676: The Past_3 676: The Past_3 In another decade or so, might the Gu Family simply switch to the surname “Mo”?
Seeing Gu Changhuai with a look of melancholy on his face, Mo Hua thought it might be because he had been invited to dinner while Gu Changhuai had not, leading to a sense of loss. So, Mo Hua quietly said:
“Uncle Gu, why don’t you… come along too?”
“I hear we’re going to Crane Pavilion to eat Spiritual Fish, the taste is absolutely delightful…”
Gu Changhuai’s expression immediately darkened.
Mo Hua promptly got the hint and stopped talking, only muttering under his breath, “Fine, don’t go. Can’t recognize when someone’s trying to be nice…”
Gu Changhuai heard this comment.
Seeing Gu Changhuai’s face grow even darker, Mo Hua immediately got up and said, “I mustn’t keep Master Gu waiting, I’ll be off then!” and dashed away like a wisp of smoke.
The living room lay empty, leaving Gu Changhuai alone seated in his original spot, sighing helplessly once more.
…
Qingzhou City, Crane Pavilion.
In an elegant room on the third floor.
The table was set with an array of four dishes and one soup, all full of color, aroma, and taste.
The dishes consisted of various types of Spiritual Fish, and the soup was a crystal-clear and delectable fish broth.
As Mo Hua savored the tender fish and sipped the flavorful soup, his eyes squinted with sheer happiness.
Seeing Mo Hua enjoy his meal, Master Gu breathed a sigh of relief.
The two chatted about trivial pleasantries while eating, and then Mo Hua broached a serious topic:
“Master Gu, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”
Not only did Master Gu not find the request bothersome, he was actually delighted and generously responded:
“Young Master Mo, just say the word. If it’s within my power, I will spare no effort to assist you.”
Mo Hua smiled and asked, “Master Gu, could you help me craft some Formation media?”
“Formation media…”
Master Gu was neither surprised nor did he ask further, but promptly replied:
“No problem!”
Then he inquired, “May I ask, what kind of Formation media would you like, Young Master?”
Mo Hua was well-prepared and pulled several blueprints from his Storage Bag, handing them to Master Gu.
On the blueprints were designs for various Formation media that he had crafted during his spare time, based on Formation structures and his own requirements.
The types of Formation media were quite basic, primarily Array Plates and Formation Flags.
Master Gu took a quick glance and could tell they were somewhat rough, clearly the work of a novice, but he didn’t say a word.
Although they were crude and would waste some Refining Materials, they were functionally complete and structurally sound, so they would work without issue.
“Young Master, how many do you need?” Master Gu asked.
Mo Hua wasn’t wealthy, nor did he like pretending to be lavish and ‘play the tycoon’, so he honestly inquired:
“How many Spirit Stones per item?”
Master Gu was somewhat surprised; he rarely encountered “young masters” with such unpretentious ways like Mo Hua.
“If you only need a few dozen, consider them a gift from me.”
“If you need more, several hundred to a thousand, I will only charge you the cost…”
Master Gu took another look at the blueprints and roughly estimated the cost:
“Since they are all Second Grade Formation media and don’t use precious materials, the cost won’t be much. An Array Plate would be about fifty Spirit Stones each, and the Formation Flags, given their special materials, would cost sixty-five Spirit Stones each…”
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
The price was even lower than he had expected.
But he was also a bit conflicted.
He had only planned to craft a dozen or so Formation media for fun, but it seemed almost disrespectful to ask a Third Grade Artifact Refiner like Master Gu to refine such a small amount.
Crafting them in large quantities would be a waste of Spirit Stones, and he was not a noble family’s son to squander so many Spirit Stones.
Master Gu seemed to sense Mo Hua’s hesitation and after a moment of thought, he proposed:
“How about this: I’ll first craft twenty of each item, and when they’re done, I’ll deliver them to Young Master so you can review their quality and share any thoughts on the Formation media…”
Mo Hua didn’t really have any expertise in Formation media.
His few blueprints for Formation media were copied from an Artifact Refining book and modified blindly.
The only Formation media he had any experience with was the “earth” on the ground.
But he knew this was Master Gu’s way of offering a good turn.
“Isn’t this going to be troublesome for you?” Mo Hua quietly asked.