Basic Knitting Techniques

Chapter 154 Basic Knitting Techniques

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Before heading to Upper City, Ai had considered that she might encounter some unpleasant situations. After all, her rise to power had been too short, and even a recognized "Wing" would inevitably face some malicious probing and questioning.

Of course, everyone is smart, so whether it's the foundation or the several giant companies that have had dealings before, even if the parties are "testing the waters," they will do so in a restrained manner.

But Ai knew that this "balance" could not last forever.

For those restless individuals, whether driven by greed or some kind of ambition, a slightly "crossed line" contact might reveal much more.

That's probably what the Turing Organization was thinking.

In the past two months, the newly emerged singularity has not yet demonstrated its power to the major factions and remains shrouded in mystery. Only the Foundation knows a part of the power of the Singularity, but it is far from being able to grasp its essence.

As turmoil looms, many factions are becoming increasingly restless, and undercurrents are brewing in the shadows—those who have yet to reap any benefits will inevitably become anxious first.

Ai Yi almost laughed.

Oh, look, you're in a hurry again.

Although the belated provocation was also related to the fact that the Golden Dawn had not yet demonstrated an influence commensurate with its status, part of the reason was that those old fox factions really did not give it the opportunity; their attitude was almost watertight.

Even if it's a demonstration after the new wing comes to power, there needs to be a "target"—you can't just slap a smiling person, can you?

Now at least there's one that doesn't look too good to me.

Ai didn't suppress her smile; instead, she relaxed and lay back, resting one shoulder on the soft cushion behind her.

"When Ankasha came to report to me a while ago, he mentioned a few unpleasant things—he complained to me that in Upper City, there were a few arrogant seniors who didn't like newcomers like us. They might not need the friendship of the Golden Dawn, but just for the sake of saving face, they wanted to drag the whole hive into an abyss of internal strife."

Without giving this uninvited guest a friendly look, Ai immediately accused him, "I know that old codger Ankasha quite well. He's a very pure scholar and doesn't really understand social niceties. He'll tell everyone if he's wronged, and I think he's someone who thinks he's a senior who's always taking advantage of his age. You wouldn't be talking about you guys, would you?"

[”

'

The newcomer opened his mouth, then suddenly realized something was wrong.

The representatives of Golden Dawn who attended the banquets in the past had been contacted by them—they were indeed scholars who were not very familiar with diplomacy, but they had heard that the old man was already in a high position in "Wing" and was definitely not some second-rate character who was just sent to make contact.

This time, the newcomer from the Golden Dawn seems to be even more special than that Ankasha. From the perspective of the Upper City people, anything is possible, but a faction leader from a small race is still an extremely rare case.

After all, in this place, gender discrimination has evolved to its extreme under the distorted values. Although "small ornamental species" such as fennec foxes or sand cats do not suffer the same hostility as "inferior species" in daily life, they still encounter obvious differential treatment at work. Sometimes, this inequality is even greater than the differences in some abilities.

So from the beginning, due to the existence of stereotypes, the visitor did not regard the identity of the new guest from Yifang as a serious problem until a few seconds ago.

"Your Excellency—perhaps there has been some misunderstanding between us."

He tried to slightly correct his mistakes, but did not completely abandon the negotiation strategy he had initially chosen—which was somewhat "over the line."

"We have no intention of creating an unpleasant situation for either of us, but there are some things that require our more serious consideration. Please understand that we have prepared a more suitable and comfortable setting for your conversation, and we will also help arrange your female companion in advance—this will absolutely not affect your schedule."

"I think I have made my intentions very clear."

Ai raised an eyebrow. "You invited me to a strange place, but didn't give me any guarantees about my safety—"

Even if that's your territory? Even if I get there, you can control me in any way you want at any time?

He gave a half-smile.

"It sounds like—my thoughts are so 'unimportant' in your eyes?"

"Your Mightiness."

Although the guest's identity seemed to deviate from the initial plan, the board of directors, which issued the instructions from behind the scenes at Turing Agency, did not choose to stop in time and proceeded according to the original plan.

Please don't make things difficult for us—

Miya, who had been quietly eating her meal, suddenly raised her head. Her bright red vertical pupils reflected a dangerous glint of blood, but she was silenced by a bite of dessert from Ai Yi.

"It's none of your business."

The fox adopted a thoughtful expression, seemingly quite interested, yet also carrying a hint of inexplicable regret.

"What a pity—"

"What?"

The person on the other end didn't hear clearly and tried to ask further.

Ai shook her head and patiently explained, "If I had come here alone, I might have actually gone with you. That would have been so much fun—but unfortunately, I have more important things to do. I'll just have to miss out on such an interesting development."

His regret was undisguised, and he stared at the dazed guest in front of him with a naked scrutiny. He then sighed softly, "But it's lucky that I came here in person. If it were that old man Ankasha with his clumsy legs, he might have been stuffed into a sack and taken away by you."

He seemed not to have realized Ai's meaning at first, but a few seconds later, he was startled awake by the malice that was piercing him—the fox had silently stood up at some point and walked to the other side of the seat.

"Turing Organization, it's been a long time since I've encountered such annoying guys as you. But—if everyone were as rich and polite as that old vampire, I would miss out on a lot of fun—so it's a trade-off."

Ai Yi took it all for granted that he treated giant corporations like playthings—and incidentally, it was time to spread the envoy's reputation throughout the upper city.

"A bunch of idiots who need an education."

He turned his head, and complex arcane energy appeared in his eyes. His clear pupils were like boiling mercury. In the past two months of studying mysticism, Ai Yi's control over his power had far exceeded the limits of normalcy. In addition to the serious numerical excess, he had also developed many bizarre and terrifying ways of "how to use power".

Especially regarding secret techniques.

—The compilation of arcane arts is considered a high-level skill in the general outline of mysticism. After all, the effects of manually crafting spells are not something apprentices can master. Even scholars at the highest level can only be said to have just entered this incredibly creative discipline. Further in-depth study requires both personal exploration and guidance from seniors.

Professional cryptic compilers, whose cryptic creations possess strength and versatility, will be awarded a special "Cloth Weaver" degree upon their creations being entered into the cryptic archive.

Of course, those with cheat codes can study the mystical arts in this game that is inherently for geniuses. It's a world where cheaters reign supreme. For example, a fox carries around an old man named Gray's knowledge base and believes that no one is more supermodel than himself.

Especially in terms of mechanisms.

The complete customization of arcane arts involves many details, but broadly speaking, there are three main parts: "target retrieval,"

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"Spell medium" and "Spell effect".

The definitions of "effects" are varied and cover an unimaginably wide range. The most basic ones include "damage-dealing", "assistance", "functional", and "field" effects, as well as some special-purpose secret techniques. The specific effects of techniques within the same category can vary drastically.

Just like a fireball with an iron core, which is also a type of offensive weapon, it can not only cause burning damage but also force field damage. You can also attach a universal chain to the back of the fireball and use it as a meteor hammer—these all fall within the scope of arcane arts.

Depending on the different effects, the consumption of secret essence by arcane arts can vary greatly. For example, the strength of the "Creation Series" arcane arts, in addition to the one-time cost of creating a physical entity, also requires the continuous consumption of secret essence to ensure the stable existence of the creation. Therefore, generally speaking, only powerful mystics can afford the consumption.

The concept of "medium" is slightly simpler: the most common occult mediums are divided into "external" and "container" types. The former can be "rays", "physical touch", "gaze", "influence", "sound" — while the latter can be "ritual objects", "disposable objects containing occult matter (often used as occult bombs)" — and so on.

The final "search" is much more complicated: the mystery is the power of the red liquid's vibration that feeds back into reality. This is a chaotic and disordered power, yet it is a secret technique with a stable function. It must break free from the original form of "vibration" and create an orderly target, while limiting its scope, so as to prevent an out-of-control secret technique from spreading endlessly and causing the ripples to corrode the foundation of the present world.

The common criteria for identification in occult compilation often refer to the "symbolism" and "sympathetic" mechanisms in ritual studies and primitive witchcraft: For early occult battles, the most common search is to filter out one's own "hostility" or the opponent's "malice" directed at oneself, allowing the occult to automatically complete the process of identifying the enemy. This way, the occultist does not need to expend their inspiration to find the "mystic transfer point" in the Red Pool and the mortal world.

If this "transfer process" is disrupted, that is, if the enemy completes a "secret counter"—it is very common to damage teammates or oneself. The secret essence that fails to be activated may even cause the vessel to vibrate or even break. This danger is especially common in novice battles, so retrieval is equally important in the weaving of secrets.

"Turing Corporation—Since you are a giant corporation, you must have made some achievements in mysterious fields. Unfortunately, your arrogant predecessors are used to being conceited and have forgotten even basic respect. This is not something to be proud of."

Ai chuckled, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. At the same time, in that liquid light that seemed to have solidified into a physical form, there were moss-like brownish impurities. They grew wildly in the medium of the gaze, spreading outwards, and soon covered the pupil of the guest opposite with an opaque "hard membrane".

That hard surface—like it was covered in fuzzy mold—was spreading rust along the increasingly murky liquid, deeper into the vessel.

"I'll help you restore some of the respect and hierarchy you should have."

Ai yawned, and the next second she casually looked away. The uninvited guest with cloudy eyes also lost the ability to respond to external stimuli due to his dull and sluggish reaction, and sat there laughing mindlessly.

"Self-Compilation Secret Technique: Rust in the Pupil"

—With "mental corrosion" as the effect, the gaze as the medium of transmission, and the "Turing Agency Management" as the search endpoint, this idiotic plague that can spread out of thin air is already a kind of "meme contamination" just by looking at its manifestation.

Now, they are just waiting for the Turing Organization to come and take their colleagues, who have been turned into idiots, back to their hometowns, and hopefully bring in more high-ranking officials to visit and treat them.

Ai Yi certainly didn't expect such a secret technique to bring a giant corporation to its knees, but at least it would inevitably cause a huge mess. Imagine the brilliant strategists and management team who were planning and winning behind the scenes one day waking up the next day as helpless pigs—even if they eventually managed to find a way to deal with this intellectual plague, there would still be a mess to be made.

-Oh.

The fox chuckled dismissively.

Arrogance and greed will be punished.