Tisiya, having spoken, called the next examinees. When Baisha and Sino Uss took the stage, they pushed Tisiya to genuinely counterattack. Each lasted about ten minutes before Tisiya declared both earned an A.
No one objected. Their combat prowess exceeded the students' expectations.
"Where's the limit for Baisha and Sino Uss?" a student whispered.
"Tisiya didn't hit hers either," another replied. "She's fighting back-to-back."
"Does it take her over five minutes to beat any of us?" the first shot back, glancing at his friend. "Five minutes is no gauntlet."
The gap in mental energy levels was undeniable, but grades weren't solely tied to raw power. Rapid progress could still earn a B+ or A.
Post-midterms, Baisha returned to her dorm, discussing Rainbow Rain's production with Cen Yuehuai. Cen, more financially savvy than Baisha, broke it down. "With a blueprint, you can commission a fabricator to bring it to life. Costs depend on materials and process complexity."
Baisha opened her design software, loading Rainbow Rain's blueprint. The material cost estimator pegged it at roughly ten million credits. "I can optimize materials to cut costs while maintaining durability. The transformation mechanism's the tricky part—labor-intensive."
"I'll cover what I can," Cen said, scratching her head. "Custom weapons are a must, so I borrowed from old friends… but only scraped together seven million."
Despite her runaway status, the Cen family's prestige ensured lenders, hoping to curry favor, extended credit. Including fabrication fees, her budget capped at seven million.
Midterms gave way to a weekend. Instead of returning to Youdu Star, Baisha headed to Jiang Gui's lab, blueprint in tow. She floated the holo-screen before him, grinning. "Dear Professor—care to review my design?"
Jiang Gui raised a brow, casting her a sidelong glance. He'd sworn off students, but months with Baisha had settled them into a natural mentor-student dynamic—though her "Professor" still made his face twitch.
"What's this? Let's see." He peeled off his lab gloves, swiping through the blueprint. After a few minutes, his brow furrowed. "Mediocre."
Baisha's smile froze. She'd spent sleepless nights refining it, but Jiang Gui was a special-grade; her work paled in his eyes.
Then, his cool voice added, "Too mediocre to hit Stellar-grade."
Baisha was speechless. Mech weapons could be rated as part of a mech or standalone. But Stellar-grade? Even special-grades didn't guarantee every piece hit that mark.
"I'm a mid-level mechsmith," she said, waving a hand numbly. "I get that you top-tier folks start at Stellar, but holding me to that—isn't it a bit much?"
Jiang Gui frowned, unyielding. "You've got talent. Why not demand more of yourself? And I don't start at Stellar—I aim for Legendary."
Baisha fell silent. Since age thirty, Jiang Gui had crafted the "Twelve Tones," a series of light, medium, and heavy mechs, all Legendary-grade. Later, he produced two Mythic-grade mechs, national treasures enshrined in the Empire.
"Your blueprint's close to Stellar," he said decisively. "But for a newcomer's weapon to hit that mark, it needs a signature trait. Without it, the Mechsmithing Association might downgrade it."
Was Rainbow Rain's transformation its hook? Hardly—transformable weapons were common. Its design was clever but lacked a distinct personal stamp.
"What do special-grade designs revolve around?" Jiang Gui asked.
Baisha hesitated. "Inspiration?"
"And where does that come from?" He answered, "From the user, for custom mechs, or from unique materials, like our fungal matrix."
Elite pilots had bold styles, letting mechsmiths tailor machines to their flair. But Cen, new to mech combat, lacked a defining edge. Rare materials, meanwhile, were a pipe dream for Baisha.
"I'll lend you my account," Jiang Gui said, tossing her a silver ID card from his desk. "Log into the Association's premium auction site—only high-level mechsmiths can access it. You'll find quality materials and finished components. That's why I'm pushing you for Stellar. Two Stellar designs, and you're a high-level mechsmith, no need for my ID."
Baisha caught the card, scanning its hidden pattern with her holodevice. A golden interface sprang up—the Imperial Mechsmithing Association's internal auction hub, brimming with items, each tagged with designer, current bid, and countdown. Prices were steep but cheaper than public markets—a perk of the insider network.
Baisha plopped into a chair by the experiment table, browsing eagerly. "This looks good." "Want that too." "Ooh, that's novel—how much?"
Jiang Gui sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "Don't grab everything. Pick materials wisely, or you'll just clutter storage."
Baisha, undeterred, placed orders. "My palace has room."
Jiang Gui stared, recalling her royal status. Money wasn't her bottleneck, unlike his penny-pinching early days.
Her scrolling slowed as she added items to a shortlist, lost in thought. Jiang Gui left her to it, sorting experiment data at the console.
An hour later, Baisha hopped up, showing him her list. "Professor, how much for these? Some are still in bidding."
"If you're in a rush, message sellers for their bottom line," he said, glancing at the vendors. "Check their reputations first. Some offer legit materials but gouge prices or have shady sources."
Baisha nodded, using his account to buy two liquid metal batches and coating compounds. For miscellaneous essentials, she contacted Tai Shi Rong back at the dorm, asking her to source reliable suppliers.
Lacking her own workshop, Baisha borrowed Jiang Gui's. He owned four or five, one converted from his dorm—a testament to his obsession with maximizing academy space. His "bedroom" was a mobile sleep pod; when crunching data overnight, he'd stack books from a shelf, cushion them, and crash, waking to resume work. Imperial resilience aside, his grind humbled Baisha.
A week later, her materials arrived. She checked them off, hauling them to Jiang Gui's workshop, then vanished into her project.
Cen, seeing Baisha's frenzy, felt guilty. "Your Highness, you don't have to do this for me—"
"It's not just for you," Baisha said. "A mechsmith who only draws blueprints isn't enough. I need to master fabrication."
Her courses in manufacturing and architecture were theoretical; hands-on work built real expertise. Jiang Gui's high-tech workshop taught her precision control, deepening her mech knowledge and refining her blueprint.
A month later, she showed Jiang Gui the finalized Rainbow Rain blueprint. He nodded approval, and she submitted it to the Association for grading. The verdict came swiftly: Stellar-grade.
Baisha tied the achievement to her virtual alias. On the mid-level mechsmith leaderboard, "LuckyStar" rocketed from obscurity to mid-tier, backed by a Stellar-grade weapon record. Her alias now sat close to her real name's rank.
"LuckyStar" debuted with a Stellar piece; one more would propel her to high-level status. Under her real name, she had the Legendary-grade Thunderflow, but co-designed with special-grades, it didn't count as hers alone. She'd need two Stellar solo works to climb.
She realized why the Association cautioned against pseudonyms—split achievements hindered ranking and fame. Shaking off the thought, she dove back into the workshop, forging Rainbow Rain with laser focus. Flames tempered metal, birthing the weapon from her mind's blueprint.
Youdu Star gleamed with opulence. Radiant lights danced on a translucent silver goblet, its glow rippling across a snow-white tablecloth. Delicate pastel flowers bloomed in metallic glass vases.
The Emperor dined at the head, his movements refined enough for etiquette textbooks, yet his downcast eyes and blank expression chilled the room's ambiance.
His displeasure was palpable.
Wei Li and Marquis Uss, invited to dine, exchanged a glance, sighing silently.
Clink. The Emperor set down his silver fork, its brief chime against porcelain piercing the quiet.
"My niece hasn't returned in a month and a half," he said, brow furrowing. "Is this normal for youths? They go to school, make friends, and forget home?"
He'd indulged her with a dozen cats in the palace, yet they failed to draw her back. A wasted effort.
Marquis Uss, soothingly, said, "Majesty, it's their age. They avoid home for its rules, craving freedom. But home remains their anchor, no question."
"No need to fret," he added. "She'll return once this phase passes."
"How long?" the Emperor asked, raising his glass.
"Four or five years, perhaps," Uss ventured.
The Emperor snorted, tossing the crystal goblet onto the table with measured force.
Wei Li shot Uss a look, interjecting, "Majesty, Her Highness explained she's staying at Tianquan to study under Master Jiang Gui."
Learning from Jiang Gui was a dream for most; Baisha's dedication suggested he might take her as a disciple—a rare honor. Cecil Ronin should be proud.
"It's simple to resolve," Wei Li said. "Build her a mech workshop on Youdu Star."
She'd need one eventually.
Cecil Ronin mused, then nodded. "Done."
Baisha, overhearing via holocall, blinked. "…"
How had she overlooked building a workshop at home?
She leapt from her chair, hopped onto a hoverboard, and sped to the White Tower. Jiang Gui, drafting fungal material reports, heard a tap-tap. Expecting Baisha's chirp pilfering again, he looked up to see her at his window.
He opened it, bemused.
"Professor!" Baisha vaulted inside, eyes alight. "Can you share your workshop's equipment list?"
He'd anticipated this, pulling a prepared list from his holodevice. "Where's your private workshop going?"
A casual question, expecting future collaboration on materials or tools.
Baisha's grin widened, her voice booming, "Youdu Star!"
Jiang Gui paused, squinting suspiciously, reassessing her. Youdu Star—the Emperor's domain. Her resemblance to…
"Professor," Baisha interrupted, rubbing her hands. "My workshop will take time to set up, but Rainbow Rain's final touches can't wait. Your workshop's polisher isn't the latest model, is it? Shall we upgrade the equipment?"
He smirked. "You're paying?"
"Absolutely," she said, beaming. "Call it my apprenticeship fee. Deal?"
Jiang Gui stared, suddenly regretting this "student." =_=