Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Early the next morning, Luo Wenqing’s car pulled up to the gates of the Medici estate to pick up her new friend.

The bright blue hovercar, sleek and elongated with a streamlined front, shimmered like a sapphire in the sunlight.

It looked expensive.

As Eve was about to leave, she encountered Sandro. The Second Steward, delighted to see his beloved protégé actively forging connections with influential figures, cheerfully patted Eve’s shoulder. “Excellent, excellent! One banquet, and you’ve already befriended the Luo family’s young lady. My Little Forbidden Fruit is not only exceptionally gifted academically but also quite adept socially.”

Eve quietly responded, “Actually, it was an accidental meeting.”

She had accidentally found Luo Wenqing’s sickly, accident-prone cousin, who had fallen into a pit, which led to her unexpected acquaintance with the Luo family’s young lady.

Hearing this, Sandro seemed even more pleased. “Luck is also a part of one’s capability.”

Eve: “…Alright, thank you, Steward.”

She had already given up trying to correct the Second Steward’s inexplicably exaggerated impression of her.

Sandro easily discerned her thoughts, but his gaze merely brushed lightly over Eve before he ushered her out, urging, “Alright, don’t waste a perfectly good weekend chatting with an old man. Young people should get out and about more. Hurry along with your new friend, and don’t keep Miss Luo waiting.”

Young people with limited life experience rarely grasp that more than half of the world’s “accidents” are deliberately orchestrated.

The Second Steward disliked being too explicit; it felt overly preachy and unbecoming of a gentleman. Besides, such wisdom accumulates gradually through experience; over-explaining would be like trying to force growth.

As soon as she stepped outside, Eve saw Luo Wenqing leaning halfway out of the car window. Wearing sunglasses, her thick, slightly curly black hair was tied into a high ponytail. Her upper body was clad in a garish, tropical-print short-sleeved shirt, and she enthusiastically waved at Eve from a distance: “Hey! Good morning, Eve!”

“Good morning, Wenqing.”

Eve pulled the car door open and, predictably, noticed that Luo Wenqing was wearing loose, white-striped shorts and a pair of sandals—comfortable and casual, a stark contrast to the luxurious, high-end interior of the hovercar.

She glanced down at her own formal shirt and trousers and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Whether in ancient times, modern times, or the future, it seemed the wealthy truly preferred such relaxed attire.

Before setting out, Eve had wondered where Luo Wenqing would take her today. She had considered possibilities like the Imperial Opera House or art museums—typical destinations for aristocratic outings—or even something more ordinary, like shopping or strolling through streets. But she never expected the ride to last nearly an hour, taking them who knows how far until an imposing, magnificent structure dramatically appeared before their eyes.

The building, constructed in a rectangular compound style, soared into the clouds. Its side walls were entirely enclosed with cobalt-blue one-way glass, making its exterior look extraordinary, almost like some secret base.

And the very first words from the receptionist upon their entry made Eve’s heart skip a beat.

She bowed and greeted them with a smile: “Welcome, Young Lady and Miss Medici, to the Luo Family’s Mecha R&D Institute Headquarters for inspection.”

…What institute? What headquarters?

So, “going out to play” meant coming to a mecha research facility?

This concept of “fun” left Eve momentarily dumbfounded.

Luo Wenqing turned and saw her troubled expression, unable to hold back a hearty laugh: “Why does Eve look so melancholic? Aren’t you happy to visit our Luo family’s Mecha Research Institute?”

“I am happy,” Eve said, “but I’m more afraid that after this tour, I might not make it out alive.”

Luo Wenqing burst into laughter: “Then you’d better stay close to me. If you wander off and stumble upon some of the Luo family’s core secrets, I’d hate to kill you, Eve—I’d have no choice but to keep you locked up in the Luo household from then on…”

She flashed a wicked grin.

Eve’s eyebrows twitched. Why did it seem that Luo Wenqing’s words carried a hint of genuine intent?

She hoped it was just her imagination.

The group, led by the receptionist, entered an elevator that descended rather than ascended. Luo Wenqing volunteered: “The upper floors house the technical and business departments—the public-facing divisions of the company. The manufacturing division is underground. Since I’m taking you to see mechas today, we’re heading straight down.”

Eve nodded, then suddenly asked: “Are the Luo family’s Mythological Mecha also manufactured here?”

Ordinary mechas wouldn’t be worth seeing. Only something on the level of a Mythological Mecha would warrant Luo Wenqing personally bringing her here for a visit.

Luo Wenqing slightly lowered her sunglasses, her deep black eyes glancing meaningfully at Eve before answering: “Yes. In fact, the Luo family’s Mecha Research Institute on the capital planet exclusively produces Mythological Mecha.”

The workload at the Luo family’s Mecha Research Institute was staggering. In addition to steadily producing new models, they were also responsible for maintaining previously sold mechas.

Top-tier mechas were often unique masterpieces, and treating them as disposable would be wasteful. Thus, those who purchased Mythological Mecha typically sent them in for regular repairs and functional upgrades whenever damage occurred.

As they passed through the maintenance area, Eve spotted a vaguely familiar pale gold mecha. Following her gaze, Luo Wenqing immediately understood what had caught her attention and said with a smile: “That’s the Mythological Mecha of the Medici family’s eldest son—Apollo. It was rushed in for repairs last week. The damage isn’t too severe, but there are many surface scratches. Apollo’s shell is made of a special material that’s difficult to restore. It’s only roughly fixed now and still needs further treatment.”

The sorry state Apollo was in when it arrived had caused quite a stir within the institute, even drawing out the lead mecha master who originally crafted it. The master, known for his short temper, had cursed up a storm in the institute, demanding to know who could bear to damage such a perfect mecha.

Luo Wenqing had heard about this incident. Since someone from the Medici family was right beside her, she curiously inquired: “By the way, Eve, do you know how Apollo ended up in such a state?”

“I do.”

Eve’s eyes were practically glued to the magnificently restored mecha as she replied without turning her head: “I was the one who did it.”

Luo Wenqing: “?”

She blinked, somewhat incredulous: “You’ve only been in the main family for a short while, and the Patriarch already gave you a deity-class Mythological Mecha?” Was she really held in such high regard?

“Huh?” Eve glanced at her puzzled but quickly realized why she would ask—Luo Wenqing probably hadn’t considered that anything other than another Mythological Mecha could damage Apollo.

She rubbed her nose and vaguely explained, “I don’t have a Mythological Mecha. I used another mecha and accidentally went a bit overboard during the fight.”

Better not mention that she’d beaten Apollo into this state using the most standard-issue X-101 model—no need to freak anyone out.

Luo Wenqing gave her a deep look before smoothly changing the subject, guiding the group away from the maintenance area and into another spacious section.

It was a vast space, no less expansive than the Medici family’s mecha training grounds, brightly lit with a raised platform embedded in the wall, separated by tempered glass. Behind the glass, uniformed staff were discussing work.

As they stepped inside, the door behind them closed with a heavy rumble, while a new passageway opened on the opposite wall. A tall object draped in a white cloth was wheeled out on a trolley.

Looking at the shape outlined by the cloth, Eve had already guessed what it was.

A mecha—and most likely a Mythological Mecha.

She turned to Luo Wenqing, her eyes questioning what this was about.

Luo Wenqing walked over to the cloth-draped object and gave a formal interstellar salute toward Eve. Mimicking a stage host, she said with a winning smile: “Well then, I’m sure Eve must be utterly bewildered right now, so allow me to explain. Every year, the Medici family commissions a new Mythological Mecha from the Luo family to replace decommissioned units and sends a family member to observe and test it. Actually, I brought you here today with the Medici Patriarch’s permission.”

She crooked her pinky and winked: “—You are this year’s appointed tester for the new Mythological Mecha!”

Hearing this, Eve lowered her long lashes, concealing her thoughts.

By convention, mechas were only tested early by their future owners.

Sparti’s strategy was exactly as she had guessed: first, secure a subordinate’s loyalty with a lower-tier Mythological Mecha, and the next step would likely be tempting them with a higher-tier one.

“Since the specialist has arrived, let’s not waste any more time.”

Luo Wenqing placed her right hand on the edge of the white cloth and announced clearly: “Specialist Eve Medici, please review the Mythological Mecha, the Cunning Marvel—Hecate!”

The heavy linen drape was tugged away, flying upward as brilliant overhead lights cascaded down, illuminating this mystic-silver humanoid mecha. Its design ethos stood in stark contrast to Apollo’s grandeur and Aphrodite’s elegance—instead, it was eerily enigmatic. A silvery-white hue flowed with dark, shimmering highlights, upon closer inspection revealing incredibly dense alchemical cipher inscriptions. Its limbs were tapered, with sharp, slender spikes extending from the joints, and behind its slender torso even stretched a long, segmented tail made of interlocking steel rings. One could easily imagine how flexible and lethal this tail would be in motion.

This was Hecate—the mythological queen ruling over ghosts and magic, the quiet Reaper who roamed the night.

“The design inspiration for Hecate comes from the Olympian goddess Hecate. While retaining the goddess’s features as the God of Death and queen of spirits, Luo’s mecha forgers, after intense discussion, ultimately selected the goddess’s aspect of fortune and chance as the core design principle.”

Even after unveiling the mecha, Luo Wenqing continued to dutifully explain to everyone, “To be honest, since so many mythological mechas have been produced, we’re always struggling to design unique core attributes to keep creating one-of-a-kind machines. Take Hecate, for example—we originally planned to center it around the goddess’s death aspect, but eventually we scrapped that plan.”

“Its movement prioritizes agility, and it bears the most alchemical cipher inscriptions in the entire Olympus series, primarily focused on blessings and transformation attributes. As a result, Hecate possesses extremely strong transformation capabilities, allowing it to adapt to various combat environments. At the same time, its blessing attributes provide all-around enhancements during use, including strength, speed, and agility. The alchemist responsible for engraving the ciphers claimed she even added several luck-enhancing cipher arrays beyond the requirements.”

“Snap!”

A small object flew from Luo Wenqing’s hand toward Eve, who caught it effortlessly. Turning it over, she saw it was a silver ring engraved with thorny vine patterns.

“This is Hecate’s spatial ring,” Luo Wenqing said with a smile. “Now, let’s invite our specialist to give it a try herself.”

She clapped her hands once more, and another section of the wall split open with a rumble. A sleek, lilac mecha was wheeled out on a trolley.

“Thump.” The lilac mecha’s front lights snapped on as it dropped into a combat stance, silently urging Eve to activate Hecate quickly and engage in battle.

Eve slowly raised her eyes, her gaze seeming to pierce through the newcomer’s front visor, locking directly onto the person in the cockpit. She then glanced at Luo Wenqing, who stood nearby with an innocent smile.

It took her three seconds to assess this inescapable situation before she stated firmly to Luo Wenqing:

“You two set this whole thing up.”