Master Gongshu

(Version 1)

▶ "Youths these days, eugh... Simply un-teach-able!"

(Version 2)

▶ "After looking at the design submitted by my apprentices... let's just say, it wasn't good for my blood pressure."

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Master Gongshu, what are you doing here?

Master Gongshu: I'm planning to do a weapon test. Do you remember the Luminflux Pyxis that helped you destroy the Ambrosial Arbor coil last time?

Master Gongshu poses as usual and raises his eyebrow as if he is implying that you should praise Luminflux Pyxis.

I do remember. It's all thanks to it!

Master Gongshu: Haha! A great sword for a hero, a good saddle for a fine horse, and the Luminflux Pyxis is just right for you!

Not bad. Hmm.

Master Gongshu: That sounds a little halfhearted, kid. It's such a miraculous item, I'm sure you have a few more words to say about it, right?

Sorry, I can't remember.

Master Gongshu: W—Wait! Kid, how could you forget such a powerful item?

Master Gongshu: After what we did last, I have been thinking about improving the performance of this mechanism.

Master Gongshu: But ever since the Artisanship Commission suffered the disaster, no apprentice dared to come in with me. You came just in time! Why don't you be my assistant?

Well, what do you want me to do?

You've got the wrong person. I'm leaving now.

Master Gongshu: Not so fast, kid. Just do me a little favor. It won't be in vain.

How dare you come in?

Master Gongshu: Because I have the ar-ti-san spi-rit~... Alright, that's enough. Let's get back to the assistant thing.

Master Gongshu: I want to test the performance of the Luminflux Pyxis here. But I can't do it alone. You do the test, and I will record by your side — this will make our weapon test efficient.

Master Gongshu: Don't worry, it's not difficult. Just like before, you adjust the position of the receiver so that the heliobus energy can penetrate all the balloon targets in one go.

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: This Luminflux Pyxis can not only be used as a weapon on the Cloud Knights' aurumatons, it can also assist the defense system and propulsion system. It is a wonderful invention~

Master Gongshu: Don't just stare at me. Go and adjust the Luminflux Pyxis' weapon system. The test is not over yet.

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: Well done. You're much more capable than my incompetent disciples.

Master Gongshu: This heliobus weapon has been refracted many times, and its energy has not been attenuated. If it is used in the battleship formation, it will definitely strengthen our power~ Hahaha!

(Basic Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before claiming reward)

Master Gongshu: Here's your reward. Take it.

Master Gongshu: Don't be shy. Labor creates value. You deserve it.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: Hahaha, I knew you would be interested in Luminflux Pyxis. Coincidentally, I just thought of a way to break through its capacity limit. Let's give it a try.

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: In the past, the energy container of the Interastral Peace Corporation would run out of energy after firing fifteen rounds. If we can freely switch between backup energy sources, we can have constant firepower on the battlefield.

Master Gongshu: I need to get this idea down...

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: Oh, you are indeed someone of value and can be my assistant.

Master Gongshu: If my apprentices were here, I would point at their noses and say to them, "Even an amateur can do this"!

Master Gongshu: It's a pity that it's just you and me here...

(Basic Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before claiming reward)

Master Gongshu: Here's your reward. Take it.

Master Gongshu: Don't be shy. Labor creates value. You deserve it.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: Come here. I love youngsters with motivation like you.

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: Just like the technological structure of the Creation Furnace, the Luminflux Pyxis can also have a fusion furnace, which can stabilize heliobus charged particles at a low speed, thereby increasing the damaging area...

Master Gongshu: But if the speed of the particles is decreased, their penetrating power will be reduced. We can't have both. I have to think about it again.

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: I thought that today's test would be difficult for you. Didn't expect you to solve it so quickly.

Master Gongshu: Come back next time. My test won't always be so easy.

(Bountiful Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before next test is available)

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: The heliobus energy trigger has a bad temper. After the heliobus energy container is exhausted, just like a battery, it needs to be replenished with an energy condenser. We can't just use it whenever we want.

Master Gongshu: Besides, the experimental data that I can process every day is limited, so let's stop here. I'll bring you something better next time.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: Recently, I have improved the craft of the receiver, and it has become movable. In this way, the Cloud Knights can use brain waves to launch wireless unmanned remote attacks on the battlefield in the future.

Master Gongshu: You won't be able to understand it through plain words. Try it yourself and you'll know.

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: If we add a force field to bind the particles and twist the inescapable heliobus energy into one strand, it will make the Luminflux Pyxis able to cut anything.

Master Gongshu: I will write down this idea. If aurumatons can wield such a heliobus weapon, they will be unstoppable~

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: I thought that today's test would be difficult for you. Didn't expect you to solve it so quickly.

Master Gongshu: Come back next time. My test won't always be so easy.

(Basic Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before claiming reward)

Master Gongshu: Here's your reward. Take it.

Master Gongshu: Don't be shy. Labor creates value. You deserve it.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: Wait a minute. I have a little inspiration. Leave me alone.

Master Gongshu: Oh no, it's gone... *sigh* Let's continue the weapon test for the Luminflux Pyxis.

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: Some of my apprentices said that it is better to further enlarge the aurumaton as a vehicle, and then integrate the Luminflux Pyxis into their skeletal structure. Together with the posture control vector injector, the mobility of the large aurumaton is ensured...

Master Gongshu: Not a bad idea. If this can work, I can find some Cloud Knights to try it out in the cockpit...

Master Gongshu: Haha. We have to call them "aurumaton drivers" by then.

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: I don't know if I've been too busy or too tired recently. When I saw you debugging the receiver, I accidentally fell into a dream.

Master Gongshu: In the dream, I was a master craftsman in charge of railway mine carts, with a little apprentice... How could I have such a strange dream?

(Basic Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before claiming reward)

Master Gongshu: Here's your reward. Take it.

Master Gongshu: Don't be shy. Labor creates value. You deserve it.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: I was surprised. You've been helping me with the test for so long. Why didn't any of my apprentices come?

Master Gongshu: Forget about them. Let's get started if you're ready. You are my best assistant!

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: If we use a force field to bind heliobus charged particles into the shape of a saber, its blade will be filled with high-heat plasma, making the weapon deadlier. We can replenish the heliobus energy until the saber is sheathed...

Master Gongshu: If we make a few more changes to its shape, we can also make knives, spears, swords, axes, halberds, and hooks. In this way, even a large aurumaton can use the Cloud~ Knights'~ combat~ arts~

Master Gongshu: ...Such a great idea.

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: I like to think about designs while talking to myself. Don't be surprised!

Master Gongshu: I always forget things. It would be great if someone could write them down for me...

(Precious Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before next test is available)

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: The heliobus energy trigger has a bad temper. After the heliobus energy container is exhausted, just like a battery, it needs to be replenished with an energy condenser. We can't just use it whenever we want.

Master Gongshu: Besides, the experimental data that I can process every day is limited, so let's stop here. I'll bring you something better next time.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: You may not know, but the craftsmen in the Artisanship Commission are all obsessive in that way. For example, I have to use my right foot to take the first step in the Artisanship Commission. If I use my left foot, I will feel really uncomfortable.

Master Gongshu: Enough of the talking. Let's get started.

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: Compared with the inside of the delve, the combat environment outside the ship must be very complicated. So, heliobus energy weapons may lose shooting accuracy and damage due to environmental factors...

Master Gongshu: If this set of Luminflux Pyxis can be used with a psychosensory system to automatically change the arrangement according to the pilot's intuition, then the energy can be concentrated in one place and the output can be increased... It's wonderful~

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: Hahaha, great. The problem is solved once I saw you. Now I just like you more.

Master Gongshu: *sigh* My foolish apprentices only make empty talk. Last time they actually asked me, "Master, do you think this aurumaton can push the comet back if it is equipped with heliobus energy thrusters?"

Can it?

Master Gongshu: Yes, it can. If we use this Luminflux Pyxis as a thruster, we can push a comet to wherever we want.

Boring.

Master Gongshu: That's right. My apprentices are always thinking about some boring questions.

(Basic Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before claiming reward)

Master Gongshu: Here's your reward. Take it.

Master Gongshu: Don't be shy. Labor creates value. You deserve it.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: Who do you think I am waiting for here? It's you, kid. Come on.

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: I still feel that the aurumaton's design is a bit backward. As the near-ground levitation technology of the Artisanship Commission matures, why do aurumatons, which are heavy, have to have two feet? Isn't that cumbersome!

Master Gongshu: In my opinion, we can replace their feet with thrusters directly! The feet are just for decoration. Why don't those fools understand...

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: Not bad. The data collection for this experiment went well... Can I digress? What do you think of the shape of the aurumatons in our Artisanship Commission?

They look good.

Master Gongshu: You think so? Some of my apprentices said that if aurumatons can be scaled to make ingenium dolls, we can make a fortune.

Master Gongshu: But I doubt it. After all, they are too ugly.

They are a bit ugly.

Master Gongshu: I feel so too. Isn't it just a mechanical puppet with a gate? I don't think anyone would buy it.

(Bountiful Treasure appears)

(Talk to Master Gongshu before claiming reward)

Master Gongshu: Here's your reward. Take it.

Master Gongshu: Don't be shy. Labor creates value. You deserve it.

Master Gongshu: "Who can develop the best heliobus weapon? Gongshu Liang from the Artisanship Commission!"

Are there weapon tests today?

Master Gongshu: After this test is over, I should go back to the Sapientia Academe to modify the designs. It is thanks to you that the weapon test can go so smoothly. Ready to get started now?

Let's do it!

Master Gongshu: If only my blockheaded apprentices have your drive.

Just a moment. I have something else to do.

Master Gongshu: That's fine. Come back when you have time.

(Exits conversation)

(Talk to Master Gongshu during the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: The Luminflux Pyxis' design is not good enough. The problems exposed in these tests have all occurred in the past.

Master Gongshu: Alas, artisans always make the same mistakes...

(After completing the Luminflux Pyxis challenge)

Master Gongshu: I do have the Golden Cloud Toad and Illumination Dragonfish with me, but it is still not safe to do a weapon test here... In fact, the Cloud Knights have warned me several times before.

Master Gongshu: It seems that I was wrong about my apprentices before. It's not that they didn't want to come, they just were not smart enough to evade the Cloud Knights and come to the Artisanship Commission.

Master Gongshu: You're more reliable than them. I am going back now, you take care.

(Precious Treasure appears)

Regular dialogue

(First interaction)

Master Gongshu: *sigh* Youths these days... Simply un-teach-a-ble.

You're in an excellent mood today.

Master Gongshu: Yes, an excellently annoyed mood!

How have the youths wronged you this time?

Master Gongshu: Oh, I didn't mean you... What are you getting riled up for...

Hmph... Kids today...

Master Gongshu: ...Aren't you a youth, yourself? Kids shouldn't talk like their elders, it makes you look old.

Master Gongshu: Hey, aren't you (Trailblazer)? I'm indebted to you for your help the last time we met.

Master Gongshu: You're different from the kids I teach. You have energy, and you put all your effort into completing your goals because you understand that age has a way of creeping up on you...

Master Gongshu: Forget it. I'm not going to vent my frustrations out on you! Anything I can help you with today?

Tell me about the Artisanship Commission...

I have nothing else to ask.

Master Gongshu: It's back to the grind for me. Take care out there, and see you next time.

(Subsequent interactions)

Master Gongshu: Ah, if it isn't young (Trailblazer)! What are you doing back here at the Artisanship Commission?

Tell me about the Artisanship Commission...

Master Gongshu: Bwahahaha... Ask away! I'm not afraid of your questions, but I'm afraid you might not understand my answers.

What do you usually get up to around here?

Master Gongshu: They call me "the Smelter Extraordinaire," but I didn't come up with that nickname. As for our day-to-day work, we forge metals here.

Master Gongshu: However, I, as an artisan, am not really involved in front-line work all the time. I put most of my efforts into developing various household ingenia and improving our artifex designs.

Master Gongshu: You've probably noticed the intricate and complex designs for all the household appliances on Xianzhou... Lifelike fish suspended into a lamp, exquisite lions carved into doorbells, drones designed to look like birds or mythical beasts...

Master Gongshu: None of this improves the essential function of these tools, but we still take great pains to craft them well. Another Outworlder once told me that you call this style "Maximalist"?

Master Gongshu: Designing and iterating all of these different maximalist looks has already taken up hundreds of years of my life.

Master Gongshu: It took me an age to realize why that Outworlder was so surprised. Because they all — I mean, you all have a different definition of what "practicality" means.

Master Gongshu: To us Artisanship Commission veterans, intricacy and detail are just one part of an object's practicality. On the contrary, I just so happen to find the sparseness of your "flashlight" and "suitcase" technology to be rather impractical!

Master Gongshu: This cognitive difference is only natural from our long-life species' perspective, and of course it's simply impossible for me to explain all this to you... But I think it's actually because we have been living for far too long now.

Master Gongshu: When you live for hundreds of years, you grow intolerant of boring, lackluster objects. And so we pay great attention to how things look, and value the outside appearance of things just as much as the inner functionality.

Master Gongshu: Have I prattled on again about my usual cryptic rants? Heh, whoops~

About the job scope at the Artisanship Commission...

Master Gongshu: Our job scope? Hmm... Now that's far easier to explain! The Artisanship Commission is responsible for the design, manufacturing, and improvement of almost every single item there is aboard the Xianzhou.

Master Gongshu: It could be something as small as civilian ingenia, of which I am in charge, or something as large as the Sagittarius Starfighter or a Delve... We do it all. As the saying goes: Human ingenuity is as limitless as the heavens!

What about your apprentices...

Master Gongshu: I can feel my headache returning already!

Master Gongshu: Do you know why the Artisanship Commission is predominated by Xianzhou people? It's because the Vidyadhara and the Foxians don't live as long as we do.

Master Gongshu: Technological breakthroughs require the mass accumulation of knowledge, and if there's one thing the Xianzhou people are good at, it's accumulation.

Master Gongshu: As for my darling apprentices, they've all racked up centuries of education and experience, but not a single one of them have shown any signs of success whatsoever! They're as useless as a chocolate teapot.

Master Gongshu: I think I've figured this out now, though. At least as far as the field of artifex is concerned, being long-lived is both an advantage and a downfall of the Xianzhou people.

Master Gongshu: There's another world out there where they self-immolate in the pursuit of knowledge by following the path of the Wisdomwalker. They represent the highest classes of intellect imaginable, but only live for a dozen years or so.

Master Gongshu: I've seen their artisan before: A mere teenager, haggard beyond his years but frighteningly intelligent — and close to death. He came aboard the Luofu seeking my tutelage, and I gave him my undivided attention.

Master Gongshu: That artisan was far below my level, and even worse when it came to knowledge and experience, but he possessed a terrifying ambition, incredible imagination, and a top-notch intuition for design...

Master Gongshu: He'd study with me during the day, then by night he'd frantically record notes about everything he'd learned and thought throughout the day... I later heard that he'd died on his way back home.

Master Gongshu: But all of his notes were enough to trigger a technological revolution back in his homelands.

Master Gongshu: But my darling apprentices! They live far too long! Everything can just be put off until tomorrow, because the tomorrows seemingly never end! They're like wet firewood: They don't burn enough, and even if they catch fire, they just pump out a whole load of useless smoke!

Master Gongshu: As you know, age has a way of catching up with people! The Xianzhou people are not immune either. It's just that our aging process is stretched out to an impossibly long duration, we feel like we're never getting older.

Master Gongshu: Sometimes, I even wonder... If we only lived to be teenagers, what kind of Artisanship Commission would we end up with?

I have nothing else to ask.

Master Gongshu: It's back to the grind for me. Take care out there, and see you next time.

I have nothing else to ask.

Master Gongshu: It's back to the grind for me. Take care out there, and see you next time.