On an evening awash with crimson clouds, the Stellar-grade mech weapon Rainbow Rain was completed. Baisha, donning protective goggles, ran final tests in the workshop, then meticulously polished and painted the weapon, locking it reverently in a large metal case. Stripping off her gear, she summoned a cargo bot to haul the case back to her dormitory in Luoyan District.
Cen Yuehuai, perched on the balcony, spotted Baisha from afar and waved enthusiastically, tiptoeing. Baisha waved back, signaling her to come downstairs and see the new weapon.
The case was brought into the living room. Cen, brimming with excitement, got Baisha's nod and opened it herself. Inside lay a transformable crossbow, nearly as tall as a person. Its arced bow resembled twin silver fish-tail blades, tapering elegantly from the center, with faint golden grooves etched along the edges. The upper and lower blades joined in a scissor-like hinge, anchored by two circular clasps adorned with emerald gems.
Cen sensed Rainbow Rain had evolved subtly from its virtual form.
"It has three modes now," Baisha explained. "Long-range, dual-curved sword, and close-range. Long-range mode fires three arrow types: flame, frost, and mist-rain. The dual-curved sword mode is your familiar mandarin duck axes, optimized for melee—I added a special metal structure that can turn invisible during use; you'll see it in action. As for close-range…"
Cen's eyes widened. "A crossbow for close combat?"
Crossbows thrived at distance; closing with an enemy—or being closed on—was risky.
"Close-range means hidden weapons," Baisha said, raising a brow. "Think storm needles or micro-explosive projectiles."
Cen blinked. Hidden weapons? Yet Baisha's foresight reassured her. Who could predict battlefield chaos? An extra layer of protection was invaluable.
"With your speed, Rainbow Rain is perfect," Baisha said. "Move fast, strike unpredictably, and pair it with the weapon's tricks—you'll catch foes off guard."
Cen's eyes sparkled, her heart racing. She itched to test it at the training field. Then, as if struck by a thought, she asked, "Your Highness, how much is it? I'll transfer the funds now!"
Baisha blinked. "Given our friendship… let's call it even. I got the materials at Association wholesale prices, and I'll waive labor costs. It's about six million. You're tight on funds, and you'll need money later—keep it."
Cen pressed, "How many million exactly?"
Baisha, resigned, showed her the material list: 6.74 million credits. Cen gaped. "Who rounds down like that?"
"You can't pay it anyway," Baisha said, waving it off.
Her royal stipend was generous, but not limitless. Her real wealth came from two gem mines her uncle had transferred to her name. She'd once checked their revenue with the agent—6.74 million was less than a day's profit.
"Your Highness, even if you're generous enough to cover labor, I can't let you lose money," Cen said firmly, transferring three million. "Here's half. The rest is a debt I'll repay before graduation."
For the pre-runaway Cen, this was no small sum, but Baisha trusted her resolve. If Cen promised to repay, she'd find a way.
"Don't strain yourself," Baisha said, softening. "Keep excelling, win first-class scholarships for two years, and you'll cover it."
Cen nodded, smiling. "That's my plan."
She glanced down, tinkering with her holodevice. Baisha peeked and saw Cen open a chat with Sino, firing off a string of "hahaha"s.
[Cen Yuehuai: Got the weapon Her Highness designed! It's awesome, incredible—I'm the luckiest mech pilot ever!]
[Cen Yuehuai: Tomorrow, I'll bring it to the field to blow your mind~]
Her glee practically leapt off the screen. Sino's reply, marked read, dripped with mock resentment:
[You're gloating after getting a deal. Why'd you get Her Highness's weapon first? Three reasons: One, you're weaker than me. Two, you're weaker than me. Three, you're weaker than me.]
Cen's cheek twitched, her mouth nearly twisting in irritation.
The next day, Cen, armed with Rainbow Rain, faced Sino on the training field. At the start, she backflipped her mech, creating distance. Sino pursued, slashing with a long blade, forcing Cen to unleash Rainbow Rain's second form—dual-curved swords—to parry.
The blades clashed, scraping with a screech. Sino's strength overwhelmed; Cen, gritting her teeth, spun midair, deflecting his blade with centrifugal force. Her swords twirled, merging back into a crossbow. Pressing a black lever, she unleashed a flurry of electrified needles at Sino.
Sino raised an eyebrow, blocking the barrage with his blade. Cen seized the moment, widening the gap. Soaring skyward, she fired four arrows in unison, whistling toward Sino. He snapped his head up, swinging a chain-blade in a wide arc, snapping the arrows—only for them to burst into white ice crystals, forming a pale mist that shrouded his mech.
The mist-rain arrow.
Cen smirked, her weapon morphing again. Wielding dual swords, she cranked her engines and dove into the fog. Their blades clashed, but both disengaged instantly. Cen's attacks accelerated—she struck relentlessly, shifting angles and stances to harass Sino, heedless of landing hits.
The terrifying part? Sino couldn't see her swords.
While Cen's mech flickered in the mist, her blades were fully invisible. The fog churned, frosting the ground and Sino's blade with pale blue ice, dulling its gleam. His blade's icy outline stood stark in the white haze, but Rainbow Rain remained unseen.
A faint whoosh—air sliced somewhere nearby. Sino looked up, slashing diagonally, then kicked skyward. Cen was hurled from the mist, rolling meters before steadying herself.
"My swords were invisible," she said, incredulous. "How'd you know?"
Sino stood calmly. "Instinct."
"I know your patterns and likely attack angles," he said. "It's not a sure bet, but mental energy boosts my odds."
Sino wasn't just intuitive—he was analytical, dissecting opponents' moves with precision. Only the initial needle barrage had surprised him; the rest stayed within his predictions.
Cen flopped onto her back, deflated. "I'm done. No point—I can't beat you."
Their gap stemmed from experience.
"Giving up already?" Sino teased. "After all Her Highness invested in you?" He flashed Baisha a grin. "Your Highness, Cen's got her custom weapon. My turn next?"
Baisha laughed. "I've been thinking about it and have some ideas."
Another Stellar-grade weapon would elevate her to high-level mechsmith. But the four-academy selection loomed.
"I'll draft the blueprint," she told Sino. "We'll tweak it during the competition."