As a dutiful disciple, Chen Gu took the hint and quickly found an excuse to leave.

He went to find Mao Yisheng, who winked at him and said, "Thanks, Brother Chen, the deal is done!"

Chen Gu breathed a sigh of relief and cautioned him, "Don't be careless. Since you've joined this line of work, you can't easily trust anyone."

Mao Yisheng slapped his chest. "Brother Chen, rest assured, I've watched hundreds of secret agent movies!"

Chen Gu: "..."

Well, regardless, he was just an informant within the Behemoth Alliance, not someone actually assigned to carry out dangerous secret missions.

Before Chen Gu had said much to Mao Yisheng, his mentor's call came through. "Where have you run off to? Get back here now!"

Chen Gu helplessly dragged his feet back. Zhong Yuanbei glared at him fiercely, but considering the young man had just helped him show off in front of his old companions, he suppressed his anger and threw something at him. "Take good care of it; it's a reward from the principal."

Chen Gu hurriedly caught it and saw that it was an ancient bronze bracelet. It was covered with intricate, dense engravings that seemed to follow some pattern, hiding a great mystery. At first glance, the bracelet felt familiar to Chen Gu, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't quite remember where.

"A reward from the principal?" Chen Gu asked in confusion. "Is this an… artifact?"

Zhong Yuanbei humphed. "Be grateful you have a mentor like me who has good relations with the principal. Otherwise, you would never get your hands on something this good!"

"Try it on and see. Its power has reached the standard of a numbered artifact!"

Chen Gu was overjoyed but also a bit conflicted. "But my dear mentor, this is… too exquisite. It doesn't seem like something a man would wear."

"If you don't want it, give it back to me!" Zhong Yuanbei snapped, irritated by his fussiness.

Chen Gu quickly clutched it. "That's not what I meant, Mentor. Don't be so hasty. What I meant was, could we ask the principal if he could finish what he started and modify the appearance to make it more imposing? This looks too delicate..."

Zhong Yuanbei reached out to snatch it back, but Chen Gu held on tightly. "No need to change it, I'll take it! I am the Master of a Thousand Faces; versatile in style, I can pull this off!"

Then he quickly slipped it onto his wrist and, with a thought, sensed the artifact's ability.

"'Resonance Council Celebrity'? No, it's not that simple..." Suddenly, Chen Gu's mouth dropped open. "Is it Unit Three?!"

Zhong Yuanbei glared at him harshly, then said, "This is the alchemical creation that Joe Madus destroyed the entire school to make."

Chen Gu was genuinely surprised; no wonder it felt familiar.

Zhong Yuanbei continued, "Of course, Joe Madus created this alchemical creation to wipe us all out at once. We can no longer know what its initial power was. After Joe Madus saw Unit Three, he likely had a sudden inspiration and actually modified this alchemical creation's ability to be similar to Unit Three."

"However, Joe Madus was later driven away by the principal, and this alchemical creation was left unfinished. The principal then took it and made some modifications. But, after all, the principal is no Alchemist like Joe Madus. He could only manage to get it to its current state. With your strength, you should be able to wield about thirty percent of its power, which is enough to combat a Fifth Energy Level professional."

Chen Gu was thrilled. Neither the principal nor his mentor knew that he possessed the "Past of Four Hundred." They believed that at the Third Energy Level, this artifact would allow him to combat a Fifth Energy Level opponent. This meant he could actually use it to take on a Sixth Energy Level opponent!

"Thank you, Teacher! Thank you, Principal!" Chen Gu expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

Zhong Yuanbei said, "Enhance your strength as quickly as possible. The limit of this artifact should allow it to exert the power of the Seventh Energy Level. Don't waste it."

"Yes!" Chen Gu was overjoyed; it was indeed a powerful artifact that could reach the numbered standard. He sidled up to Zhong Yuanbei with a sheepish look. "Teacher, don't you think we're short on lab assistants? When the new students arrive next year, I'll figure out a way to coax a few to help you out, okay?"

Zhong Yuanbei's face broke into a smile, but then he reacted, puffing his beard and glowering, "What do you mean by 'coax'? Can't you speak properly? My lifetime of learning is unprecedented, and the experiments I'm responsible for are key projects of the Star Nation! It's their honor to be my students!"

"Yes!" Chen Gu humbly accepted the criticism. With good artifacts, it's no problem if you scold me three thousand times a day. "I misspoke; the teacher's lesson is correct. Next year, I'll recommend a few juniors with excellent aptitude. Please be sure to give them a chance!"

Now, Zhong Yuanbei felt much more pleased and nodded with reserve. "That will depend on whether they are sincere."

"Don't worry, Teacher, I'll make sure they're truly earnest!"

Zhong Yuanbei couldn't help but fantasize about the future. Having more than one student under his wing—what a wonderful prospect that would be! Poor Master Zhong. For a full three years, only Bai Shengyuan was at his beck and call. He too dreamt of the feeling when, with just a word, disciples would flock to his side. Then, there would no longer be a shortage of hands for experiments. Many times nowadays, robots had to fill in—cold and impersonal, lacking the warmth of science. It was a sorry state of affairs, truly. But what could be done? He had a fierce reputation and an unchangeable temper. No one dared to sign up under him.

He nodded in satisfaction but then asked his disciple with some concern, "How sure are you?"

"Don't worry, Teacher, I am absolutely sure!" Chen Gu was full of confidence. Juniors don't listen? Hehehe, have you not noticed the size of your senior's fist? It's as big as a sandbag!

Chen Gu caressed the bracelet on his wrist. Though it looked effeminate, its power was immense, and he liked it more and more.

He suddenly remembered, "Teacher, does this artifact have a name? If not, I'll come up with one."

It definitely had to be a name that was domineering, masculine, and straightforward—something to counteract the effeminacy of the artifact.

Zhong Yuanbei said, "It already has one, personally named by the principal: Guardian of the Valkyrie."

Chen Gu: "..."

The principal did that on purpose, didn't he? He knew about my situation with Valkyrie Aviloya, yet he deliberately chose such an effeminate name. Since he named it personally, I can't change it.

Chen Gu knew very well that if he changed it and the principal found out, he would definitely make things difficult for him. So, at least publicly, the artifact's name would have to be "Guardian of the Valkyrie."

Chen Gu winced, imagining Aviloya's reaction if she found out that something called "Guardian of the Valkyrie" was on his wrist... She definitely wouldn't dare trouble the principal, but she could certainly take it out on me.

Ah, the mess I'm in; it's so deep and dark! Chen Gu sighed inwardly.

But to actually give up this artifact was absolutely impossible. There's nothing more irresistible in the world.