Chapter 3 Techniques for Repetition Hundreds of Thousands of Times

Ah?

a large amount of money

The middle-aged man, Lao Ping, said succinctly: "Just keep it."

However, the village chief only heard about these matters and did not know the details. On the other hand, a few questions that Chang Ming asked seemed very professional, which further increased the village chief's confidence in his identity

He deeply remembers the words his grandfather once said to him

The village chief said, "So, young man, would you like to stay with me for a while? In my youth, I traveled extensively, and this would be a good opportunity to share some fundamental knowledge with you, as a way to repay your kindness to our Jinzhucun village"

This is not a factory at all; it is simply a workshop.

The village chief shook his head: "Where does the skill come from? One must learn from a higher-level mechanical master. Isn't there a tuition fee for learning? Moreover, a mechanical apprentice cannot be considered a true mechanical master. A true mechanical master needs to continuously create a large number of mechanisms to hone their skills. Where do the materials come from? One can collect some by oneself, but most still have to be purchased with money. Not to mention the energy core, which is notoriously expensive..."

"He has passed away..." the village chief said solemnly, "In that case, you are in danger! The Qi family has always been overbearing. This time, they have been frightened by you, but they will definitely find a way to gather information about you. As soon as they discover that there are no senior mechanists accompanying you, they will surely take action against you"

Each level of the Mechanist must register with the Mechanist Guild for certification. There is a Mechanist Guild in Zihua City, and even prominent families like the Lian and Qijia clans do not dare to offend it lightly

The village chief indeed has a broad perspective. He nodded and then shook his head, saying: "Creating a mechanism requires a large number of components. Should every component be made by a senior mechanism master? The primary task of a mechanism apprentice is to produce these simple components. Additionally, there are some basic mechanisms that are frequently used in daily life and do not require specialized skills; they can also be manufactured in factories and sold."

Making shredded gold silk

Chang Ming considered for a moment and candidly said: "Uncle Village Chief, I want to be a mechanic!"

It is fortunate that Changming scared the people away, allowing the village chief to take advantage of this free time to make some arrangements, and he truly breathed a sigh of relief

However, being a mechanic indeed requires a substantial amount of money

He said with a smile, "So, Uncle Village Chief, could you first tell me what exactly a Mechanic is like? I want to become a Mechanic; what should I do first?"

Mechanics have a very unique status in this world. Some advanced mechanics either seek rare materials or prefer to avoid interactions with the outside world, choosing to live in seclusion in the deep mountains. Chang Ming appears quite clever, yet seems somewhat "ignorant," likely due to his reclusive lifestyle.

The village chief outlined a path of a mechanic for Chang Ming. Although he repeatedly emphasized how difficult this path is and the significant investment it requires, Chang Ming remained unmoved

However, what is the energy core

Chang Ming inquired: "Are all of these handmade?"

Chang Ming thought for a moment and said, "It sounds like an apprentice in machinery only needs skills and doesn't require much money."

He said that while having money is important, it does not guarantee that a master will accept a disciple. Before that, the master will assess some basic abilities of the disciple. The assessment may not necessarily involve tasks like slicing bamboo strips, but such tasks can significantly train a person's foundational skills. Essentially, a good bamboo strip cutter is already half of a good apprentice

In the neighboring village of Jinzhu, there was once a child who attempted to take the entrance exam for an apprenticeship in a government office, but he did not pass. Upon returning, his father, feeling dejected, said: "If I had known earlier, I should have sent him to learn the craft of bamboo weaving in Jinzhu."

Therefore, as long as he is willing to work hard, he will surely be able to create a sky of his own through his skills

When an action is repeated hundreds of thousands of times, it becomes a technique; when a technique is repeated hundreds of thousands of times, it becomes a skill

Chang Ming scratched his head and began to ponder

Changming's grandfather is not merely someone who can repair tape recorders by listening; he can also identify issues with large machinery in the factory just by listening to the sounds, and he has never made a mistake in his judgments.

Chang Ming was unaware that he was perceived as someone inexperienced in the eyes of the village chief. Upon hearing this, he was momentarily taken aback. However, this worked to his advantage, and he decisively seized the opportunity: "Indeed, the place where I live is completely different from here; there are many things I have never seen and many matters I am unaware of"

He is well aware that if it were not for Chang Ming, the Qi family would indeed find it difficult to explain the matter of the broken gold thread if they were to inquire about it seriously. Originally, business is a matter of mutual consent, but when one party holds significant power, the situation of coercive buying and selling may arise at any time

Uh ... ? ... It takes five minutes to find out ? This doesn't seem very good ?

The village chief sighed, saying: "When I was young and traveled, I once encountered a master mechanic. He was particularly impressive; a complex and troublesome mechanical beast malfunctioned, and he diagnosed the issue within five minutes, promptly fixing it.

The village chief pondered and said: "Indeed... However, the Qi family is indeed not to be trifled with, but in Zihua City, they have not yet reached the point of being all-powerful. In a couple of days, the Lian family will come to collect this month's goods, and at that time, I will mention this matter to them. I hope the Lian family can intervene and suppress the Qi family..."

Energy Core

These are all secondary

Chang Ming understood that this was a life-saving item, and after gratefully nodding to the other party, he carefully put it away

Grandfather became a level 8 technician. Did he use any advanced materials and spend a lot of money? No, he did not. He simply kept repeating and diligently practicing the fundamentals. Would Grandfather's skills be inferior to those of any advanced mechanic? Absolutely not.

He touched his pocket; according to the village chief, fifty silver coins were sufficient to apprentice and learn a craft. Such matters, of course, should not be delayed; the sooner, the better

Is it due to being too backward, or is there some other reason

The village chief nodded without any surprise, as it was only natural. In his view, Changming's grandfather possessed such a wrench, which certainly indicated that he was a master mechanic. Although he did not understand why the skill was not passed down to his grandson, what was so strange about the grandson of a master mechanic wanting to become a mechanic himself

Chang Ming inquired curiously, "Is there a factory? Didn't I hear before that mechanisms could only be made by hand?"

Chang Ming helplessly smiled wryly: "At that time, the situation was urgent, and I could only do it that way; there was truly no other option."

The village chief concluded by saying: "All mechanical engineers start as apprentices. To become an apprentice, one must spend money to learn the craft. Once you become an apprentice, not only do you continue to learn, but you also have to spend money to buy materials to create mechanisms. The higher the quality of the materials, the more expensive they are; the more advanced the energy cores, the more exorbitant the prices. Why are there so few mechanical engineers? Because there are very few people who can afford to spend money like this..." Why are there so few mechanical engineers? Because there are very few people who can afford to spend money like this..."

Chang Ming took it over; the bamboo tube was exquisitely crafted. Upon unscrewing it, a semi-transparent ointment emitted a faint fragrance. When applied to the face, an instant cool sensation surged to the mind, and after a moment, the swelling on the face had reduced by half

The village chief is very grateful to Chang Ming

Chang Ming did not expect this answer; he stood there with his mouth agape.

He looked up and asked, "Young man, what are your plans next?"

I knew it all along; without a power source, how could the mechanism possibly operate

He raised his head, just about to bid farewell to the village chief, when the old man suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Speaking of apprentice mechanics, I just remembered something!"

The two individuals exchanged a glance, each aware that they had questions they wished to ask the other

He seemed afraid that he had spoken too much, and patted Chang Ming's shoulder, saying: "However, there are indeed geniuses in this world. Miss Lian Zhao Hui, the second daughter of the Lian family in Zihuaicheng, has already become a mid-level mechanism master at the age of sixteen and is working on breaking through to become a high-level mechanism master. Once she reaches the level of high-level mechanism master, the mechanisms she produces can be sold at high prices, and the family will no longer need to supply materials without limit as they do now"

Is it possible to become a mechanic just by having money

Chang Ming exclaimed, "What a good medicine!"

Without lathes and standardized production, although the machinery here is widespread, it is still at a very backward stage compared to modern society's machinery. However, it is quite strange why these things cannot be made using tools like lathes. Even if they are not CNC machines, using ordinary lathes would be much more convenient, wouldn't it

He asked, "Young man, your grandfather is a reclusive mechanic, isn't he?"

Chang Ming continued to press for answers, but the village chief only knew that it was expensive and related to books, without understanding the reasons behind it. Time and again, he simply stated that it was costly, but when it came to what exactly it was, he could not articulate it.

Chang Ming was overjoyed and said with a smile, "This is the best!"

Of course not

The village chief stated emphatically: "Money! To become a mechanic, one needs a great deal of money!"

The village chief had previously informed him that the lowest rank of a mechanism master is a mechanism apprentice. After the mechanism apprentice is promoted, they become a junior mechanism master. Above that, there are intermediate mechanism masters and senior mechanism masters. Further up, there is the grand master of mechanisms. Beyond that, it is said that there are even higher ranks, which the village chief has never encountered, and he has heard very few rumors about them.

The village chief nodded: "Of course"

As the cylindrical, long-legged machine vehicle strode away, the village chief asked, "Would you like to come over to my place for a visit and apply some medicine?"

Chang Ming followed his gaze and saw the wrench in his hand, shaking his head and saying: "Uncle Village Chief, to be honest, I am not. This is a relic left by my grandfather. He was an extraordinary person, but he has passed away and did not pass on his skills to me"

After he applied the medicine and the pain subsided somewhat, the village chief asked the villagers who had gathered in the room to step back. Once it was just the two of them left, he solemnly inquired, "Young man, could it be that you truly are..."

Chang Ming sat down at the village chief's home. After a short while, a middle-aged man walked over silently and handed a small bamboo tube to Chang Ming

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Chang Ming's emotional intelligence was not low enough to directly refute the village chief, so he chose to listen to him continue speaking

Indeed, it is correct that the mechanism requires an energy source; it need not be a battery, but could be something else

The lowest rank of a mechanic is that of a mechanic apprentice, who only needs to be dexterous and possess a certain level of basic skills to take on the role. The best path for such individuals is to work in a factory as laborers, exchanging their skills for money