Hammer Endless conducted a final inspection on the prosthetic limb before using a mink rope (a retractable device made from the tongue of a blackwater mink) to attach it to the customer's shoulder.
Old Salt Long tested his new arm, and a smiley face symbol appeared above his head.
"Thanks to such incredible craftsmanship, otherwise I'd have to practice with just one hand."
"My deepest gratitude, Master Hammer Endless."
The Dwarf cautioned, "You must cherish your life. The prosthetic can help you, but it can't prevent danger."
"Thank you for your concern, but if I let the fear of danger stop me, I'd never see the grander vistas or witness such exquisite skills as yours."
"In terms of stubbornness, you're like a brother from another mother to our Furnace clan."
A smiley face appeared above Hammer Endless's head, seemingly quite fond of Salt Long.
"The durability of the prosthetic will wear down from use and combat, remember to come back for repairs. Live a little longer, young man, I want to see my work in action."
"Understood."
After Salt Long left, he ran into Hunter Rain.
Years had passed, and both had aged significantly, finding themselves at a loss for words upon meeting.
Finally, Hunter Rain broke the silence, "Let me buy you a drink of honey wine."
"I've been looking forward to it."
The two sat at a table in the Dwarf Fortress, drinking and reminiscing.
***
Lu Yao's perspective shifted to a hidden room within the Dwarf Fortress.
Phileas and Wind-up Monkey No. 2 were busy at work.
The game interface notified him.
【Wind-up Monkey No. 5 has been repaired…】
No. 5 retained only its monkey head, with limbs and torso cast in brass, and a wind-up key affixed to its head, looking like a creation from a different era compared to No. 2.
Its abilities were consistent with No. 2, but it had a life value of 6000 and defense of 60, stronger on the panel.
At that moment, the two wind-up monkeys were crafting a full-body copper armor. Their movements were so swift that their arms whirled like windmills, blurring to Lu Yao's vision.
Beside them, Phileas had a thought bubble above his head.
"They're like born master craftsmen, their proficiency and precision are simply unbelievable…"
Lu Yao clicked on the skeleton.
—How's the situation?
Phileas's head popped up with an exclamation mark, and he immediately knelt, saying, "Lord God Yao, No. 5 has been repaired. It functions normally, identical to No. 2."
"Since the repair, No. 5 and No. 2 have been like conjoined twins. They coordinate seamlessly without any need for words, like two fingers on the same hand."
"They lack creativity, but their precision and speed in repairs and executing specific processes are impeccable."
Of course, thought Lu Yao.
The six wind-up monkeys were originally one.
"According to my observations, No. 2 excels at precise measurements and drafting, while No. 5 is very skilled in casting and material fusion."
Lu Yao took a look.
As the skeleton had summarized, each wind-up monkey had its own specialization.
Now that No. 5 was repaired, Lu Yao immediately switched his perspective to the Golden Plains.
The White God had collected three more damaged monkeys.
They were: No. 4, missing both arms; No. 6, split in half; and No. 1, with six arms and four legs.
No. 1 was the most complex.
It looked too complete, having installed extra arms on its body, with three legs on its back, resembling a monkey alien.
After winding it up, No. 1's head displayed 【Chaos】, continuously muttering to itself.
"No. 1 exists, existence is everything, everything for the sake of existence."
"Order is sacred, the sacred must not be violated, order must be maintained, maintaining order is the ultimate mission."
"Wind-up Monkey missing, missing, missing…"
"Unable to construct, unable to construct, unable to repair, unable to repair…"
"Calling No. 5, calling No. 5."
"No. 3 please respond, No. 3 please respond."
Lu Yao collected these three into his inventory, then handed them over to Phileas in the fortress to continue overseeing the repair of the wind-up monkeys.
After arranging the important tasks, Lu Yao turned his attention to the full-body armor crafted by the wind-up monkeys.
The equipment was fixed on a stand, personally made by two monkeys, and he wondered about its functions.
Lu Yao clicked on the armor.
【Ghost Armor】【Crafted by Phileas & Hammer Endless】: A fine full-body armor that, when worn by a ghost, will enter the 【Intimate】 state.
Life Value: 500/500
Defense +3
Speed -1
Lu Yao was taken aback.
It turned out that the armor wasn't made by the wind-up monkeys, but by Phileas and Hammer Endless working together.
The two wind-up monkeys were responsible for quality control and repairs.
Upon inquiry, Phileas explained the origin of the equipment.
"Mayor Chapman often says there's a lack of equipment for ghosts. Ghosts struggle to interact with physical objects, making it hard for them to use tools, which limits their potential. This has always been a regret for Sanilo."
"More and more Extraordinary Beings are coming to Sanilo, and Commander Alex, responsible for maintaining order, is under immense pressure. Although many ghosts have been recruited as soldiers, they find it difficult to directly stop those powerful and huge Extraordinary individuals."
"Friction and conflicts often arise among Extraordinary creatures, and fights break out. Ghosts have a hard time intervening… This has always troubled Alex."
Based on these pain points in Sanilo, Phileas consulted with Hammer Endless: Could they create equipment that would allow ghosts to handle tools and touch physical objects like the living?
They tried continuously while repairing the wind-up monkeys.
Finally, the two settled on a production plan and created a prototype of the Ghost Armor.
This equipment would give ghosts an external shell, allowing them to regain a physical form, combining the advantages of both the living and the dead. The 【Intimate】 state inherent in the armor also solved the communication problem between ghosts and living people.
Moreover, the Ghost Armor would provide a significant amount of life value—or rather, a special resistance to damage.
The initial version of the Ghost Armor was very cumbersome, significantly reducing the ghost's speed, but after continuous fine-tuning by the wind-up monkeys, it reached a relatively balanced state.
"…Lord God Yao, I've been repairing the wind-up monkeys, and in the intervals, I worked with Hammer Endless to create this equipment."
Phileas was somewhat nervous.
Lu Yao, however, was quite moved.
To view it merely as combat armor would be to underestimate this equipment.
The significance of the 【Ghost Armor】 to ghosts was like primitive humans first mastering fire.
Once equipped with the Ghost Armor, ghosts would be able to use a variety of equipment and items. They would no longer be mere spectators; if they wished, they could participate in adventures, creation, and invention.
Lu Yao gave Phileas high praise.
—Not bad.
Phileas, rewarded with praise, had a huge exclamation mark above his head, which then turned into an oversized smiley face.
"I really didn't expect… Thank you very much for your recognition and encouragement… I will definitely continue to perfect it before officially announcing the Ghost Armor."
Lu Yao nodded.
Phileas was a mature Apostle, but his hidden profession was actually that of an engineer, only his materials were bones.
Right person for the right job.
Having him in charge of the wind-up monkeys' repairs seemed to be a very correct choice.
***
Lu Yao stretched.
The pixel world was increasingly on the right track, secular cities were developing healthily, the Transcendent side was stabilized by the Apostles, and his work as a deity was becoming easier.
All he needed to do was to repair all six monkeys in due course and completely take over the Golden Plains. Now he just needed to focus on this task.
Just as Lu Yao was about to take a short nap, Isabella suddenly issued an alert.
"Lord, a suspected overlap area has been discovered, and the cleaners are repairing it."
Lu Yao was startled.
This newbie village had an overlap too?
No wonder there had been frequent anomalies before.
He immediately switched his perspective to the so-called overlap area.
On a small island in the eastern part of the world, a diamond-shaped crack appeared, filled with black mosaics.
The cleaner hamster was nibbling at the crack, with a -1 symbol continuously appearing above its head, and the fissure was slowly disappearing.
Lu Yao thought to himself.
An overlap area, where parts of other worlds coincide, is like a narrow public area. Inside, there would be life and matter from two worlds…
Rounded up, isn't that like a mini-instance?
Lu Yao, who was feeling idle, immediately perked up.
He decided to take a look inside this mini-instance.
He had promised Sarina before, so this time she would lead the attack, with Isabella supporting.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas