Late at night,
On the top floor of the Star Picking Tower,
An old man with white hair and eyebrows, but full of energy, lay swaying leisurely in a rattan chair with his eyes closed. He looked like an ordinary retired old man, but he was Shen Potian, the City Lord of Mech City.
Beside Shen Potian was a stone table with a tea set on it. Next to the stone table was a stove, boiling a pot of tea.
"Yaoyao is back~"
Suddenly, Shen Potian opened his eyes and looked towards the dark wall behind him.
"I clearly didn't make a sound, and I held my breath!"
A somewhat dejected female voice sounded, and then a young girl in a green grass long skirt with scattered water mist walked out. It was Shen YunYao.
"Yaoyao, one doesn't necessarily need eyes to recognize people and things~"
Shen Potian sat up and looked at Shen YunYao with a smile.
Shen YunYao stuck out her tongue, with a hint of playfulness and coquettishness.
Then, she walked up to Shen Potian and sat on another rattan chair, gently swinging her legs, looking like she was in a good mood.
"Yaoyao, did you send that young man named Ye Feng back?"
As he spoke, Shen Potian picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for himself and Shen YunYao.
"Mhm mhm!"
Shen YunYao nodded, "As you predicted, the journey was indeed not peaceful. It was a Silver-level mercenary, Pangolin Jia and Leopard Print Zheng!"
"Did you take care of them?"
Shen Potian was not surprised by this at all. He took a sip of tea and spoke again.
"No!~"
Shen YunYao picked up her teacup, drank it down in one go, and poured herself another cup. "I didn't even get a chance to make a move. Pangolin Jia and Leopard Print Zheng were killed by Ye Feng!"
"Killed? Did that young man Ye Feng hide his strength? The arcane energy fluctuation he emitted was only Steel-level!"
As he spoke, Shen Potian's hand flashed, and a box of chestnut cakes appeared on the stone table.
Seeing this, Shen YunYao's eyes lit up, and she immediately picked one up, enjoying it happily with her tea.
"I'm not too sure... He never used arcane energy from beginning to end. He completely relied on his physical strength to kill Pangolin Jia and Leopard Print Zheng!"
Shen YunYao replied while eating happily.
"Only with physical strength?"
Hearing this, Shen Potian, who was originally as calm as a still well, finally showed a hint of surprise.
"Mhm mhm!"
Shen YunYao nodded, "I was very surprised at the time, after all, even people of the same Silver level wouldn't necessarily have an easy time dealing with Pangolin Jia's defense!"
"Is that so...?"
Shen Potian frowned slightly and looked up at the starry night sky, lost in thought.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry, I've disappointed you!"
"The Wang family... The Yu family... Energy Devouring Beasts... the zombie tides that occasionally attack... Mech City faces such great crises, yet I..."
At this moment, Shen YunYao's voice, full of guilt, rang out.
From childhood to adulthood, Shen Potian had provided her with ample resources and had not pressured her to go out and explore. He only asked her to study arcane runes, because she had shown talent in arcane runes when she was young...
Although she didn't say it, Shen YunYao knew very well that Shen Potian hoped that she, who had the most research on arcane runes, could solve the problem of the fire seed. However, despite knowing a lot of arcane runes, she was still struggling with repairing the fire seed...
"Silly child!"
Shen Potian gently stroked Shen YunYao's hair and comforted her, "I have never been disappointed in you. On the contrary, if Mech City truly has a future, then it can only be you!"
To Shen YunYao's surprise, Shen Potian spoke again, "As for the crisis you mentioned, it's not a big deal!"
"The ambitious Wang family, although Mech City has a large number of mechs, exceeding ours, they don't have many above the Yellow tier."
"Although the Wang family has been secretly researching mech fire seeds all these years, they lack the most crucial thing. Without the Fire Seed Records, their research will only get them so far."
"The Yu family, who are very close to the Wang family, controls most of the arcane currency in Mech City, seemingly controlling the economic lifeline of Mech City, but I can take it back at any time if I wish."
"The Sun family controls the arcane nguyên thạch (original stone) mines, which are extremely important to Mech City, but their relationship with us is good..."
"As for those Energy Devouring Beasts and zombie tides, with so many mechs, dealing with them is not difficult!"
"The real crisis is the fire seed that is frequently malfunctioning... However, on this matter, Yaoyao, you seem to be putting too much pressure on yourself!"
Having said this, Shen Potian sighed and changed the subject, "Yaoyao, do you know why this building is called the Star Picking Tower?"
"Star Picking Tower? Why?"
Shen YunYao looked at her grandfather with confusion. She had never thought about this question.
Shen Potian did not answer immediately. He quietly looked at the night sky for a while, then his hand flashed, and a dark, metal lump covered in mysterious runes appeared on the ground.
"Grandpa, is this... a fire seed?"
Shen YunYao examined it for a moment, uncertainly.
"Mhm!"
Shen Potian nodded, looking at the fire seed on the ground, his face full of memories.
"To be precise, it's an Earth-tier fire seed!"
After a pause, Shen Potian spoke again.
"What? Earth-tier?"
Hearing Shen Potian's words, Shen YunYao's eyes widened in disbelief.
Although mech fire seeds were graded from Heaven, Earth, Profound, to Yellow from highest to lowest, the highest-grade mechs openly displayed in Mech City were only Profound tier three...
Shen YunYao had guessed that her grandfather might have higher-grade mechs... but she never imagined he would have an Earth-tier one...
She had only heard of mechs of Earth-tier and above; she had never seen one in person or found relevant written records...
"Only the fire seed... no finished mech..."
"And this fire seed is a semi-finished product!"
Seemingly sensing Shen YunYao's confusion, Shen Potian slowly said.
"Semi-finished product?"
Shen YunYao looked at Shen Potian with curiosity and inquiry.
"Mhm!"
Shen Potian nodded and sighed, "This semi-finished Earth-tier fire seed was made by your father when he left. It was also the reason he left Mech City, and the reason why this building is called the Star Picking Tower!"
Shen YunYao did not interrupt, knowing that her grandfather had more to say and was just composing himself.
"Mechs are divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow tiers. With each higher tier, the increase in combat power is astonishing!"
"Mechs exceeding the Profound tier are rarely heard of; many even question their existence..."
"This... The crafting of a Profound-tier mech fire seed... is not on the same level as crafting Yellow-tier and Profound-tier fire seeds..."
"It requires the power of stars!"