It's obviously a life skill, but you developed it into a magical skill

Zhou An really didn't expect to meet Lao Zhao here.

When I returned to Anding County, this old boy had already left. He said that he had broken through to a higher level, and even pretended that it was no longer interesting to experience the mortal world of life.

Zhou An felt that he was somewhat technical in showing off.

But he didn't expect that this guy Lao Zhao would be no less generous.

He even asked Si Xian of Anding County to tell him.

Originally, Zhou An thought that he should just leave, but this guy actually came to Maplewood State.

Judging from his sneaky appearance, he seemed to be here for himself.

Old Zhao, this guy probably has something going on. Zhou An touched his chin and thought to himself.

Under the observation of Qianlimi, the sneaky old Zhao suddenly reacted.

Blacksmith Zhao looked around and seemed to have discovered something. He muttered strangely: Why do you feel like you are being watched? It seems to be in that direction.

Then, the location where Blacksmith Zhao looked was the Zhou Mansion where Zhou An was located.

This scene made Zhou An understand.

Old Zhao, this guy's strength is not low. It is probably very high in Anding County. With this breakthrough, he can even sense the observation from a thousand miles away and determine the location of the observation. Zhou An thought to himself.

In fact, it is right if you think about it carefully.

Lao Zhao's senior brother is the boss of the craftsman supervisor in the capital of the Chu Kingdom. In name, he is Zhou An's immediate boss.

Anyone who can sit in that position can't do anything wrong, not to mention that Lao Zhao is the younger brother of the boss of the craftsman and supervisor.

Just like Yuan Qingyi, the national master's junior brother... his strength is not low, and... well, his strength is not low.

Zhou An couldn't find a second adjective.

Because the last time he saw Yuan Qingyi, he felt that his unreliable energy was about to overflow.

Let's see what surprise Lao Zhao can bring me. Zhou An thought.

While thinking this, Blacksmith Zhao had already arrived at Zhou An's door with suspicion.

This guy Zhou An's house is really luxurious. The Hengtong Chamber of Commerce is willing to spend a lot of money. Blacksmith Zhao stood at the door and said with emotion.

The surveillance feeling just now came from Zhou An. It seems to be Zhou An.

How many fools are there who can reach his level of strength and status?

Tiejiang Zhao was not stupid. He quickly connected the feeling of surveillance just now with the present.

Before he could knock on the door, the door suddenly opened.

Zhou An held Black Jade and stood there with a smile on his face: Old Zhao, long time no see.

Blacksmith Zhao was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly said: You boy, you have learned another skill.

Speaking of this, Blacksmith Zhao felt a little emotional.

At first, he admired Zhou An very much and even wanted to accept Zhou An as his disciple.

But Zhou An refused.

He didn't think it was anything. After all, everyone has their own ambitions, and he couldn't interfere with others.

Later, when he learned that Zhou An was studying a lot of complicated things, Blacksmith Zhao couldn't help but persuade him, wanting Zhou An to give up some of it and focus on one thing, even if it wasn't casting.

Unfortunately, Zhou An didn't listen.

Looking now, I shouldn't have looked at Zhou An with my own eyes. Blacksmith Zhao thought to himself.

Nowadays, Zhou An's popularity is unprecedented.

The situation in the Great Chu Kingdom has been calm recently, but from time to time, some exciting news will emerge.

For example, what is the genius of such and such place, and what is the genius of such and such place.

It's like throwing a pebble on a calm lake, adding a touch of color to the plain rivers and lakes.

However, from Zhou An, the style of painting completely changed.

A master of swords and pots, able to conquer adversity, a first-class killer of geniuses, the idol of the doctors of the Great Chu State, and the permanent guest of the Hengtong Chamber of Commerce...

Each piece of news is like a bombshell.

You said Tianjiao was throwing stones into the lake, then Zhou An was holding a bomb and blowing it up into the lake. Every piece of news was enough to shake up the lake.

Not only Blacksmith Zhao, but also many people from the older generation are very curious about Zhou An.

Because of this, Tiejiang Zhao felt that it was a good thing that Zhou An didn't listen to him at first.

How Zhou An found the energy to learn so much is none of his business.

I'm just a blacksmith, I'm just relatively strong, I don't care about that.

Let's talk in the house. Zhou An saw Blacksmith Zhao in a daze. Although he didn't know what Blacksmith Zhao was thinking, he still brought Blacksmith Zhao into the house.

Blacksmith Zhao also reacted and followed Zhou An.

Soon, the two entered the house.

Black Jade stood aside obediently and said nothing in a sensible manner.

Old Zhao, are you here for something? Zhou An poured a cup of tea for Blacksmith Zhao and asked with a smile.

Blacksmith Zhao took it in his hand and took a sip: Zhou An, your life is quite comfortable here.

It's not very comfortable. Even when I was the boss, I uncovered the conspiracy of several Zongxing and Ye Daomen, and also took care of several spies from the Barbarian Kingdom.

Zhou An said in a calm tone: Then the reputation spreads, and it becomes a headache.

Tiejiang Zhao's hand holding the tea cup froze, and he said helplessly: We are all family members, there is no need to show off.

Tiejiang Zhao learned the word pretentious from Zhou An.

When he first taught Zhou An how to blacksmith, he still learned a lot of vocabulary.

I'm not pretending, I'm just stating the facts. Zhou An said with a smile.

The corners of Blacksmith Zhao's mouth twitched slightly.

Listen, is this human language?

But thinking about it carefully, it seems that this is really the case.

When Tiejiang Zhao thought about this, he did not intend to dwell on this matter anymore.

He was also a straight-tempered person, and he told the purpose of his trip without any hesitation.

Zhou An, you also know that I broke through to the psychic realm, so I left Anding County.

Blacksmith Zhao said eloquently: When I had some time, I went back to the capital. I originally wanted to show off to that old immortal brother of mine, but instead I got a slap in the face from that old immortal guy.

Zhou An said with great interest: How do you cook it?

In fact, Zhou An also knew very well about the mess between Lao Zhao and his senior brother.

The blacksmith profession has many branches.

But the two biggest schools are the original blacksmiths and the spiritual blacksmiths.

The school that Senior Brother Lao Zhao belongs to is the original blacksmith.

What this school emphasizes is bringing out the characteristics of the object itself.

For example, Zhou An's pink money bag was made by the original blacksmith.

It takes on the characteristics of holding things and expands it to form a function similar to a space storage bag.

Spiritual blacksmith is the profession Lao Zhao practiced.

This branch focuses on creating physical properties and more combat effectiveness.

If Lao Zhao creates a needle and imbues it with spirituality, it can even let the needle kill the enemy on its own on a dark and windy night.

There is no intertwining or conflict between the two schools, but Lao Zhao and his senior brother can't help but feel unhappy with each other.

At present, Lao Zhao was overpowered by his senior brother, so after he was promoted to the psychic realm, he ran back to feed his senior brother, but unexpectedly, he was slapped in the face.

As for how he was tortured, Zhou An was very interested.

Blacksmith Zhao looked unlucky: My senior brother actually accepted a genius disciple who is excellent in casting. Senior brother mocked me and said that I don't even have a disciple...

Zhou An understood without the need for Lao Zhao to finish.

In fact, when you reach a certain age, your way of showing off will change.

For example, Lao Zhao and the others, in addition to competing in strength and casting skills, they even competed with the heirs.

Just like between parents and children.

In fact, Zhou An doesn't like competing with children, because in his opinion, the harm to children is not small, especially young children.

Then you were tricked by your senior brother, why did you come to my place? Zhou An asked strangely.

This is indeed the case. He can't possibly feed Lao Zhao's senior brother, right?

In any case, nominally speaking, he is also his immediate boss, so running over to him would not be a good idea.

Blacksmith Zhao chuckled: Zhou An, you still understand me...

The corner of Zhou An's mouth twitched slightly: Let's not talk about it, it's not a big deal. If you want to say that you were beaten and you need my help, I will really help you, but if this is the reason for you, then forget it.

The matter is just like this, Zhou An is too lazy to go. If it is a big matter, with the friendship between the two, Zhou An might take action, but this matter is too trivial.

Tiejiang Zhao has been with Zhou An for a long time, how could he not know Zhou An's character?

He had already thought about it before he came.

Zhou An, look, how about we make a deal? Blacksmith Zhao chuckled.

To be honest, it’s really easy to get creeped out when a psychic realm master smiles at you.

Zhou An touched his chin: What deal?

He just asked out of curiosity.

Help me feed my senior brother, and I'll give this to you. Old Zhao took out a gray money bag and dug through it.

Soon, he took out an object.

It was a piece of iron, about the size of a millstone, and overall black.

The surrounding light, under the blackness, was gradually distorting.

Zhou An was stunned for a moment, and then saw what was special about this thing.

Is this... turning into gold?

Blacksmith Zhao said proudly: This thing is a good thing that I got after going through a lot of hard work after leaving Anding County.

It's ever-changing, yet infinitely powerful. It's something that's built to be strong and strong. It's not afraid of wear and tear and can be repaired constantly.

At this point, Blacksmith Zhao stopped talking.

Zhou An touched his chin.

Anyone in the construction industry knows about gold.

This thing not only makes the creation more powerful, but also has ever-changing characteristics.

Not only that, but it's also resistant to wear and tear.

Even if it is worn out, it can be restored slowly.

This stuff is extremely rare, and it's extremely difficult to get ahold of it.

If Zhou An could turn gold into a knife, then the knife could not only become a knife, but also a pot.

The soft armor created is not only soft armor, but also can be turned into hard armor with no blind spots in all directions.

You can even open your mind and create many unimaginable things.

For example, something that makes the female anchor ecstatic.

Such a piece of gold is enough to make a knife and a pot, and even soft armor.

Zhou An thought for a while, then said: Okay, done! How do you need to feed it?

It's not that he doesn't want to stick to his principles, but that the other party gave him too much.

Blacksmith Zhao chuckled: It's simple, just say you are my apprentice this time. Don't I know you? It's easy to nourish my senior brother's apprentice.

Zhou An's mouth twitched slightly: Old Zhao, you are quite good at taking advantage.

We all have sex with our peers, but you want to be my master.

Blacksmith Zhao scratched his head: That's what I call it when I go to work as a supervisor. In other places, everyone has their own thing.

Zhou An thought for a moment and agreed: Sure, we can do this.

It's just a small transaction, very simple.

As for being an apprentice or something like that, as Lao Zhao said, it's just for supervisory purposes.

Bottom line...this thing is flexible.

Lao Zhao gave too much.

The price/performance ratio is a bit high.

Then it's settled, I'll give you the things and I'll leave first! Blacksmith Zhao handed the things directly to Zhou An, turned around and prepared to leave.

Aren't you going to have a meal? Zhou An asked.

Blacksmith Zhao was furious and had already walked to the door. Hearing this, he turned around and said, I won't eat anymore. I have broken through to the psychic realm and I have to feed a few people.

Zhou An smiled and said: Old Zhao, with your character, be careful of getting beaten.

That's not necessarily true. If you can't beat me, why don't you run away? We blacksmiths have a lot of treasures. Let's go. Don't give them away. Blacksmith Zhao didn't look back, as if he was afraid that Zhou An would regret it.

Soon, Zhou An was the only one left in the whole room.

Zhou An watched Blacksmith Zhao leave, shook his head helplessly, and looked at the gold in his hand with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Now that he has the baby, he hasn't blacksmithed for a long time and plans to try his skills.

Thinking of this, Zhou An took Black Jade and walked towards the blacksmith shop in the house.

Soon, there was a knocking sound in the hot blacksmith shop.

…

This blacksmithing session lasted for a full hour.

When Zhou An used the skill of building his own body and finished building it, there was only one thing in front of him.

This is an extremely dark ring.

The characteristics of gold make the creation not limited to one object.

Zhou An continued to compress the gold, making the gold the size of a millstone finally look like a ring.

The ring is plain, solid black.

If Zhou An hadn't reached level six, he probably wouldn't have been able to compress it.

In fact, Zhou An thought about it for a long time before deciding to make a ring.

Because you have to take out the knife and pot from the pink purse every time. If you encounter an emergency, although it seems convenient, it is actually not convenient at all.

Not so with the ring.

The characteristics of gold are ever-changing, so when worn on the finger, it happens to be closest to the hand.

Try it.

Thinking of this, Zhou An picked up the ring and put it on his middle finger.

The next moment, he activated the energy in his body.

When Qi was activated, the dark ring turned into a black knife with a cold light.

Zhou An's heart moved, and part of the black knife separated like water, turning into a black pot.

At this time, Zhou An had a knife in his left hand and a pot in his right hand.

He felt that it was not enough, so the black knife separated again and turned into a pair of hard armor that covered his body.

This is convenient. Zhou An smiled.

Not only does it have strength, but it can also change as you wish. This is what best suits your attack style.

From now on, your name is Huajin Ring.

Zhou An used his strong naming skills to come up with a ring name that was embarrassing.

Next to him, Black Jade looked at the black knife in Zhou An's hand with sympathetic eyes.

Zhou Anke didn't care what Bai Yu thought, he started to play.

It becomes like this for a while, and it becomes like this again for a while.

After playing like this for a while, Zhou An was satisfied and returned to the appearance of the gold ring.

Go on, liver. Zhou An thought.

There is still some distance before going to Beijing, and Zhou An feels that he should be able to reach the innate state before then.

Because his next step is to improve his waterbending skills.

Follow me. Zhou An stretched out his hand.

Black Jade was led by Zhou An obediently and brought to the pool.

The way to improve waterbending is also very simple.

Previously, water was used to simulate dragons to improve waterbending proficiency.

Now it seems that Zhou An just needs to be more refined.

Thinking of this, Zhou An activated the Qi in his body.

The next moment, Qi began to flow continuously, and a five-meter-long dragon emerged.

When the dragon appeared, from Zhou An's perspective, every part of the dragon was extremely delicate.

Zhou An began to try and shrink the water dragon.

When the water dragon was shrunk to three meters, the originally very fine scales began to gradually become blurred.

After Zhou An thought for a while, he decided to slowly start imitating the dragon scales.

When he started to take action, familiar smoke appeared in front of him.

[Water Control +1]

Up!

Proficiency began to increase, proving that Zhou An's method was correct.

In that case, let's get started.

Thinking of this, Zhou An's eyes lit up and he began to control water non-stop.

——

While Zhou An was working on his proficiency non-stop, in a luxurious house far away in the capital, a young man was holding a book and reading it carefully.

The man is very handsome, and if you look carefully, he smells like a book.

The book in my hand is very new and I have just turned to the first page.

Well, many of the outlines of governing the country in the book are very well written, and there are many things worth learning from.

The young man turned the pages and muttered to himself.

Next to them, several maids lowered their heads and did not dare to look at the young man.

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded.

The young man stopped what he was doing, frowned, and looked at the source of the footsteps.

Not far away, a middle-aged man wearing a long gown walked in from outside.

As soon as he entered, the middle-aged man saluted the young man.

Yuan Shi has met His Highness the Second Prince.

The second prince put down the book in his hand, looked at Yuan Shi, and said calmly: Mr. Yuan is in such a hurry, it seems there is news.

Yuan Shi did not answer, but looked at the maids next to him.

The maids were very sensible and had left quietly without the second prince's instructions.

After the maid left, the second prince and Yuan Shi were the only ones left in the room.

Yuan Shi then said: Your Highness, the news has come that Zhou An is indeed one of the people who went to Beijing this time.

The second prince fell into silence when he heard this.

Yuan Shi didn't say anything, just stood beside him.

After a while, the second prince slowly spoke.

knew.

Yuan Shi was slightly stunned and couldn't help but ask: Your Highness, Zhou An's trip will definitely create momentum for the third prince. If this is the case, we can make plans in advance.

The second prince smiled: How to plan?

Yuan Shi thought for a moment and said: If you can buy it, then buy it. If you can't buy it, then suppress it. As for how to suppress it, you don't need to use obvious means. Even using people around us can make him very uncomfortable. Comfortable.

Speaking of this, Yuan Shi stopped.

He was the think tank around the second prince. After putting forward his own ideas, he naturally had to wait for the second prince to speak.

The second prince fell into deep thought. After a moment, he slowly said: We will make plans after he comes to Beijing. He is always an official of the court and cannot use force. I need to see what he means first.

Yuan Shi said: Owen has tested Zhou An before, but the result was not satisfactory, and he was even humiliated by Zhou An. Second Prince, I think we should prepare for the worst, at least... we cannot let him here. The scenery of the capital, otherwise the third prince will be even more proud.

The second prince nodded and stood up from his position.

Yuan Shi lowered his head and followed behind the second prince.

The second prince walked to the window silently and looked at the scenery outside the window.

At this time, winter has already entered, but the yard outside is still full of spring. Even the trees are full of life, and they have obviously been specially taken care of.

I have been sensible since I was three years old and followed the Prime Minister to learn how to read and govern the country.

The second prince suddenly spoke: But until now, he still has not become the prime minister's apprentice.

Yuan Shi was stunned for a moment, wondering why the second prince suddenly said these words, but he did not answer.

As a think tank, he should say what should be said, and should not say a word of what should not be said. This was something he knew very well.

Now, he just needs to play the role of a listener.

The second prince stared at the tree and said slowly: I have a gap in my chest. Since I was a child, I have been trying to figure out how to govern the country, and I have been simulating the current situation of the Great Chu Kingdom.

My father is very powerful. He started from scratch, but I think there is something wrong with his way of governing the country. He is... too kind, especially to the people.

I don't know what my father is thinking, but I think Renjun can do it, but he can't do it at this time. There are weird people, charlatans, surrounding countries, and all kinds of pressure, but my father is focusing his thoughts on the people.

I think it's very inappropriate.

Yuan Shi was shocked and trembling slightly.

Can he hear these words...?

He doubted that he would be beheaded immediately after hearing this.

Your Highness, you must not say this in front of His Majesty. Yuan Shi reminded tremblingly.

The second prince shook his head: I have already mentioned it. My father said that I was out of my mind and I couldn't compete with him, so I went to find the prime minister. Everyone said that I worshiped the prime minister as my teacher, but only I know that I am just a name.

The teacher said that I am young now and it is normal to have these thoughts. My father will not blame me. But if I still act like this when I am older, the teacher will personally take my life.

It's ridiculous. They say that the three major organizations dislike each other, but when it comes to facing the great Chu State, they actually maintain the same idea as my father.

Yuan Shi was silent.

The second prince continued: Later, I also figured it out. The more books I read, the more I understand. You said that people in our industry also come from the common people, so the common people are the most important cornerstone.

Yuan Shi cupped his hands and said, It is truly our great fortune that Your Highness has such thoughts.

The second prince shrugged: To be honest, I will have a good chat with Zhou An this time, and I also want to see how he is not as good as my third brother who only knows how to make money. But other than that, I am not interested in the other person. more interested.

After the words fell, Yuan Shi looked confused.

Logically speaking, the second prince should be most interested in Zhou An.

He couldn't figure out who else would interest the second prince.

The second prince said silently: Yu Hang, that person is the one I'm interested in.

He picked up the wine glass and held it hard, revealing a burst of veins.

I have worked hard to follow the teacher for more than ten years, but he has not been accepted as a formal disciple by the teacher. Why should he!

The second prince's calm eyes showed a hint of coldness: It just so happens that he has a friendship with Zhou An, so I will use this to suppress Zhou An. Zhou An has no reason to take action because... those are Yu Hang and I who are from the same sect. thing.

Yuan Shi said in astonishment: But how will the Prime Minister explain?

This is true, Yu Hang is used to put pressure on Zhou An, but Yu Hang is the prime minister's close disciple.

The second prince glanced at Yuan Shi and said: I asked the teacher, and the teacher said that Yu Hang has a lot of troubles, one after another, and he doesn't care about me, so... he doesn't care.

Yuan Shi nodded.

At this time, the second prince let go of his hand.

The wine glass broke into pieces and fell to the ground.

Yuan Shi quickly lowered his head and picked up the fragments on the ground for the second prince.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of danger.

The next moment, a brush with an awe-inspiring aura was placed between his eyebrows.

Second Prince, I am loyal to you... Yuan Shi couldn't believe it.

Loyal? You have plundered too much money from the people over the years. The second prince sighed: Questioning the father, understanding the father, becoming the father, your crime, according to the laws of the Great Chu Kingdom, is already a capital crime. But you can’t ruin my reputation, so you can die quietly.”

After the words fell, the tip of the brush was tapped lightly.

The next moment, Yuan Shi became a corpse.

The second prince retracted his hand and looked aside.

Several shadows flashed past and took away the corpse.

Zhou An, I'm waiting for you to arrive. Can you stir up this muddy water?

——

The capital city is in turmoil.

Zhou An's side was peaceful.

Many days have passed, and the day to go to Beijing is getting closer and closer.

At this time, Zhou An looked at the three-meter-long water dragon in front of him with joy on his face.

The three-meter-long water dragon is vivid, and even the scales on it look real.

Finally, it's done.

In front of Zhou An's eyes, thick smoke appeared, and then turned into lines of text.

【Please select direction】

[Aquatic Infinite Burial Method: Simulation +4, Change +4, Strength +8]

[Making trouble: water quality +4, water control +4, treatment +8]

Zhou An looked at these two options, especially the first one, and it always seemed so familiar.

Isn't this the water burial method? Judging from the name and attributes, it seems to be an enhanced version. Zhou An thought.

To be honest, he really wanted to choose this.

Unfortunately, the second one is more cost-effective.

Thinking of this, Zhou An did not hesitate and chose to make trouble.

Before his eyes, the smoke completely disappeared and turned into lines of text, entering Zhou An's mind.

Zhou An closed his eyes, absorbed all the information, and finally opened his eyes.

This skill is great!

When making waves reaches level six, water quality provides stronger strength for fighting in the water, while water control provides the ability to control water flow.

As for emerging treatments…

Zhou An could only say that it was very perverted and he liked it very much.

The reason is simple, because this skill is very powerful.

In the future, if you are injured, as long as there is water, you can greatly speed up your recovery.

In other words, he only needs to find a river, and his recovery power will be leveraged.

As for places without water, there are solutions.

Zhou An's heart moved, and the next moment, the gold ring turned into a black knife.

Without hesitation, he gave his left hand a knife.

It hurt, but Zhou An didn't even frown.

Blood flowed out, and the black jade next to him was stunned and looked at Zhou An with suspicion.

Zhou An ignored Black Jade and made trouble.

The next moment, the property of controlling water appeared, and Zhou An condensed a stream of water out of thin air and wrapped it around his arm.

A magical scene appeared.

The wound on the arm healed unexpectedly quickly and returned to its original state in the blink of an eye.

If there is no water, we will condense water.

At this time, Zhou An looked at his intact arm and was very satisfied.

Now, I have attack and defense, I have enemy tracking, I even have flight, and there are many other messy abilities. Now, I also have the ability to recover. Tsk, tsk, tsk, what are you going to do for fun? Zhou An thought happily. .

This skill once again makes up for the current shortcomings.

And it's very strong.

Black Jade next to him saw that Zhou An had returned to normal, and cautiously leaned over.

Zhou An was still thinking about it, but after seeing Black Jade's appearance, he asked, What are you doing?

Black Jade pointed at Zhou An's arm: Does it hurt...?

Zhou An suddenly realized.

It turned out that Black Jade saw that he was injured, so he came to care.

It doesn't hurt. Zhou An was about to explain a few words, but he didn't expect that he had misunderstood Black Jade.

Hei Yu took out the Bagua condensed long whip and said excitedly: Do you want me to... beat you?

Snapped!

Just for a second, Black Jade covered his head and ran over to face the wall with an aggrieved look.

Zhou An looked at the exquisite black jade figure and felt a toothache: This guy is getting more and more off track.

Fortunately, he was still obedient.

Zhou An stopped caring about Black Jade and began to sink his mind, feeling the changes in Qi in his body.

At this time, the Qi Ti villain finally reached the final step.

The innate realm is accomplished!

In front of Zhou An's eyes, a thin line appeared at the head of the Qi Ti villain, gradually going down the neck, and finally successfully joined the limbs, all concentrated at one endpoint.

The Qi in Zhou An's body began to gradually change, and the purity level, which was originally more than ten times higher, began to gradually increase.

Ten times...twenty times...fifty times!

Eventually, the purity level reached fifty times.

Zhou An: ...

Now, even he doubted whether he was a monster.

The endless feeling in his body told him that he was already in an innate state at this moment.

However, this level of purity...

He felt that he might be able to penetrate the spiritual realm. Of course, this was just a guess because he couldn't try it.

It would be great if Lao Zhao is still here. You can try it with Lao Zhao. Zhou An felt it was quite a pity.

He even felt now that he wanted to find a psychic realm to try his hand at.

Of course, Zhou An still suppressed it forcefully.

Because he discovered that the position on the chest of his Qi Body villain, the end point that only he had and where the head and limbs were connected to each other, was now dim. (End of chapter)