That antique handcrafted "tricycle" was placed at the very front behind the curtain, provided for visitors from various nations to observe and study. This "tricycle" was one of the reasons why the Tinker Guild participated in the Rare Treasures Banquet.
They were looking for a way to make the three wheels of the tricycle run more smoothly and steadily.
Although the "tricycle" placed before the veiled and elegant Guild Mistress of the Tinker Guild already had most of the form and structure of a tricycle, due to certain technical issues, its three wooden wheels couldn't rotate smoothly and couldn't maintain the same frequency of movement.
This was a major obstacle to the tricycle's operation, especially in this ancient time when the roads were uneven.
Even though the tricycle already had the general appearance and functions, if it were to really run, its speed wouldn't even match half of a donkey cart's, making it practically half-useless.
However, the Tinker Guild seemed quite confident that the tricycle could be improved.
So they placed this delicate, semi-failed item at the Rare Treasures Banquet, waiting for a "fated person" to appear.
Besides this ancient handcrafted tricycle that surprised Elara, the Tinker Guild also brought other ingenious mechanical devices.
Most of those leaned toward trap and secret mechanism types.
During the demonstrations given by the disciples of the Tinker Guild, each device showed unexpected yet powerful destructive effects, very much like the style of a master of mechanical traps.
Elara watched in awe and couldn't help but imagine how great it would be if such mechanisms were installed on the gates and forts of Plumera's major cities — they would be like wings added to a tiger.
But in the eyes of the Tinker Guild's elegant Guild Mistress, these sophisticated mechanisms still didn't compare to the tricycle.
One of the main reasons they came to the Hundred Nations Banquet was to see if anyone there could help solve the problem with the tricycle.
Elara stood among the crowd, who were all gasping in amazement, and stared from a distance at the tricycle with its irregular movement.
In her past life, as the "all-around" CEO of the Xia Corporation, which had an AI and robotics development branch, she had a thorough understanding of mechanical principles.
Compared to modern complex machinery, the principle of the tricycle was entry-level.
So after observing it for just a short while, Elara quickly identified the core issue with the Tinker Guild's tricycle.
She gently rubbed her fingertips and looked toward the elegant silhouette behind the curtain.
Maybe because her gaze was very different from the others who were just amazed, the man behind the curtain in dark blue slightly turned his head in her direction, as if sensing something.
But Elara had already looked away, turning to Gareth, Mr. Yu, and Mr. Gong.
"You all take a look. I'll be right back."
The three of them immediately stopped looking at the surrounding treasures and nodded at her, not asking further.
Since Elara was a woman, and as long as she didn't say what she was doing, Gareth and the others had always been respectful and wouldn't pry, as long as she was safe.
Elara went downstairs with Uno, found a very hidden corner, pulled out a spare silk scroll from Uno's arms, and began writing.
She clearly described the core problem with the tricycle in simple terms, enough to make the reader believe she truly understood the mechanical principles behind it.
This would ensure that the one who received the letter would be willing to contact her for the remaining issues and solutions.
Elara set a meeting time at the end of the letter: anytime at night would work, and the location could be decided by the Tinker Guild.
After finishing, she hesitated for a moment, then added that she was just a traveling merchant with no ties to any major force in the continent.
Only then did she fold the silk scroll.
With a light thought, a small gray squirrel the size of a palm silently crept in through the window, its fluffy tail swaying.
The little creature stood adorably in front of her, looking up.
Elara gently tied the scroll to the squirrel's belly, softly rubbed its little head, and the squirrel affectionately nudged her before quickly scurrying up the ceiling beam.
It climbed to the fifth floor and, through the most unnoticed corners above the crowd, made its way toward the elegant Guild Mistress behind the curtain at the head of the banquet.
Elara could control the little squirrel. When the distance was close enough and her mind was fully focused, she could even sense the squirrel's five senses and see through its "perspective" from the beam above to clearly observe the surroundings.
When she was close to the head of the beautiful courtyard master, Elara didn't make the squirrel jump over directly but cautiously moved forward while probing.
Just as she expected, since the master from Tiangong Pavilion could attend a busy event like the Rare Treasure Banquet, every space around him was already filled with inconspicuous mechanisms and traps.
Elara carefully maneuvered the squirrel to avoid those traps and reach behind the curtain. Using the squirrel's senses, she got a clear look at the legendary beautiful master of Tiangong Pavilion.
How should she describe him? He was indeed very attractive. So good-looking that he didn't even seem real, like one of those AI-generated humans she had seen in the 21st century.
His skin was fair as jade, his facial features were delicate and well-defined, his brows light, and his temperament calm. Especially those deep eyes, his pupils were the same dark blue as his hair, like the deep blue ocean.
Elara observed the handsome master of Tiangong Pavilion through the squirrel's eyes. She memorized his true appearance while thinking his dark blue appearance made him resemble a fish just emerged from the sea. A mermaid walking on land.
No wonder he was the rumored beauty who once captivated an empress of a second-tier kingdom so much that she offered half her realm for his hand. His looks and aura were truly flawless.
After thoroughly observing him and confirming there was no danger around, and that no one noticed the squirrel on the beam,
Elara let the little squirrel lightly hop to the edge of the chair where the beautiful man sat. The squirrel used its tiny paw to gently tap his fair fingertip.
"Hm?"
A very pleasant voice came from the man's throat. His deep blue eyes lowered to look at the squirrel that had suddenly appeared beside his hand, along with the piece of silk clearly tied to its belly.
The deep blue eyes paused for a moment. Then he looked toward the area beyond the curtain, saw nothing unusual, and waved away the attendant who had come to ask after hearing the sound.
He extended his slender pale hand, letting the squirrel jump into his palm. He examined it briefly and gently removed the piece of silk from its belly.
.......
After Elara finished carefully looking over the rare treasures on the fourth floor and even returned to the third floor to buy two divine fruits from a stall, she and Uno each ate one. Then the squirrel finally returned to her side, carrying a new piece of silk that had a faint scent of wood.
On it were just a few powerful bold characters, an address.
Elara's lips curved upward.
The beautiful man from Tiangong Pavilion had agreed.
.......
Late at night during the Chou hour
Without alerting anyone, Elara quietly left the inn with Uno through the window. After skillfully avoiding the city patrol, she rushed toward a certain place outside the city.
After memorizing the address during the day, she had the System open the much more detailed surrounding map that updated due to her presence and marked the location.
The reason she arranged the meeting for late night during the Chou hour was because Elara didn't want Mr. Yu, Gareth, and the others involved.
This was a matter between her and Plumera. Even though Mr. Yu and Gareth were now her allies and she trusted them to some degree, they still belonged to different factions and nations. There was no need for them to know everything.
The place chosen by the Tiangong Pavilion beauty was in a deep mountain area five kilometers outside the capital of Geranium Kingdom.
Elara followed the marked path and found that a hidden villa was built deep within the forested mountain.
The forest villa was not large, but every corner was exquisitely crafted and filled with signature mechanisms and devices from Tiangong Pavilion.
Just as Elara and Uno arrived at the door and hadn't even knocked, the door automatically opened on its own. There was no attendant behind it.
"Come in, I'm in the courtyard hall."
That same extremely pleasant male voice she had heard through the squirrel during the day echoed from all directions within the quiet little courtyard.
Elara glanced around the empty and peaceful courtyard, lifted her foot, and walked deeper inside.
After crossing a delicately arranged small stone bridge, warm yellow lights began to glow from the stone pavilion in the courtyard across the bridge.
Inside the pavilion, the tall and handsome figure dressed in dark blue, who had only been seen behind a curtain during the day, now sat there quietly.
He hadn't disguised his face or hidden his form. He simply sat in the stone pavilion, his deep blue eyes calmly watching in Elara's direction.
Elara let the beautiful man observe her as she walked naturally and steadily into the pavilion, meeting his gaze without hesitation.