Chapter 352 — The Fourth Round: Shi Jin

Lady Tachibana Chiharu, the legendary beast tamer of the Seven Islands, suppressed the trembling in her heart and found it utterly absurd. It was hard to imagine that she had only come to Donghuang for a symbolic exchange and study visit at the behest of the higher-ups, and yet in the process she had stumbled upon an epoch-making invention of this magnitude.

And this epoch-making invention had been created by a twenty-year-old youth from another country?

What had Shi Jin said he invented it for? Right... archaeology... You call this an archaeology machine?

To learn about the Mythic Age, you simply resurrect the divine beast and ask it directly?

"This person must be recorded..." Legend Tachibana Chiharu studied Shi Jin carefully, resolved absolutely to relay news of Shi Yan's mechanical phantom beast back to her homeland. This man was a super-genius the likes of which appeared once in a century, and if only he could be poached for the Seven Islands, how wonderful that would be.

The seven nations were currently in an alliance. Unlike the totem alien races, who sought to destroy the geniuses of the seven nations, relations among the seven were outwardly harmonious; if one nation suffered a large-scale totem war, the others would even send troops to reinforce it. Against this backdrop, the seven nations generally employed various means to poach the geniuses of other nations into their own service.

Tachibana Chiharu saw that Shi Ying was young, surely at the age when one faced countless temptations. A talent like this was worth any price, if he could be lured to the Seven Islands.

"Why, why would such a genius appear in Donghuang? Is he, is he really just an archaeologist?" Dr. Aichi of the Divine Wind fell into deep silence as well, at a loss for words, for with his shallow knowledge of mechanics he was utterly unable to comprehend how this mechanical phantom beast had been revived.

The machine aside, what on earth was that so-called mechanical soul-core fruit? Spiritual energy, spatial energy, and the temporal energy Shi Jin had just mentioned... the technological systems of time and space — were these things a mere brat could toy with?

Dr. Aichi did not understand.

At this moment, the entire hall remained in a peculiar atmosphere.

Everyone was staring fixedly at the mechanical phantom beast on the floor and the platform of fossils.

They actually... did not want Shi Jin to leave the stage at all.

The skill-training machine and the phasing bracelet had not made much of an impact on them, but this so-called "archaeology machine" filled them with curiosity. Tell us more, more, introduce more of it!

And there were so many fossils still! Resurrect more and show them! Don't leave the stage!

The first two only worked within fixed domains: the skill-training device was for low-level beast tamers from well-off families willing to grind and spend, and the latter was issued uniformly to master-level beast tamers who often undertook dangerous missions and could afford a phasing bracelet, or to military beast tamers. Neither had much to do with them.

But the results Shi Jin had brought forth opened up an entirely new field, one capable of spawning a new industry, driving countless people to dig for fossils, drawing countless mechanics to devote themselves to research in the field of mechanical phantom beasts, and enabling this powerful race of mechanical phantom beasts to disrupt the existing order of beast taming, forming a complete chain.

When that time came, traditional beast tamers, breeders, archaeologists, and mechanics would all go mad.

What was more, Shi Yu had painted a grand picture, speaking of resurrecting divine beasts...

The mythic domain had been the common pursuit of beast tamers for millions of years — their supreme pursuit.

"We've lost, completely and utterly lost." Professor Mo Qing of Xingdu University wore a bitter smile tinged with shock. When Gao Xuan took the stage, the old gentleman had still wanted to put up a struggle, but Shi Ying's research results crushed everything in their path.

He had assumed it was merely another dream device, but... materializing dreams, resurrecting dream phantoms — these were practically legendary means.

An invention like this would surely stir even that Mechanical Legend himself.

"Shi Jin——"

Over at Didu University, Gao Xuan still had not calmed down. The Mechanical Conference should have been the stage for him to display his results; the normal script should have had him taking the gold prize and shooting to the heavens on the strength of it. Why, why did Shi Tan, an archaeologist, have to stick in a foot as well — and moreover reach such heights?

He felt as though the God of Mechanics were playing a joke on him.

Suddenly, Gao Xuan remembered something — a comment he had seen online. That fool who called himself [I'm Not a Bug] had predicted that Shi Jin would research a new mechanical faction. Gao Xuan had looked at that comment as one might look at an idiot, but now he was suddenly at a loss, feeling that reality had grown a little unreal.

He hurriedly pulled out his phone and went to his blacklist to find [I'm Not a Bug], only to discover with a start: [This account has been deactivated]...

Gao Xuan: ???

At this moment, though no one wanted Shi Jin to leave the stage, what had to end still had to end.

The mechanical Lin in its cube form had already come out from backstage and floated beside Jue's shoulder, and together they were being frantically photographed by the media.

Then Mei Xiuying, mother of Xiao Qin and Xiao Shuang, a Legendary Mechanic of the Fourth Bureau, drew a deep breath, turned to Qi, and, moved by fondness for talent, asked: "One last question — did you truly research this device solely for the sake of archaeology?"

Shi Shuo was stunned, then said: "Not entirely. Speaking of which, when I was a child, my greatest dream was actually to be an astronaut, to ride a machine of my own creation up into the starry sky. Unfortunately, back then I didn't have the financial means to study mechanics..."

"Becoming a beast tamer, becoming an archaeologist — those came later. My greatest dream as a child was to be a Legendary Mechanic."

"Now, I suppose I've fulfilled half of that dream." Shi Jin said with feeling. Who hadn't dreamed, as a child, of becoming an astronaut or a scientist?

Hearing this, many mechanics fell silent, feeling a pang of bittersweet emotion. Yes — if they remembered correctly, Shi Jin, genius though he was, was an orphan, was he not?

The mechanical field was indeed not something a family of such means could touch. Only after Shi Jin rose to prominence through his archaeological talent could he come back and fulfill his childhood dream.

Dr. Mei was likewise filled with emotion... What a pity, what a pity — if only Shi Shuo had come into contact with mechanics from the start, how wonderful that would have been.

No — it was not too late even now. This person was hers; the Fourth Bureau would have him!

At the same time, however, many spectators wore strange expressions — such as Zuo Heng and the Xia Yan family, watching the Mechanical Conference on the live broadcast, and President Ye of the Third Bureau's Breeding Department, and others. Wait a moment — wasn't your childhood dream to be a Legendary Breeder???

Just how many dreams do you have?! Could you list them all at once, so they could brace themselves?

.........

At this moment, because the Mechanical Conference was being broadcast live online, the entire nation had already boiled over.

Inside the Ancient Capital University, the students of the Mechanical Department were also following the Mechanical Conference.