Seeing that other magical attacks were about to hit the boy, Nan Gong Huan raised her hand and released a burst of spiritual energy, dispersing the attacks into thin air.

  "D*mn, that kid actually got under the protection of a Third Spirit Life expert!" someone shouted in frustration. They had almost eliminated the boy just now.

  "Seriously? Someone dressed so shabby deserves that?"

  "I want to cling to her too, wuwu."

  The boy, still shaken, felt safe for the moment and quickly handed Nan Gong Huan a smaller white metal sphere, explaining, "Controlling mechanical devices requires your spiritual power. This is a spiritual connector used to control the Fly. Hold this and channel your spiritual power into it, and you can control the Fly’s movement and attacks."

  He called the larger white metal sphere the Fly.

  Nan Gong Huan tried channeling her spiritual power into the connector. Under her mental control, the Fly’s sides opened, revealing thin, translucent wings that fluttered rapidly, lifting the Fly into the air and moving according to her will.

  "It only has one skill inscribed inside—Elemental Sphere. I just put in a fire crystal, so you can cast Fireball. Of course, I also have water and earth crystals. If you want to play with Waterball or Rockball, I can switch them for you," the boy explained obediently, standing beside Nan Gong Huan. He swallowed nervously and glanced around the training ground.

  In just a short while, another two hundred people had been eliminated.

  Among them, two summoners were particularly fierce. With their tiger and leopard spirit beasts, they had eliminated over forty people. A water mage was also impressive, using water magic like a tidal wave to push people out of the arena. And then there was a spirit martial artist wielding a massive sword, using brute strength to eliminate over twenty people...

  As the number of people in the arena decreased, the elimination rate slowed. Some took the opportunity to catch their breath while secretly observing who else might be an easy target.

  Nan Gong Huan was thoroughly enjoying herself. She discovered that the Fly had two modes: one for large fireballs and one for small fireballs. The large fireball took three seconds to condense, while the small one only took one. Once selected, it would automatically launch continuous attacks until she stopped it.

  The boy, Mei Zhengfeng, was still anxious for a while, but seeing that no one dared to mess with them, he finally relaxed and took a closer look at Nan Gong Huan.

  Seeing Nan Gong Huan’s beauty and strength, Mei Zhengfeng couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority.

  "What’s your name? I’m Mei Zhengfeng," he gathered the courage to ask.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "I’m Nan Gong Huan. Nice to meet you," Nan Gong Huan smiled, her eyes sparkling like stars.

  "Nice to meet you too," Mei Zhengfeng replied shyly, nervously fiddling with the tattered edges of his clothes. His thin, malnourished face and dusty appearance made him look utterly destitute.

  At that moment, a collision sounded in the air as the Fly crashed into the bird-like device, both falling to the ground.

  "The Fly!" Mei Zhengfeng’s eyes widened in panic as he rushed forward, cradling the Fly in his arms and checking for damage. Half of its components were broken.

  His eyes welled up with tears. This Fly was his last hope. He had used all his savings and even borrowed spirit plants from his master to create it. Now that it was damaged, he felt lost and hopeless.

  The other mechanist picked up his bird-like device, eyeing Mei Zhengfeng warily and quickly backing away.

  "Uh, sorry. I’ll cover the cost of all the parts," Nan Gong Huan walked over and apologized, feeling a bit guilty for accidentally causing the crash.

  Mei Zhengfeng was stunned, turning to look at Nan Gong Huan. His scattered thoughts gradually focused. She... was actually going to compensate him?

  In Mei Zhengfeng’s experience, these refined, wealthy young masters and ladies were often stingy and arrogant. Once, a young lady had broken something of his and even added, "It’s an honor for you that I played with your device. Don’t be ungrateful, you dog."

  Since then, he had avoided such young ladies. But now, looking at Nan Gong Huan, she seemed different.

  "One hundred, is that enough?" Nan Gong Huan said "one hundred," but she pulled out a storage bag containing one million spirit plants and tossed it into his arms. She wasn’t sure how much these devices were worth, but one million spirit plants should be more than enough.

  Ever since she had earned a large sum of spirit plants recently, Nan Gong Huan was feeling quite confident.

  The boy was stunned at first, but when he probed the storage bag with his spiritual sense and saw the mountain of spirit plants inside...

  "O-one h-hundred... t-too much!" His hands trembled as he held the heavy storage bag, his eyes wide with shock. He couldn’t even speak properly, and the Fly slipped from his hands, falling to the ground with a clatter.

  This wasn’t one hundred spirit plants—it was one million!

  He had never seen so many spirit plants in his life! It could buy his life ten times over!

  And the total cost of all the parts for his Fly was only eight thousand spirit plants.

  Eight thousand!

  This one million spirit plants felt like a mountain in his hands.

  "Well... if it’s too much, consider it an investment. If you create something interesting in the future, come find me," Nan Gong Huan laughed, her eyes glinting with a brilliant light as she patted his shoulder.

  She was also taking a gamble—betting on this young boy’s talent for mechanics.

  Earlier, Nan Gong Huan had used her spiritual energy to observe the spiritual flow and structure of the devices in the air and noticed that the Fly was the most intricately crafted.

  Sometimes, making a friend is far more meaningful than creating an enemy.

  She also understood the saying, "A common man’s innocence is his crime when he possesses a treasure." This boy looked so destitute and had few means to protect himself. If she revealed that the storage bag contained one million spirit plants, wouldn’t others start coveting it?

  This sudden windfall seemed like a stroke of luck, but to the other mechanists, it was laughable.

  One hundred spirit plants couldn’t even buy the scraps of a component! That poor kid was putting on a show of gratitude as if he’d struck gold. What a fool!

  Mei Zhengfeng’s eyes reddened, filled with gratitude but also shame. "My Fly... it’s not really worth much..."

  Nan Gong Huan interrupted him, shaking her head. "I like these fun things. If I say you’re worth it, you’re worth it."

  What was valuable wasn’t the Fly but his honest and sincere heart.

  Nan Gong Huan looked at him with a smile in her eyes, unknowingly planting a seed of determination in his heart.

  "Thank you... I won’t let you down," Mei Zhengfeng tightly gripped the storage bag, his reddened eyes now filled with resolve.