Chapter Eight: Repairing the Crystal Brain

"You're 55 seconds late," the icy beauty said coldly.

"Sorry, this place was a bit hard to find. Did you bring the item?" Li Yao grumbled inwardly and stretched out his dirty hand.

Si Jia Xue's willow-like eyebrows frowned slightly as she assessed Li Yao's appearance, feeling as if she had made a hasty choice. After hesitating for a moment, she still took out a crystal brain from her school bag and handed it over.

"This is the crystal brain. It's very unstable after turning it on. It crashes every time it runs for more than three minutes. I've been to several repair shops, and they all said that the model is too old, and many of the components have been discontinued, so it can't be repaired. I heard that you are a senior crystal brain fan and are also very good at repairing crystal brains. If you can fix it, just name your price. Money is not an issue. Of course, if you can't fix it, please be straightforward and don't damage the components inside."

"Let's see."

Crystal brain repair is a profound technology, and Li Yao didn't dare to guarantee anything. He took out a pair of dustproof gloves from his school bag and put them on, then solemnly took the crystal brain.

It felt a bit heavy in his hand, full of the thick and solid feel of a classical crystal brain. This was an antique crystal brain with a history of at least a hundred years, still using a semi-mechanical structure, with a triangular button on the spherical surface.

Li Yao gently pressed it, and the crystal brain began to hum and vibrate slightly, as if the mechanical structure inside was working quickly. A few seconds later, it suddenly flew out of Li Yao's palm, suspended in mid-air. Two beams of light were emitted from the upper and lower holes, one condensing into a huge light curtain, and the other transforming into forty-nine shining symbols, forming an exquisite virtual symbol keyboard.

"It's like an art piece..." Li Yao's eyes became extremely gentle.

He recognized that this was the "Guangling Type 7" tube crystal brain developed by the "Celestial Lute Sect" more than 140 years ago.

In the history of crystal brain development, the "tube crystal brain" was only popular for a few decades before it was replaced by the more advanced "wafer crystal brain." The Celestial Lute Sect was an even smaller sect that only existed for more than fifty years. This sect succeeded with the first-generation "Guangling" crystal brain but failed to keep up with the development of the times. In the era when the wafer crystal brain was popular, it still put all its resources into the development of the "Guangling Type 7," eventually leading to a broken capital chain and bankruptcy.

The "Guangling Type 7" is also known as "the last glory of the tube crystal brain, a comprehensive work."

Li Yao's hands turned into a breeze, lightly dancing on the light wave symbol keyboard.

His hand speed was not high, but the movements were smooth and natural, as if he was not tapping the keyboard but really strumming an invaluable ancient zither. With his movements, lines of symbol commands appeared on the light curtain, falling like a heavy rain, and the crystal brain also made very faint, indistinguishable sounds as each interface was activated.

Li Yao listened attentively, his eyes very focused, and every movement was extremely precise.

After all, the tube crystal brain was a magical tool from over a hundred years ago, and its structure was relatively simple compared to the current mainstream wafer crystal brains. Two minutes later, Li Yao made a preliminary conclusion: "It should be a problem with the heat dissipation plate, causing the internal temperature of the crystal brain to rise abnormally during operation - modern crystal brains are becoming more and more powerful, and the information they need to process also includes increasingly huge spiritual thoughts. For an old crystal brain from a hundred years ago, the burden is too heavy, equivalent to a 150-year-old man carrying thousands of kilograms every day. Over the years, it's hard for the joints not to fail."

"This crystal brain was left to me by a close relative and has very important commemorative significance for me. As long as it can be repaired, I am willing to pay any price." Si Jia Xue said earnestly.

Li Yao thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "The heat dissipation plate failure is a very common crystal brain failure and not a big problem. The reason why you went to several repair shops and couldn't fix it is mainly because this model of crystal brain is very rare, and the technology used is too outdated. The heat dissipation plate used a hundred years ago has been discontinued, and the heat dissipation plates used by modern crystal brains are not compatible at all - but it doesn't matter, I just happen to have a few very precious antique heat dissipation plates in my collection. As long as I try more times, even if I scrap a few, I should be able to modify a suitable heat dissipation plate for this crystal brain."

"Don't talk nonsense, just quote a price!" Si Jia Xue heard the implied meaning in his words.

"Ah, among students, talking about money too hastily hurts the feelings, right? Anyway, the problem is not big. I'll take it back and rush the time. I think I can finish it in one night. As for the disassembly fee, inspection fee, repair fee, cost fee, assembly fee, and my labor fee added together, I'll give you a 5% discount, which is 98,500 yuan. Do you pay in cash or transfer?"

"Hmm?"

Si Jia Xue narrowed her eyes, a glint of danger flickering in their depths, and the temperature in the storage room seemed to drop ten degrees all at once.

"I have money, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to let others treat me like a fat sheep to be sheared, understand?"

Li Yao swallowed hard, enduring the low-pressure atmosphere, and defended himself, "Yes, compared to ordinary crystal brain repairs, this price is a bit higher. Nearly a hundred thousand could buy a high-end crystal brain with 'computational power' comparable to a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Refining stage. But your crystal brain is over a hundred years old and is considered an antique, so repairing an antique is naturally priced differently! Not to mention, the heat dissipation plates I'm going to use on this crystal brain are rare collections that I've spent years and a great deal of effort to gather, they are simply priceless! So, trust me, this price is absolutely fair and square!"

Si Jia Xue said nothing, staring at him with deep eyes.

With a spiritual root development exceeding 70%, she exerted a powerful mental pressure. Li Yao felt a tightening in his chest, almost on the verge of collapse, but thinking of his "goal," he still bravely said, "If Miss Si Jia Xue thinks it's too expensive, it's okay. Just consider it a free inspection for you. You can send this crystal brain to some large repair shops in other places and let them slowly look for the corresponding heat dissipation plates. I estimate it won't take more than three to five months, and you should be able to find one or two stock items. In that case, the cost should be able to be kept below ten thousand."

"Three to five months..."

Si Jia Xue snorted lightly. She knew what Li Yao said was true because the technicians at several repair shops had said the same thing. According to them, the difficulty of repairing an old crystal brain was not high, but suitable parts were hard to find. Three to five months was just an estimate, and if luck was not on their side, waiting for a year or so was possible.

No doubt, this little rascal had seen this point and treated her as a "fat sheep"!

Forget it, she still had to cultivate and didn't need to tangle with these ordinary class guys. Si Jia Xue nodded and said expressionlessly, "Alright, Li Yao, I can give you one hundred thousand, but there must be rules for the transaction. At this time tomorrow, I want to see a completely renewed crystal brain, and you must ensure it runs steadily. Don't let it break down every three or five days. In addition to the one hundred thousand, I won't pay any subsequent fees. Is there a problem?"

"Absolutely no problem. After replacing the suitable heat dissipation plates, it can be used normally for at least three years. During these three years, you can continue to search for the same model of heat dissipation plates and replace them regularly afterward," Li Yao said quickly, with a smile.

"That's good." Si Jia Xue nodded. She didn't want to tangle with this little rascal for a second longer and turned to leave.

Li Yao sat down on a storage box, sweating profusely, and it took a long time before he finally whistled in relief in the dark.

He had succeeded!

With one hundred thousand, he could go to the "Underground Ghost Market" to buy illegally produced "counterfeit enhancement agents," and he would have the opportunity to greatly improve his spiritual root development!

Counterfeit enhancement agents contain a large number of impurities and have strong side effects when taken, but they are cheap and sufficient in quantity. One hundred thousand was enough to buy a three-month supply, allowing him to wash his spiritual roots and be reborn during the "100-day sprint"!

"If you want to be admitted to the 'Nine Elite United Schools,' this is the only chance. Even if you are the 'Goddess of No. 2 Middle School,' I have to take a big cut from you, I'm really sorry!" Li Yao stuffed the "Guangling-7 type" crystal brain into his school bag, pressed his slightly swollen temples, a smile appeared on his face, and he swaggered out of the storage room.