Chapter 778: Puppet

Soon, a large gate ahead opened automatically, and Jiang Luofu led Zu An inside.

"Oh, by the way, I should tell you beforehand, Fourth Senior Brother has a peculiar temper. Even if I ask him, I might not be able to get an alchemy furnace from him," Jiang Luofu secretly transmitted her voice to Zu An using chi, seemingly afraid of being overheard by Shen Xuzi. "If he doesn't give you one, I'll go to the academy's logistics department to find you one. Although it won't be as good as his, it should be sufficient."

Zu An smiled, "Sister is truly thoughtful. Don't worry, I've always been very lucky, and with your charm, I'm sure we won't leave empty-handed this time."

Jiang Luofu shot him a glare. "Your mouth is as sweet as honey, no wonder you have so many girls around you. Just don't try that on me."

Zu An chuckled and quickly changed the subject, pointing to the giant golem behind them. "Did your senior brother make that thing?"

"Yes, Fourth Senior Brother is indeed a genius; he can imbue inanimate objects with life," Jiang Luofu said, her voice filled with admiration.

"How does that thing move, and what's its energy source?" Zu An continued to ask.

"It should be powered by Origin Stones," Jiang Luofu hesitated. "But I'm not entirely sure about the specifics. You can ask Fourth Senior Brother later."

Zu An couldn't help but say, "If it uses Origin Stones, that thing must be incredibly expensive to operate."

"Of course," Jiang Luofu replied with a strange expression. "Fourth Senior Brother has always been quite... strapped for cash."

"Haha, Eighth Junior Sister is just being polite. I'm not just strapped for cash; I'm practically broke!" A long sigh echoed from a distance, followed by the sound of wheels rolling across the ground.

Zu An looked curiously in the direction of the sound, only to see a... wheelchair slowly emerging from the trees?

A thin, small old man sat in the wheelchair. Calling him an old man wasn't quite accurate; his white hair and unkempt appearance simply made him look much older than his actual age.

Zu An was secretly startled. The old man was so thin and frail, his slightly hunched figure making him look like a monkey at first glance. It was truly hard to imagine that the colossal golem outside was his creation.

His gaze instinctively fell on the man's legs. Though covered by trousers, Zu An could faintly perceive that they were significantly atrophied compared to a normal person's.

At that moment, Jiang Luofu secretly transmitted her voice via chi, "Don't keep staring at Fourth Senior Brother's legs. He's very sensitive about people looking at them strangely."

Zu An's heart tightened, and he quickly averted his gaze. It wasn't that he was afraid of upsetting the man, but rather that he felt it was basic courtesy. "What happened to his legs?" he asked.

Jiang Luofu secretly replied, "Fourth Senior Brother was born with disabled legs, which is why he dedicated himself to alchemy to compensate for his physical shortcomings. Clearly, he has succeeded. Don't underestimate him or think he's immobile just because he's in a wheelchair. As long as he's on that wheelchair, he's far more agile than most cultivators. In a sense, this wheelchair is his magic weapon—no, it's become a part of his body."

Zu An listened, his admiration growing. This was truly a classic example of defying fate.

The thin old man chuckled, "What are you two whispering about over there? You're probably talking bad about me."

Jiang Luofu said, "Fourth Senior Brother, you've misunderstood. I was just telling him about your great achievements."

Zu An took the opportunity to add, "When I saw that machine... that golem outside just now, I was truly awestruck. My admiration for you, Senior, knows no bounds."

The thin old man was, of course, Jiang Luofu's Fourth Senior Brother, Shen Xuzi. Hearing this, he lifted his chin and proudly stroked his beard. "They are just insignificant trifles."

Although he said so, the self-satisfaction in his eyes was obvious.

Zu An asked curiously, "What exactly powers those golems?"

Shen Xuzi was most proud of these creations in his life. Seeing someone ask about them, he naturally answered happily, "They are powered by Origin Stones, of course. I spent decades researching and developing a device that can stably and smoothly extract energy from Origin Stones..."

Zu An then asked, "How long can a single ordinary Origin Stone power the golem outside?"

Shen Xuzi shook his head. "A single ordinary Origin Stone isn't enough. It requires at least eighty-one Earth-grade Origin Stones, and they need to be replaced after every battle. Of course, for routine patrolling or guarding, they don't need to be replaced as frequently. Let me tell you, to harness the energy of eighty-one Earth-grade Origin Stones in a unified way, I spent..."

To Shen Xuzi's surprise, Zu An sighed, "What a pity."

This was Shen Xuzi's life's proudest work, and he was expecting compliments. Hearing such a remark, he flew into a rage. "What did you say, you brat!"

Anger value from Shen Xuzi +777, +777, +777...

Jiang Luofu was also startled and quietly tugged on Zu An's sleeve, signaling him not to provoke further.

Zu An gave her a reassuring look, then cupped his hands to Shen Xuzi. "Fourth Senior Brother, please don't misunderstand. I'm not questioning your achievements; on the contrary, I deeply admire them."

Jiang Luofu, standing by, had a strange expression. How could this guy even call him "Fourth Senior Brother"? She couldn't shake the feeling he was trying to take advantage of her.

Shen Xuzi's expression softened slightly. "Then what did you mean by what you just said?"

Zu An explained, "I just feel that using Origin Stones for energy, especially such a large quantity of Earth-grade Origin Stones, means it's destined to be affordable only to the extremely wealthy, not even just ordinary powerful individuals. Ultimately, it won't improve the lives of common people."

"Such things were never intended for the common people," Shen Xuzi couldn't help but show a pained expression. Let alone ordinary folk, even he found it hard to afford, with eighty-one Earth-grade Origin Stones needed for each battle.

Alchemists were widely known for never lacking money, yet because of these golems, he had been living in poverty for years.

He coughed and continued, "I've been constantly working to improve energy efficiency, hoping that one day it will run on just sixty-four stones."

Zu An couldn't help but remark, "Energy utilization efficiency is inherently difficult to improve, and even sixty-four Earth-grade Origin Stones would still be unaffordable for most people."

"You brat, are you trying to pick a fight?" Shen Xuzi's eyes nearly popped out as he glared resentfully at Zu An.

Anger value from Shen Xuzi +404, +404, +404...

Zu An smiled wryly, "It's mainly because I just met Seventh Senior Brother; he has always taken it upon himself to improve people's livelihoods. I was so impressed by his ideals that I instinctively started thinking about whether this could be used by common folk. If Fourth Senior Brother could research an energy source that ordinary people could afford, that would truly secure your legacy for generations to come."

Shen Xuzi had changed his name precisely because he wanted to leave his mark in the history of alchemy, so Zu An deliberately played to his aspirations.

As expected, a flicker of excitement crossed Shen Xuzi's face, and his breathing quickened slightly, as if captivated by the prospect. However, he quickly slumped and said, "No chance. These things were never meant for ordinary people."

"That might not be true," Zu An said. "Origin Stones are indeed too expensive for common folk, but what about other energy sources?"

"What other energy sources are there?" Shen Xuzi snorted. "I've tried almost everything usable over the years, and only Origin Stones are stable enough and provide the most energy."

Zu An asked, "Have you ever considered things like coal or 'black oil'?"

"Coal? Black oil?" Shen Xuzi had expected some profound insight from Zu An and looked utterly disappointed. "Those things are only good for burning for heat. The energy they provide is far too little."

At this point, he had lost all interest. "Go on, go on. I need to get back to my research. I don't have time for idle chatter."

Jiang Luofu immediately grew anxious. She thought that if she had asked herself, there would have been a certain chance of Fourth Senior Brother giving them an alchemy furnace. But Zu An had to argue with him and provoke him instead.

This guy was too arrogant. He'd coincidentally impressed Yin Shi and the Black-and-White Elders before, and now he thought he was truly invincible? He didn't realize that every single one of her senior and junior brothers was a top figure in their respective fields.

Still, a little setback might be good for him. It's not good for young people to have everything go too smoothly. She'd take the opportunity to talk to him about it later.

Just then, Zu An spoke again: "Fourth Senior Brother, have you ever considered a steam engine?"