Chapter 524: Alas, the Eastern University Boasts a Gundam

Ji Ming is a respectful‑to‑the‑elderly person, and he really can't bear to trouble the already scarce hair of these old folks.

He lets out a light cough, indicating that he has been studying alchemy lately and greatly needs high‑quality magic crystals as consumables.

So, following the scent… ah no, after hearing the rumor he arrived.

Uh.

The old men finally managed to grasp a clue to the case and tentatively asked.

"Divine Chosen Sir, does your sect… the Church… not need high‑quality magic crystals?"

In return came Divine Chosen Sir's clear gaze.

"Oh dear, that's definitely needed, but I haven't discussed it with them, so I don't know the quantity for now."

Now, all the players around turned into sweaty soybeans.

—Ah, I said it was a huge matter, turns out it's just a personal name!

But Divine Chosen Sir is also a well‑known good person; even if we can't get the Church's olive branch, we can still try to win over Divine Chosen Sir.

Moreover, as an expensive mineral, the YangYueExternalAffairsBureau has no reason not to take a portion to exchange for liquid capital, to fill the gap in operational funds.

So, in any case it must be sold; if we can also boost the favor of some important NPCs and make more valuable friends…

Director Zhao: I have no objection!

After a quiet discussion, they offered a reasonable price based on the production region, and Ji Ming bought about seven or eight boxes.

"Hmm? This figure…"

But Ji Ming is still price‑sensitive, so he secretly opened the Player Forum and checked the current market price of high‑purity magic crystals in Qixia City.

He discovered, oh dear, that after stacking several strong buffs—【Long Distance】, 【Scarcity Increases Value】, 【Seller's Market】, 【Sellout Family Lives in Darkness】, 【Love to Buy, Not to Buy, Get Lost】—the lowest price was still ten times the current ones!

In other words, as long as he drags these boxes to Qixia City, Ji Ming can easily earn at least nine times the profit!

Alright, let's start the analysis!

Known: I have a Pegasus, and there's a way for players here to obtain goods.

Also known: I have a pass that lets me move freely on the Sacred Mountain, and several Royal Capital nobles are eager to hand me their sales channels.

Thus, based on rough calculation, riding the Pegasus north would take about three days, maybe as short as two at best, so…

【???】

Wrong!

【Ah, that's a relief, you scared me】

I have a teleportation array!

【!!!】

So as long as the teleportation array is anchored in the Royal Capital, and we use all our power to transport the high‑purity magic crystals here to the dungeon entrance, we can save a huge amount of transport time and achieve a…

【Stop, stop, stop!】

【Savior, what chaotic scheme are you suddenly plotting!】

"Ah?"

Ji Ming only then realized that he too had been tempted by the huge profit, almost becoming a new sellout.

—Whoa, human desire! So terrifying!

He quickly reined in this yearning for progress, forced himself not to think about it any more, and only then regained normal reasoning ability.

Since the magic crystal deal was already concluded, and he could not make any promises on behalf of the Church to the External Affairs Bureau, the two parties ended the meeting.

After thanking the Pioneers for their hospitality, Ji Ming then mentioned he had a friend here and asked whether they could tell him a bit about her whereabouts.

"Hmm, to accelerate development, we indeed have many local YangYue employees here; I'm not sure what you're asking… oh, it's her, yes."

However this time Ji Ming didn't ride the Pegasus; instead he accepted the External Affairs Bureau's invitation, went to the station, and tried the specialty of the 'Barbarian Minefield'.

Since the players have already built battle‑ready tanks, just swapping a shell for the engine would naturally allow other vehicle types to be assembled.

Although these are essentially tractors and the riding experience is certainly poor, in special times special measures, using them to haul people and cargo and speed up logistics is definitely fine.

For example, this personnel carrier that looks like a bus has already become an essential transport for miners shuttling quickly between the various mine shafts and factories.

The road was smooth and the vehicle ran well; following the newly opened straight road westward, Ji Ming soon arrived at a fairly spacious valley.

But strangely, aside from the normal outer buildings, thick bunkers, and the raised defensive arrangements…

Within the valley, along the gentle slope, several structures thirty meters tall, entirely steel‑supported and covered with military‑green camouflage, were erected.

"Could it be…"

Ji Ming felt a stir in his heart, his mouth involuntarily curving like a dragon king, probably guessing what secret weapon was being developed here.

Sure enough, when the security staff opened the doors, under soft lighting several towering, iron‑giant‑like mechanical creations came into view.

Anyone who sees such things would feel their heart surge, especially since these were made here.

Thus, the attendant beside Ji Ming stepped forward with a ceremonial air and gave a sharp salute.

"Divine Chosen Sir! Please allow us to solemnly present the YangYueExternalAffairsBureau's latest masterpiece, the Magic‑Powered Mech!"

The mech is indeed a mech; each humanoid mech stands nearly twenty meters tall, its solemn demeanor like the gods of a temple's sacrificial incense.

Recalling past hardships and sweet times, Ji Ming couldn't help remembering the first‑generation armor that AdaiEr brought him to Sunlight City.

Although the first time he saw it it made him drool, he was excited all night touching the arm‑plate.

But viewed objectively, that thing is merely a cobbled‑together experimental product.

Calling it an exoskeleton, its multi‑meter height is too large; calling it a mech, its wearing logic is more like armor, and its structural load‑bearing capacity is truly worrisome.

In short, it can't go up, can't come down, it's just stuck here.

Moreover, when it first appeared to save Ji Ming it broke an arm; after a hasty repair it immediately went into the Sunlight City battle, force‑adding many components.

Now it's turned from a magical style into a patchwork wasteland‑style armor, perfectly suitable as a player vehicle in 'Fallout'.

What? There's already a mod for it.

That's fine now.

Unlike the first generation that endured countless hardships, these large mechanical constructs that were intended for mechas from the beginning belong to the YangYueExternalAffairsBureau, or, put another way, were developed from scratch by Huaxia.

Thus their forms are extremely balanced, their designs highly rational, with smooth surfaces that flash with a cold gleam, and exquisitely clever linkage mechanisms, perfectly embodying the notion that looks are combat power.

So in Ji Ming's mind, that long‑circulating internet meme immediately popped up.

—Family, this time we really have a Gundam!

And there's something even more important.

—This looks far better than that stupid thing Netflix designed!

Unfortunately it's crowded here, and Ji Ming can't go berserk, so he suppresses his urge to jump up, turns his head and asks, "Sir, these magical mechas—do they have names?"

The accompanying staff nods.

"Yes! They are the first‑generation manned mechas independently developed by our YangYueExternalAffairsBureau, code‑named 'Pioneer'!"

Ji Ming subconsciously wants to ask whether the first generation mecha from EastJapan should be called Asimo?

But on second thought, never mind the magical mechas; even the immortals are struggling to understand robots, so he decides to quickly consider whether the Mind‑Spirit project has any chance of revival (sigh).

Moreover, asking such an Earth‑centric question in his role as the Chosen One would be inappropriate, so he simply offers praise.

"Not bad, you Pioneers, you always manage to give me something new!"

"Ah, it's not just our effort; many local friends from YangYue have also helped us…"

He answered with a nod, and Ji Ming continued deeper into the maintenance area, where in a large shed he found five identical mechas standing side by side.

It seems that the 'Pioneer'—even without entering mass production—has already left the experimental stage and can begin batch production for deployment.

Imagine, after summer passes, the werewolves gather superior forces and finally launch a full‑scale assault on the barbarian plains, and countless Iron Titans emerge from the forest.

—"You call yourself the ruler of the grasslands, huh? Let me see if you're good at singing and dancing!"

But the fifth mecha, located deepest, appears to have just left the factory and is still in the optimization, debugging, and break‑in stage.

Therefore many of its armor plates have been removed or opened, exposing the internal mechanisms for maintenance crews.

For a hardcore iron enthusiast like Ji Ming, this thing is even more dazzling than a supermodel's drum skin! He was so mesmerized he could barely move.

But since the interior is being opened for optimization, many professionals are naturally bustling up and down the passage, including a figure in pale gold.

Ji Ming stood below, watching silently, until she noticed someone looking at her.

"Doc… doctor?"

AdaiEr, excited, leapt down from a few meters up; Ji Ming startled and quickly reached out to catch her.

But his hand was a beat too slow, he didn't catch her and accidentally bumped her, causing her to fall and die on the spot.

……

Alright, never mind, Ji Ming's speed is still great; with a Great Teleportation he planted her in the ground like a radish.

He adjusted his breathing and demanded.

"AdaiEr, are you really that worked up? Why did you try to jump off as soon as you saw me?"

AdaiEr had thought she'd get a hug, was ready to enjoy it, but when she opened her eyes she found herself standing unharmed on the ground.

She could only be at a loss.

"…No, no, it's not that—I slipped…"

But she thought inside.

Damn it, I knew those Earth TV dramas were lies!

But this is a work area; Ji Ming can't chat familiarly in front of everyone, so he took AdaiEr to a deserted corner of the maintenance platform.

Even though before arriving he swore solemnly to give this wayward, unfilial disciple a severe beating.

But now that they actually meet, how could he possibly bring himself to do it?

He frowned for a long while, then could only ask a single sentence.

"I thought you'd die of exhaustion and go to the dungeon; why did you run off so far alone?"

AdaiEr hesitated briefly, speaking softly.

"You also ran alone to the Royal Capital, a far place, and didn't even send a sealed letter back."

Those words left Ji Ming silent, his mind racing.

—How should he answer?

Option A: "But I wasn't alone; I went with Father Eleanor and Archbishop Tenice."

Estimated reply: "Is that so? Then why didn't you bring me along—am I, a student, less close than a colleague?"

Result of simulation: Failure; becomes a selfish, unprincipled bad teacher, a scoundrel only thinking of freeloading.

Option B: "I am your teacher, a fully capable adult; you shouldn't have to worry about me, right?"

Estimated reply: "Is that so? Then it's my fault as a student, daring to worry about you…"

Result: Failure; becomes a cheap‑hearted bad teacher, losing all right to explain, defenseless.

Option C: "Is that comparable? You little brat dare…"

Estimated reply…

Alright, that option doesn't exist; Ji Ming, having suffered family hardships, can't do such a despicable thing.

—So it's over; this seems like a dead‑end with no answer!

And regardless, silence itself is already a concession.

So AdaiEr immediately took the floor, like a Roman shield wall, beginning to press Ji Ming's mental defenses step by step.

"I've long heard that Guanghui Capital is a huge dye vat; no matter how high a bird flies, it will be dragged by all kinds of desire into the mud pit, never to escape."

"At first I didn't believe it, at least you! My most respected teacher, such a good person who saved the heroes of Sunlight City, surely you wouldn't be tainted by those things, right?"

"But I kept going to Ms. Buluowa, asking if the doctor had sent a letter, if anyone had been sent to report safety; each time there was none! In that situation, huh? How could you expect me not to worry!"

——Oh no, this is a high-end game!

Ji Ming almost forgot that, although they both bore much, but Ailinuo had not received proper noble education before; only recently did they start to catch up.

While Aurora's mind is very smart, the constraints of her ill body and lack of time have deprived this genius of time to grow, and her level is also very low.

But AdaiEr, when she used to go to school, was a smart-and-brave school tyrant assassin; no matter how many green-tea girls there were, she could seize them in an instant and refine them.

If it weren't for her family being dragged into the royal faction struggle and wiped out by the Third Prince, relying on her magitech armor, she might have been able to lead Wind String to become a true power-holding nobility, rather than being a vassal of the big shots.

Even so, she alone fled millions of miles, while shaking off the Third Prince's pursuers, she successfully got a foothold in Old Sunshine City, a place that devours people and doesn't spit out bones.

So this little sister who debuted in the Novice Village may look like a country girl, but she might actually be the highest-ranked young lady Ji Ming knows.

A little carelessness, and one will be bound by her intricate rhetoric in a prison called guilt, being firmly grasped by others.

Just like now.