My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 50

On the fourth evening, Lin Jiqiu carried the wontons cooked by Ayou upstairs. The studio door was open, and Cheng Ran was sitting at the workbench, holding the half-finished token in his hand, looking at it in the light of the desk lamp. She went in, put the wontons on the table, and stood next to him.

“What did you find?”

Cheng Ran put down the token and rubbed his eyes. “The material of this token is not a product of modern industry.”

Lin Jiqiu’s finger paused on the edge of the table. “What do you mean?”

“I analyzed its metallic composition. Iron, carbon, and small amounts of nickel and cobalt. The proportions are completely different from the bronze alloys of the Qin Dynasty, and are closer to modern high-carbon steel. But its crystal structure is wrong.” Cheng Ran pulled up a photo under a microscope. After magnification, a peculiar texture could be seen on the metal surface, like tree rings, one ring after another, very regular. “This texture is formed by repeated forging and long-term natural cooling. Modern industry pursues efficiency and uses quenching and tempering, which will not produce this kind of texture.”

“So this token was made a long time ago?”

“Yes. But the problem is that it doesn’t have an oxide layer on its surface. If it really is thousands of years old, there should be a thick layer of oxide on the surface, the color would be darker, and the texture would be more brittle. The surface of this token is very new, as if it was just made recently, but the internal crystal structure is very old, as if it has undergone hundreds of years of natural aging.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at the token. “A contradiction.”

“It’s very contradictory.” Cheng Ran put the token back on the velvet cloth. “Unless its manufacturing process is unknown to us. A process that allows metal to achieve a century of natural aging in a short time.”

“The technology of the Northern Star Court”.

“possible.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned against the edge of the table, arms crossed. “Master Yu said he made those tokens. If he made them using this kind of craftsmanship, then he himself is no ordinary person.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t know how special the process he’s using is. Perhaps he thinks it’s just ordinary forging and heat treatment.” Cheng Ran paused. “Perhaps he does know, but he doesn’t say it.”

Do you think he knows?

Cheng Ran thought for a moment. “He knows some things. But the Beichen Court he knows might not be the same as the Beichen Court we found out about.”

Lin Jiqiu recalled Master Yu’s words—”The Beichen Courtyard I knew no longer exists.” At the time, she thought it was just an old man’s lament, but now she realized it might have a deeper meaning. “Chengran, what do you think Master Yu meant by ‘no longer exists’?”

“Perhaps the Seven Stars he knew have passed away, and new people have taken their place. Perhaps the entire organization underwent a reorganization at some point. Perhaps he was isolated from the core from the beginning, thinking he was serving the Northern Star Court, but in reality, he was only serving a branch.” Cheng Ran looked at her. “But in any case, this token is old. It’s not what we want.”

“Old one?”

“Its encryption algorithm doesn’t match the signal of Zhao Heng’s token. I simulated a verification with this unfinished product, and the generated data was completely different from Zhao Heng’s. It’s not a version difference, it’s a fundamental difference.” Cheng Ran pulled up two data comparison charts. “Zhao Heng’s token uses dynamic verification, which changes every second. This unfinished product uses static verification, so as long as you know the algorithm, you can generate the same verification code an infinite number of times.”

“So Zhao Heng’s is the new model. This one is the old model.”

“Very likely. The technology that Master Yu possesses is from the previous generation of the Northern Star Court. He thought he was creating a core artifact, but in reality, what he was creating had already been iterated upon.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “Then why wasn’t he eliminated? He knows so much, he shouldn’t still be alive.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t know he does. Perhaps he’s just a craftsman who never asks where those tokens are used. Perhaps the Northern Star Court doesn’t see him as a threat.” Cheng Ran turned off the tablet. “There’s another possibility—he himself is a test. To see who will come looking for him.”

“You mean, our coming to see him has already exposed us?”

“From the moment he told us those words, he had already exposed us to the Northern Star Court.”

Lin Jiqiu’s fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the table. “What about Zhao Heng? Does he know about Master Yu’s existence?”

“They might know. They might not. Wenqu is in charge of coordination, and Zhao Heng is Wenqu’s field agent. He should know about the existence of the token maker, but he may not know that the maker is here.”

Ah You’s voice came from downstairs. “Boss, the wontons are cold!”

Lin Jiqiu glanced at the bowl of wontons on the corner of the table. The wrappers were soggy, and the soup was cold. She picked it up, took a sip of the soup—cold, but still flavorful. She carried the bowl to the window and looked down at the street. The flower shop was closed, but the cafe’s lights were still on.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“If Master Yu only possesses outdated techniques, then this token we have is useless.”

“Nothing for now. But we can find other clues from it.”

“What clue?”

“Its material. This metal is not naturally occurring; it is artificially synthesized. If we can find its origin, we might be able to find the research and development base of the Northern Star Court.”

Lin Jiqiu turned to look at him. “Do you think you can find it?”

“I don’t know. But it’s worth a try.”

She walked to the table, finished the bowl of cold wontons, and put the bowl down. “Then let’s try. How long will it take?”

“At least a week. Metal composition analysis requires sending it to a professional laboratory. A-Zuo has the connections.”

“Then let him make the contact.”

Cheng Ran nodded.

Lin Jiqiu turned and walked out of the studio, downstairs. Ayou was wiping the counter; seeing her come down, he looked up. “Boss, have you had your wontons?”

“I ate it. It tastes good even when it’s cold.”

Ah You’s eyes lit up, but he didn’t say anything and continued wiping the counter.

Lin Jiqiu walked to the window and looked at the night outside. The light from the streetlights shone through the glass, casting orange patches on the floor. Ahua jumped down from the windowsill and rubbed against her feet.

“A-Zuo.” Lin Jiqiu did not turn around.

“exist.”

“Go to Master Yu’s shop again tomorrow. Don’t disturb him, and see if anyone is watching him.”

“good.”

The next day, A-Zuo went to the secondhand market in the west of the city alone. Lin Jiqiu waited at the office, while Cheng Ran analyzed data in his studio. Around 2 PM, A-Zuo returned. He went behind the counter, turned on the computer, and pulled up a few photos.

“Master Yu’s shop is closed today. The wooden sign at the door has been taken down.” Lin Jiqiu walked over to look at the photos. The door was closed, and there was a slightly lighter-colored square mark on the door frame, left by the wooden sign hanging there for a long time. “I asked the stall owner next door, and he said that someone came looking for him yesterday afternoon. Not us, but two other people. They were wearing dark clothes and didn’t talk much. After they left, Master Yu closed the door and never opened it again.”

“Two people. Wearing dark clothes. Like, with binoculars?”

“The stall owner said it didn’t seem like it. The two people didn’t say anything, they just stood at the shop entrance for a while and then left. After they left, Master Yu came out, took down the wooden sign, and closed the door.”

Lin Jiqiu glanced at Cheng Ran. Cheng Ran was also looking at the photos. “He knew someone would come looking for him. Not us, but people from Beichen Court.”

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know. But he left on his own; he wasn’t arrested. That means he still has freedom of movement.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned against the counter, his fingers lightly tapping the surface. “Master Yu said, ‘The Beichen Court I knew no longer exists.’ The one he knew was polite to him. This one, however, may not be.”

“He’s been recalled,” Cheng Ran said in a low voice.

“recall?”

“The token maker is not a freelancer. He is an asset of the Northern Star Court. He may have been allowed to retire before because of his age or the advancement of technology. The fact that someone is approaching him means that the Northern Star Court needs him.”

What do we need him for?

“Create new tokens.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “Then the piece we have will become a unique item.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a piece of scrap metal.”

She walked back to the sofa and sat down. Ahua jumped up and curled up next to her. She reached out and scratched Ahua’s chin, and Ahua made a gurgling sound. “Chengran, if Master Yu is recalled, won’t Zhao Heng also be in danger?”

Cheng Ran thought for a moment. “Not necessarily. Zhao Heng is Wenqu’s field agent and is still employed. As long as he doesn’t make any mistakes, he won’t be punished. But Master Yu is a retiree, out of the protection of Beichen Court, and someone came to his door, so it’s a different story.”

“When we look for him, are we also harming him?”

“When we were looking for him, Beichen Zhiting probably didn’t know. But after those two people showed up, they found out.”

Lin Jiqiu’s fingers paused on Ahua’s back for a moment. “So we can’t go looking for him anymore. Going to him again will only cause him trouble.”

“Um.”

Ayou came out of the kitchen carrying two cups of tea. He placed one in front of Lin Jiqiu and the other in front of Cheng Ran. He looked at Lin Jiqiu, then at Cheng Ran. “Boss, will Master Yu be alright?”

Lin Jiqiu picked up her teacup but didn’t drink. “I don’t know.”

Ah You didn’t ask any more questions. He turned and went back to the kitchen, his steps heavier than usual.

Lin Jiqiu put down her teacup, stood up, and walked to the window. The flower shop across the street was open, and the proprietress was moving flowerpots. The sunlight was bright, and the water droplets on the petals glistened. She thought of Master Yu—the old man with completely white hair, holding a pocket watch, who said, “Some things, once created, can never be taken back.” His creations had been made for two thousand years. Perhaps the cornerstone of the Beichen Court was those tokens.

But tokens can be iterated. When the old one is no longer needed, a new one is given. What about her? She’s also a product of that project. If her abilities are iterated, will she also be “recalled”? She doesn’t know.

“Lin Jiqiu.” Cheng Ran’s voice came from behind.

She turned around. “Hmm.”

“It’s not your fault about Master Yu. When we went to him, he didn’t refuse us. He gave us the token; it was his own choice.”

“I know.”

“Then what are you still thinking about?”

Lin Jiqiu walked back to the sofa, sat down, picked up the now-cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp. “I’m thinking, if that token really is an old model, then its value doesn’t lie in whether it can open the door, but in the fact that it’s an old model itself.”

Cheng Ran looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“The old model means it was used before. If it was used before, it means someone used it. Who were those people? Where are they? Do they still use it now? If not, what did they replace it with?” Lin Jiqiu put down his teacup. “Master Yu is not a point, but a line. At the other end of the line is the former Beichen Court. If we can find that line, we can know how Beichen Court evolved.”

Cheng Ran was silent for a few seconds. “You mean, instead of starting with the current Seven Stars, we should start with the Seven Stars from the past?”

“We can’t find the current Seven Stars. The previous Seven Stars are either dead or retired. The dead don’t erase their traces.”

“So you want to find the Seven Stars from before.”

“It’s not about finding them personally. It’s about finding what they left behind. The tokens have been updated, but what about the other things? Communication methods, encryption algorithms, funding channels, personnel lists. Updated items aren’t all destroyed. There will always be some remnants.”

Cheng Ran leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. “If this line of thinking is correct, then there’s a pattern to the evolution of the Northern Star Court. Once we find the pattern, we can predict their next move.”

“If we can predict, we can respond in advance.”

The two men exchanged a glance. A-Zuo walked out from behind the counter. “Boss, there’s a security camera at Master Yu’s shop entrance. Although the cameras in the secondhand market often break, the one at the alley entrance belongs to the street office, so it should still have records. I’ll go check it.”

“Can it be transferred?”

“Give it a try.” A-Zuo turned around and went back behind the counter to start making a phone call.

Ah You poked his head out from the kitchen. “Boss, dinner’s ready. Let’s eat.”

Lin Jiqiu stood up and walked to the table to sit down. Cheng Ran followed and sat opposite her. Ahua jumped off the sofa and squatted down by the table, while Aju was already squatting down.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“What do you think Master Yu will do after he’s been recalled?”

Cheng Ran thought for a moment. “Create new tokens. Maybe others. He’s the token maker, not the decision-maker. He doesn’t need to know where those tokens will be used.”

“Will he still be alive?”

Cheng Ran looked at her. “As long as he listens, he will.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up her rice bowl and took a piece of green vegetable. She chewed it for a long time before swallowing. She thought of her father. If he had been obedient back then, perhaps he would still be alive. But he wasn’t. She wasn’t. Neither of them would be.