The Natives of This World Are Fierce

It was another early morning.

"DOONG DOONG~~DANG DANG DANG DANG~~DANG DANG DANG DANG~~~DEW DEW DEW~~DOONG DOONG DOONG..."

The extremely rhythmic opening music began, signaling the start of a new episode of the ’86 edition of Journey to the West.

"OH, OH, OH! He got it! He got it! The Stabilizing Needle!!"

"That’s the Ruyi Golden Cudgel!"

"He’s so cool!!"

A giant Thorns, a tiny little Doudou, and a fluffy, sturdy Monkey.

This strange, bizarre trio was gathered at the edge of the Demonized Crystal Forest, screaming wildly around a tablet computer.

It was the first time any of the three had seen Journey to the West. With a real monkey among them, the sense of immersion was incredibly strong, and their excitement was off the charts.

"Holy crap! That Old Dragon King is so treacherous! He acted all nice and gave him stuff, but as soon as my idol leaves, he’s going to the heavens to snitch!"

"Seriously, none of those four are any match for him!"

"Beat his ass!"

The three of them binged one episode after another. Even for lunch, Mumu and the Monkey had to rush to the empty hall’s dining table to swipe some food, while Doudou, as the tablet’s owner, enjoyed the privilege of not having to move.

On a side note, Mumu had finally cultivated a symbiotic chewing cavity for itself. It was a symbiotic plant that could transmit the taste of food to Mumu and also break down chewed food in an internal acid chamber, converting it into nutrients for both itself and Mumu.

However, for a creature Mumu’s size, it was impossible to get full this way. It only ever got a small portion to taste the flavor.

Meanwhile, the Monkey and Doudou demonstrated what it meant to be gluttons with bottomless stomachs. They basically ate everything they were given, no matter the amount. The Sun Monkey had even tasted Mumu’s private stash of Golden Fertilizer.

Amidst their fervent discussion, they watched all the way to the climax: Sun Wukong being named the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and his subsequent rebellion against the Celestial Court, wreaking havoc in the Celestial Palace.

The Great Macaque was the most excited of them all, watching as if the earth-shaking monkey on the tablet was him.

"BANG~" "BANG~" "BANG~"

The ground thudded from the immense force of the Monkey’s excited slaps.

The vibrations even made Doudou’s butt go numb as it held the tablet.

"You damn Monkey, can’t you watch the video properly?! Watch out, or I’ll take it back and watch by myself!"

"Okay, okay! Little Doudou, don’t be mad. Next time I go back to the mountain, I’ll find you the tastiest wild fruits. I guarantee they’ll be fresher and sweeter than the ones this Mumu fellow grows!"

The Monkey’s way of speaking was already starting to resemble Sun Wukong’s.

Mumu disdainfully pursed its mimicked wooden lips. ’How dare he make such a bold claim.’

For a foodie, the greatest temptation is always a delicacy one has never tried. Doudou was quite curious about the fruits of Baiyun Mountain and what they tasted like, so it grudgingly accepted the apology.

Doudou had two power banks. One was connected to the tablet to keep it playing, while the other was charging.

The three of them barely moved from their spot, swapping the two power banks to watch from day to night, and then into the next day.

Anyway, these guys were so full of energy that going a few days without sleep was no big deal.

Although the special effects of the old version of Journey to the West couldn’t compare to modern ones, the acting—from the extras to the main cast—was superb and brought the characters to life. For these creatures with their keen Perception, this actually made it more immersive.

From a window in the highest spire of the association’s building, Qin Xiaoxia could see the three laughing silhouettes.

’None of these guys are human, but they sure get along well.’

The Monkey suddenly looked up sharply toward the distant tower and shouted a passionate greeting.

"Mentor~~~ I see you~~~"

’Damn, what kind of eyesight does this Monkey have!’ Qin Xiaoxia quickly gave it a smile and then closed the tower window to avoid any further hassle.

After closing the window, he laid out two old Sheepskin Scrolls next to several other files.

He tapped a finger on one, and Magic Power soaked into the entire Scroll like ink. A picture of a monkey, formed from converging Magic Patterns, sprang to life on the parchment.

The monkey in the drawing wore Golden Scale Armor, a Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown, and Fine Gold Battle Boots. Though it held no weapon, its mere stance was extraordinarily majestic.

After all, the prop armor for Sun Wukong in Journey to the West was designed for a human actor. Qin Xiaoxia’s version was an optimized design.

On the other Sheepskin Scroll, his left hand infused it with Magic Power, forming the image of a powerful, imposing man clad in segmented Fine Steel Armor, his entire suit of armor gleaming with a sense of weight and strength.

The titles of the two scrolls were recorded in Magic Patterns: Saint’s Armor and Knight Armor.

He was, in a way, perfecting the rough drafts he had in his mind.

As situations grew more complex in the future, the precious and few official members of Dawn would need their own equipment. Whether for protection or just for showing off, it was absolutely necessary!

And it was no exaggeration to say that Dawn’s future combatants would possess at least monster-level strength. This gear couldn’t just be for show.

Looking at the two drawings that he was very satisfied with, he figured things like joint flexibility and supplementary defenses were issues for an Artisan to consider later. He just needed to sketch the general appearance.

He would figure out the materials later. If they weren’t available on Earth, he could use Magic Energy Crystals to transform their properties, or perhaps use a more economical method of modification.

The weapons were a particular headache.

Firearms would certainly need to keep up with the times, and Baru was a weapons master, so that part was manageable.

But truly high-end melee weapons were also of utmost importance. He was worried they would break after just a few hits or wouldn’t feel right in hand.

As he thought of this, a bracelet coiled around his wrist unwound on its own, sliding into his hand and transforming into a long black whip.

’If only we could have weapons this convenient!’

But weapons of this caliber were incredibly rare and couldn’t be deliberately sought. The ultimate power of the Endless Abyss depended entirely on its Magic Power medium.

Furthermore, it had been able to sustain the Flame Demon even after the assimilated World Fragment was destroyed, preventing it from being devoured by Earth’s Power of the World. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a divine artifact.

’How could it possibly be created with current technology?!’

But things had to be done one step at a time. For a while now, South Wind and the others had been flying all over the country, visiting old masters and high-level legacy Artisans. Sometimes they even went abroad to visit foreign tech gurus.

This was all preparation for the future.

He couldn’t assume Magic Power was a shortcut for everything. To achieve the aesthetic and texture that came from being forged hammer by hammer, he would have to expend a massive amount of Magic Power and a considerable number of Wishing Gold Coins, and even then, he might not have good control over the final product’s integrity.

It would be great if he could capture a special Elf or some other Magical Creature skilled in this area.

But since he didn’t have one for now, he could only rely on human Artisans. A Magic Controller would have to assist them when using special materials, adapting to the rhythm of the forging to gradually add Magic Power control. This would prevent situations where a hammer strike did nothing to the material, or where they couldn’t even get it to melt.

It sounded simple, but with Qin Xiaoxia’s imagination, he could already foresee the future difficulties. They would probably fail N times before they could slowly find a sense of synergy.

Later on, they would also have to add Technique Engravings. They might even have to engrave each individual scale of armor. It would be a monumental task.

’It’s not easy being a big boss!’

The most brilliant aspect of the ancient Dawn was its partitioned sense of mystery. Aside from a select few, and not counting those you were personally acquainted with, you would never know exactly who the other members of the association were, what they were capable of, or how senior they were.

Therefore, members maintained a necessary sense of respect and awe for one another. Anyone who bore the mark was no mediocrity.

Sometimes, you would run into a fellow member in the most unexpected of places. This was one of the many reasons no one dared to betray Dawn.

Coupled with the motivation of self-interest, controlling the entire association was actually not as complex as one might imagine.

But Qin Xiaoxia’s current operation was much larger, with many more things to consider. On the other hand, things like rules and regulations weren’t a huge problem, since he could reference the old statutes of the previous Dawn.

While he was nursing his headache, outside the distant Crystal Forest, the three of them seemed to have finally finished watching the entire show.

The Monkey leaped directly to the top of Mumu’s Thorns, maintaining a tough facade with a twitching eye, even though the soles of its feet were being painfully pricked.

As the surrounding air flowed into it, its chest swelled to an exaggerated degree.

"ROAR—I’m going to become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven~~~~~~~~"

The Monkey’s excited roar echoed through the area, its grand declaration developing in a direction that Qin Xiaoxia had both foreseen and was pleased with.

PS: Chapter two for Wednesday.