Chapter 8: Transformation
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: PlumSauce
Yun Yingzhi wasn’t very sure of being able to slip out. But when he looked at the balance in his personal terminal—barely five digits—it was clear that the money wasn’t enough to make even a Level 2 source weapon, let alone a Level 7 one.
He closed the banking interface on his projection screen and turned his gaze to the list of materials he had laid out for the weapon. Most of the materials were Level 7, with a few even reaching Level 8. Just one glance told him that the materials alone could easily cost seven figures.
He really was poor.
In truth, ever since he had started consciously managing his spending, he had always been poor. Especially since he had poured so much money into experimenting with source-weapon crafting, he’d constantly been in a state of barely scraping by. The fact that his account still held nearly ten thousand Imperial credits was only proof of how frugal he had become.
Yun Yingzhi absentmindedly shut off his personal terminal, dazed and unfocused. Thinking about it, his life was a complete mess. Looking back, he really couldn’t understand where he’d found the courage to accept Huai Boshe’s confession half a year ago.
It had only gotten in the way of his ability to make money. It had interfered with his dream of earning enough to shine in the field of source-weapon manufacturing. Breaking up now was honestly the best thing that could’ve happened. He sniffled, realizing that the most important thing for him now was making money.
What could he do to earn enough in a short time? His first thought was to sell source weapons. In the past, whenever he had been short on cash, he’d taken commissions through Alvin’s workshop. Alvin would always sell the weapons he crafted for extraordinarily high prices. The prices were so far above market value that Yun Yingzhi had felt guilty taking the money. It felt like he was profiting off his teacher Alvin’s reputation, and for that reason, he had never liked asking Alvin to help him sell his work.
Once, when he had been especially short on money, he had even considered registering an online shop. But after some research, he’d dropped the idea. From what he’d observed, every online marketplace and every forum related to source-weapon crafting had one basic requirement for source-weapon craftsmen.
A source-weapon craftsman needed to have a license issued by the Source Weapon Association.
With his current skill, Yun Yingzhi believed he could easily pass the exam for an intermediate source-weapon craftsman’s license. But he didn’t dare.
Even though he didn’t expect much from General Yun or Madam Yun, he didn’t want to deliberately defy their wishes by charging down a path they disapproved of. He was afraid of them—or more precisely, he didn’t want to disappoint them further.*****
To this day, Yun Yingzhi still didn’t understand why General Yun and Madam Yun thought fighting with source weapons was a crooked path. For someone like him—whose second form was a little white rabbit and who hadn’t even awakened his ability—this was clearly the only way to grow stronger as an esper fighter. Because of their attitude, he hadn’t dared to take the licensing exam, nor to stand out too much.
Even when Alvin had offered multiple times to credit Yun Yingzhi’s name on the weapons he’d helped craft, Yun Yingzhi had always refused. He was mainly afraid that General Yun and Madam Yun would find out and get angry.
Frustrated, Yun Yingzhi raked his fingers through his hair several times, thinking hard about whether there was any good way to make money quickly. After a moment of hesitation, he finally swallowed his pride and opened the chat window with his teacher Alvin, planning to ask if he could help out at the workshop again.
Usually, whenever he helped out, Alvin would give him a generous bonus. Because Alvin’s mental power had been damaged, he typically crafted Level 7 to Level 9 source weapons. On rare occasions—once a year, or even every few years—he might take on a Level 10 weapon if it interested him.
When Yun Yingzhi said he wanted to “help out,” that was just a polite way of saying, “Your poor disciple needs money, Master—please take an order so your disciple can help and earn some pocket money.”
On the other end, Alvin replied to his message instantly.
Alvin: Zhi Zhi, my dear, your master’s just been invited by a few old friends to travel to Greenna Star. Not sure when I’ll be back.
Yun Yingzhi stared at the message. Life was really too hard.
Alvin: I won’t be taking commissions for a while, but if you have time to visit the workshop, feel free to use any materials there. Whatever you craft, I’ll help sell it for a good price.
With a heavy heart, Yun Yingzhi thanked Alvin politely but decided it was better not to trouble him further.
He thought again. If he crafted source weapons for sale himself, given the success rate and to keep costs low, he’d probably make weapons around Level 6 or below. But considering Alvin’s standing in the source-weapon community, asking him to sell low-level weapons—and for high prices at that—would only embarrass him.
In reality, Yun Yingzhi had completely misunderstood the situation. Since the age of eight, he had occasionally crafted source weapons in Alvin’s workshop, and Alvin had always sold them under the name of his mysterious apprentice.
Before Yun Yingzhi turned twelve, the weapons he made had been quite ordinary, but thanks to the fame of Alvin’s mysterious student, they still sold well. All the profits from those sales, Alvin had quietly transferred to Yun Yingzhi. After turning twelve, the weapons Yun Yingzhi crafted all bore distinct personal characteristics. By then, Alvin’s mysterious apprentice had already become well-known in the source-weapon community.
Although Yun Yingzhi couldn’t craft high-level source weapons, the ones he made could be wielded by warriors two levels below their requirement. For esper fighters of the same level, his weapons handled exceptionally smoothly. Many master-level, even grandmaster-level, source-weapon crafters commissioned Alvin to create weapons in Yun Yingzhi’s style.
Unbeknownst to him, he had become a mysterious and highly reputable figure in the eyes of many top-tier experts. Now, many ability warriors dreamed of owning similar weapons. Especially after Yun Yingzhi had produced a Level 7 source weapon, a craze swept the source-weapon crafting world. Countless imitators tried to replicate his work, but it was extremely difficult. Even those highly sensitive to source energy would spend enormous time creating low-end versions, with a frustratingly high failure rate.
Oblivious to all this, Yun Yingzhi was still worrying about how to make money more efficiently and quickly. He pulled out a few more strands of hair, cast a lingering glance at the glass cabinets full of dazzling source materials, and then looked at his account balance…
He was poor.
Reluctantly, he left the workshop.
On the way back to the dormitory, Yun Yingzhi was constantly approached by schoolmates, even receiving a few love letters. However, today, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with their enthusiasm. After thinking about it for a moment, he took a longer route along a less-traveled path. Even on this quieter route, he still ran into eager classmates.
A female student, her face flushed red, called out to him and confessed her feelings. Yun Yingzhi’s eyelids twitched. He didn’t take the love letter she handed him, politely refusing her.
Blushing, the girl said, “I’ll ask again next time,” and then ran off in tears.
Yun Yingzhi realized it couldn’t continue like this. Thinking quickly, he transformed into a white rabbit and moved along the corner toward the dormitory building. The rabbit’s long ears drooped to either side. Unlike other rabbits that hopped, it walked back and forth.
Suddenly… A figure blocked Yun Yingzhi’s path. He froze, his long ears twitching, and lifted his head to look at the person before him. He was stunned.
Not long ago, he had heard news about him from other classmates: the fourth-year top student of Fansa Academy, heir to the empire with SSSS-level mental power, His Highness Elvis.
From Yun Yingzhi’s perspective, he saw Elvis’s violet eyes. White hair and violet eyes—the marks of royalty.
Yun Yingzhi blinked, instinctively wanting to back away and put distance between them. But Elvis was faster. He reached down, grabbed the small white rabbit by the back of its neck, and lifted him up. Yun Yingzhi felt his rabbit ears burning hot. He thrashed his legs, trying to make Elvis let go.
Elvis’s voice, as clear as a cold spring, rang out, “Looks fragile, yet struggles with some force.”
Yun Yingzhi thought, He didn’t just look fragile—being a little white rabbit, he really was weak. But hearing Elvis’s words, he decided it was best not to struggle for the moment.
Throughout Fansa Academy, he was the only student who had the second form of a little white rabbit.
Just as Yun Yingzhi was about to plead to be released, Elvis held him close to his chest and murmured, “I wonder which outsider brought this little rabbit in.” His voice was soft, yet it carried a piercing chill.
Yun Yingzhi, “…” In other words, even though it was very obvious, Elvis seemed to treat him like a companion pet from a family outside? Thinking about it, it made some sense. Although many knew Yun Yingzhi’s second form was a white rabbit, Elvis was usually so busy that it was plausible he didn’t know. Moreover, some students secretly kept white rabbits on campus.
Yun Yingzhi thought about it carefully. Being held by the back of the neck and pressed against Elvis’s chest, even now, he could smell the pleasant scent emanating from him. Even in his second form, Yun Yingzhi felt his face flush and ears burn. Heat coursed through him, making him feel almost fully roasted.
Still… To avoid an even more awkward situation, he decided it would be better to reveal to Elvis that he was human, not an actual rabbit.
Just as Yun Yingzhi opened his mouth to speak, Elvis’s large hands had already begun examining him. The first place he checked was…
Yun Yingzhi was dazed and flustered, feeling as though his entire rabbit body was about to combust.
Elvis said, “Should be a little male rabbit, right?”
Yun Yingzhi’s fur stood on end, his rabbit face full of terror at the lecherous action.
Elvis’s expression remained calm, eyelashes lowered, as he brought the little white rabbit to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on its soft belly.
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