Transcendent Dawn

Su Lu turned off the coal-gas light and went to bed.

…

The next day.

At Baixi Mechanical High School.

Clad in the black school uniform, Su Lu received attention with unexpected glances.

“If I were Rand and Ginny, while managing up and down, I would also have someone intimidate the actual person involved to ensure everything is foolproof. Being caught in such a predicament is… quite a tragedy.”

Smiling slightly, Su Lu walked straight into the classroom, walking up to Ginny with her sweet smile and doll-like face, “We need to talk.”

“Okay.”

Ginny modestly assented and followed Su Lu out to the rooftop.

“Say it… what do you want to do? Appeal, expose? Whatever you want…” Ginny offered, a smirk playing on her glossy, lipstick-covered lips.

“No…I don’t want to.”

Su Lu pretended to be in great pain, clutching his head, “I’m well aware of my status and position. I want to graduate peacefully and lead a tranquil life…”

“Oh? You’re quite sensible. Good!”

Ginny seemed a bit surprised, “So why did you bring me out here? What do you want to say?”

“Even after all you’ve done, there’s still some risk, isn’t there?” Su Lu raised his head in ‘grief’, “I can sign an agreement renouncing my right to pursue any responsibility, and in return, I need some funds to complete a new graduation project.”

“Quite…reasonable.”

Ginny was taken aback.

After all, she was just a young girl and didn’t apply mature thought to the problem at hand, not anticipating this kind of ‘negotiation’ possibility.

Perhaps from the start, she simply considered Morphy’s designs as a burst of inspiration, not believing that this impoverished individual truly possessed exceptional mechanical skills.

“Well then…deal. I need 500 Lire. I will take my leave now.”

Su Lu nodded in acknowledgment and left the rooftop.

Ginny watched his retreating figure, a flicker of uncertainty in her gaze.

Shortly after, another mature looking young man appeared on the rooftop: “Ginny, what did the youngster say? Is he raging hysterically?”

“No…” Ginny shook her head, “He only asked for money, 500 Lire.”

The young man seemed taken aback, “If I had known that a month’s worth of pocket money would solve the problem, I would have done it earlier…”

“Did we… do something wrong?” Ginny mumbled a question.

“Maybe… but it’s better this way. It’s done and dusted, and it won’t hurt even if the school dispatches an investigator in the future.”

Rand chuckled.

As a beneficiary of these rules, he would instinctively uphold the societal norms. It is something he wouldn’t actively disrupt unless necessary.

“Just that… we may have offended a truly talented individual… Morphy mentioned that he intends to prepare a new graduation project, he may be truly successful in the future.”

Ginny added.

“A talented individual? Hehe…” Rand shook his head, “In this mechanical high school, those considered as geniuses would be nothing in university… He may lead a comfortable life based on this, but it would take two to three generations of effort to truly break free from his original social stratum, with a slight misstep leading to a fall back. The probability of him rising to take revenge on us is negligible enough to ignore. Well… Let’s not discuss these meaningless matters any longer. I plan to hold a dance party to celebrate my graduation and university recommendation. You have to come.”

His voice held a note of enticement.

“Of course…”

A smile played on Ginny’s lips, only a trace of unease lingered in the depths of her heart.

…

In a matter of days, Su Lu traded his statement of indemnity for 500 Lire.

‘Lire’ in this world is a unit of currency, where the price of a pound of black bread is about five Lire. Such an amount is enough for many commoners to live on for a couple of months.

Yet, for the children of wealthy families, it’s nothing more than pocket change.

Su Lu picked up a banknote with a face value of 10 Lire. No, it couldn’t be called a banknote, rather, it was more like a type of plastic material.

The banknote of this world was small, reminding Su Lu of the meal coupons he’d once used. The surface was littered with inscriptions like gears and wrenches, exuding a mechanical aura.

“Hmm, with this money, I can not only improve my living standards but also purchase some metal parts to complete my design.”

He looked at the draft on his table.

On it was a weird external skeletal structure for legs, unimaginatively named ‘Bounce No.1’. It encapsulated no high-tech elements, merely some structures like springs that could autonomously provide the user with a powerful bounce.

This was part of the ‘armour’ Su Lu was designing for himself.

Fearing the leak of secrets, the design didn’t incorporate any ‘futuristic’ technology but instead, fresh and creative thought processes.

In reality, these were paths discarded by the Star Devourer Clan in their long-standing research, randomly picked and barely utilised by Su Lu.

“Hey Morphy, I’m glad to see you’re over your bout of depression.”

George walked over, winking at Su Lu, “Bro…let’s say…we should go to one of those secret cafes to sooth our wounded souls? I heard you got a ton of money. The girls there are very beautiful, even prettier than Ginny…”

“Cough…cough…I have a use for that money. You know about my family situation. If my sister finds out…”

Su Lu randomly made up an excuse.

At the same time, he was well aware that this was information intentionally released by Ginny and her gang, aiming to shift him from a victim to a partner, essentially providing an additional layer of insurance.