Chapter 54: Yours

Xuan Xuan fiddled with the simulation mecha in her hands while carefully inspecting the military mecha before her.

She couldn't help but marvel at the Federation's advanced technology. Machines of this scale could be mass-produced without any detectable flaws, indistinguishable from custom-made models. If this were on the Mata Continent, a giant hunk of metal like this would take who knows how long and require a staggering amount of manpower to complete.

Xuan Xuan sighed, realizing that handcrafting simply couldn’t compare to the mechanical age.

She circled the mecha, her interest piqued—not that it could rival Zhan Yu’s mecha, “Solaris,” but this massive machine still fascinated her. Especially since she wasn’t allowed to dismantle Zhan Yu’s mecha at will.

So, this big fellow in front of her would have to suffice for now. She cast a sidelong glance at Zhan Yu; there’d be opportunities in the future for his mecha.

“Can I modify the mecha now?” Watching Xuan Xuan’s gaze and gestures, Zhan Yu already had a good idea of her intentions.

Xuan Xuan put down the simulation mecha, running her hands over the real one, not even looking up. “Now?”

Zhan Yu nodded. He was eager to see her in action.

“No.” Xuan Xuan shook her head, her attention fixed on the machine. “Why not?”

She replied, “I don’t know enough about this thing yet. I have to understand it thoroughly before making any modifications.” Her professionalism was impeccable; these things couldn’t be tampered with recklessly.

In fact, the more Xuan Xuan studied the mecha, the more advantages she discovered. The urge to take it apart and learn grew stronger.

“How long?” Zhan Yu watched as Xuan Xuan began disassembling the mecha, his eye twitching. Was she simply overly curious, or did she have an obsession with taking things apart?

After a thorough inspection, Xuan Xuan got to work dismantling the giant before her. This hunk of iron was far more interesting than the simulation model.

Without looking up, Xuan Xuan said, “Who knows? By the way, could you help me find a school?”

“A school?” Zhan Yu asked, puzzled by the sudden shift.

She nodded. “Yes.”

She’d mentioned wanting to learn the written language before, but after learning with Zhan Yu, she still wanted to study further. She couldn’t rely on Zhan Yu every day—he was busy enough as it was, and she understood well enough that the time he spent with her was already precious. Besides, wasn’t there Kuang Shao as his apprentice too?

Zhan Yu couldn’t be expected to abandon Kuang Shao all the time.

“I plan to learn something new,” she said.

Zhan Yu had no idea what was on Xuan Xuan’s mind and only frowned slightly. “Learn something?”

“Yes.” Xuan Xuan tapped at the mecha in front of her, nodding.

“What do you want to learn?” Zhan Yu asked.

“This.” Xuan Xuan patted the machine before her.

She knew self-study wouldn’t compare to systematic learning at a proper institution. Why take the hard road when the straightforward one was right there? Even Wan Qi Lianhao knew she had a teacher on the StarNet. Spending extra time online wasn’t much of a concern.

Zhan Yu raised an eyebrow, surprised. In his eyes, Xuan Xuan was already more adept with mechas than he was—she could disassemble one in minutes, as evidenced by the pile of parts already before them.

“I don’t actually know mechas. What I do know is adaptable, so I can just about take this thing apart. But putting it back together? That’s another story.” Xuan Xuan nudged the heap of components with her foot.

Zhan Yu looked at the pile. She called that “just about”?

Noticing his expression, Xuan Xuan added, “And I don’t understand your AI or your technology at all.”

“Your...?” Zhan Yu wondered silently—what are you, then?

Xuan Xuan didn’t realize she’d inadvertently revealed something about herself again.

She couldn’t help admiring the intelligence of the Federation’s people. The way they combined these various technologies—mechanical engineering—far surpassed anything on the Mata Continent.

On Mata, the greatest strength lay in manipulating energy—not just magic or psychic energy, but also the energies within magic crystals and herbs. They’d neglected the physical aspects of matter, such as these machines. There weren’t any physicists on Mata.

Now, she was eager to understand Federation technology, to see what new possibilities might emerge by combining it with everything she knew from Mata. As for retracing the path she’d already walked in her past life, Xuan Xuan saw no appeal—like chewing the same meal twice. In magic, she’d expanded from the solitary fire element to ten elements now. Naturally, in alchemy, she couldn’t stick to the old ways.

For now, she could only learn as much as possible here—in her current, frail form, there wasn’t much else she could do.

She pursed her lips and asked, “Where’s Kuang Shao?”

Zhan Yu calmly hung up on Kuang Shao’s incoming call and replied, “No idea.”

Xuan Xuan gave him a curious look. That couldn’t be right.

Kuang Shao always clung to him so tightly—how could there be no contact? By all accounts, Zhan Yu should be quite concerned about Kuang Shao. Why had they been spending so little time together lately? Was it a lack of affection, or was their relationship arranged by their families?

On the other side, Kuang Shao was even more frustrated. Zhan Yu had vanished again without a word, despite having been back in the Imperial Capital for several days.

Ever since the third son of the Wan Qi family returned, the capital had been in turmoil, everyone maneuvering behind the scenes.

Kuang Shao was waiting for Zhan Yu to speak; he didn’t want to get caught up in unnecessary trouble. They’d agreed beforehand that he’d stay in this place only because of Zhan Yu—otherwise, he’d have slipped away long ago.

But it had been days since Zhan Yu got back, and still no news.

Gritting his teeth, Kuang Shao thought, That rascal must be off with that girl again. Who knows where she came from—she might be special, but did they really need to be together every day?

He smacked his forehead—why hadn’t he gotten the girl’s contact information? Too late for regrets now. Kuang Shao could only hope the others would be slow to make their moves.

But things were unlikely to go as Kuang Shao wished. Though Xuan Xuan and her group had entered the capital without much fanfare, they hadn’t deliberately concealed their arrival.

Especially with the three Wan Qi brothers—no one could overlook them, least of all with Zhan Yu in tow. That lineup would draw attention anywhere, even on an uninhabited planet.

At this moment, the Imperial Capital was a turbulent sea, everyone waiting to take advantage of the chaos. It remained to be seen who would strike first.

Would the first strike gain the upper hand, or would it merely draw fire, marking the attacker as a target?

As for Kuang Shao, he was a favored target for many.

As the sole heir to the Zhan family, few dared to make a move against him. Kuang Shao and the Kuang family were a different matter—powerful, yes, but the people couldn’t defy the authorities.

For that reason alone, Kuang Shao, the only son of the Federation’s wealthiest man, attracted significant attention, even though he was now just a minor mercenary leader.

Amid such chaos, Kuang Shao couldn’t guarantee his own safety.

P.S. This is a book by Fan Fan: [bookid==“Proud Above the Clouds”]