Volume 1, Chapter 6 – Practical Techniques of Bionic Machinery

After unlocking two classes in a row, Anran’s personal panel underwent major changes:

Name: Anran

Age: 16

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Level: 1

HP: 40/40

Stamina: 48/48

Primary Class: Apprentice Engineer Lv1 (0/300)

Secondary Class: Pastry Maker Lv2 (13/1000)

Six Stats: Strength 3, Agility 4, Endurance 4, Intelligence 8, Spirit 5, Charm 4

[Other than having normal intelligence and a normal mental state, this pauper is good for absolutely nothing.]

Free Attribute Points: 9

Skill Points: 3

Talent: Nimble Hands: increases the efficiency of manual work by 10%

Skills: Basic Circuit Theory Lv1: Able to understand simple circuits.

Basic Repair Lv1: Able to repair simple mechanical and electronic devices.

Reputation: 5

Equipment Slot: None.

Compared to the beginning, her six stats already looked much better, but in the game system’s evaluation, they were still pitiful to the extreme.

No matter what, Anran herself was still very happy.

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She had taken a solid first step. From here on, it would be a gradual process of accumulation and improvement.

As long as she had a class, there was hope.

Basic Repair. Able to repair simple mechanical and electronic devices.

Anran thought of her broken old television. She could tolerate the occasional crackling sound, but the fact that most of the left side of the screen was permanently white was absolutely intolerable.

Watching the news with only half the anchor visible was kind of terrifying.

Watching documentaries or movies in other languages with only half the subtitles visible was even more of a pain. You had to guess the rest.

And when she watched some melodrama and the male lead stuck his head into the white part of the screen, it actually gave her the oddly satisfying feeling of shoving that damned cheating couple into a snowbank!

In the end, it was just self-comfort.

What Anran really wanted was a normal television.

She rummaged a screwdriver out from the corner, then moved a small stool behind the television and stepped up onto it…

Say no more. This was all the fault of her height!

“With tears in her eyes,” Anran skillfully unscrewed all ten screws, then pulled outward along the grooves, and the back cover of the old big-butt TV came right off.

Dust immediately flew up in the room.

She lightly fanned the air in front of her nose. After the dust cleared, Anran began studying the internal structure of the television.

Although she had not known much about circuits before, once she had learned the skill, circuit modules related to display functions immediately surfaced in her mind. Following the circuitry, she soon discovered that one of the tubes had burned out.

[Damaged Old Television: Quality – Inferior. A piece of junk picked up from the scrapyard. Internal components damaged.]

The television’s appraisal information appeared at just the right moment as well.

“I’ll go check the repair shop tomorrow.”

Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Even if Anran had found the root of the problem, without new components, she had no way to fix the television.

After wolfing down ten mung bean cakes to recover her Stamina and cleaning the inside and outside of the house, Anran went to bed.

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She needed to rest well so she could work and make money tomorrow.

The future BOSS Anran of Night of the Stars was also desperately short on cash and had to work hard too.

Even if it was a dull job like selling cakes.

Before she could bring out the value of being an Engineer, Anran could not casually abandon it.

Poverty was the Sword of Damocles driving her onward!

Without money, she could not eat. Without food, she would starve to death.

NPC Anran, who only had one life, was very afraid of dying.

…

Probably because very few people would eat mung bean cakes for breakfast, Anran was usually pretty free in the mornings.

Slipping on a brown little backpack, she first paid a visit to the nearby repair shop.

“Colin Repair Shop!”

This entry-level repair shop, named after its owner, was planned to be opened to the players who would soon descend upon the world. As a result, although the shop looked ordinary and cramped, it was unexpectedly well stocked inside.

The mustached owner Colin was also an “old wizard” who held three classes at once: [Basic Engineer], [Basic Mechanic], and [Sewing Artisan].

His skills were superb. He could make a little airplane take off with one hand!

At that moment, Colin was dressed in a brown work outfit and a long apron, sitting in an old rocking chair that had clearly seen some years, wearing round metal glasses, and leisurely reading the book in his hands.

Practical Techniques of Bionic Machinery.

Anran secretly glanced at the title. The name sounded very lofty and sophisticated, but for some reason the cover illustration looked rather suspicious. It was two large, white lumps.

Emmm…

Maybe that was what aliens looked like.

What very practical bionic machinery technology.

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Quite… bangable…

“What can I do for you, little miss?” Colin calmly set the book in his hands down.

The thick, round lenses reflected the light, making Colin look “profound and unfathomable.”

Anran was genuinely afraid that he would smile kindly and ask, “Friend, want some discs? I’ve got Human, Spirit, Wildcall, and even Machina. Cheap too. 10 Bilu a disc. Buy three now and I’ll throw in a fourth for free.”

So Anran hurriedly stated her purpose.

“I’m here to buy parts for a television.”

Colin pushed up his glasses. “What type of television?”

“An antique model,” Anran answered at once.

“…”

Colin choked. What a concise and forceful answer. He instantly understood and pointed behind him. “They’re in that section over there. Tell me what you need and I’ll help you find it.”

“No need, no need. I’ll look for it myself.” Anran waved her hand.

“You can tell these things apart?” Colin sounded a little surprised.

“Easy.”

Ever heard of [Basic Circuit Theory]?

I may have graduated already, but I used to be a science student, okay?

It had to be admitted that Anran was very sensitive to numbers and machinery. It did not feel particularly girlish.

Yeah, exactly.

Master Anran was not the soft and delicate type.

Poor though she was, she would not yield to this damned game system.

Colin went back to reading his bionic machinery book, lightly tapping the tabletop with his fingers. He was reading with such focus that he seemed ready to do something big.

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As Anran passed by Colin, she averted her eyes from the eye-searing cover art and focused on the shelf in front of her.

The things on the wooden shelf were arranged in complete disorder. Large and small components were strewn about at random. From that detail alone, it was obvious how lazy Colin was. This was probably an engineer habit acting up. Even aliens were no exception.

“Tubes, tubes…”

Found it.

Anran picked up a dust-covered tube from the bottom shelf. Good thing it was on a lower level, or she would not have been able to reach it.

“Can this thing really still be used?”

“If it’s fake, I’ll pay ten times over,” Colin replied without even turning his head.

Well, since he’d said that, Anran decisively chose to buy it. If it turned out to be fake, wouldn’t she make a killing? “How much?”

“10 Bilu.”

“…”

So expensive. She would have to sell five mung bean cakes just to earn that back.

“Could you maybe…” she tried to bargain.

Colin said firmly, “Lowering the price is impossible. This shop never lowers prices.”

“…”

Fine. You win.

Anran reached into her backpack and fumbled around inside.

“Here.” The hand offering the money was trembling.

Colin took the money and naturally dropped it into the drawer. “Thank you for your patronage.”

Patronage my ass, you money-grubber.

Anran was angry.