“I... well, I don't think that's necessary.”
It was now one day after Lan Qingyou had been blocked by the four ancients. At this moment, she was expressing her reservations in the group chat.
Chariot: “Why? Tell me why!”
High Priestess: “Exactly! The entire group spent a whole day customizing this thing for you.”
The Sun: “I hope you aren't being ungrateful.”
Although The Sun had only recently joined Tarot Villa, he had already become one of the group’s three most active troublemakers alongside Chariot and the High Priestess.
Upon hearing that Lan Qingyou intended to refuse, they immediately launched a verbal assault.
Even the others who had participated in building the ‘decisive weapon’ were dissatisfied with Lan Qingyou’s attempt to bail.
The Star: “I think it’s worth a try.”
Magician: “It’s not like it’ll cost you a limb.”
Wheel of Fortune: “You wouldn't want to let everyone down, would you?”
High Priestess: “After all, didn't this whole thing start because The Tower wanted to take down those four ancients blocking her path?”
Death: “I'm envious. I wish everyone would help me make one too.”
Chariot: “Forget it. This one unit alone consumed all our resources. Even if we wanted to make another, we’d have to wait a few months for our supplies to replenish.”
Death: “Then never mind. I’m too lazy to wait.”
The Tower: “How about you come do it then, Death?”
Death: “I’d love to, but I’m not there. Such a shame.”
“...”
Watching them egg her on, Lan Qingyou was left utterly speechless. But there was no helping it; as they said, this thing was a masterpiece created from the collective strengths of the entire group.
It could be called the crystallization of all the wisdom currently within Tarot Villa. Even Chu Yuan, who rarely got involved in such matters, had coordinated with the merchant Shang Chuan to dispatch a massive amount of materials once he heard about it.
In his words, this was a form of ‘team building’ without having to leave home.
Furthermore, he wanted to see the strength of a collection of Tarot Villa’s current research results.
Having woken up before dawn today, he had naturally seen the discussion about ‘world-class’ entities in the group. If they could defeat an S-grade monster, it would prove the necessity of this villa.
It would also prove that Blue Star people could take the magic technology of the Kalim continent, make it their own, and even improve upon it.
This was very important for him as a council member.
This was a political achievement—one that could propel him to the pinnacle of the Supreme Council.
It was precisely for this reason that he had given his full support when the villa members spontaneously organized this ‘team building’ exercise.
For the sake of this project, never mind Chariot and the others—even he, a council member, had mobilized nearly all the resources at his disposal.
No one was a saint; everyone had their own needs and dreams, didn't they?
Back with Lan Qingyou, she put down her card and looked up at the behemoth before her.
It was a metallic beast composed mostly of minerals like steel and Orichalcum. Its interior was engraved with magic circuits, runes, and enchantments, and it was powered by over a thousand mana crystals and Soul Crystals. Its surface was plated with Thorium ore, and various rune stones and magic stones were adorned as external armor. It was armed with sharp claws, a thick tail, and floating cannons.
Anyone who had seen Godzilla before would find the appearance of this metallic beast familiar.
Indeed.
It was an existence similar to that.
As for the name, it had been given by the project leader, Chariot—【Steel-grath】.
Lan Qingyou found it very strange. She had participated in every step of the process; she had even personally engraved the magic circuits inside Steel-grath one by one.
She had also made those laser weapons herself.
How had the finished product turned into this?
She had studied Basic Mechanics and Design, after all. Even without a blueprint, she shouldn't have failed to see where this was going.
Yet she really hadn't noticed that the end result would be a steel monster.
Could it be Chariot’s talent at work?
She couldn't figure it out, truly.
Hierophant: “Everyone, the food is ready.”
Justice: “Let’s toast to the Witch’s departure!”
Chariot: “Oh! Fine food! Fine wine! This is the source of the power people pursue.”
Death: “True.”
High Priestess: “Let us raise our glasses!”
At that moment, Gu Xiaobei and Riesling popped out, one distributing food and the other distributing wine.
They looked as if they were holding a send-off ceremony for Lan Qingyou, which only made her more speechless.
These bastards were actually pulling this stunt at a time like this.
The key was that everyone else had unanimously ‘raised their glasses,’ so Lan Qingyou had no choice but to do the same.
The Tower: “Cheers!”
The Sun: “Cheers!”
The Star: “Cheers!”
Then, they drank it all in one go.
Since there were many girls in the group, Righteousness had brought out a low-alcohol orange wine.
The taste was quite good; even Lan Qingyou, who rarely drank, didn't find it harsh.
After finishing her drink, Lan Qingyou began to scarf down the sweet and sour pork tenderloin and cold shredded sea fish that Gu Xiaobei had brought.
Though the fruit wine was sweet, food always came first.
Moreover, Lan Qingyou was about to go into battle, so she naturally needed to eat her fill. Who knew how long the fight would last?
For this reason, she even had Gu Xiaobei prepare several extra portions of sweet and sour pork tenderloin.
She was preparing for a prolonged battle.
“Well then, let’s begin.”
After storing the hundred-meter-tall Steel-grath into a card, Lan Qingyou put on a backpack that had two hollow openings at the bottom.
This was a leather flight backpack, and inside it were two small thrusters.
The Star and Chariot had made it for her in their spare time after hearing that the ancients possessed magic that could make wood regrow.
This way, the Ancient of Knowledge’s magic would have no effect on Lan Qingyou.
Although Lan Qingyou had several other thrusters, those had been modified from Magic Brooms and weren't suitable for her current needs.
To evade the enemy's magic, they had come up with this device.
One had to admit, the flight backpack was very convenient; gear shifting could be done directly on the straps.
However, as a witch, Lan Qingyou didn't like these ‘unorthodox’ gimmicks, and the straps chafed a bit.
As expected, sitting on a Magic Broom was much better.
To put it bluntly, she just enjoyed her comfort.
Wearing something on her back was nowhere near as comfortable as sitting down.
Lan Qingyou scooped up Steel Wool and Spoon, tucked them into her robe, and flew toward the exit.
This time, she didn't tell the two little ones to wait. After her previous experience, she felt they might actually be able to lend a hand at a critical moment.
Even though Spoon’s mental magic might not necessarily work on these ancients.
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