However, Lin Jie did not indulge in the vanity of being the center of attention.
He understood very clearly that points and gold sovereigns only held real meaning when converted into tangible combat power.
After bidding farewell to William and Marcus and arranging their next method of contact, he returned to the inn to rest for most of the day, then immediately headed to that sacred hall filled with chaos and creativity—the Fourth Equipment Laboratory of "Artisan" Arthur Conan.
When he pushed open that heavy metal door, he was greeted by the familiar scent of machine oil and medicinal herbs.
Arthur Conan was crouched over his enormous workbench like a diligent spider, surrounded by countless blueprints and components.
He seemed to be conducting some kind of decomposition and research on the black crystal obtained from the Mist Walker, muttering to himself while completely immersed in his own world.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Arthur. I've brought some... new things that might interest you." Lin Jie's voice broke the silence within the workshop.
Arthur looked up, casting a slightly annoyed gaze from behind his complex goggles.
But when he saw it was Lin Jie, his impatient expression softened somewhat. "It's you, the kid with good luck. What, did you pick up another treasure discarded by fools somewhere?"
"Perhaps." Lin Jie smiled. He didn't immediately take out the top-tier materials he had just obtained. For an "artist" of Arthur's caliber, merely providing good materials would only make him a qualified "supplier."
To truly earn his respect and make him willingly pour his heart and soul into the work, he needed to present something that would make this "master artist" truly impressed.
Lin Jie took out a rolled-up piece of parchment from his chest and slowly unfurled it on the only relatively tidy area of the workbench.
It was a design schematic.
A preliminary sketch for an entirely new "Grotesque Armament," hand-drawn by Lin Jie himself.
The draftsmanship wasn't particularly professional, and the lines were somewhat unrefined, but what was depicted on it, along with the design concepts annotated beside it—filled with modern logical thinking—were enough to astonish any nineteenth-century engineer or designer.
The main body of the schematic appeared to be a vambrace, yet it was more lightweight and better conformed to the human arm's curvature than ordinary vambraces.
It was constructed from multiple layers of tanned leather and metal plates laminated together, with several recessed slots reserved for embedding "Spiritual Materials."
This in itself wasn't particularly unusual.
But what truly made Arthur's eyes change was the "design notes" Lin Jie had annotated beside the schematic in English, filled with revolutionary thinking.
"Design Core: Modularity and Replaceability." Lin Jie's notes read, "The vambrace body serves as a universal platform, allowing functional modules embedded with different 'Spiritual Materials' to be swapped or added at any time through standardized interfaces."
"For example, when stealth is needed, load the 'Void Rubber' module; when confronting mechanical constructs, switch to the 'Chaos Brass' module. A single piece of equipment can handle multiple different situations through module replacement, greatly enhancing a hunter's versatility and survival capability."
"Energy Conduction Path Optimization." Beside another note was a complex diagram of energy flow. "Change the current situation of spiritual power dispersing chaotically in traditional equipment. Pre-etch 'spiritual conduction circuits' made of pure silver or mithril inside the vambrace."
"When a hunter activates their power, spirituality will efficiently conduct along fixed circuits to designated functional modules, thereby reducing energy loss and enabling more precise, concentrated effect deployment."
"For example, channeling the power of 'Chaos Brass' precisely through the circuits to gather at the impact module on the fingertip can achieve a small-area, directional 'mechanical paralysis' effect."
"Ergonomics Application." Beside a picture depicting an arm, Lin Jie annotated, "The equipment's shape and weight distribution must strictly follow ergonomic principles."
"By optimizing the lever arm and center of gravity, ensure the equipment minimizes negative impacts on the user's agility and endurance while providing powerful functionality. Pursue 'high integration' between human and equipment, rather than simple external mounting."
Arthur Conan initially looked at this schematic with a casual glance.
But as his gaze swept over those lines filled with disruptive concepts, the expression on his face gradually shifted from disdain to surprise, then to seriousness, and finally transformed into ecstasy!
His hand holding the tweezers began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.
He snatched the design schematic, pushed his complex goggles to their highest magnification, and practically pressed his face against the paper.
"Modularity... standardized interfaces... spiritual conduction circuits... ergonomics?" Arthur repeatedly muttered these words he had never heard before, yet which seemed to open a brand new world for him.
"Genius! This is the kind of design only madmen and geniuses could conceive!" Arthur suddenly looked up, his eyes hidden behind layers of lenses bursting with fervent admiration for intelligence!
"You... just how is your brain wired? Conducting spirituality like electric current through circuits? Assembling Grotesque Armaments like modular products on an assembly line? This... this is outright blasphemy against centuries of armament forging theory! And the most magnificent... revolution!"
He no longer called Lin Jie "kid," but used "you" - still not exactly polite, but representing placing him on equal footing for conversation.
Lin Jie chuckled inwardly.
Although Arthur Conan was this era's top master of armament forging, all his designs were still confined within the frameworks of "empiricism" and "mysticism."
He would create clever designs based on material properties, but that kind of design was more like an extraordinarily talented "artistic creation."
What Lin Jie had presented was a new "technical" path representing modern industrial and scientific thinking.
He transformed Grotesque Armament design from a pure art into an applied science that could be quantified, optimized, and systematically improved!
This ideological impact, for a tech enthusiast like Arthur who pursued perfection, was far more shocking than giving him any amount of top-tier materials.
"I just have some... somewhat different ideas." Lin Jie said modestly.
"No! These aren't just ideas!" Arthur waved the schematic excitedly. "This is a brand new path! A broad road that can liberate Grotesque Armament manufacturing from excessive reliance on individual craftsmen's inspiration, moving toward standardization and efficiency!"
"Damn it, why didn't I ever think of this! We've always been researching how to make the materials themselves more powerful, but never considered that by optimizing 'structure' and 'conduction methods,' we could make materials that originally delivered 60% effectiveness perform at 80% or even 100%!"
His look toward Lin Jie had changed.
"Tell me, what materials do you want to use to realize this insane design of yours?" Arthur's voice was filled with anticipation.
He couldn't wait to personally transform this revolutionary theory into a true masterpiece.
A triumphant smile appeared at the corner of Lin Jie's mouth.
He solemnly placed those several ingots of mutated brass containing powerful "chaos" energy, along with that roll of "Void Rubber" shimmering with strange light-absorbing capabilities, onto the workbench.