Chapter 170: Steel Grass

"This... um, I really don't think that's necessary."

It was one day after Lan Qingyou had her path blocked by the four ancient trees.

At this moment, Lan Qingyou was sharing her thoughts in the group chat.

Chariot: "Why? Tell me why!"

High Priestess: "Exactly! This is something our entire group spent a whole day custom-making just for you."

The Sun: "I hope you know what's good for you."

Even though The Sun had only recently joined Tarot Manor, he had already teamed up with Chariot and High Priestess to become the three biggest troublemakers in the group.

Upon hearing that Lan Qingyou intended to refuse, they immediately launched a barrage of verbal attacks.

Even the other members who had participated in forging the decisive battle weapon felt dissatisfied with Lan Qingyou's attempt to wash her hands of the matter.

The Magician: "It's not like you have anything to lose."

Wheel of Fortune: "You wouldn't let everyone down, would you?"

High Priestess: "When it comes down to it, didn't this whole thing start because The Tower wanted to destroy those four ancient trees that ambushed you?"

Death: "I'm so jealous. I wish you guys would build one for me too."

Chariot: "Give it a rest. Just building this single unit drained all our resources. Even if we wanted to make another, we'd need at least a few months to stockpile enough materials."

Death: "Never mind then. I can't be bothered to wait."

The Tower: "Why don't you take it then, Death?"

Death: "I'd love to, but unfortunately I'm not where you are. Such a shame."

"..."

Watching everyone pile on, Lan Qingyou felt utterly speechless. However, there was nothing she could do. Just as they said, this contraption was crafted by pooling everyone's expertise.

It could be considered the culmination of all the wisdom currently present in Tarot Manor. Even Chu Yuan, who rarely intervened in such matters, collaborated with the merchant Shang Chuan to heavily mobilize resources for its construction after hearing about it.

In his own words, this was meant to be an indoor team-building exercise.

Moreover, he also wanted to test the combined strength of Tarot Manor's latest research developments.

Having woken up before dawn today, he had naturally seen the group's discussions about world-class threats. Putting aside other matters, if they could defeat an S-rank monster, it would definitively prove the necessity of this manor.

It would also prove that Blue Star Earthlings were capable of not only adapting the magic technology of the Kalim Continent for their own use but also improving upon it.

For a council member like him, this point was incredibly important.

Because this would serve as his political achievement, one that could elevate him to the absolute pinnacle of the Supreme Council.

That was exactly why he had provided such massive support when the manor members spontaneously organized this team-building project.

To build this contraption, forget about individuals like Chariot; even a council member like him had utilized nearly every resource at his disposal.

No one was a saint. Everyone had their own unique needs and dreams, didn't they?

Back on Lan Qingyou's side, after lowering the Card in her hand, she looked up at the colossal behemoth standing before her.

It was a steel monster composed mostly of steel, Orichalcum, and other minerals. Its interior was intricately engraved with Magic Circuits, Runes, and enchantments, powered by thousands of Magic Crystals and Soul Crystals. The surface was heavily plated with Thorium Ore, augmented by various Rune Stones and magic stones forming its external armor. Its arsenal featured razor-sharp claws, a massive, sturdy tail, and automated Funnels.

Anyone who had seen Godzilla in the past would definitely recognize the appearance of this mechanical beast.

That's right.

It was exactly that kind of existence.

As for its name, Chariot, the project leader, had dubbed it: Steel Grass.

Lan Qingyou found it incredibly bizarre. She had personally participated in every single step. She had even meticulously engraved the Magic Circuits inside Steel Grass line by line.

She had also built those laser weapons herself.

So how did the finished product end up looking like this?

She had studied basic mechanics and design, after all. Even without a blueprint, she shouldn't have been this oblivious.

Yet somehow, she had completely failed to realize that the final result would be a mechanical monster?

'Could that guy Chariot's talent be messing with things?'

She couldn't figure it out. She honestly had no idea.

Emperor: "Everyone, the food is ready."

Justice: "Let us toast to the Witch's deployment!"

Chariot: "Oh! Good food! Fine wine! This is the true source of mankind's pursuit of power."

Death: "Indeed."

High Priestess: "Let us raise our glasses!"

At that moment, Gu Xiaobei and Riesling popped out, one distributing food, the other pouring fine wine.

They looked exactly like they were throwing a farewell party for Lan Qingyou, which left her even more speechless.

'These jerks... pulling something like this at such a critical moment.'

The main issue was that everyone else uniformly raised their glasses. Left with no other choice, Lan Qingyou had to lift hers as well.

The Tower: "Cheers!"

The Sun: "Cheers!"

The Star: "Cheers!"

Then, she downed the drink in one gulp.

Since there were quite a few girls in the group, Justice had thoughtfully brought out a low-alcohol tangerine wine this time.

The taste was actually quite nice. At the very least, a light drinker like Lan Qingyou didn't find it overwhelming.

It really was a pleasant flavor, smooth enough that even someone who rarely drank like Lan Qingyou didn't feel any burn in her throat.

After finishing the wine, Lan Qingyou began to dig into the sweet and sour pork tenderloin and the cold shredded sea fish salad that Gu Xiaobei had prepared.

While the fruit wine was sweet and aromatic, food would always be her number one priority.

Furthermore, since Lan Qingyou was about to deploy, she naturally needed to eat her fill. After all, heaven only knew how long the upcoming battle would last.

For that reason, Lan Qingyou even had Gu Xiaobei prepare several extra portions of sweet and sour pork tenderloin for her.

It was all to prepare for a prolonged fight.

"Alright then, let's begin."

After storing the hundred-meter-tall Steel Grass into her Card, Lan Qingyou took out a backpack with two hollow openings at the bottom and strapped it on.

It was a leather flight backpack, and housed inside the pack were two miniature Thrusters.

The Star and Chariot had built it for Lan Qingyou during their free time after hearing that the ancient trees possessed magic capable of making wood regrow.

This way, the magic of the ancient trees of knowledge wouldn't affect Lan Qingyou.

Even though Lan Qingyou still had several Thrusters on hand, those had been modified specifically for the Magic Broom and were completely unsuitable for her current needs.

They had come up with this contraption precisely to evade the enemy's magic.

But admittedly, the flight backpack was extremely convenient. Shifting gears only required a simple adjustment on the shoulder straps.

However, as a Witch, Lan Qingyou didn't like this kind of unorthodox gadget, not to mention that wearing it on her back caused the straps to dig in painfully.

As expected, sitting on a Magic Broom was far superior.

To put it bluntly, she just preferred comfort.

How could carrying something on your back ever be as comfortable as sitting?

Lan Qingyou scooped up Steel Wool and Little Spoon, stuffed them into her embrace, and flew outside.

This time, she didn't tell the two little guys to stay behind and wait. After all, based on her previous experiences, Lan Qingyou felt that they might actually be able to lend a hand at a critical moment.

Though to be fair, Little Spoon's Spirit magic wouldn't necessarily work on those ancient trees.