Delin listened in awe.
He lowered his head. “But you’re so amazing.”
Xie Jianxun thought for a moment and said, “I started fiddling with parts at five years old to build up my feel for them. I just never delved deeper—that’s no reason for you to compare yourself to me.”
Delin sighed repeatedly. “Sigh, I’m a few years older than you, but I still don’t get it. Alright, I won’t go dancing tonight. I’ll stay home and study the blueprints properly.”
The two walked out and stood at the shop door waiting for someone. Xie Jianxun said in surprise, “You know how to dance?”
The young man replied, “Who are you looking down on?!”
With that, Delin hummed a couple of tunes and twisted into some fairly convincing dance steps. Xie Jianxun felt like he might lack an artistic soul—he couldn’t really appreciate it.
Passersby on the street glanced over. Delin’s mood had finally lifted, and he said proudly, “How about that?”
Xie Jianxun took a step back.
He told the truth. “Not bad, just a bit abstract.”
Night had fallen deeply over Golden City, with lamps lit in every household.
Even though the streetlights were spaced far apart, the glow from the houses illuminated the streets.
A monorail tram whooshed past along the tracks grooved into the road surface. Xie Jianxun checked the time—it was nearly the last train. He hurried Delin along. “Hurry back.”
Delin gazed into the distance. “How can I leave you here alone… Didn’t you say someone was coming to pick you up? Where are they?”
Xie Jianxun didn’t know either. “Probably still on the way.”
From the other end of the street, a vague figure approached, carrying a shopping bag.
Moments later, it emerged fully from the light and shadow.
Delin spotted it first. He saw the tall figure, then looked up at the thick, curly black hair, snow-white skin, and pale blue eyes with a calm depth, occasionally flickering with an inorganic, lifeless quality.
Handsome like a deep lake.
His little colleague spotted it too and happily rushed over, sounding almost coquettish as soon as he spoke. “One, you finally came! I’ve been waiting forever!”
One?
What kind of simplistic name was that? Delin thought sourly to himself.
The Mechanical Puppet stopped beside Xie Jianxun without speaking and handed him the shopping bag. It wasn’t really a shopping bag—it was a sturdy kraft paper sack reinforced with two ropes for easy carrying, and an enticing aroma wafted from inside.
One said softly, “I wasn’t sure if you’d like it, but they were offering samples at the door, and I guessed it would be your flavor.”
Date pastries with thick skins and cream-filled long loaves of bread.
The two desserts weren’t large, but they filled the bag to the brim.
Xie Jianxun happily took the bag in one hand while letting One hold his other. “Thank you!”
“I’m heading off first. Don’t miss the tram.”
Before leaving, he turned back to greet his colleague. “See you tomorrow, Delin!”
Once they were far away, Delin snapped out of it. Where was his lively, handsome little colleague now?
He glanced at the bus stop sign and saw that the last train had departed two minutes ago. He prepared to catch the final one and head home unsteadily.
Passing the dance hall, he smiled with a sigh and decided to skip wasting three hours dancing and singing with his rowdy friends. He’d go home, study the blueprints properly, and truly become a repairman who feared no challenge.
The Desert Planet’s nights were chilly with strong winds. Before long, Xie Jianxun couldn’t take it and quietly tugged at his collar.
But the spicy beef sauce from earlier had been deliciously salty and savory, even if the spice had gone to his head a bit.
He licked the corner of his lips savoringly, and the Mechanical Puppet noticed.
“Your lips are a bit red. Do you need a drink?” One stated flatly.
Xie Jianxun followed its gaze and saw a small cart under the sparse streetlights. An old man sat beside it, wearing a warm hood and scarf. A bright green sign hung in front.
It was the lime-mint water ubiquitous in the city—three bucks for a bucket, but an extra buck for ice. Locals loved piling in a full bag of ice. It was Delin’s go-to drink during work shifts.
Xie Jianxun nodded, and One went to buy him some mint water.
The transparent cup had a round lid to keep out the ever-present windblown sand that might stick to the straw.
Xie Jianxun took two sips, and then his view darkened as One draped its coat over him.
It blocked the wind, the sand, and his sight.
Under the coat, the young human shook his head solemnly and said in all seriousness, “Sir, I can’t see the road.”
He held the mint water in one hand and let the figure ahead pull his other, his steps dragging like a delinquent kid sneaking out late at night but reluctant to be dragged home by a parent.
The figure ahead stopped and turned. Xie Jianxun could only see the parts not covered by the coat.
The Mechanical Puppet seemed to spread its arms without the slightest tremble.
One’s voice was steady and even. “I can carry you back. You won’t need to see the road.”
Xie Jianxun bit down warily on his straw. “No.”
This was what they called a coat trap.
After that day, it was as if some curse had been broken—or perhaps because customers had praised Little Xie the repairman’s Landships for running so smoothly in front of others. Xie Jianxun’s orders gradually picked up.
Customers realized Little De the repairman’s efficiency wasn’t great, so many came specifically requesting Xie Jianxun.
In the end, Delin finished his backlog and had nothing to do.
Meanwhile, his poor, hardworking colleague was swamped in the order wave that Old Man Desmond had once endured, unable to extricate himself.
The problem was, more orders were good, but repairing eighteen identical weapons in a day? Even the capable ones wanted to puke.
“Can I get something fresh?”
Xie Jianxun’s temples throbbed. Behind the counter, Delin chuckled and had smoothly taken over greeting customers.
“Who knows? Maybe it’s the perfect season for heading into the desert to kill bugs,” Delin said casually.
The shop door opened, and a new customer entered.
Xie Jianxun’s scalp tingled, especially when the opposite gaze locked on him like a scan, striding straight toward him.
He blurted out, “Sorry, no openings, but—this way, we have Repairman Delin!”
Delin stood nearby, shrugging helplessly. The customer hadn’t even glanced his way and ignored him completely.
“I’ve heard of you, the young and handsome repairman. They say your skills are top-notch—things that pass through your hands feel entirely different to use.”
The customer’s voice was low and rumbling, like thunder from his throat.
Even Delin jumped in alarm, eyeing him warily.
“I’ve got a big order. Huge. It involves maintenance and upkeep for an entire merchant caravan’s weapons, due by month’s end. If you’re willing to clear your schedule, I can give it to you.”
The man was tall and burly. Xie Jianxun had a vague sense of familiarity.
He looked up and was surprised upon seeing the face.
It was Magm, the caravan captain who had stayed at the hotel before and chatted with Basero.
He probably hadn’t recognized Xie Jianxun.
After all, Xie Jianxun had just been an ordinary hotel staffer back then. It was normal not to recognize him.
Xie Jianxun crossed his arms and pondered before saying, “But my schedule is really full. See—”
He gestured to the thick stack of orders on the desk, booked through the 25th.
“These are confirmed regular jobs, so end of the month might not be doable.”
He said sincerely, “Repairman Delin’s skills are strong too. Why not check his availability?”
Finishing these would net him over ten thousand bucks right away.
Two more, plus his hotel wages, and he’d steadily save enough for a ship ticket.
Taking the big order would speed things up further, but it’d mean overtime grinding.
Xie Jianxun didn’t mind waiting a few days.
He was basically vacationing on the Desert Planet—why grind himself?
But after hearing him out, the customer didn’t budge.
Magm grunted deeply, as if accepting the suggestion, but he didn’t invite Delin.
Moments later, the burly caravan captain shook his head slowly. “Actually, we want to invite you as our accompanying repairman to join us into the desert.”
Xie Jianxun thought it over and said tactfully, “I heard… your caravan underwent a reorganization?”
Magm raised his eyes, murky yet calm.
He wasn’t surprised the news had spread—he’d personally posted the recruitment info before the reorg.
After some pulling and tugging, they’d scraped together the manpower for a caravan.
“Oh, you knew,” he said.
“Then I don’t mind sharing more—my contact in the City Lord’s Mansion told me the City Lord has new coordinates for a Golden Fruit Forest, deep in the desert’s heart. Not something a regular caravan or Adventure Group can tackle alone.”
“The City Lord’s Mansion will issue a bounty soon, requiring independent teams to band together, but each must bring at least one mechanical repairman for logistics.”
The bombshell left Delin stunned.
He’d just explained Golden Fruits’ sky-high prices to Xie Jianxun, and now a new grove?
Magm laid out no fancy terms. “If you’re willing, two thousand a day, weapons maintenance extra. We’ll cover food and lodging.”
A solid price, showing their sincerity.
Not chump change—Xie Jianxun was tempted.
“I need to think it over,” Xie Jianxun said after a moment. “I’ve got a lot on my plate; can’t leave right away.”
Plus, he didn’t want to leave One alone at the hotel working while he adventured.
Magm nodded without pressing. He grabbed his coat, draped it on, and walked out with heavy, thunderous steps.
Once he was gone, Delin sidled up nervously, poking Xie Jianxun’s eyes with his messily dyed hair.
“You’re not thinking of saying yes, are you?”
Xie Jianxun pretended to nod. “The terms are pretty good?”
Delin let out a weird yelp and exaggerated, “The desert’s super dangerous! You know how extreme the temperature swings are? Desert windstorms can lift people into the sky, not to mention quicksand rivers that swallow you whole… And you’re hunting a new Golden Fruit Forest—tons of bugs along the way, maybe even infesting the grove. What then? With your slight build!”
He rattled off a string, desperate to keep his little colleague from danger.
Adventure wasn’t all glamour.
Even with the huge profits drawing merchant caravans and Adventure Groups into the desert, news always trickled back of those who stayed there forever.
Under his barrage, Xie Jianxun actually saw the logic.
He hesitated. “I’ll think it over more. I won’t gamble my life.”
Delin muttered, “You young folks always dreaming of adventure, huh? I was the same.”
Xie Jianxun smiled. “Sounds like you had some impressive exploits back in the day.”
Delin boasted, “Damn right. I went into the desert alone for three days once! Er, then got dragged back at the city gate by my old man… Damn it… If I’d hidden two more days, I could’ve dodged finals…”
