Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Four

The five judges were momentarily caught in a dilemma.

There was supposed to be a second round, focusing on mech component modeling. But since Baisha had already completed modeling, there was no need for further exertion.

"I need to ask you again." The central judge, despite his age, had a piercing gaze, "Have you truly not studied under any mentor or systematically learned mech design?"

Baisha raised an eyebrow slightly: "No. My talent can only be explained as a gift from the heavens."

Judges: "......" Such arrogance!

Even in an empire teeming with talent, this was a first for all five judges.

"Have you ever attempted to design a complete mech?" A female judge suddenly asked, "If you have any designs, could you show us?"

Baisha pondered for a moment, thinking that her design would eventually be submitted to the association for grading anyway. Revealing it early wasn’t a big deal. She projected her initial design draft using her holocomputer, explaining that she only integrated the works of three master-level mech designers.

The judges fell silent once more.

After carefully reviewing the design, they exchanged glances with varied expressions. The central judge said, "Alright, we can conclude the assessment here. Please leave the room and wait; we will discuss internally and give you the evaluation result."

Baisha nodded, left the assessment area, and even courteously closed the door behind them.

Looking up, Baisha noticed that the grey-clad man from the association, who had guided her earlier, was still there. He and Ulyriel stood together in the corridor not far from the assessment area, waiting for her.

Hearing Baisha's footsteps, both Ulyriel and the grey-clad man looked up at her. The man asked with concern, "You're out so soon? How did the assessment go?"

Baisha shook her head: "They said they need to discuss further."

The grey-clad man looked surprised, a hesitant expression on his face.

Logically, a junior certification should be straightforward; any student from the four major military academies in the mech designer stream could obtain it, indicating the simplicity of the process. Although Baisha was young... being recommended so confidently by a master like Shitai Rong, it surely wasn’t just to try her luck, was it?

Baisha exited the examination quite swiftly, usually indicating the completion of the assessment ahead of time. As for the results, they would be known soon enough.

"If you have other matters, you don't need to stay with me," Baisha said. "I'm just waiting for the result, right?"

The grey-clad man earnestly replied, "You need not worry about me, I was specifically assigned by the association to assist you with the examination process. I have no research tasks today."

Baisha suddenly remembered something and inquired, "Does our Empire’s Mech Designer Association have members active in the Borderless City?"

The man’s eyes widened slightly, glancing around before lowering his voice to ask, "How do you know about that?"

"Today's examination question, to be honest, I've seen it before in the Mech Designer Alliance's conference in Borderless City. Exactly the same," Baisha shook her head, "I guess that's some sort of oversight? But I didn’t point it out to them."

It was their oversight, and Baisha had no interest in being the one to remind them.

"It seems you also frequently operate in Borderless City," the man smiled, "Being part of the Mech Designer Alliance's conference means you have at least junior mech designer capabilities. But, it's best not to mention Borderless City to many people – our association doesn’t encourage designers to go there. Too many participants might expose our Empire's mech design advancements. Those active there are mostly independent designers who don't cooperate with the official government."

"For us working in official organizations, we are already swamped with research projects. We don’t have the luxury of strolling around in Borderless City. If caught, our mentors won’t let us off lightly,” the man ruefully rubbed his nose. “So, even if you go to Borderless City for fun, remember not to mention it to your mentors."

Baisha nodded in understanding: "Got it."

The man checked the system and continued chatting with Baisha as her examination result was still pending.

"By the way, have you decided on which military academy to attend, Princess Baisha? Though the Tianquan Military Academy is nearest to Tianxu Star, the mech design teaching standards of the Xizhou and Dongluo Military Academies have also improved significantly, with several students graduating with senior designer titles recently," he patted his chest, recommending, "I suggest Xizhou Military Academy. Though a bit remote, it has vast grounds and straightforward mentors and classmates..."

Baisha shook her head sincerely: "I haven't decided yet."

Though she was leaning towards Tianquan Military Academy, Baisha had the requirement of triple-majoring. It was uncertain if Tianquan could accommodate this.

As the man was about to say more, the door to the examination room suddenly opened.

Bai Sha curiously glanced inside the door, wondering, "Is this their way of calling me back for the results?"

The man in gray was also puzzled, as assessment results are usually displayed directly in the system, without calling someone back in person.

Baisha stood up and stretched, "Then I'll go in."

Back in the arena, the five examiners maintained their holographic projection state. They looked at Baisha solemnly, "Baisha Roning, after discussion among us, we unanimously agree that your skills far exceed those of a junior mecha engineer. According to the rules, we can directly award you the qualification of an intermediate mecha engineer."

This was an unexpected pleasure.

The five examiners signed Baisha’s certification document and then transferred the file to her cyber-brain.

"Actually, Your Highness, you could consider taking the advanced mecha designer certification," one examiner said regretfully. "But unfortunately, the association's rules state that to be evaluated for advanced mecha engineer status, one must have independently designed three mechas that have participated in the association’s grading. You haven’t met the required number of designs yet."

"Please continue to work hard."

As the examiner's words fell, a large golden vertical scroll was projected in the middle of the assessment area. The names on it seemed to shimmer, forming rows of varying lengths.

In the section marked "Intermediate Mecha Designer," a new name was added.

Baisha Roning. Her name had a green sprout in front and a score of zero after it, placing her at the bottom of all intermediate mecha engineers.

Baisha watched her gilded name appear on the mecha designers’ leaderboard, squinting slightly, her gaze drifting towards the name at the top of the list —

Top-class Mecha Designer, Jiang Gui.

……

Baisha, carrying her assessment results, left the arena and received congratulations from Uriel and the man in grey.

"Congratulations on obtaining the title of intermediate mecha engineer," the man in grey smiled, "I heard you also want to register a codename? I'll take you to the registration office."

He truly hadn't expected Baisha to secure the intermediate mecha engineer qualification so easily.

So the examiners were discussing the matter of awarding a higher-level certification.

Baisha followed the man in grey to the registration office, where she completed the simple registration and received her intermediate mecha engineer certificate. As she had applied for a codename, there were two versions of the certificate: one with her photo and real name, and another with the name “Ouhuang” and a blacked-out portrait.

"Your professional points under your real name and codename are calculated separately, please remember this. Designs uploaded under the codename, even if they pass the association’s grading, will only accumulate points under the codename," the man in grey advised.

"Thanks," Baisha nodded and left the Mecha Designers Association with Uriel, escorted by the man in grey.

After getting into the hovercar, Baisha momentarily lost in thought, said, "Ah, I forgot to ask his name."

"He is Ying Ximing, an intermediate mecha designer at the association," Uriel spoke up. "I chatted with him briefly, and he told me himself. His name badge also matched what he said."

Baisha thought to herself that she had wanted to know his pseudonym in the Mecha Masters Alliance Conference.

If he often frequented the City Without Boundaries, they might have heard of him.

The hovercar smoothly entered the spaceport, as Tian Shu Star welcomed sunset. The huge sun slowly sunk below the horizon. Spaceships took off against the backdrop of rolling clouds, the crepuscular rays filtering through the gaps, casting a dim red glow on the spaceship windows, a magnificent yet tranquil scene.

Baisha reached out to touch the transparent glass, suddenly missing Yaning and Jingyi.

Would they see the same sunset on the Imperial Capital Star in the Federation?

A few days later, Tai Shiyong sent Baisha the final mecha design draft.

Tai Shiyong's design style was fluid and crisp. With her adjustments, particularly to the energy system optimization plan, the design - originally Baisha’s but refined by Tai Shiyong’s expertise - reached near perfection.

Overall, the mecha was aggressive in nature. Its near-limit energy optimization allowed for endurance far surpassing other mechas of its type.

"Take a look, Your Highness, is there anything you think needs changing?" Tai Shiyong, in the holographic communication, casually sat on an ergonomics chair, hair pinned behind her ear, unadorned yet beautiful. "I’ve given it my all. If we don’t get an 'Heirloom' rating, I’ll go to the association and knock off the experts' wigs."

Baisha was startled, "Do Imperials go bald too?"

"Of course," Tai Shiyong replied, "Designing mechas can really make you lose hair."

Baisha: "..."

Looking down at the mecha design in front of her, Baisha felt nothing but awe. She had heard that the gap between junior, intermediate, senior, and top-class mecha designers was immense. Now she realized how far she still had to go.

"It's perfect," Baisha said sincerely. "Let's finalize it."

"You need to give it a name, it’s your own mecha," Tai Shiyong cheerfully said. "As for the mecha's weapon, that lance, I've asked Clive Davies to have the Mechanical Engineering Institute remake it. They’ve named it 'Solitude'."

Baisha decided to name her mecha "Rui Ting".

"Rui Ting" and "Solitude" were set for production. According to Tai Shiyong, the design institute would gather all necessary materials as quickly as possible. With manufacturing, polishing, and testing, it would take about half a month.

Over the years, the Imperial Mecha Design Institute has absorbed many talents from the industry. The specific task of polishing mechas is not performed by top-class designers like Tai Shiyong. The institute has a dedicated assembly line of technicians for these tasks.

During this half-month, besides her regular tutoring, Baisha focused on intensive training in marksmanship with Uriel. As an 'angel', Uriel was proficient in all kinds of martial arts. The intelligence system of a bio-engineered being is formidable. Even if Uriel himself hadn't deeply studied marksmanship, he could instantly absorb related textual and visual information and apply it in combat.

The more moves Uriel taught Baisha, the more terrifying his own gunplay became.

"I give up, you're practically cheating," Baisha, feeling like she'd been beaten up by masters of different shooting styles, finally gave in, lying flat on the ground, "You really don't hold back at all, Uriel."

She lay on the floor of the training room, breathing lightly, with countless beads of warm sweat rolling down her cheeks and along the curve of her neck.

Since awakening her 3S-level psychic power, Baisha felt as if she had unlocked the Ren and Du meridians, stepping into a world of the strong she had never experienced before. And yet, even surpassing 3S level, she was still single-handedly overpowered by Uriel.

Uriel, holding a long spear, looked down at Baisha: "You have made significant progress, Your Highness."

Baisha skeptically replied, "Really?"

"Just from that last move," Uriel said, smiling as he twirled the spear, "If it had been you from a week ago, you definitely couldn't have dodged it. This time, you lasted twenty seconds against me, which is an unprecedented achievement."

Baisha: "..." She couldn't tell if Uriel's remark was a compliment or a subtle mockery.

Sighing, Baisha flipped up, picked up the long spear from the ground, and prepared for another round: "Let's go again. This time, I'll try to last thirty seconds."

"Don't feel embarrassed about this result," Uriel's eyes were like two calm pools of clear water, and he explained with a smile, "In any style of marksmanship, 'speed is invincible'. The key to victory often lies in a moment, not giving the loser time to react. That's the experience summarized by numerous marksmanship experts."

"So, don't be discouraged — you might soon be able to defeat me."

Baisha snorted, clearly skeptical.

"Speaking of which, when I was searching the Imperial database of spear masters, I found something quite interesting," Uriel projected some information in front of Baisha, "It's about His Majesty Cecil Roning."

Baisha blinked, immediately looking with curiosity. She saw a short video in which a young Cecil Roning seemed to be participating in a military academy assessment.

The video showed a stern-faced, silver-haired youth maneuvering a mecha with a black long spear, sweeping through enemies in a desert terrain. Filmed from another person's perspective, the camera struggled to keep up with Cecil Roning's speed – his mecha consistently darted out of the frame, with the camera frantically trying to catch up. Cecil Roning was seen breaking a metal whip with a swing of his spear, then thrusting it forward, its tip igniting in bright red flames, tracing a fierce arc in the air and piercing another mecha’s chest, dislodging its limb transmission modules. The defeated mecha's energy lights dimmed instantly, collapsing to the ground.

The battle between the mechas, devoid of bloodshed, possessed a brutal yet sublime beauty.

Baisha heard the person filming mutter a low curse, “Madman.”

It seemed that this utterance caught Cecil Roning's attention. The video showed him directing the mecha to glance towards the camera, causing the person filming to panic and unhesitatingly maneuver their mecha to flee. The camera then experienced intense trembling, followed by a scream, and switched to a view of falling face-up to the ground.

A part of Cecil Roning's mecha appeared in the video.

Cecil Roning, controlling the mecha, firmly stepped on the filmer’s leg, spear in both hands, its tip suspended high in the air —

The video abruptly ended there.

Baisha: "..."

The entire video was shot from the perspective of a "victim". From this angle, her uncle seemed like a demon, enacting a horrifying massacre.

This wasn’t a military academy drill; it was a horror story.

"As you can see, His Majesty Cecil Roning himself is a master of spear technique," Uriel said, "Perhaps he is more suited to teach you than I am."

Baisha actually started considering it.

Honestly, her uncle's spear techniques were indeed impressive.

And having been thoroughly overpowered by Uriel for so many days, her already shattered confidence was pulverized. Could her uncle be more terrifying than Uriel?

Baisha acted on impulse, rushing into her uncle's study to find Cecil Roning frowning over official documents. She slowed her pace, wearing a somewhat ingratiating smile, "Uncle—"

"The mecha is being worked on; it won’t be ready so soon. You must continue with your tutoring, no discussion. The military academy has agreed to let you take a tri-major. If you need money, use my account. If you need people, go to Wei Li," Cecil Roning preempted her efficiently, trying to divert her with a patronizing tone, "I'm busy now, we can talk at dinner."

Baisha: "…Ahem, I actually came to ask you to teach me spear techniques. Long spear kind."

Cecil Roning paused, looking up curiously, "Why suddenly come to me? Can't Uriel train with you?"

Baisha twitched the corner of her eye, leaning on the desk, "He’s an 'angel', and I've been so battered that I'm questioning my life. Aren’t you afraid I'll lose my confidence completely?"

Cecil Roning let out a short laugh, "And you think training with me won’t shatter your confidence?"

Baisha looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Cecil Roning fell into a brief silence, lips pursed slightly, then lowered his head, shifting his gaze back to his cyber-brain.

"Fine, wait for me at the training ground after eight."

"Got it," Baisha, achieving her goal, promptly left Cecil Roning's study.

At dinner, Cecil Roning changed into casual clothes to dine with Baisha. They didn't have dinner together every day, only when both were free. Recently, the Emperor had been quite busy with state affairs and hadn't dined with Baisha for four or five days. When the food was served, the Emperor noticed Baisha’s plate contained only a few bland and scanty vegetarian dishes, even less than what a neighboring cat would eat.

Cecil Roning raised an eyebrow slightly, "What’s going on with you?"

"I’m intentionally eating less," Baisha said, casually forking a piece of green vegetable into her mouth, "to avoid throwing up during the fight later. It's my stomach that suffers."

Cecil Roning: "..."

It seemed she had gained experience from being beaten.

At eight in the evening, after warming up, the uncle and niece each held a long spear and practiced in the training ground.

Cecil Roning’s teaching method was indeed more structured than Uriel’s. It seemed that Baisha’s deliberate display of misery at the dinner table had an effect. Cecil Roning chose to demonstrate and dissect techniques for Baisha, meticulously breaking down and conveying his experience to her. After half an hour of demonstration, Baisha hadn’t even scraped her palms – a stark contrast to her usual training, where she would bleed after just ten minutes of sparring with Uriel and immediately retreat to the healing chamber.

Baisha, thrilled with learning from Cecil Roning, finally suggested a real combat trial.

The two distanced themselves. Cecil Roning stepped forward, thrusting his spear like a dragon, which Baisha dodged by lowering her head and countering with her spear from behind. Cecil Roning switched the spearhead, each thrust relentlessly targeting Baisha’s vulnerabilities.

Gritting her teeth, Baisha’s psychic power surged, forcing her to deflect Cecil Roning’s spear. She stepped forward, spinning and leaping high, her spear tip whirling in the air like a swift meteor, aiming for Cecil Roning’s head—

But Cecil Roning, unfazed, suddenly pulled a laser gun from his sleeve and aimed at Baisha, forcing her to abruptly halt her thrust.

Baisha: "..."

Sheathing her weapon, Baisha protested with some dissatisfaction, "What are you doing?"

"I'm teaching you not to be fixated only on long spear techniques. In real combat, all weapons should be utilized," Cecil Roning spoke calmly, "No battlefield restricts you to just a long spear, right?"

Indeed, the military academy only had specialized shooting and hand-to-hand combat classes. In large-scale exercises, there was no restriction on the types of weapons used.

"Don’t just immerse yourself in your world, and don’t be complacent," the Emperor advised, "This is the most useful advice I can give you."

Cecil Ronin paused, then added, "However, you performed well today. In my opinion, you're already qualified."

"In a few days, when your mecha arrives at Youdu Star, you should start attending school."