The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 787 Oh no! The big creditor is here to collect the debt!

Although the production lines for both large and small pottery workshops had been set up, Shen Le did not leave Jingdezhen for the time being, but continued to work there.
There's no way around it; this country is so big. Apart from the Taiwan Strait, which the Special Affairs Bureau can't reach for the time being, it has a total of 33 provincial-level administrative regions and more than 300 prefecture-level administrative regions.

Let alone one large pottery house for each city, at least one large pottery house and a hundred small pottery houses should be allocated to each prefecture-level city to barely cover the area, right?

If that doesn't work, let's take a step back and have one large pottery house and one hundred small pottery houses for each of the 33 provincial-level administrative regions, each provincial capital or municipality.

Just like we have 33 provinces, each of which actually wants an aircraft carrier. When a certain province gets the naming rights to the Type 076, the entire province is heartbroken and weeps as if a star has fallen from the sky...

Aircraft carriers can be built gradually; it's impossible to build them all at once. You can't just build more carriers and then save money, and then build more carriers.

However, the large and small pottery houses need to be built as soon as possible, at least one in each province, and then spread to one in each prefecture-level city.

Even if there are assembly lines to handle these tasks, Shen Le still needs to be by his side to keep an eye on things, at least in the early stages, to ensure that these two assembly lines can run fast and steadily.

It's pitiful that he's a student majoring in cultural relic restoration. Even when he's working, he does it by hand, bit by bit. How could he be supervising an assembly line? When did he switch careers to become an engineer?

The engineer from Party B is responsible for installing and maintaining the production lines at Party A's factory...

Shen Le muttered and grumbled as he rushed back and forth, adjusting the details of the talismans inside the pottery house, as well as the flame temperature, oxygen concentration, and spiritual energy supply in the kiln.

I'm so busy I don't even know what day it is, whether it's a workday or a weekend, or even if it was supposed to be a weekend but today is a dreaded holiday day.

Well, ever since he graduated and stopped working, things like what day of the week it is have lost their meaning for him...

Anyway, this kind of thing is meaningless to monsters. The little porcelain monsters under Mr. Zhao's command wouldn't ask a great monster for weekends off...

After finishing another batch of pottery houses, the kiln door opened, and the bulldozer rumbled in, shoveling out small pottery houses one tray at a time. Special Affairs Bureau staff rushed over to inspect them one by one.

Shen Le stood up straight, yawned, leaned to the left, then to the right, stretching her spine as much as possible.

He stood up straight, spun around on his heels, and was about to take a step to look at the production line of the large pottery workshop across the street when he suddenly swayed:
"Mr. Shen, what's wrong?!"

The special affairs bureau inspectors working nearby ignored the small pottery house they were holding and turned around to pounce on Shen Le, one on each side.

Shen Le tried to stand up straight, shook his head vigorously, and swayed it:
"It's nothing... What happened just now... Was it an earthquake?"

"No!"

"Definitely not!"

"The pottery house is fine! There was no vibration! No cracks! Not a tremor at all—Mr. Shen, were you experiencing low blood sugar just now?"

As I asked, girls around me started rummaging around, bringing me cookies, candies, and other treats one by one. Some even ran off to pick up the milk tea they had ordered that afternoon.

Shen Le closed his eyes and calmed himself for a moment, carefully sensing:
"It's nothing...it's probably not low blood sugar, it's..."

It was as if the earth trembled like waves. No, upon closer reflection, it wasn't the earth, but rather the surrounding spiritual energy that surged and fluctuated—

From the next room, a bunch of small porcelain bottles, cups, and bowls came tumbling out, stumbling and falling to the ground, rolling all the way.
【What's the matter?】

What happened just now?

Earthquake! How terrifying!

[It's not an earthquake! It's the spiritual energy shaking, the secret realm is trembling! Has a powerful demon attacked? Or is our secret realm about to rise to the surface?]

Mr. Zhao also rushed out quickly. On his flawless white face, there were visible subtle color changes, as if it were about to crack at any moment, yet he was constantly trying to repair it.
That gaudy robe, resembling a "large vase with various glazes from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty," shimmered like a neon light.

"What's going on? I sensed a powerful expert nearby, a very, very powerful expert. There was a tremor... Is it angered? Or is it about to undergo tribulation?"

"I don't know..." Shen Le shook his head blankly. He crouched down and pressed his hands to the ground, his brows immediately furrowing tightly.
The earth was still responding to him, still willing to respond to him, but the earth itself was shaking and tossing violently, like a large ship rocking in the middle of the sea.

He couldn't dive into the earth, nor could he move quickly along the ley lines. In fact, he sensed a vast body of water slowly rising from beneath the earth...

"Goodbye, my friend, goodbye, my friend, goodbye, goodbye, my friend~~~"

Before Shen Le could figure out what was going on, his phone suddenly started vibrating in his pocket, playing the ringtone he had recently changed.

Shen Le was in a state of panic, struggling to steady himself as he answered the phone. He heard the landlady of Tianxiang Restaurant speaking urgently on the other end:

"Mr. Shen? Are you in Jingdezhen lately? —Could you perhaps visit Poyang Lake sometime? That esteemed person is looking for you..."

Poyang Lake?
Shen Le felt as if he had been hit on the head with a blunt object, his forehead buzzing.

At the bottom of Poyang Lake, there lives an ancient dragon king who helped him several times. He gave him the cloud-like Kun and the small flag that subdued the firebird.

What does that person want with him?

As I mentioned before, I wanted to ask him to help repair a ship, but he wasn't skilled enough and hadn't been able to fix it. Is he calling now to collect a debt?
By the way, Poyang Lake, formerly known as Pengli Ze, was many, many times larger than it is now when it was still called Pengli Ze.

If the world were to undergo a dramatic change, and the ancient Pengli Lake were to rise from the void and merge into this world, that would be a momentous event.

By the way, is Peng Lizhe's matter related to the part of the barrier between heaven and earth that he created some time ago, which rose from the ground?
Shen Le dared not think any further. He ran out, shouting as he went:

"Get me a car! I need to go to Poyang Lake! I don't care which part of the lakeshore, just the shore of Poyang Lake, the closer the better!"

As they rushed out, a phone call from the Special Affairs Bureau followed, urging them to hurry.

Shen Le rushed to the outside of the secret area, where a Mengshi vehicle had already arrived. With an emergency stop, the vehicle door was flung open in front of him.

Shen Le had barely jumped into the car, and before he could even fasten his seatbelt, the driver slammed on the gas, almost slamming into the gearbox...

"Uh, there's no rush... Be careful! Be careful!"

"It's okay, don't worry, leave it to me! The traffic police have already been notified, and motorcycles will be blocking the way soon!"

"If it weren't for the sudden electromagnetic disturbance that prevented the helicopter from taking off, we would have called a helicopter to take you there!" Now that things had come to this, Shen Le could only hurry up and fill his stomach before the vehicle started to shake violently.

The Mengshi vehicle sped along city roads, highways, national roads, county roads, and rural roads, until finally, with a beautiful drift, it drew a huge curve and came to a stop just off the shore.

Shen Le: "..."

What I'm saying is, could we stop a little further away? The distance you're making is so bad, if I open the car door and step out, I'll step right into the water!
What's the difference between this and parking your car in front of a manhole with a missing cover...?

He sighed as he opened the car door and leaned out to look.

Before they could find a foothold, a blue fish leaped up with a splash, its scales dark and shimmering.

It's at least 1.5 meters long. Any angler who manages to catch it might get lost for at least a whole night, walking back and forth between the fishing spot and their lodging ten times. At this moment, the grass carp spreads its fins and bows slightly:
"Honored guest, please follow me~~~"

With a splash, water swirled at Shen Le's feet. The transparent water spread out like a turquoise carpet, gracefully unfolding before her.

"Oh, so that's the esteemed one who sent you to greet the guests?"

Shen Le pressed the car door button, jumped out decisively, and stood on the water mat. As she walked forward, she didn't forget to turn back and wave.

"I'm going down to meet that sir. Don't wait for me here, go back home~~~ I might be home before you even get there!"

The water carpet transformed into a road, which closed off overhead on both sides, becoming a transparent water boat that plunged into the water and quickly sank downwards.

Upon entering the deep water, the bluefish swayed its body and instantly transformed into a warrior clad in black armor and wielding a steel fork, its head remaining that of a fish.

"Honored guest, you've arrived so quickly! I was ordered by the master to come as fast as I could, and I almost missed you! It would be extremely impolite to leave you waiting by the water!"

"Since the Dragon Lord has invited me, I dare not be impolite." Shen Le smiled and nodded, trying to keep his gaze focused on the fish's head so that it wouldn't wander off.

Wait a minute, General Bluefish, why are you still a female fish? Your voice is so clear and melodious, you sound like a real beauty when you close your eyes... So that's the question:
Is it more acceptable for a mermaid to have a human upper body or a human lower body?

Shen Le's mind raced for a moment, then she quickly composed herself, calmed her nerves, and focused her mind:
"I'm so sorry for not sending my regards for so long. Why did the Dragon Lord suddenly summon me? I felt the underground water veins surging when I was in Jingdezhen. Has something happened in the Dragon Palace?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a shrimp cake and handed it over. General Qingyu glanced longingly at the small lunchbox in Shen Le's hand, smelled the overflowing spiritual energy within the shrimp cake, and ultimately waved his hand:

“How could we little demons know these things? Since Your Majesty has invited you, Your Majesty will naturally have an explanation. You may ask directly.”

Since they'd already gone this far, Shen Le didn't press the matter further. He focused his mind slightly, spreading his spiritual energy to carefully sense the surrounding water, but dared not extend it too far, lest he infringe upon the Dragon Lord's control over the Dragon Palace.

Previously, I would ride a cloud-borne Kun to get here, but this time, led by General Qingyu, we were clearly taking a completely different route, and the surrounding scenery was unfamiliar to us.

The transparent boat plunged into the water and quickly entered a tunnel-like area. The surrounding scenery was bizarre and colorful, as if it were being pushed forward rapidly by the flowing water.

In an instant, the space beside him vanished, and the water boat unfolded once more into a water carpet, floating serenely before a silent, deep pool. Qing Li, the Dragon Lord's disciple who had greeted Shen Le when he last visited the Dragon Palace, was already smiling and welcoming him at the pool's edge.
"Mr. Shen, please forgive my hasty summons. His Majesty is waiting in the palace. Please follow me."

The last time I saw Long Jun was in the garden... Shen Le quickly looked down at the bottom of the pool and saw a deep blue color, deep and clear, as if it would draw one's gaze in.

However, the bottom was completely invisible, and it was impossible to see what was at the bottom of the pool. As for whether the Dragon King was lying in the pool, displaying his huge and graceful body, it was even more impossible to see.

Shen Le followed closely behind Qing Li, walking quickly forward. This time the path was a little different from the last one; along the way, coral tiles and pearl ornaments adorned the buildings, with golden courtyards and jade pillars, creating a solemn and majestic atmosphere.

Shen Le tried hard not to imagine how much these houses were worth, or how much the international gold price would plummet if they were moved out. She simply stared carefully at the patterns on the steps and pillars.
Some of the patterns are quite similar to those on Azi's body and the porcelain tower. Could they be formed by heaven and earth?

What are these patterns for?

Oh right, they seem to be heading towards the main hall... Should we pay our respects to the Dragon Lord when we see him?

Although the Dragon King was gentle and kind, and didn't place much emphasis on formalities, meeting him in the garden was still different from meeting him in the main hall...

Lost in thought, he walked through two palaces. A tortoise-shaped effigy held a tablet, a Becky held a fan, and shrimp soldiers and crab generals, each carrying ceremonial weapons, lined up in pairs below the steps.

With the grandest and most imposing main hall right in front of them, fortunately, Qing Li turned and led Shen Le into a side hall. The Dragon Lord was inside, leaning on the railing, staring intently at something he couldn't quite make out.
"coming?"

"This humble one, Shen Le, has come as summoned." Shen Le bowed respectfully. The Dragon Lord smiled and beckoned to him:

"Don't be so formal. Come on, take a look. Does this thing look familiar?"

Shen Le strode forward. Reaching Long Jun's side and behind, she took one look, and her heart pounded as if it would leap out of her throat:

Before the Dragon King was a square building made of white jade, resembling a well curb, with water churning inside and constantly overflowing.

If you look closely, you can see a piece of jade that looks like land floating in the water, with ravines and famous mountains and rivers clearly visible on it.

Meanwhile, at their location in Poyang Lake, waves were crashing outwards, overflowing the banks several times and creating a vast expanse of water.

"It's going to turn back into Pengli Lake?!"

Shen Le exclaimed in surprise. The Dragon Lord gently shook his head:
"With me suppressing it, it's not that bad for now. However, the spiritual energy is mutating and impacting the barrier of heaven and earth. If this continues, simply suppressing it will only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."

"I need to go to the other side of the barrier and properly repair the cracks. Mr. Shen, regarding that spirit boat we talked about last time, can you repair it now?"

To be honest, the thought of that spirit boat still sends chills down Shen Le's spine—

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the boundless power within was completely beyond his control at that time.

But now...

"I'm willing to give it a try!"

He steeled himself and spoke loudly.

(End of this chapter)