Volume 2

Chapter 15: Mechanized Armor? High!

"So… you worked for five whole days and came up with this thing?"

Hitana leaned over the edge of the workbench, trying to poke the half-knuckle-sized metal insect, but Mingfuluo swatted her hand away.

Ignoring Hitana’s annoyed expression, Mingfuluo turned to Anselm. "Next, we need a sample close to a mechanized armor component for testing… Hydra, which version of the mechanized armor blueprint did you give them?"

"The original one."

Anselm shrugged. "Because the later versions would cause quite a bit of trouble. For the next five years, I don’t want those things appearing in the Empire."

"The original…" Mingfuluo nodded. "Good. I should be able to craft a piece of external armor now. Let’s give it a try."

Anselm raised a hand, summoning the metal insect from the workbench.

He studied the nimble little thing crawling around his fingertip, reminding her, "Though I only gave them the original version, under Her Majesty’s pressure, they’ll likely make some improvements."

"No mediocre talent can make a breakthrough on a genius’s design. At best, they’ll add redundant features."

Mingfuluo scoffed disdainfully. "I can already imagine how many mismatched, superfluous functions they’ll tack onto that mechanized armor."

Hitana, completely lost, didn’t want to feel out of place, so she curiously asked Anselm, "Anselm, what’s this mechanized armor you’re talking about? Why is that arrogant Grand Princess and even the Empress so keen on it?"

"Let me ask you something first, Hitana."

Anselm watched the metal insect wobble into flight, speaking lightly. "What do you think makes the best weapon?"

"…Weapon?"

Hitana, whose knowledge of weapons was quite limited, tilted her head. "The best… probably the sharpest, right?"

As a hunter, that was the extent of her understanding.

"The best weapon is the tool that maximizes killing efficiency, and a tool… is essentially just to compensate for human ‘shortcomings.’"

The metal insect flew more steadily, and Anselm, still watching it, continued, "Because our understanding of elements, mastery of Ether, and accumulation of knowledge aren’t deep or rich enough, we need alchemical knives, Ether furnaces, and an entire alchemy workshop to assist."

"Weapons are the same—they compensate for deficiencies in violence and killing. So, here’s the question."

"What exactly are these deficiencies?"

"Constraints of energy, limitations of methods, and restrictions of the physical form."

Mingfuluo, working at the bench, answered without looking up.

"Exactly. Mingfuluo summed it up perfectly." Anselm’s lips curved into a pleased smile.

"Be it extraordinary beings or ordinary people, all deficiencies in violence stem from these three aspects."

"So—" He ruffled Hitana’s hair, turning her sulky mood to delight, then asked, "Hitana, now what do you think is the most powerful weapon?"

"Hmm… since you put it that way, it’s something that compensates for all three deficiencies?"

"Correct."

The young Hydra gripped the flying metal insect in his palm, speaking with a tone tinged with nostalgia. "Mechanized armor is that kind of weapon."

It could overcome the constraints of energy consumption, provide endlessly versatile attack methods, and break free from the limitations of physical form…

That was the extraordinary weapon Anselm envisioned, called mechanized armor.

"…Is it really that powerful?"

Hitana was skeptical, her limited imagination struggling to picture what such a weapon would look like.

"Theoretically, yes, it’s that powerful."

Anselm laughed at his own words.

"Of course, just ‘theoretically.’ Because back then, Mingfuluo and I never considered completing it. The one time we tried, we were only attempting to forge the most basic armor—well, what Mingfuluo’s working on now."

"And that time…"

Hydra, sitting close to his best partner, looked at the solitary figure by the workbench with regret.

"Mingfuluo failed spectacularly."

"Pfft."

Hitana couldn’t help but laugh.

She quickly felt it was rude, but it was genuinely funny and she couldn’t hold it in.

Imagining this deadpan, disrespectful woman covered in soot from a failed experiment made her giddy with glee.

Plus, because of this woman, she’d been stuck in this alchemy workshop with Anselm, forced to play some reluctant games… Well, it wasn’t entirely about reluctance—it was more that the teasing, half-hearted interactions were maddening.

Anselm was as unfazed as ever, but she couldn’t let loose with someone else around.

Annoying woman… Just wait, I’ll make Anselm deal with you properly!

Thinking this, Hitana stifled a few more giggles.

Though she wasn’t thrilled about Mingfuluo working with them in the future, knowing she’d always have the upper hand made it bearable.

Don’t you know about seniority? And I’ve got two Contract Head powers—two!

"No one can guarantee success forever." Mingfuluo glanced at Anselm. "Can you, Hydra?"

"Hmm… well."

Anselm didn’t look at Mingfuluo but gazed down at the giggling Hitana, his sea-blue eyes shimmering with pure, gentle warmth.

"You’re right. I can’t guarantee I’ll always succeed."

"…"

Mingfuluo said nothing, continuing her work expressionlessly.

So fake.

As she fed the inscribed metal block into the Ether furnace, Mingfuluo thought to herself.

Three years and his acting has grown even more terrifyingly dangerous… It’s no surprise that dim-witted beast fell for it so completely.

Mingfuluo believed that if Anselm gave the order, even to die, that girl clinging to him would do it without hesitation.

Though she didn’t care for such reckless, crude types, Mingfuluo couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her.

Life is so precious, with so many vast, unknown vistas and profound truths in this world.

To hand your soul to a devil like that—what a waste.

But it was Hitana’s choice, and Mingfuluo had no interest in meddling.

Compared to worrying about that irrelevant person, the task at hand was clearly more important.

"You’ve gotten this skill already?"

Anselm looked at Mingfuluo, forging away, with some surprise. "Last time, it took you six days to reach this point, and now it’s second nature?"

"What do you think I’ve been doing these past three years?"

Mingfuluo’s tone was indifferent, but the strands of Ether manipulating the metal were steady, without a trace of error, a far cry from the shaky second-tier sorcerer who once stood trembling before the furnace three years ago.

"If I can’t even craft this piece of armor," her purple eyes glinted with the flames of the Ether furnace, "turning those ideas you’ve piled on me into reality would be a complete joke."

"…And even beyond that."

Mingfuluo, now, even spared a glance back at Anselm. "Even if there’s no bond left between us, I believe you’ll work with me again someday."

"When it comes to recognizing value, you and I aren’t so different, Hydra."

"You don’t hold illusions about me anymore?"

Anselm looked at her, surprised. "And you’re still thinking about working with me?"

"The fact that you’re not the person I hoped for doesn’t mean I deny your abilities."

The alchemy workshop hummed with the sound of machinery, accompanied by Mingfuluo’s emotionless words. "To this day, I’ve never met anyone who can touch the heights of your mind."

"In fact…"

The roaring flames in the Ether furnace suddenly shifted from red to blue, the erupting fire nearly licking Mingfuluo’s face, but she remained unfazed, calmly stating:

"In fact, I find it even harder to tolerate working with mediocrities."

As she spoke, she slowly extracted a metal block from the furnace, its surface covered in irregular patterns, still glowing with faint blue flames, looking extraordinarily remarkable.

"You won’t refuse my request to collaborate, because that’s my value, and you won’t let it go to waste. So, even if I no longer hold illusions about you, you’re still a viable partner."

Mingfuluo’s expressionless declaration of “that’s my value” gave Hitana goosebumps.

She couldn’t fathom how extreme someone had to be to weigh themselves as a bargaining chip on a scale.

"You’re dreaming big." Anselm chuckled. "Before, I let you off without paying for those ideas because, to me, you yourself were the price."

"But you haven’t paid, dear Miss Mingfuluo."

The young Hydra sighed, spreading his hands helplessly. "Still trying to take my brilliant ideas for free?"

"…I can’t pay the price now, but that’s only for now."

Mingfuluo tossed the massive metal block to Anselm, her voice cold. "You even handed over the mechanized armor, which shows you don’t care about the era and future we once discussed."

"And if they can make deals with you, why can’t I? The ability to pay the price is just a matter of time."

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her white coat, her lips curling slightly with a hint of mockery. "After all, you never cared about the ideals and future we talked about, or the new era you spoke of."

"If it’s just a cooperative relationship," Mingfuluo paused, her tone softening slightly, "that might be better… no, perhaps that’s the best relationship for us."

"What, no interest in being my Contract Head anymore?" Anselm teased.

"There are many ways to grow stronger, many paths to pursue truth further. Being a Contract Head is just the most convenient one. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean I’m out of options."

Hitana, bored to the point of dozing off, perked up at this.

She immediately chimed in, "You said it yourself—don’t go shamelessly chasing Anselm for a ring later."

"Based on your personality," Mingfuluo turned to stare at Hitana, "you probably shamelessly begged Hydra for a ring, which is why you think I’d do the same."

Hitana, whose mood had just lightened, felt her blood pressure spike.

Her eye twitched as she took a step forward. "Say that again? Believe it or not, I’ll pin you to the ground right now, and Anselm won’t stop me."

"…"

Mingfuluo looked at Anselm, whose face was full of amusement, and said nothing.

—He would agree.

The thought rose in the woman’s mind.

Hydra would let this beast act barbarically, because right now, in Hydra’s eyes, I have no value equal to hers.

In an instant, Mingfuluo recognized this fact, and immediately, an irrepressible anger surged within her.

Almost instinctively, Mingfuluo wanted to extinguish it in that moment, but at the same time, a different thought emerged.

An idea that flowed seamlessly from her mind but felt out of place in this moment.

In this situation, where Anselm could manipulate her emotions, continuing to deny them would undoubtedly be a mistake—Mingfuluo thought.

Because he knew she would choose to erase all unfavorable emotions, this must be part of his deliberate design.

Though she didn’t know why he did this, without a doubt, defying Hydra’s intentions was the right choice.

Besides… keeping these emotions could, in a way, serve as a spur to herself.

Though she no longer held expectations for becoming a Contract Head, the thought that someone like her could gain such favor from Hydra… gave Mingfuluo no reason to slack off.

No need to forcibly suppress emotions—let them be remembered as shame.

On the surface, maintain the cold facade of complete emotional control, letting him think his plan worked.

That would do nicely.

For Mingfuluo, such thinking, judgment, and decision-making took only a moment, as instinctive as suppressing her emotions.

Thus, Anselm saw no flicker in Mingfuluo’s gaze or expression.

His blatant favoritism toward Hitana seemed to have no effect on her.

Anselm showed no emotion in response, only smiling as he tossed the metal block to Hitana. "Hitana, test it."

"Huh?"

The girl caught the metal block, slightly stunned. "Test what?"

"Mingfuluo’s craftsmanship."

The tiny metal insect flew from Anselm’s palm, landing on his shoulder, as he continued, "Try to break this thing."

The metal block was about the size of Hitana’s fist.

A normal person would question Anselm’s sanity at such a request, but thankfully, our Miss Hitana was never normal and would never doubt Anselm’s sanity.

"Breaking stuff… now that I’m good at!"

The girl placed the metal block on the ground.

Her dark red eyes, like a beast’s, seemed to reflect its unremarkable surface, but they held a vision only she could see.

The power of the Head of Wind instantly pinpointed the flaws in this… armor for Hitana, but to her surprise, this thing, which Mingfuluo made in so little time, was remarkably sturdy and stable.

Even the Head of Wind found only the tiniest weak points.

But that was enough.

Hitana exhaled slowly, her breath as searing as steam.

Her expression brimmed with excitement as she clenched her fist, the taut muscles of her seemingly slender arm radiating a beauty of strength.

The wolf, who hadn’t unleashed her full power since arriving in the Imperial Capital, boiled with the joy of unrestrained violence in her eyes. She raised her fist high and—

Gripping the airflow, even the Ether, in her fist, she unleashed a visible shockwave, breaking the sound barrier with a gust that howled like a raging beast, striking the “armor” Mingfuluo crafted!

Mingfuluo hadn’t known a muffled sound could be so deafening.

The moment Hitana’s fist met the small piece of armor, the alchemy workshop’s floor suffered first.

With the metal block as the center, the ground was instantly blasted into a crater at least two meters wide—and this was with Anselm mitigating the impact.

Otherwise, who knows how large the crater would have been.

"…Oops, did I overdo it?"

Amid the rolling shockwaves, Hitana shook her hand, stood up, and looked at Anselm with some unease.

"Damage to the alchemy workshop is normal, don’t worry."

Anselm smiled reassuringly. "It’s not a problem. Let’s check on Mingfuluo’s armor block first."

Hitana, hand on her hip, glanced confidently at the metal in the crater. "Of course, I smashed—huh?!"

She looked again, shocked. "What’s going on! Why isn’t it broken?!"

"…"

Mingfuluo stared at the armor block in the crater’s center, cracked down the middle, nearly split in two, and fell silent.

Her assessment of Hitana’s strength was off by one… no, two or three levels.

The model built from data collected at their first meeting was too simplistic and one-sided.

If this weren’t the mechanized armor designed by Anselm, any other “protective gear” would have been shattered into fragments, as Hitana claimed.

But Hitana herself wasn’t satisfied with the result.

Picking up the nearly bisected metal block, she looked at Anselm, puzzled. "Anselm, why couldn’t I break this thing?"

Anselm chuckled. "Calling it ‘this thing’? You’re not just underestimating Mingfuluo—you’re underestimating me too."

"!"

The wolf girl’s face flushed as she realized her mistake.

"I-I didn’t mean it like that, I just… ugh, I said the wrong thing."

She scratched her head, sticking out her tongue at Anselm. "Don’t take it to heart, Anselm."

The metal insect on Anselm’s shoulder lazily flew to the armor block in Hitana’s hand.

Upon touching its surface, it suddenly cracked with a snap.

Before Hitana could process what happened, flecks of fluorescence seeped from the broken insect, silently merging into the metal block.

"Try squeezing it again," Anselm said.

Hitana did so.

Frustrated that her earlier strike didn’t destroy it outright, she gripped it with brutal force.

But as soon as she applied pressure, feeling slight resistance, half the armor block crumbled in her hand.

"Too low in strength," Anselm said.

"If Hitana hadn’t directly damaged the armor’s structure, the preset Ether wouldn’t have penetrated the circuits. We need to add a dismantling function."

Mingfuluo frowned.

"That’s too difficult. Its size is too small, with limited space for Ether circuits. It can’t both break armor and store enough Ether to disrupt circuits."

"Then design a separate batch for dismantling?"

"No, that kind of division just lowers efficiency. It’s pointless."

"Hmm…"

They slipped into a discussion, and the young Hydra rubbed his chin, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

"Then start with the Ether—purify it, alter its properties, imbue it with elements… modify it from multiple angles, like adding chaos or corrosion elements."

"Good idea."

Mingfuluo, almost in sync with Anselm, nodded. "But I only understand those elements theoretically, not enough to apply them practically."

"That’s beyond your expertise. Leave it to your mentor friends."

Anselm stretched lazily. "With that, we’re pretty much done."

"…Huh? Done?"

Hitana, completely lost by their conversation, looked baffled. "Done? How are we done?"

"We stayed in the alchemy workshop to create an alchemical weapon targeting mechanized armor."

Anselm walked to Hitana’s side, his finger brushing the armor block’s surface, flicking away tiny Magic Metal fragments.

"Since we’ve confirmed the sample works, and third-stage Mingfuluo can make it, replicating it in the hands of Babel Tower’s high-tier members won’t be an issue. The next steps are just improvements and upgrades—no need for my creative input anymore."

Mingfuluo’s creative ability was still limited by her strength, but what made her the ideal alchemist for Anselm wasn’t power—it was talent.

Only someone who could keep up with Anselm’s thinking and understand the intent behind his ideas could turn them into reality.

Looking at Anselm’s profile, Mingfuluo’s eyes flickered with a moment of daze.

Just now… in their seamless discussion of possibilities, reaching the optimal solution at lightning speed, Mingfuluo had, for a moment, felt like she was back three years ago.

For that brief instant, she thought Anselm’s excitement and joy while discussing those ideas were as genuine as they had been three years ago.

Of course, it was only a moment.

Anselm Hydra didn’t care about her ideals.

He had no ideals himself, no expectation for a bold new era or a radiant future.

It was all just lies to make her submit.

He placed himself above everything, just as she placed her ideals above everything.

They were destined to be incompatible, unable to walk the same path.

Mingfuluo fell silent and their renewed collaboration ended as casually as it began.

"Ugh… so, Anselm, you’re saying we can leave now, right?"

"Yep, our work here is done."

"Finally!"

Hitana cheered excitedly. "I’m going out for a big meal! Being cooped up here was killing me—"

BOOM!!!

A terrifying roar from above interrupted Hitana.

Startled, the girl looked up, utterly confused. "What’s that? Did someone’s experiment explode up there?"

Mingfuluo’s expression changed drastically.

She rushed out of the alchemy workshop, leaving Anselm and Hitana behind, a stark contrast to her usual unflappable demeanor.

"…What’s with her?" Hitana looked at Anselm, bewildered.

Anselm didn’t answer.

Instead, he took Hitana’s hand, smiling lightly.

"Hitana, you’re curious about what mechanized armor is, right?"

"Yeah. You and that woman made it sound so impressive, of course I’m curious."

"Then I’ll show you now."

The young Hydra pulled the image of it from his mental library, smiling meaningfully. "Time to see the ‘little toy’ I created."

***

Rushing out of the alchemy workshop at top speed, Mingfuluo reached the source of the roar and saw a crowd of Babel Tower scholars.

This was near Babel Tower’s largest event plaza and everyone was staring upward, dumbfounded, at the colossal entity dominating the square.

A… knight.

A cold, menacing, angular steel giant knight.

At least sixty meters tall, it radiated a chilling black-iron sheen.

Its heavy armor exuded suffocating oppression, yet its human form suggested agility far surpassing an alchemical fortress.

"People of Babel Tower, how have you been?"

From within the steel knight came the voice of Conrad Sainthue, the Ether Academy’s most outstanding youth, appearing brazenly in Babel Tower’s plaza almost as an aggressor.

"I don’t know if you all realize what you’re doing, but I’m here to inform you of one thing."

"The Ether Academy has completed the masterpiece of this grand play. You… better not fall behind."

Like the other Babel Tower members, Mingfuluo looked up at the terrifying giant, silent.

But her silence wasn’t due to this “alchemical weapon” never before seen by the world, but because the Ether Academy had, in just five days, built a product of such high completion.

This suffocating oppression… Mingfuluo wasn’t mistaken.

This was no mere display piece to show off.

This was true mechanized armor, the first stage of the three Anselm envisioned, the most achievable one.

[Mechanized Armor: Material Armament]

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