Chapter 63

Chapter 63

"What does 'assist in experiments' mean?" Baisha asked.

"...It's better if Jiang Gui explains that himself," the Academic Affairs teacher glanced towards the door, saying, "Professor Jiang Gui, please come in. You can see that this Highness didn't intentionally send her psychic entity to trouble you."

Baisha followed the teacher's gaze towards the door.

A man with long black hair entered, wearing a white shirt and a grey low-cut vest adorned with several dark gemstone buttons, draped in a cloak of the same color. The material was light yet dignified, with shimmering silver embroidery on the shoulders. His deep blue eyes briefly scanned Baisha, carrying a hint of inquisitiveness.

"Hello," he began, his voice resonant like a cold bell, "Let me introduce myself, I am Jiang Gui."

Baisha discreetly observed this top-ranking Special Mecha Engineer, finding him cold and rational, fitting his status as a top scholar. However, his proposition was quite...

Baisha, somewhat helplessly: "Can you release my psychic entity first?"

"Of course."

Jiang Gui nodded and took out a device from his pocket, pressing it to instantly dissipate the light cage that held the tiny Silver-throated Long-tailed Tit.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

The now-free Little Bai Jiu, like a bird escaping captivity, flew onto Baisha's shoulder and desperately burrowed into her hair.

Baisha gently stroked its back in a soothing manner, sighing, "This is what you get for wandering around at night and stealing from others. Let's see if you dare do this again."

Jiang Gui's eyes glinted with a cool, autumnal light: "A psychic entity that can leave its owner's body on its own accord, like this one, is something I've never seen before."

Little Bai Jiu, noticing Jiang Gui's gaze, stiffened momentarily before its movements became more frantic.

"Let's get back to the main topic, Professor Jiang Gui. You mentioned assisting with an experiment. What exactly does that entail?" Baisha asked. "If for personal reasons I cannot assist you... then regarding the loss of the two energy cores, I will certainly compensate at their full value, without shirking."

"The experiment is simple," Jiang Gui said indifferently, "In short, it involves lending me your psychic entity—"

Baisha: "?!",

She wrapped an arm protectively around Little Bai Jiu, eyeing Jiang Gui warily.

"Don't misunderstand; my point is, the energy cores have already been ingested by it, and my experiment cannot be halted. It's challenging to find a suitable energy source at short notice," Jiang Gui explained. "This energy is 'psychic power'—a considerable amount of it. The experimental apparatus it destroyed was designed to convert psychic power from the energy cores."

"Therefore, it should release the psychic power. I was concerned about controlling the output level of psychic power, but now that issue seems to have resolved itself. Your Highness, if you control the psychic entity to release psychic power to aid my experiment, that's all I ask."

In simple terms, it meant turning Little Bai Jiu into a generator.

Baisha was somewhat speechless; wasn't this just making Little Bai Jiu regurgitate the same amount it had consumed?

"What if I compensate you with other energy cores available on the market?" Baisha ventured.

"It's not the same," Jiang Gui refused emotionlessly, "My energy purification technique is different from theirs."

The so-called experiment hinged on precision; the right ingredients were crucial.

Baisha felt somewhat numb: "But I'm afraid I might not perform well as this human generator."

"If you can come to my lab, you'll be considered my assistant. Once the new material is successfully developed, I'll give you a five percent share of the profits," Jiang Gui said without hesitation, "If you have any other demands, you can state them now."

"Huh? Professor Jiang Gui, you're developing new materials? I haven't heard about this," the Academic Affairs teacher said, surprised.

"I have many research projects; it's impossible to report every single one to the academy," Jiang Gui replied coolly, glancing at the teacher before refocusing on Baisha, "The new material I'm developing is related to mechas."

Mechas?!

Any material project related to mechas could yield astronomical profits once successful.

In this context, Jiang Gui's willingness to share five percent of the profits was a highly sincere gesture.

Mention of mechas noticeably changed Baisha's attitude. She pondered for a few seconds, then looked up, "I have one condition."

Jiang Gui: "Go ahead."

Baisha: "Can I become your apprentice?"

Jiang Gui's brow furrowed instantly.

He replied with a mix of reluctance and stiffness, "This seems to be our first meeting. Your Highness, are you always this hasty in choosing a mentor?"

"Who else but the top-ranked mecha designer?" Baisha said without hesitation, "Besides, who says I can only have one mentor? I don't lose anything by taking you as a teacher."

Jiang Gui: "..."

He suddenly remembered the rumor widely circulated among his colleagues, suggesting Baisha wanted to become his apprentice to usurp his top spot on the mecha designers' ranking. Jiang Gui had initially dismissed the rumor as absurd, but now realized this person really didn't play by the usual rules...

Jiang Gui raised a hand to rub his brow, saying in a low voice, "I can't take you as a student."

"...However, while you assist me in my experiments, I can act as an academic advisor, answering any questions and even creating a study plan tailored to your queries. Do you accept these terms?"

"Deal," Baisha nodded, retracting her psychic entity back into her body—then, she paused for a moment.

Baisha felt as though something had changed, yet at the same time, nothing seemed different.

"That's settled then. Send me your class schedule, and I'll choose times when you're free for the experiments," Jiang Gui, after receiving Baisha's schedule, squinted his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "I see you're a mid-level mecha engineer. Why do you have the 'Basic Three Studies' on your schedule?"

The "Basic Three Studies" referred to the essential introductory courses for mecha engineers: "Basic Structure Studies," "Basic Energy Studies," and "Basic Manufacturing Studies."

Baisha: "I'm just laying the groundwork..."

The Academic Affairs teacher discreetly pulled Jiang Gui aside to inform him about Baisha growing up in the Federation. Given Jiang Gui's character of being oblivious to matters outside his work, he probably wasn't aware of this widely known fact among the nobility circles.

Jiang Gui looked at Baisha thoughtfully.

"Do you have time today?" Jiang Gui asked her.

Baisha briefly recalled her schedule: "I'm free after 3:30 PM."

"Then come to office 603 in the White Tower at 4 PM," Jiang Gui said, revealing a faintly cold smile, "If you can't find it, your psychic entity can lead the way."

Baisha: "..."

Clearly, he was still quite concerned about those two energy cores!

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

Baisha arrived punctually at the White Tower.

The White Tower, renowned as one of the most beautiful buildings of Tianquan Military Academy, was where the academy's top mecha designers worked. Their creed was "precision, boldness, and creativity"—the tower itself exuded rationality and grandeur.

Baisha stood in front of the White Tower, looking up.

The tower was spire-shaped, with white bas-reliefs on both sides of the main door's beam, depicting two warriors holding torches and spears. Dressed in divine white robes, they looked lifelike and perfectly integrated into the lower part of the tower. The upper section of the tower was narrower, with three windows framed in bronze, forming a spiral star chart pattern. The colored glass windows gradually transitioned vertically from azure to silvery snow, adorned with a thin layer of star dust flowing like a rippling waterfall, unceasing and timeless.

"No wonder you found this place," Baisha summoned Little Bai Jiu and gently stroked its head in her palm, "This building must be even more conspicuous at night."

Little Bai Jiu chirped in agreement.

Baisha stepped into the White Tower and took the elevator to room 603.

Jiang Gui was already waiting for her there.

"This place is just for storing some equipment; the actual lab is underground," Jiang Gui said, pulling out a set of isolation suits and protective masks from a drawer on the shelf and handing them to Baisha, "Take a paper notebook and this, and follow me to the lab."

Baisha nodded, gathering everything needed into a bag, while Jiang Gui himself carried a moderately sized black metal box. They entered the elevator, one after the other.

Jiang Gui casually pressed for the third basement level.

"Do you have a personal lab on the third basement level?" Baisha inquired.

Jiang Gui slowly replied, "If you're an honorary professor at Tianquan Military Academy, you too can have a personal laboratory."

When the elevator doors opened, Jiang Gui silently led Baisha into the isolation room. He quickly donned his protective suit and instructed Baisha to put on her protective gear as well.

As Baisha was pulling the drawstrings of her suit, she asked Jiang Gui, "Now, may I specifically ask what research you are conducting?"

"As previously mentioned, I'm developing a new type of mecha material."

Speaking, Jiang Gui pressed a device on the wall. With a sound of "unlock successful," a metal wall slowly rose, revealing a transparent glass pane—behind which lay the real laboratory.

"It's still far from completion... but I've already proven that the research direction is feasible," said Jiang Gui, in a subdued tone.

Baisha peeked curiously inside, her eyes twitching at the sight.

It was a strange and hard-to-describe entity, a whole mass of sticky substance composed of interwoven fine filaments, with edges that had a glowing blue sheen.

The crucial point was, Bai Sha somehow felt—this thing was alive.

"You know, many of the materials used in mechas are derived or combined from the carcasses of star worms. This experimental subject in front of you is no different. However, what's special is that it mutated after a star worm devoured a certain planet's slime creature... It possesses an unconscious self-optimizing ability. Whenever its structure is damaged, it can rapidly self-repair, even transforming into a more robust material," explained Jiang Gui, putting on gloves, his blue eyes calm and untroubled. "However, tests have shown it possesses no autonomous consciousness. In other words, it evolves unconsciously."

Bai Sha frowned: "Isn't that quite terrifying?"

"But this evolution has its limits. It cannot sustain too much damage, or it will lose its recovery ability; plus, it has an evolutionary ceiling. Once it exceeds this limit, the entire slime structure will gradually degenerate and wither—Our initial experiments conclude that their evolutionary limit is tied to the amount of energy they consume," continued Jiang Gui. "The more energy stored inside, the closer they evolve towards perfection."

This was a complete monster.

If left unchecked, they could pose a significant threat to humanity.

"Don't worry, the Empire realized the dire consequences of the combination of this slime creature and star worms and decided to obliterate that planet," reassured Jiang Gui.

Jiang Gui put on protective goggles and turned to his computer terminal to check records: "As a result, we have only a few samples left. Each one is precious. The one in front of you is not a living slime creature but an experimental product where I've embedded numerous metal particles—biologically speaking, it's completely dead. But the metal particles I've implanted allow us to control its ability while retaining its evolutionary trait."

Turning, he walked to a test bench, opened a black box he carried, and carefully lifted out a rotating device made of numerous interconnected rings.

"This is the 'Commander' I've created," Jiang Gui explained, "I control this special mucilaginous material through it. Simply put, once psychic energy is channeled into this device, it will start rotating. Then, inputting commands allows me to use this device to send evolutionary orders to the mucilaginous material..."

"But your psychic entity ate my two energy cores," Jiang Gui said with a hint of reproach to Baisha, "Those cores were of very high purity. One was to feed the mucilaginous material, keeping it active; the other was to be embedded in the Commander."

Baisha: "..."

"Originally, I only lost one energy core; at least I could ensure the slime mold material wouldn't lose its activity," Jiang Gui said coldly. "But now I've lost them all. We must hurry, understand?"

Baisha coughed lightly and replied, "Understood."

"Try injecting psychic power into this command device," Jiang Gui instructed Baisha. "Remember, increase it slowly and steadily—until I say stop."

Baisha released Little Bai Jiu, which flapped its wings as if understanding its task, obediently perching on the tabletop. It focused its beady black eyes and began to exert effort in releasing psychic power.

The command device began to rotate slowly.

Through a thick layer of transparent glass, the large mass of slime mold material suddenly started to undulate like waves.

Jiang Gui monitored the material data on the control panel and observed the behavior of the slime mold material.

"Pause for a moment," Jiang Gui suddenly said.

Baisha tried her best to maintain the output of psychic power at a stable level.

"Continue increasing the psychic power," Jiang Gui instructed without pause.

After several cycles of this process, about fifteen minutes later, Baisha's forehead began to show a thin layer of sweat, and only then did Jiang Gui say, "You can withdraw the psychic power now."

Baisha instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

Little Bai Jiu, which had been exerting itself, suddenly collapsed on the ground, legs in the air, chirping a couple of complaints.

Jiang Gui set the newly acquired data, labeled and categorized it.

Baisha leaned over to see that Jiang Gui had recorded various directions of the slime mold material's evolution, such as hardness, toughness, melting point, and sensitivity to psychic power.

He was using the evolutionary traits of the slime mold material to attempt to create a more perfect and stable new material.

After examining it, Baisha said softly, "It's a pity that its autonomous evolution, its most fundamental advantage, now must be artificially controlled by us..."

"Because allowing it to evolve freely poses a great threat to us," Jiang Gui spoke in a calm, steady voice, head bowed, showing no sign of regret. "That's how things are in this world; sacrifices must be made to gain something."

Perhaps natural evolution is the most 'perfect' form of evolution, but they could only control it towards 'imperfection,' as 'imperfection' is what's practical.

"Could I take a look at the composition table of the metal particles you've added?" Baisha asked, "I understand it's confidential... It's okay if you can't show me."

Jiang Gui, busy with drafting charts, responded, "All the information is in the computer. You can check it yourself."

Besides the control panel, there was also a wall-mounted computer screen.

Baisha's fingertips glided over the screen, searching the database to find a composition table of the metal particles.

This was the most suitable fusion ratio Jiang Gui had found after numerous experiments.

Baisha meticulously reviewed each data point and casually remarked, "Have you ever thought about preserving even a slight degree of its evolutionary properties?"

Jiang Gui, not turning around, asked, "What do you mean?"

Baisha explained, "I mean, these slime mold organisms can evolve and even regress—indicating that their physiological structure inherently possesses memory."

Jiang Gui paused for a moment, then turned around, "And so?"

"So, we might consider combining all factors that stimulate the slime mold while providing it with ample energy, creating a dynamic control—"

That way, the same material could display at least two different evolutionary states—or even more. By preserving the material's evolutionary traits as much as possible, they could even create a mecha capable of evolving!

Baisha immediately thought of Zhou Ying.

If the mecha he piloted had evolutionary traits, he wouldn't have to suppress his hypersensitivity so strenuously.

Jiang Gui looked at Baisha for a few seconds, silent.

Baisha felt a bit uneasy under his gaze: "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Jiang Gui's lips curled into a slight smile, the first genuine one Baisha had seen since meeting him, "You've just guessed my next research plan, quite interesting."

"Now do you think I have talent, Professor Jiang?" Baisha cheerfully asked, "Who was it that said they'd never take me as a student?"

Jiang Gui: "……"

The smile on Jiang Gui's face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Baisha: "..."

She suddenly felt that she shouldn't have been so quick-witted just now.

"I stand by my word; during this period, you can consider me as your teacher," Jiang Gui suddenly spoke up.

"I've seen your schedule; you can drop the 'Introduction to Structure' class," he said directly, "That teacher just reads from the lesson plan; if you have his plan, you don't need to attend his class. You might as well take my 'History of Mecha Construction,' even what I teach is more practical than his."

Baisha: "..." She had already gotten that teacher's lesson plan and enrolled in Jiang Gui's class, but was dropping the course now too disrespectful?

Hesitation was written all over Baisha's face.

Jiang Gui: "Decide for yourself. Dropping a class means more free time to learn mecha design with me."

Baisha decisively opened the academic system and dropped the 'Introduction to Structure' class—students had the right to drop classes within the first two weeks of the semester.

The suddenly notified teacher: "???"

……

And so, Baisha became Jiang Gui's semi-disciple.

Her days were extremely regular: attending classes, training, assisting with Jiang Gui's experiments, and learning mecha design from him.

Baisha's roommate, Cen Yuehuai, also led a regimented life: attending classes, training, getting thrashed by Teacher Dixiya in special sessions, and continuing to get beaten up in the virtual realm of Wujie City at night.

In less than a month, Jiang Gui's experiment achieved preliminary results, and Cen Yuehuai successfully advanced from level three to level four in the mecha combat simulation of Wujie City.

Level four might not seem high, but the mecha combat in Wujie City prohibits the use of psychic powers, relying purely on mecha operation and personal combat skills, a significant disadvantage for Empire citizens adept in using psychic entities. Cen Yuehuai, training with Teacher Dixiya in psychic combat by day and teaming up with Xino in Wujie City for fights at night, experienced a subtle disconnect: although seemingly enhancing her control over her psychic entity, she still needed to integrate psychic power into her combat. Wujie City couldn't provide her with that experience.

Thus, Xino stopped taking her to Wujie City for fights. Instead, he personally sparred with her in the training arena, refining various techniques.

Cen Yuehuai's personal experience escalated from "getting beaten" to "being brutally thrashed."

But she was grateful to Xino; not everyone is willing to spend so much time helping a classmate grow.

"I didn't help you in vain," sighed Xino, "You know about the upcoming joint military exercise between the Empire and the Federation? Our school has decided not to involve fourth-year students in this hustle, as they will be heading to the battlefield for internships. The exercise teams will be selected from the first to third years. Given the situation, it seems like our Tianquan Military Academy and the other three academies will first have a selection match, and the best performers will participate in the military exercise..."

"I and the princess are definitely going. You, too, have a chance to catch up with the top students from other academies."

Cen Yuehuai smiled: "So, you really want me to participate in the military exercise?"

"Of course, it's to better protect the princess and to fight for the leadership of the team," Xino chuckled, "Are we, students of Tianquan Military Academy, supposed to take orders from students of other academies?"

Cen Yuehuai closed her eyes.

A native of Tianshu Star, Tianquan Military Academy was near her home. Originally, she wanted to study at a military academy in a farther star region, to avoid being easily found by her family. She applied to all four major academies, clearly stating her situation, but only Tianquan Military Academy gave her the chance to take the entrance exam...

"If you're willing, we can add two more hours of training tonight," said Cen Yuehuai.

Sweat beads rolled down her cheek to her neck. Cen Yuehuai licked her lips subconsciously, tasting the bitterness, yet it made her more alert.

"You're right, we, students of Tianquan Military Academy, won't lose to anyone!"