Staring at the steps leading to an unknown destination, Yu Xie and the others involuntarily held their breath and looked toward Old Hou. "Since we've found the entrance, what are we waiting for?" At this moment, Old Hou chuckled and led the way: "Follow me." As he spoke, Old Hou descended the steps first.

The moment his foot touched the first step, lights flickered on in the underground passage. It was a simple voice-activated system, nothing particularly novel.

Despite this, the group followed him with a touch of reverence, moving cautiously. Once they were all inside the passage, the wooden board behind them closed silently, restoring everything to its original state.

Of course, at that moment, no one was paying attention to the wooden board. Instead, filled with a mix of tension, anticipation, and excitement, they followed Old Hou deeper.

After traversing the passage, the view suddenly opened up. This was another spacious area; though not as vast as the main hall above, it was still considerable in size.

Most importantly, this space was filled with things—and people. Wang Guan took in the scene and counted at least a dozen individuals, each busy with their tasks: some tinkering with various objects, others bent over desks scribbling with brushes, and some sitting together chatting, punctuated by bursts of laughter.

"Old Hou, you're back." Just then, seeing Wang Guan and the others enter, several people quickly rose to greet him. "Mmm." Old Hou nodded, then turned and beckoned: "Follow me." At this point, Wang Guan and his companions were somewhat dazed, their eyes greedily devouring the surroundings.

Viewing everything up close, they could see clearly. It resembled a relatively large office, with the dozen or so people acting as employees, each fulfilling their specific duties.

However, unlike office workers dealing with standard documents, these individuals were engrossed in studying mechanical artifacts. Walking past one person, Wang Guan clearly saw a wooden boat figurine on the desk.

This figurine, however, was split halfway open, revealing an intricate arrangement of mechanisms inside. With a quick glance, the ingenuity of the figurine's internal structure elicited a measure of awe from Wang Guan.

But it wasn't just small figurines; there were also larger mechanical devices. "Look there..." At Yu Feibai's hushed reminder, Wang Guan followed his gaze.

In a corner, two or three people were using tools like knives and scissors to repair an antique grandfather clock nearly a meter tall. "That is a mechanical clock from the Ming Dynasty," Old Hou had overheard Yu Feibai and explained casually after a look: "During the reign of Emperor Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, Western missionaries presented a mechanical clock to the Emperor.

Zhengde was extremely fond of it and ordered the imperial craftsmen to replicate some. Some were kept for use in the palace, while others were bestowed upon high-ranking officials and nobles..." "Oh." Wang Guan understood.

He watched as the two or three individuals seemed to have successfully repaired the antique clock, fitting all the components together to reveal an exquisitely shaped bronze-gilt elephant carrying a floral clock. Using three keys to activate the mechanism, the sailboat and lion figures on the base moved in concert to music, while the elephant's eyes, trunk, and tail began to turn—it was quite marvelous to behold.

"To be honest, the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty were highly capable, but they were utterly constrained by Confucian ideology, daring little innovation. Consequently, in the field of mechanism studies, there was already a stagnation and decline, allowing the Western world to catch up swiftly." Old Hou shook his head with a sigh.

This was the situation in China, or perhaps similar worldwide. Behind the rise and fall of every trade or discipline lay a specific historical context, intimately tied to national policy.

When the Ming emperors became complacent and even moved backward, the West was flourishing and advancing rapidly; it was only natural for China to be left behind. However, as the saying goes, prosperity inevitably leads to decline; fortunes turn—thirty years in the East, thirty years in the West.

Now that the Western economy shows signs of flagging, perhaps this is China's turn of fortune... "Come in." Within this spacious area, there were also several private rooms.

Amidst his reflections, Old Hou opened a room—likely his personal workspace—and invited Wang Guan and the others inside. The room was not small, partitioned by bead curtains into two sections: one an office area cluttered with various miscellaneous items, and the other a relaxation area with chairs surrounding a low tea table.

In the wall between the two sections stood a bookshelf crammed full of volumes. Overall, the room was simple, yet carried a scholarly aroma.

"Don't be formal; sit wherever you like." Old Hou smiled: "I understand your excitement, but this place isn't as mysterious as you might imagine. It's simply a unit researching ancient mechanics; the technological sophistication is far below that of institutions studying high-tech research." "That's not entirely fair," Yu Feibai countered: "When evaluating things, one must first establish the historical context; you cannot view ancient objects through a modern lens—that is the most fundamental rule.

Otherwise, modern things would always appear superior to ancient artifacts, yet people are inexplicably drawn to antiques. The primary reason, I suspect, lies more in appreciating the aesthetic beauty accumulated over countless years." Wang Guan and Fang Mingsheng heartily agreed, nodding in affirmation.

Finally, Wang Guan added with a sly smile, "Let me add something Old Qian said—though it has nothing to do with him?" "You always know how to spoil the mood," Yu Feibai sputtered in frustration. "Can't I just state the facts!" Amidst the laughter, everyone, guided by Old Hou, settled near the tea table.

It was noteworthy that the table wasn't the typical four-legged design, but rather a massive tree root placed on its side, its top planed flat, stripped of bark, and coated in a light yellow varnish, creating an ancient and natural centerpiece. A tea table of this style was not novel; many shops selling tea and teaware often featured such pieces in their storefronts, inviting guests to sit nearby for tea, lending an air of old-world charm.

However, the root-block tea table before them possessed a certain uniqueness. As Wang Guan sat down, a brief inspection revealed that this wooden table was far from simple.

Unlike objects with concealed mechanisms, this table’s mechanics were quite evident. Wang Guan leaned closer.

Not only was the top surface planed smooth, but the interior had also been hollowed out. This cavity was covered by a wooden panel riddled with densely arrayed, intricately carved holes, obscuring the internal workings.

Yet, through these perforations, he could vaguely discern numerous objects stored within, though their nature remained unclear. "Old Hou, this thing doesn't look simple," Yu Feibai also noticed it now and didn't keep his curiosity bottled up, asking directly: "Does it have clever mechanisms installed as well?" "Indeed." Old Hou admitted readily.

Near his seating position, there were several operable buttons. At that moment, he casually pressed one.

The perforated wooden panel suddenly split open, and a tray rose slowly. On the tray rested a neatly arranged set of tea-brewing utensils.

When the tray ascended to a certain height, the perforated panel closed again, holding the tray elevated outside. "Interesting," Seeing this, Yu Feibai was intrigued: "Besides this function, are there any other tricks?" "There are." Old Hou smiled and pressed another button.

Instantly, four or five round openings, about the size of large bowls, emerged from the side of the wooden table. Then, objects sprang out from these openings and bent upward.

The motion was swift, and only once everything was complete did everyone clearly see what these objects were: small, painted wooden figurines crafted in the shape of court ladies. Their figures were graceful, and their attire—narrow-sleeved, cross-collared tops, long sashes, and belted skirts—made them appear magnificent and vividly lifelike.

Even knowing these were lifeless dolls, Wang Guan and the others felt a sense of astonishment at first glance. Furthermore, on the slender, delicate hands of these beautiful ladies rested small trays, perfectly sized, it seemed, to hold teacups.

"Amazing..." If their previous impression was merely 'decent,' seeing these ladies brought forth undeniable amazement. These mechanisms were entirely wooden structures; even if the functions were simple, the average person might conceive the idea but struggle to execute such precision.

It was said that scientists were lazy—only they would painstakingly devise ways to accomplish tasks that others could manage with a simple hand motion. This was precisely the case.

As Wang Guan and the others marveled, Old Hou pressed the final button. A wooden figure dressed in green emerged from beneath the perforated panel.

Wang Guan watched quickly. The green-clad figurine cradled a large, rounded pot.

Without needing further manipulation from Old Hou, the figurine tilted slightly as soon as it appeared, allowing everyone to see a clear, white stream pouring precisely into the kettle meant for boiling water... When it seemed sufficient, Old Hou activated the mechanism again, and the green figure straightened up before slowly retracting.

Afterward, Old Hou merely needed to apply electricity to wait for the water to boil and then slowly prepare the tea. One could imagine that in his daily routine, when Old Hou tired from work, a couple of button presses would allow him to sit comfortably, perhaps reading or resting his eyes.

The feeling must be utterly relaxed and perfectly pleasant. "Old Hou, you certainly know how to enjoy life," Yu Feibai exclaimed in admiration, his eyes already darting around, clearly contemplating getting one of these tea tables himself.

"You only see the glamorous side and not the effort behind it," Old Hou sighed sentimentally. "This thing looks appealing and is convenient to use, but it has one very noticeable flaw.

It gets dirty easily; it needs cleaning every two or three days, or tea scale and dust accumulate. In essence, the time saved in operation is directly spent on cleaning—it evens out perfectly, adhering strictly to the law of conservation of energy." (To be continued)