Poverty makes me capable of anything.

"Alright." An Ran finished the last stroke, checked it over, and handed it to Colin after finding no problems with the drawing.

Colin pretended to read it carefully and nodded slightly.

"So you've agreed?" An Ran's face lit up with joy.

This job...

But Colin shattered Anran's illusions: "I have the materials and equipment here, make one for me to see."

Okay, it's not a difficult thing.

“No problem,” An Ran replied.

The difficulty of making it is much greater than disassembling and reassembling it, but Anran is not afraid at all.

She has a wealth of theoretical knowledge; all she lacks is practical experience.

Pushing open the back door of the repair shop, you'll find Colin's workshop directly in the space. Compared to the sunny repair shop, the workshop has a steampunk vibe.

Under the dim light, a full range of small lathes and grinding and cutting equipment were on display, which caught Anran's eye.

She didn't used to like these rigid steel machines, but after becoming an engineer and mechanic, she became more and more interested in them and felt a growing sense of familiarity with them, for the sake of her career development.

"Can I use all of these things?" An Ran asked.

“Okay.” Colin nodded. “I’ll give you an hour.”

An hour should be plenty of time.

An Ran didn't want to waste any time. She put on thin but highly protective gloves and started tinkering with various small tools.

A typical lighting fixture has a simple structure: a support frame, a filament, a simple circuit, and an external lampshade.

A skilled mechanic can make one in a minute or two.

An Ran was, after all, a newcomer, and needed time to adapt to operating the equipment. She was also somewhat hesitant about the specifications, but fortunately, everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.

Small parts were successfully produced by the machinery, and Anran quickly assembled them into a finished product.

"Ding! You have successfully crafted a [Common Light] and gained 20 experience points."

[Standard lighting: Quality - White]

The following is a standard introduction.

"How is it?" Anran placed the light in front of Colin.

Colin casually accepted the money.

Ordinary lighting fixtures have an internal tungsten filament structure and an outer ring made of transparent material, without a glass lampshade, because it seems that Colin doesn't have any glass products.

The appearance is rather mediocre and lacks sufficient aesthetic appeal, but for a lamp, the most important thing is whether it can light up.

Colin walked to the workbench and, under Anran's expectant gaze, plugged in the power to the light.

brush--

Suddenly, a white light appeared in the room that was previously illuminated by warm yellow light.

The light was a little glaring, but it was very bright and persistent!

Does that mean the job is secure?

We can eat again, instead of eating dirt.

Colin turned around after disconnecting the power, holding the lamp in his hand, and said, "Although it's a bit rough and your skills are a bit rusty, it's really impressive that a girl can have such expertise in mechanics and engineering in this day and age."

Not long after the conquest of 1886, the world changed drastically, and many people were lost in confusion. It was this confusion brought about by the sudden change in the world that made many people willing to devote themselves to a life of resistance that had almost no good outcome.

If I get praised, does that mean my job is secure?

An Ran smiled and said, "You flatter me. I still have a lot to learn. I will continue to..."

“However,” Colin changed the subject, “I really don’t need to hire anyone right now.”

puff--

"No way!" An Ran quickly said, "My requirements are very low. Three thousand pesos a month..."

Seeing Colin's expression change slightly, An Ran immediately changed her mind: "No, no, no, two thousand five... two thousand is fine. Three meals? No need for three meals, just lunch will do. I have my own place to stay, so you don't need to worry at all. These days, even an apprentice costs a thousand pesos a month. There's no employee more affordable than me."

If it were just for making a living, Anran could agree to an apprenticeship price of one thousand biru, but she would also need to set aside spare money to buy materials and invest in professional development, so two thousand was the minimum she could ask for.

If she is rejected again, Anran will have to find another way out. She can't just starve to death. Even washing dishes in a restaurant is an option. She can earn two thousand a month washing dishes.

Anran has carefully studied these market conditions.

Forced by life's circumstances, a future BOSS is reduced to this level of poverty. Game designer, you've really gone too far.

Having countless treasures belonging to the former pirate princess but being unable to access them caused An Ran heartache even in her dreams.

Colin's gaze fell on An Ran's face, and for a moment, he saw a trace of sadness on her face.

Hey--

Colin suddenly remembered his daughter, the little girl who died in the resistance uprising more than ten years ago. She was also a genius with remarkable talent in mechanics, and she was short like the girl in front of him (An Ran: (??ˇ?ˇ??)), and she had also shown such a sad expression.

The store can get really busy sometimes. If we hired a skilled employee, he would have more time to complete his own plans.

"Alright, since you've brought it up so far," Colin nodded.

An Ran clenched her fist tightly. It was done!

What a kind person!

"However, things aren't as easy here as you think. My requirements are quite strict..."

Colin continued, but the excited Anran didn't care too much. Being able to support herself and learn advanced mechanical technology, this was a good deal.

Chapter 14 The Eve of the Public Beta

At noon on June 4th, Anran officially joined Colin's repair shop, becoming Colin's nominal assistant, a middle-aged mechanic, engineer, and sewing craftsman.

Anran's job involves handling the daily affairs of the repair shop, but since it's her first day, Colin has her learn on the sidelines for the time being.

Understand the process, be familiar with the internal layout of the repair shop, and all the equipment.

After lunch, Anran immediately went to work.

There's a lot to say, but Colin's Repair Shop is just a small repair shop, so it doesn't have many rigid and strict requirements.

An Ran was fortunate enough to witness Colin's abilities firsthand.

The entry-level profession corresponds to Lv10 to Lv30 in terms of total level. Anran estimated that Colin was at least Lv20 or higher.

In Night of the Stars, characters have two levels: Overall Level and Class Level.

Because there are multiple professions, the total level is calculated based on the highest level among the professions.

When repairing small electrical appliances brought in by customers, Colin's movements were smooth and effortless. He easily removed screws, easily found the problem, easily replaced parts, and then easily reassembled them.

There was no pause in between, leaving An Ran completely stunned.

The old master craftsman is indeed very skilled.

The afternoon was a relatively quiet time. After resting for a while, Colin took a few books and blueprints and went into the back workshop. Even with the door closed, Anran could still hear the clanging and tinkering sounds echoing. She wondered what Colin was tinkering with by himself.

Anran, who had been hogging the rocking chair, finally had some free time, and her gaze swept over the books on the counter.

Mechanical, electronic, and engineering disciplines—it has everything! These are all professional knowledge books.

Although Anran has already unlocked the Engineer and Mechanic professions, reading these books can also unlock new skills or serve as knowledge reserves for career advancement.

【Night of the Stars】is a game that is both fantastical and realistic. In this knowledge-based profession, in order to advance to the next major stage, you must have enough knowledge to accumulate. Otherwise, no matter how much freely distributable experience you have, it will be meaningless.

Anran first picked up "Mechanics: From Beginner to Expert".

Reading requires 8 intelligence points.

It's 9 o'clock now, and she has no reading difficulties.

Start reading.

Although it's called "From Beginner to Expert," it's just a gimmick; the book actually covers very basic things.

To truly master mechanics, a book this thin is simply not enough, not even a hundred times thicker. The mechanical knowledge in "Night of the Stars" is just too abundant.

Vast as the sea.

Anran's reading progress is not slow.

Comparatively speaking, she didn't gain much from the book.

For professions like the Mechanic, which do not primarily enhance themselves, their skill tree contains far fewer skills compared to those that do, and most of them are passive skills. However, these skills are often very important and essential for the course of career development.

Creativity doesn't require fancy tricks, but rather the accumulation of a wealth of experience.

For mechanics, passive skills are tools, while the numerous and varied [blueprints] are their active skills.

From the rear, you can position your gun turrets in formation, weave a fire net with cutting-edge weapons, fight in advanced close-fitting suits, pilot towering mechs to sweep across the galaxy, or even use nanomachines to launch surprise attacks on your enemies.

A mechanic can be upright and honest, or he can be despicable and treacherous.

The mechanic is a profession full of countless wonderful combinations, as long as you learn the corresponding advanced knowledge and master the [blueprints].

There are also many ways to obtain [blueprints].

For example, understanding through reading, mechanical analysis, acquiring through upgrades, purchasing through trading, knowledge synthesis...

"Ding! You have achieved 100% progress on 'Mechanical Engineering: From Beginner to Expert'."

Fortunately, even as an NPC, An Ran doesn't need to meticulously study every single word of the book, otherwise it would truly be "Mechanics: From Beginner to Giving Up".

Just as I was thinking this, a new prompt suddenly popped up on the game panel.

"With a flash of inspiration, you have successfully mastered the new skill [Basic Mechanical Enhancement]."

An Ran was taken aback for a moment, then immediately burst out laughing.

I just casually read a book and suddenly I learned a new skill. What luck! Am I some kind of "European"?

The personal panel shows that the [Basic Mechanical Enhancement Lv1] can enhance simple mechanical components.

This is actually a relatively difficult active skill to obtain.

Seeing this made An Ran even happier, as it seemed to prove her "European aristocratic" lineage.