Quan Yi wasn't particularly interested in Lou Gao's complex inner changes.
Quan Yi said, "Our blacksmith shop has its own rules, which these people will explain in detail later. Besides confidentiality, we don't have many other requirements.
Apart from research and forging tasks assigned by the family, the master can freely conduct research here, and all expenses incurred will be borne by us."
Quan Yi granted the Divine Blacksmith an extremely high degree of freedom and treatment.
Not only would there be a high salary, but also coverage of all of Lou Gao's research, even his personal research expenses were covered by Quan Yi.
After earning some money, Quan Yi had more autonomy over his decisions.
Therefore, he could arrange Lou Gao's work according to his own rules.
"In short, I don't limit the master's freedom. Just remember to maintain confidentiality and keep a low profile. I don't have many other requirements."
After hearing the explanation, Lou Gao felt Quan Yi's sincerity. The overall treatment was even better than what he received at the Blacksmith Association. Moreover, he didn't have to bear any responsibility and could focus entirely on his research.
This place was simply paradise for researchers.
Furthermore, the young man before him was not only a talented Soul Master with great strength but also a blacksmith with extraordinary talent.
His curiosity about Quan Yi had reached its peak.
Lou Gao quickly composed himself and replied, "Old Gao would be satisfied just to learn the techniques. Besides, the treatment here already exceeds what I had in Gengxin City."
Quan Yi nodded in satisfaction, then bid farewell to Lou Gao and left the second blacksmith shop.
The purpose of building the second blacksmith shop was not only to provide Lou Gao with an independent research space but also to maintain confidentiality and facilitate division of labor.
As the research deepened, Quan Yi became involved in more and more areas, especially ironware research. The current manpower was far from sufficient.
Therefore, Lou Gao's joining greatly alleviated their pressure.
Quan Yi's current research focuses on two points: weapons and power devices.
Among them, Quan Yi chose to firmly control the weapon development, which was currently the most dangerous. Conversely, he transferred the research of power devices to Lou Gao.
This wasn't to say that power devices were unimportant. On the contrary, their development was even more difficult than weapon research, and it would take longer.
For Lou Gao, who had just joined, Quan Yi also needed to spend some time getting to know him.
Therefore, Quan Yi felt that he could entrust this part of the research to Lou Gao to tackle.
This would not only share Yuan the Blacksmith's tasks but also further improve the progress of research in both directions.
After arranging Lou Gao's affairs, Quan Yi continued his afternoon iron forging training as usual.
After refining about 60,000 kilograms of iron ore, Quan Yi left the forging room.
He flew directly back to the academy under the cover of night and returned to the cabin in the woods.
As he landed outside, he could smell the rich aroma of meat.
Quan Yi smiled and pushed open the door to go inside.
"Xiao Wu, I'm back."
"The meat is roasted. You can go wash up first, and we'll be ready to eat in a while," Huo Wu's voice came through the sizzling sound of the roasting meat, reaching Quan Yi's ears.
"I know."
According to Huo Wu, one-third of this was due to the opening of hidden meridians, which increased her Soul Power level.
Moreover, Huo Wu's surge in Soul Power had been further purified after being absorbed by the Governing Vessel, making her foundation even more solid.
As a result, Huo Wu's afternoon practical training time was freed up, and she could only cultivate and study on her own in the academy.
Naturally, Huo Wu, who didn't need to leave, took on the task of making dinner.
Fortunately, Huo Wu's control over fire was no less than Quan Yi's, and she had been paying attention to Quan Yi's cooking procedures, so after a few tries, her skill improved rapidly.
After Quan Yi washed away his fatigue, he walked into the kitchen and saw Huo Wu holding a skillet the size of a baby bathtub in one hand, walking towards the dining table.
On the skillet was a giant roast meat, half the size of a person, displaying its majestic aura.
The surface of the meat was covered in a caramel brown color, showing a perfect Maillard reaction under perfect heat.
"Clang!"
A heavy sound echoed from the solid wood table.
Including the iron pan and the meat, the weight was more than 400 kilograms.
The weight was greater than Quan Yi and Huo Wu combined.
The meat was roasted whole. Generally, to cook such a large piece of meat, it would need to be baked at a low temperature for several hours to cook the inside thoroughly.
However, with Huo Wu's fire control ability, she could heat the inside of the meat without burning the outside.
"Wow! It smells so good," Quan Yi's eyes couldn't leave the roast meat for a moment.
Huo Wu put her hands on her hips and said with satisfaction, "Dinner is served!"
Then, Huo Wu took a long carving knife from the kitchen to slice the meat.
"Pfft."
The sharp long knife sliced through the meat, revealing pink tender meat.
Juices flowed down the sides of the meat, releasing a rich meaty aroma.
Huo Wu took tongs, put the slices of meat on a large plate, and handed it to Quan Yi.
"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Wu."
Quan Yi took it and couldn't wait to pick up a knife and fork, cut off a large piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and bit down.
"Mmm, so good."
Quan Yi ate like a ravenous wolf, eating a palm-sized piece of meat in one bite, his cheeks bulging with meat.
Huo Wu cut her own portion and said with a smile, "Slow down. I specially cut a little more today. This portion is enough for us to eat."
Huo Wu's movements were more elegant than Quan Yi's, but her eating speed was not slow at all.
More than an hour passed.
The food on the table was swept away, leaving only large and small plates.
Quan Yi held his stomach, slumped on the chair, and looked at Huo Wu, who was doing the same action, and said, "Haha, Xiao Wu, your stomach is getting so big."
Huo Wu could eat at least nearly sixty kilograms of Soul Beast meat in one meal.
Moreover, this was still the Soul Beast meat of a 20,000-year Thunderstorm Hog, an ordinary person could satisfy a day's energy by eating a slice of meat.
Huo Wu glared at Quan Yi and said, "Isn't it because of your hidden meridian digestion method? Last time I went home, I directly scared my dad, my mom, and my brother."
Quan Yi burst out laughing and said, "Being able to eat is a blessing, and the more you can eat, the more powerful your body is."
Suddenly, Huo Wu straightened up and asked Quan Yi with a serious expression, "I've recently felt that the increase in my appetite is a little too exaggerated."
"Last week, I could only eat about forty kilograms per meal, but this week my appetite has skyrocketed. Isn't this growing too fast?"
If it was a gradual increase, Huo Wu certainly wouldn't panic too much, but the current situation was too abnormal, causing Huo Wu to worry about her physical condition.
