The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 789 Shen Le: What to do if I'm almost drained dry?
What's it like to live in the Dragon Palace?
The answer was no, there was nothing special about it.

Shen Le had initially thought he would be deprived of sunlight for a long time, but for some reason, the side hall where he lived allowed him to see sunlight through the window, and he could bask in the sun as soon as he stepped outside.

Qingli told him that this side hall was specially prepared for guests from the mainland, and that a special array was set up around it to draw in the sunlight.

Of course, if guests wish to experience the underwater environment of the Dragon Palace, they can turn off the formation or move to another side hall, where they can see the fish swimming directly from the entrance...

"Ah, not for now, thank you." Shen Le said, indicating that she was very moved but declined.

Repairing that wooden boat will probably take more than a week or two, or even a month or two. He's afraid he'll get depressed if he doesn't get enough sun!
Since we don't see the four Nordic countries, are there large numbers of people suffering from depression due to lack of sunlight, forcing them to fly south for vacation or use light therapy to boost their mood and alleviate depression?
Not only can you see the sunlight, but the layout and decoration of this side hall even take into account the needs of modern people.

Stepping inside, Shen Le even wondered if he had gone to the wrong place, or if there was a teleportation array at the entrance of this side hall that led directly to the guesthouse on the ground.
An elegant plum blossom, leaning against the wall, separates the entrance hall from the main hall;
The warm, dark brown floor, the cozy sofa, and the thick wool carpet all surround you; when you step on it, half of your foot sinks into the carpet.
A 200-inch LCD screen facing the sofa, home theater-level sound system, and a coffee table laden with fresh fruit, snacks, and tea;

The study features a height-adjustable computer desk, an ergonomic chair, a 30-inch rectangular screen, and a curved screen that surrounds the computer on three sides…

The main hall, dining room, and study are conservatively estimated to be a large single-level apartment of 270 square meters—for Shen Le, if he lived alone, such a large area would even be considered too big…

"This computer is newly built, with a 5090 graphics card." Qing Li followed him into the study, speaking slowly:
"If you still feel it's not enough, or if you need to install any professional software, just let me know, and a professional will come to install it at any time."

Shen Le opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, closed it again, and for a moment, she couldn't find her lines. Qing Li continued with a gentle and polite smile:

"There are telephones in the study, living room and bathroom. If you want to eat or drink anything, or have any other needs, just give the order and someone will take care of it."

If you don't want to make a phone call, there are tablets in the study and living room where you can order directly. You can also plug in a wired internet connection; the Wi-Fi password is available on the desk and the telephone.

By the way, Mr. Shen, since you have brought many assistants, if you need to find accommodation for them, please let me know at any time. The rooms here can be expanded as needed.

...Am I staying in a five-star, no, six-star, no, seven-star hotel?

When I traveled to Japan before, I stayed at one of their family-run inns that claimed to have hundreds of years of history and were a must-see, but they didn't provide this kind of thoughtful service...

No, Japan has only been around for a few hundred years, while the Dragon Palace has been around for thousands of years!
Shen Le struggled to pull herself back to reality and politely thanked Qing Li. Then, without waiting for a reply, she immediately asked:
"So, where should I work to repair this magic boat, or perhaps practice repairing it? It doesn't seem appropriate to bother the Dragon Lord..."

Qingli smiled and gave a slight bow, guiding him forward. Pushing open the French windows of the study, they walked seven or eight steps along the balcony, through a small door, and suddenly a bright and open space appeared before them:
A magnificent palace unfolded before Shen Le. Shen Le turned around abruptly, and behind him were normal doors that opened directly into the wall of the main hall. Pushing open the doors would lead him into the large, single-level residential building.

Turning around and looking forward, there was a row of shelves against the wall of the main hall, with brocade boxes, wooden boxes, and jade boxes arranged one by one.

On the left side of the main hall, there is a huge altar, a huge bronze cauldron, an octagonal clear jade pool, and so on.

On the right is a huge gantry crane, along with cranes, forklifts, and all sorts of construction machinery.

Inside the main hall and outside the hall doors stood a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals, snake maidens and clam maidens, all looking loyal and diligent, ready to come in and help at any time...

"Mr. Shen, if you need any materials to practice with, or any methods to simulate, you can try them here as much as possible." Qing Li smiled and gestured forward:

"You can ask your own spirit for help, or summon any of your subordinates here. If they can't solve it, just call me anytime."
If you feel confident, or if you need to observe the Dharma Ark again, it's parked outside, and you can go see it anytime..."

Shen Le looked ahead in the direction he was pointing. Outside the main hall, in a pool of clear water, a huge wooden boat quietly moored, with a rainbow bridge connecting the shore to the gunwale.

Since they'd gone this far, Shen Le could only take a deep breath and nod earnestly.
"That's fine for now. Well then, I won't bother you any longer, shall we get right to work?"

"It is I who should not disturb you. Also, His Majesty said that it would not be difficult for him to suppress the lakebed for several more years, or even several decades."

Please do not push yourself beyond your limits in order to meet the deadline; take care of yourself first.

Qingli left behind her final words of advice and gracefully departed. Shen Le walked to the edge of the main hall, examining each of the wooden boxes, brocade boxes, and jade boxes, taking a deep breath with each one she looked at.

Yuanci Divine Light!

The sky and earth are bathed in rosy clouds!

Small fragments of Jianmu (建木) branches, small fragments of Fusang (芙桑) branches, small fragments of Ruomu (若木) branches, trunk of a giant tree in Denglin (邓林), large branches of Jinjitao (金鸡桃木), large branches of a large Toona sinensis (大椿) tree...

The copper of Shoushan, the copper of Yangsui, the gold of Kunwu...

Jade from Lantian, jade from Kunwu, jade from Yaobi, jade from Nanshan, jade from Gushan…

It feels like if he only kept a small, very small portion of what was lost during the processing, he would have made a fortune...

Of course, now that Shen Le is financially independent and owns a private sanctuary, he wouldn't be so envious of these gold and jade treasures.

He lingered for a moment, looking at all the materials in the main hall, before turning back to the main floor.

Tap the bracelet to release the skirts and let them clean the room, tidy the bedding, and make the place feel more like home.

He himself threw himself in front of the computer and began—modeling.

Yes, modeling. First, we roughly build a model of the ship's hull, and then we label each of the more than three hundred array nodes that he observed.

Save another file and mark the approximate locations of the nodes that have disappeared in a symmetrical manner.
Next, record the array nodes and the layers of runes within them.

The yin-yang node, forged from the copper of Shouyang and the jade of Kunshan, contained incredibly complex runes; just looking at it was dizzying. To draw it all on a computer would be impossible.

"Gu..."

"Mr. Shen, would you like to eat?" Luo Qun's skirt floated over gently.

"Would you like to order groceries and have them delivered, or would you like us to cook for you? We have all kinds of fresh vegetables and meat in the fridge, so you can order and have them delivered..."

Shen Le turned her head blankly and glanced at the PAD, then turned back blankly.

Eating is basically just a habit for him. He can survive on air and dew, and a meditation session to absorb some spiritual energy replenishes all his energy.

So, should he meditate to recover his energy and then continue working?
"Forget it, let's make something bite-sized... steamed buns, shumai, you guys decide..." He mumbled a few words, then turned back to the screen, keyboard and drawing tablet at the same time, continuing his work. A little while later, something was stuffed into his mouth, he took a small bite, and the aroma lingered on his lips and teeth:

"Mmm, delicious..."

Shrimp dumplings?

These shrimp are amazing! Firm, chewy, and incredibly springy. The moment you bite into one, the steaming aroma and fresh flavor explode in your mouth, sending a jolt through your entire digestive tract:

At least Shen Le felt that his stomach almost reached out from his throat to snatch the delicious food he had just put in his mouth...

"These shrimp are quite good! -- Wait, could it be that one of the shrimp soldiers from the Dragon Palace sacrificed their lives? This is..."

Shen Le instantly lost the flavor of the shrimp dumplings in her mouth. A fragrant breeze wafted around her, and she gave a slight bow, turned, and left. A short while later, she returned and bowed again.

"They said it's fine, the small fish and shrimp that haven't developed sentience can eat as much as they want. Even the Dragon Lord himself eats them, so your amount is nothing at all!"

This answer finally made Shen Le feel a little better. However, the Dragon Palace's hospitality still made him feel pressured:

They've already put their aquatic creatures on the table; if we don't work harder, who are we letting down?!

Crackling and popping. Shen Le had been banging on it for three whole days, maybe even 72 hours?

Export the drawings and take them to Qingli:

"Does the Dragon Palace have any skilled weapon refiners? Who can refine these array nodes on the ship? We'll probably need another thirty or so..."

"I'll take it and ask." Qingli leaned over the screen, her brows furrowed tightly. She looked left and right, up and down, dragging the mouse back and forth, making the image on the screen scroll back and forth.

Half a day later, Shen Le received the answer:

Sorry, no.

The talent pool in the Dragon Palace doesn't favor weapon crafting. Those water demons have already exhausted their primordial power to forge parts of their own bodies into their commonly used weapons and armor.

As for this magic boat, it was built in ancient times by the Dragon King and one of his friends.

The Dragon Lord was responsible for traversing the four seas and eight wastelands to find all sorts of precious materials, while that friend was responsible for designing, finalizing the design, and forging the weapon...

Remembering the hint of longing and sorrow in Long Jun's voice when he spoke of "back then, we...", Shen Le dared not ask further. Since she couldn't ask, she could only roll up her sleeves and get to work.

"Can I send this design to the Special Affairs Bureau? Can they make a copy using similar materials to test the waters?"

That's possible, but this thing is far too complex, exceeding the porcelain tower and pottery house that Shen Le made before by thousands of times.

Upon being commissioned by Shen Le, an expert from the Special Affairs Bureau attempted to analyze the situation and immediately stated:

"Even if everything goes smoothly, it will take at least six months to a year to make the first one. Please be patient..."

Shen Le had no choice but to wait patiently. Fortunately, his schedule was almost full; his first goal was to attempt to weave together the rosy light and the magnetic field.
"Why is this thing so difficult to handle..."

Shen Le wailed. Before him, two clam maidens stood symmetrically, one on each side, ten feet apart, each holding a jade bottle in their hands:
With a slight shake of the bottle, a dazzling, multicolored radiance shoots out from the mouth, as fine as silk threads, both real and ethereal, gently swaying in the center of the hall.

What Shen Le had to do was use his mental power to capture them, restrain them, twist them into threads, and then carefully weave them together—

It took Shen Le a whole day to capture them, or rather, to use his mental power to trap them in a small space.

It took another two full days to flatten them from a single space into a flat sheet, and then roll them into a long strip.

Then, when it came time to weave, the trouble became even greater:
If he disperses his mental energy even slightly, these wisps of light will vanish without a trace, requiring him to disperse his mental energy again and start from scratch, blocking them everywhere...

The clam maiden wouldn't help him. When she heard him complain, she would only lower her head slightly or curtsy, at most saying a comforting "You've had a hard time, esteemed guest."

Qing Li was very generous, bringing over a bunch of classic books like "The Alchemy Collection of Ancestor Chen Tuan" and "The Purple Qi Secret" for him to refer to.

However, no matter how much Shen Le read and practiced, he always felt that the more he practiced, the further he was from his goal of success.

"Maybe I shouldn't have followed those instructions? Those are for beginners to learn. I'm already so strong. Why would I need to use crutches to walk step by step? That would only make me stumble and fall?"

He made up his mind, sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state, gathering all his thoughts and energy. With his mind and will united, his breath and spirit merged, and the luminous humanoid figure shot towards the top of his head, hovering in the center of the hall.

With a stretch of the left hand, a ball of rosy light was kneaded and rubbed into a ball, rolled into a round shape, flattened, and then pulled into strands;
With a flick of his right hand, a ball of primordial magnetic energy appeared, and he proceeded accordingly. Then, focusing his mind slightly, the dense spiritual energy in the hall naturally condensed into a loom, and the two threads were joined together, swiftly weaving into cloth…

"It's settled. We'll follow this approach from now on."

Shen Le nodded, silently giving herself a thumbs up, and began the next attempt.

He rummaged through the shelf, finally finding the most viable and abundant fragment of a large Chinese toon branch. He inserted it into the jade basin and poured in nearly half a basin of spiritual water.
"Grow! Grow! Grow!"

He threw out seventeen or eighteen wood-type spirit talismans in one go to stimulate growth.

The large fragment of the ailanthus didn't move at first, showing no reaction whatsoever, looking completely like it was dead.

After throwing over twenty talismans, it suddenly lit up, and then Shen Le felt a sudden weakness, almost collapsing to the ground:

The luminous humanoid figure swayed and dissipated on the spot. When Shen Le came to his senses, his mind had completely returned to his body. His limbs were weak, his vision was black, and he was sweating profusely.

"...No way, is this thing that's trying to make it grow faster going to drain me dry?!"

(End of this chapter)