Wen Yuncheng wasn’t in a hurry to shrink all her mechs. She would use this feature later when she experimented with her Mechanical Domain. Maybe she could even use it to quickly pack them up within the domain. Wen Yuncheng looked at the two blueprints unlocked at Level 70. Both of them cost 500 points.

The total cost for this upgrade was 2,700 points, which was nothing to Wen Yuncheng, who now possessed a huge sum.

These two blueprints were for the Star Mech and the C-04 Self-Destruct Dog. One was an extension of the Star series, and the other was a new mech for the C-series. Because these two blueprints were unlocked, new items also appeared in Wen Yuncheng’s shop.

One was an exclusive drive unit for the mech, priced at 300 points. The other was an energy aggregation device, priced at 70 points.

Wen Yuncheng held the mech blueprint in her hands, looking at it over and over. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to have a mech. Wow… this was… so cool. Was this kind of mechanical power armor standard issue for a Mechanical Master? But looking at the blueprint, the Star Mech didn’t seem to be a large-scale mech.

A minor detail, a minor detail. Just having a mech was good enough. Wen Yuncheng was very accepting. Once the current batch of parts in the crafting template was finished, she would start building the mech. She decided to use the Azure Sea Crystals for the mech; after all, she could just use spray paint for the coloring.

Besides the exclusive drive unit, the mech also required three small energy cores as a power supply. Such a luxurious point requirement… Wen Yuncheng found it understandable.

As for the Self-Destruct Dog? If 1947 hadn’t repeatedly denied it, Wen Yuncheng would have thought it was a blueprint 1947 had specially requested for her. After all, it wasn’t the first or second time she’d blown things up, from Star Cannons to Air Wings, and she’d even detonated energy cores directly. This Self-Destruct Dog… had certainly found the right master.

Wen Yuncheng stroked her chin. She actually felt that with her status as a Level 70 Star Venerate, she probably wouldn’t resort to sneaky hit-and-run explosions anymore. Hmm… but who could say for sure? In any case, she’d make a hundred of them to stockpile first. Each Self-Destruct Dog required a 70-point energy aggregation device and a 30-point energy core, adding up to a nice round number. However, Wen Yuncheng didn’t plan on using Azure Sea Crystals for the Self-Destruct Dogs. She’d just make do with other cheap materials like iron or whatever, since they were all going to be blown up anyway.

Having decided on how to use her new mechs, Wen Yuncheng eagerly shared the news with Lin Jinyu.

“In the future! Not only can I sit on my throne and command a mechanical army, but I can also pilot a mech for close combat!” Wen Yuncheng was extremely excited, but Lin Jinyu looked a bit lost. Clearly, the Little Ice Mountain didn’t know what a mech was.

“A mech is a type of mechanical power armor. It’s… hmm, you can think of it as a large suit of battle armor that covers the whole body.” Wen Yuncheng gestured for a while, but it wasn’t very effective. She scratched her head. “…You’ll see it once I’ve built it~”

“Okay,” Lin Jinyu said softly.

It wasn’t a good idea to test her skills in the inn, so Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu left the city again and found an open space in the outskirts. Wen Yuncheng first deployed all her Star Cannons, Air Wings, and Mechanical Barriers. She activated her Mechanical Domain to replenish their energy. Whenever she wanted to supply energy to a mech, a faint blue line of light would connect her to it. This line was intangible, and no one could see it except for Wen Yuncheng herself.

As for the number… there was no limit. It was just that connecting to too many mechs at once would instantly drain Wen Yuncheng dry.

As for using the passive mechanical compression within the domain…? Hmm, it was possible. But after the mechs were compressed, they wouldn’t fly back into Wen Yuncheng’s hands. She still had to walk over, pick them up one by one, and put them in her storage ring. How should she put it? The remote compression didn’t seem very useful.

However, holding the mechanical spheres one by one, Wen Yuncheng felt a bit like she was playing Pokémon.

After testing that, Wen Yuncheng summoned an Interceptor Factory and a G-1 Corona in the open field. Since there was no specific target, Wen Yuncheng just observed the appearance of the Interceptor Factory and the number of interceptors, concluding that the skill’s damage should be quite sufficient. After converting the G-1 into a G-0 Warlord, an enormous war machine appeared out of thin air. Wen Yuncheng had it attack the open ground and witnessed what true artillery bombardment looked like.

The barrage of attacks was so numerous it dazzled Wen Yuncheng. After the G-0 disappeared, a deep crater was left where the grassy plain had been. There were also some smaller pits and hollows nearby, and the entire area was suffused with residual Star Power.

…Very powerful.

Wen Yuncheng waited for the cooldown to end and then used Interceptor Factory (Modified) again. Although the skill required charging, the charge time was probably less than a second. Compared to the original factory, this “Modified” skill had an additional semi-circular blue light shield. Was this the light-reactive energy module? Before Wen Yuncheng could get a closer look, a huge blue laser shot out, and the Star Power contained within it made even her heart palpitate.

However, after that single shot, the Interceptor Factory disappeared, and there was no secondary damage from a self-destruct.

“The power… is immense.” Lin Jinyu took a deep breath. After saying this, she immediately looked at Wen Yuncheng and said solemnly, “Promise me, you’ll wait until you’re a Star Emperor before you even think about that Dragon King mission, alright?”

“…Ah, okay. Alright.” Wen Yuncheng was still a bit slow to react, but she soon realized that Lin Jinyu was afraid she would get carried away. Clearly… she was still in a state of excitement and hadn’t even had a chance to get arrogant yet.

[If we waited until you got arrogant, it would be too late!]

Wen Yuncheng fell silent for a moment, ultimately refraining from saying something self-incriminating like, “How could I possibly get arrogant?”

“Although the Dragon King gives a lot of experience, I won’t go after it. After all, the Dragon King is definitely on Dragon Island, and Dragon Island is full of dragons, plus it’s the main base for Huanling. As I am now… even though I’m a bit stronger, I still don’t have the confidence to take on eighty or a hundred Star Venerates and Star Emperors by myself…” After seriously considering the feasibility, Wen Yuncheng said this to Lin Jinyu.

“That’s good…”

“But let’s go to a stronghold tomorrow!” The Dragon King could wait, but she didn’t want to let other sources of experience slip by. “Let me see the map…” The main armies of Huanling and Dragon Island were concentrated in the east, but the front lines stretched across many towns. There were also many mountain ranges in the east, and most of the strongholds were demarcated by the mountain ranges in the outskirts.

Soldier against soldier, general against general. Logically, if the Empire deployed all its forces, it could probably fight Dragon Island to a standstill with mutual destruction, perhaps even coming out slightly ahead.

Now that Dragon Island was cooperating with Huanling, the Empire should have been completely outmatched. But it was clear that Dragon Island was unwilling to suffer too many casualties, so they hadn’t dispatched a particularly large number of dragons. The main force in the stronghold battles consisted of Huanling’s army and generals. This was one of the reasons the Empire was able to maintain a stalemate and avoid being pushed back step by step.

Neither Huanling nor Dragon Island was going all out.

As for whether the Empire was going all out? Wen Yuncheng thought about it seriously. Most of the Empire’s hidden cards had already been revealed. The hidden half-step Star Saint seniors had come out of seclusion, and those reclusive Star Emperors had also made appearances. If the Empire had any other hidden strength… it was probably that unlucky Star Saint?

But it didn’t matter. Wen Yuncheng thought with immense confidence that soon, she and Lin Jinyu would become the Empire’s secret weapons! The kind that were invincible!

Once she went to the battlefield, steamrolled some cannon fodder, and reaped a wave of experience, the Empire would probably arrange for her to receive its most treasured Heaven-rank Spirit Treasures, right? Wen Yuncheng thought gleefully, feeling that she was truly living out a Long Aotian growth script. It was indeed a comfortable life.

[…] 1947 glanced at the new Long Aotian growth manual it had bought and really wanted to say that this wasn’t a script. But in the end, the old father didn’t say anything. Forget it, it was good for the kid to think this way. At least if she believed in her heart that she was a “Long Aotian,” then she was.

There was no rule that there were only a few types of Long Aotian. A Long Aotian like his kid was pretty good too!

The old father had a flash of inspiration, opened up his backend interface, and started writing The New Long Aotian Growth Manual—How to Cultivate a Unique Long Aotian.

Hmm, first, you have to encounter a spatio-temporal turbulence, then unfortunately crash, smash into an unremarkable Child of the Plane, and then bind to THEM!

After contacting a Protector with her communication stone to ask which town Grandpa Lin was in, Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu rested for a night before heading to that town the next day.

The town closest to the war zone was called “Zihua Town.” It was said that the town was named this because small purple flowers covered the mountains and fields outside the town all year round.

However, because this area had become a war zone, let alone small purple flowers, it was now difficult to even see lush greenery in the outskirts of the town.

The residents of Zihua Town had all been arranged by the Empire to relocate to other towns, leaving behind only a few stubborn elderly people. These people’s ancestors had lived here for generations, and they refused to leave no matter what, insisting they would die here if they had to. The Empire was helpless and couldn’t force them. Since the war zone wasn’t inside the town anyway, they let it be.

Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu landed outside the town. The purple flowers that had once decorated the town walls were now completely withered, shriveled into clumps hanging on the walls, adding to the sense of desolation. Clearly, Zihua Town had once been a great spot for tourists to visit.

Wen Yuncheng didn’t dwell on sentiment. She and Lin Jinyu quickly entered the town. It was the height of a fierce battle. They passed through Zihua Town and exited through another gate, where they saw Star Emperors, giant dragons, and Huanling generals locked in a fierce battle in the sky above the outskirts. The scene was very familiar.

Wen Yuncheng’s eyes narrowed. “That… that big white… four-tailed fox in the sky, is that Xiao Shi’er?” The aura felt a bit familiar.

Lin Jinyu sensed the aura for a moment, then saw the Celestial Fox King fiercely battling a giant dragon and nodded. “Yes, the Celestial Fox King is over there.”

“Xiao Shi’er grew another tail.” Wen Yuncheng remarked with emotion. As expected, a fox had to be taught by another fox. The Celestial Fox King had only been with Xiao Shi’er for a short time, yet she had already improved so much. She already had four tails.