targeted the station's Stellaron.
"Hiss— Sylvia, are you really picking a fight with the Antimatter Legion? Some kind of grudge?"
Qingque scratched her head. First, Sylvia outmaneuvered Phantylia on the Xianzhou, and now she'd gone and swiped their planetary-scale weapon from the space station.
Just how deep does your hatred for the Antimatter Legion run?
Beside them, Master Gongshu also sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. As a weaponsmith himself, he could fully empathize with the rage of having your weapon stolen.
Last he'd heard, Sylvia had snatched half a Lord Ravager's body. Now she'd taken one of their stellar weapons.
That was just adding insult to injury.
But—no matter how impressed he was, if it couldn't be made, it couldn't be made.
Left with no other choice, Sylvia had to scale down the dimensions and renegotiate.
As for Qingque, she claimed she was off to buy some Immortal's Delight tea for Sylvia and quickly made her exit.
Sylvia spent the better part of the day discussing with Master Gongshu in his workshop before finally settling on a preliminary design.
During a break, Sylvia noticed a conspicuously out-of-place Celestial Jade table in the workshop, along with what appeared to be a custom-made set of Celestial Jade tiles.
"Master Gongshu, is this Qingque's custom order?"
"Ah? Oh dear…"
Master Gongshu slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten that thing was just sitting right there?
Sylvia glanced back suspiciously.
"Master Gongshu, are you and Qingque hiding something from me?"
"Now, now, let's not say things like that. What could I possibly be hiding?"
"Then why do you look so nervous?"
"Ah—I just remembered I need to check on my apprentice's work. Sylvia, I'll have to excuse myself for now."
Watching Master Gongshu's hurried retreat, Sylvia could only sigh.
Whatever.
She might as well play a few rounds while waiting for Qingque to return, then head to the Exalting Sanctum for some proper games.
The Exalting Sanctum had reopened, and the sword-scar in the sky had mostly faded. What remained no longer affected the delve's operations.
And so—
When Qingque returned carrying the Immortal's Delight, she found Sylvia standing at the workshop entrance, playing with that brand-new set of Celestial Jade tiles!
"Uh-oh…"
Qingque scanned the area but saw no sign of Master Gongshu. She instantly pieced together what must have happened.
Master Gongshu must have fled the scene!
"Qingque, you're back? So this is your new custom Celestial Jade set? It's quite beautiful."
Both the tiles and the table matched Sylvia's aesthetic preferences rather well.
"Hehe, really?"
Hearing Sylvia's praise, Qingque's face lit up with a brilliant smile.
"Yeah, really."
Sylvia ran her fingers over the tiles, not looking up at Qingque. To her surprise, Qingque sidled up close and said cheerfully:
"Perfect! Because this table and tile set were meant for you!"
"Huh?"
Sylvia raised her head and met Qingque's beaming eyes.
"It's a new type of table I designed. I even asked Miss Tingyun about your preferences specifically for this!"
"A new type? And why give it to me?"
Qingque promptly shoved the Immortal's Delight into Sylvia's arms.
"Oh, why else? For playing, of course! C'mere, let me explain what makes this table so special!"
Qingque beckoned, hooking her arm around Sylvia's and leaning her head in close.
Sylvia had to bend down to accommodate, their heads now pressed together.
"You know how there's supposedly an online version of Celestial Jade launching soon? Well, I figured, playing online just can't compare to the feel of physical tiles in your hands…"
As Qingque chattered away, Sylvia endured the ticklish sensation of fragrant hair brushing against her cheek and finally grasped what made this table innovative.
It was a table that used a phone's communication function to connect remotely, allowing online play while preserving the tactile experience.
Looking at Qingque's utterly pleased expression, Sylvia thought for a moment before offering her assessment:
"How do I put this… It's like taking off your pants just to pass gas—a certain kind of pointless elegance."
"Hey—! Don't say that! I'm taking back this Immortal's Delight!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.