With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

The iron gate creaked open.

The old man leaned out halfway, his face already covered in a thin layer of sweat.

He had a large object wrapped around his arms, and he moved very slowly.

It's really big.

It was about 1.5 meters high, with a solid wooden frame nailed to the outside, and old cotton wadding stuffed in the gaps.

The old comrade moved the big thing step by step to the center of the reception room, put it down with a "bang," and let out a long breath.

"Ouch--"

He straightened up, supporting his back, and wiped the sweat from his brow at Jiang Zhiyu.

"Comrade, this is big—"

"There's another smaller one inside, let me get it for you."

"Please slow down." Jiang Zhiyu stood up and stepped aside.

The old man waved his hand, turned around, and went back through the iron gate.

Jiang Zhiyu's gaze fell on the wooden frame.

The frame was nailed tightly shut, with almost no gaps between the wooden strips, so you couldn't tell what the inside was like from the outside.

Seventeen was now completely frantic.

The little ball of light buzzed and spun in my mind, its sound becoming increasingly shrill:

"Host, host, host—!"

"That's it! That's it! That's it!"

"I want to absorb! I want to absorb! I want to absorb—!"

Jiang Zhiyu didn't even lift her eyelids.

"Seventeen, let's talk about it when we get back."

"Don't rush."

"Wow—good—"

The little ball of light lowered its voice in a pitiful tone, but it still couldn't stop swirling around in her mind.

---

Footsteps sounded again from the other side of the iron gate.

The old man was carrying something much smaller this time—about 20 centimeters long, with a wooden frame nailed to the outside and white cotton stuffing in the gaps.

He carefully placed the smaller item next to the larger one.

Then he patted the sawdust off his hands, frowned, and looked Jiang Zhiyu over:

"Comrade—"

"This is a large item; you probably can't move it by yourself."

Where are you sending this to?

Jiang Zhiyu paused for a moment.

On her way here, she passed through a secluded alley, a place with few people and cars, which was perfect.

"It's at the entrance of the alley near the water tower on the south side."

She casually gave a direction:

"Other comrades will come to pick me up in a little while."

The older man simply said "Oh," without asking any further questions.

He locked the iron gate again and went out for a stroll.

When they returned, there was a cart behind them.

The most common type in the Northwest region.

Two tall wooden wheels, a thick platform, and a wooden railing surrounding the entire vehicle.

The old man carefully carried the two items onto the cart and then covered them completely with a large piece of coarse linen.

"Walk--"

He raised his chin at Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded and followed.

---

The sun was scorching.

The old man led the way, pulling a cart. The wooden wheels rolled along the bluestone road with a simple, resonant sound.

Jiang Zhiyu followed half a step behind.

As they passed the provincial government building, the soldiers at the gate glanced at them but didn't stop them—the contents of the vehicle were covered with burlap, and no one knew what they were.

After leaving the provincial government building, we turned two more streets—

Just as she noted, the alleyway was surrounded by old walls on three sides, with only one end leading to the main road. At this time of day, there wasn't even an old lady enjoying the cool air.

"This will do, old master."

Jiang Zhiyu stopped in her tracks.

The old man parked the cart steadily, straightened up again while supporting his back:

"OK--"

"I'll leave your things here."

"You should see for yourself!"

He gathered the coarse linen cloth up to cover himself more completely.

"Thank you so much."

Jiang Zhiyu bowed slightly.

"Hi--"

The old man waved his hand, and the wrinkles on his face beamed with a smile:

"It's all I should do, comrade, you're too kind."

"Then I'll head back now."

The cart rumbled and rumbled again, slowly disappearing at the other end of the alley.

---

Jiang Zhiyu stood still.

Spreading out mental power—

Thirty meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters...

There was no one around.

She tapped it lightly with her fingertip.

"Seventeen, collect."

Underneath the burlap, both objects vanished simultaneously.

The coarse linen collapsed with a "thud," leaving only the empty cart tracks on the ground.

Jiang Zhiyu turned around and walked out of the alley at a leisurely pace.

---

Guesthouses are not hard to find in the area around the Gansu Provincial Government.

Jiang Zhiyu chose the nearest one, took out a letter of introduction from her bag, and put it on the counter.

The waiter, dressed in a navy blue Lenin suit and wearing reading glasses, slowly took the letter of introduction, glanced at it, then looked her up and down before getting up to get the key.

"Second floor, west end, room 208."

"Two yuan and two jiao a day."

"good."

Jiang Zhiyu paid the money, took the keys, and went upstairs.

---

The room wasn't big.

A single wooden bed, a writing desk, an enamel washbasin stand, and a red slogan hanging on the wall.

Jiang Zhiyu casually locked the door from the inside and tightened the bolt.

Draw the curtains.

into space.

Two wooden frames of different sizes were placed steadily on the grass in the space.

Seventeen has already circled the large wooden frame three times.

"Host, host, host, host—!"

"Open, open, open!"

Jiang Zhiyu smiled, ignored it, and slowly circled the large item.

A wooden frame that is 1.5 meters high and two fingers thick.

Let's take it apart.

The wooden strips were removed piece by piece, and the cotton wadding was pulled apart—

The contents inside were revealed.

Jiang Zhiyu was slightly taken aback.

— It is a bronze artifact.

Its body was covered in a simple, deep, and bluish-green patina.

The entire piece is carved with a dragon—the kind of ancient dragon with two horns, one leg, and densely covered scales, one end connected to the other, coiling around the entire object three times.

The vessel resembles a zun (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel), but is shorter and stouter.

It has an edge at the top, narrows at the opening, and is hollow inside—like a ding (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel), but more rounded than a ding.

It has three legs at the bottom, which makes it look very stable.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is—it's like a zun (尊), ding (鼎), or guo (锅), they all have a certain meaning to it.

But one thing is certain—

It is a container.

Moreover, the aura emanating from the object—

It was unearthed at the same location as the small bronze tripod.

Jiang Zhiyu reached out and placed her fingertips on the vessel.

A rich, cool sensation spread up from my fingertips—

It was much richer than the image of the turned-headed figure that Seventeen had touched before.

This piece possesses even more energy than the small bronze tripod.

Seventeen has already started jumping around on the side:

"Host! Host!"

"So pure!"

"This energy is greater than that of the small cauldron! It's much greater than that of the small cauldron!"

"Can I absorb it now?"

"Can I?"

"Hold on."

Jiang Zhiyu pressed it:

"Let's look at the other one first."

---

She turned around and walked to the small wooden frame that was about 20 centimeters long.

The same dismantling—

The cotton wadding was peeled back layer by layer, revealing what was inside.

It is a jade scepter.

It's not big; it's just the right size to hold in one hand.

The jade is dark in color, indicating that it is an old jade that has been buried for countless years, with mottled patina.

The handle of the jade scepter

The carving depicts a tiger lying on the ground.

The tiger's four paws were on the ground, its ears were pressed back, its eyes were half-open, and its mouth was slightly open—it was not roaring or pouncing, but rather crouching and waiting.

Jiang Zhiyu's brow twitched slightly.

Another bizarre pose.

She reached out and felt the energy inside the jade tablet; it was so weak it was almost negligible, similar to the bronze snake-entwined cane and the human figure with its head turned.

All four items have arrived.

Jiang Zhiyu turned around and waved to Seventeen:

"Absorb it."

Seventeen let out a "howl" and pounced on it.

The small ball of light suddenly expanded in the air, transforming into a dazzling white light that enveloped the four objects in the center.

The light grew brighter and brighter.

Jiang Zhiyu narrowed her eyes and then slipped out of the space.

Outside, the curtains in the room were drawn, making the room dimly lit.

She reached out and pulled back a corner of the curtain, looking outside—the sun was still high, and the sound of cicadas came down from the locust tree in bursts.

Jiang Zhiyu lowered her eyes and thought for a moment.

With such a big commotion, it looks like Seventeen won't be able to finish upgrading anytime soon.

Why not go out for a stroll and grab a bite to eat?

Once you're in Gansu Province, it seems a bit unreasonable not to have a bowl of beef noodles.

---

Jiang Zhiyu casually put the key away, locked the door, and went downstairs.

There is a state-run restaurant diagonally opposite the guesthouse.

The wooden table and stools, though greasy, were wiped fairly clean.

"Comrade, a bowl of beef noodles, please."

"Two ounces of grain coupons, fifteen cents—"

The waiter spoke with a thick Gansu accent and reported quickly and efficiently.

Jiang Zhiyu counted out the grain coupons and money and handed them over.

The noodles were served quickly.

Rich red broth with white meat, chewy and refreshing noodles, topped with a sprig of bright green garlic sprouts and a spoonful of bright red chili oil.

As the heat hit her, she squinted.

Traveling westward, weary from the journey—

This bowl of soup is truly comforting.

Jiang Zhiyu finished her meal at a leisurely pace, paid the bill, and slowly returned to the guesthouse.

Experience the space.

The light inside hadn't dissipated yet.

Seventeen's aura was still enveloped in that ball of light, surging and bubbling rapidly.

The upgrade is not finished yet.

Jiang Zhiyu smiled.

It seems like they have plenty of energy this time.

She wasn't in a hurry. She took off her coat, leaned against the headboard, and closed her eyes to rest.

The sound of cicadas outside the window came in waves.

The room was so quiet that only her own breathing could be heard.

I don't know how much time passed.

Suddenly, a noise came from inside the space.

"Buzz—"

It was somber and distant, as if it were coming from the deepest part of the earth.

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly opened her eyes.