This was a completely unfamiliar world, an endless darkness, yet it brought Xia Yan an unparalleled sense of intimacy. That intimacy was like a child being with its mother—no, it should be even closer, like the most important part of her life.
Xia Yan herself was quite bewildered by this. Hadn't she just completed a new pattern and was calculating probability?
What place is this?
Thinking of her mental link that resembled card patterns, Xia Yan couldn't help but smile. After so many improvements, this should be the best one yet.
Suddenly, Xia Yan's gaze sharpened. A light appeared in the black space, and a dazzling gold pattern gradually formed the design she had just completed, hovering in mid-air. Beside it, several lines of small text appeared—Guidance Emblem, used to connect any mecha joint (no carrier restrictions).
Wow! A crest? They even gave her a name! Xia Yan was immediately excited. She didn't care where she was and found a pattern she had imagined in her mind.
Those were patterns drawn on a metal plate, given to her by Cang Yi. They were also the origin of her idea of replacing the mental energy link channels in the mecha's joints. However, this hadn't been fully completed yet, and she wasn't going to aim too high.
Now, the same radiant golden pattern formed before Xia Yan's eyes, exactly as she remembered. But soon, the intricate pattern underwent some subtle changes, and then a line of text reappeared—Linked Teleportation Emblem, used for linked teleportation between two parties (no carrier restrictions).
Cool! Xia Yan immediately wanted to test the emblem's effects, but then she remembered she was in an unknown space and didn't know how to get back...
Seeing herself back in the lab, Xia Yan silently retracted her earlier thoughts. "How are you feeling?"
Meeting Cui Zhi's surprised and envious gaze, Xia Yan said, puzzled, "That's great. I just had a new idea, we can give it a try..."
"Stop! Stop!" Cui Zhi quickly made a pause gesture. "Young Miss, didn't you notice? You've broken through!"
"Breakthrough? How is that possible? I've already..." Xia Yan paused, the bottleneck she could feel at any moment had disappeared, so she really broke through?
"Finally found it. I was starting to think you'd gone mad. How about testing your current strength first?"
This is where the difference between a research fanatic and a battle fanatic comes in. Xia Yan decisively shook her head, "Master, please help me calculate which one is better."
As she spoke, two similar patterns appeared on the unidentified metal plate in front of her.
"This doesn't look like the connection you were thinking of before."
“It wasn’t originally.” Xia Yan said, then picked up another metal plate from the messy table. “Could you help me measure this too? Let’s work together, I think this should be finished.”
Cui Zhi was surprised and, disregarding the issue of the newly promoted god's power, pulled her into the basement. The Federation's only 3S armor maker certainly couldn't only have a tiny laboratory; the basement was his main workplace, where the Federation had the most complete testing equipment.
The two research fanatics plunged in without hesitation...
Looking at the two sets of data in her hand, Xia Yan finally confirmed that the black space she had entered earlier had helped improve her emblem. Then she realized that before she knew it, it was already the early hours of the next day.
"I'm sorry, Master Cui Zhi. I've kept you up all night."
“It’s no big deal. Who hasn’t stayed up a few nights in this day and age? If you feel bad about it, be sure to tell me first when it gets a new name.”
"name?"
"Yes. This pattern can be drawn in many places, and it's like a panacea. We can't keep calling it a card or a mental energy connection channel inside a mecha part, can we? We need to think of a new name quickly, otherwise people will think we're up to something if we keep talking about this and that."
Xia Yan smiled and said, "Master, I've already decided. From now on, we'll call these kinds of patterns heralds."
"A crest? That's a fitting name. So, what are you planning to do next?"
"Hmm—there are only two types of emblems currently. I want to try to see if I can innovate. The difficulty of mecha is not just the mental energy channels in the joints, but there are many, many other problems." Xia Yan smiled.
Cui Zhi nodded, "Focusing on mechs for now is a good idea. However, since the emblem can teleport, it should be able to be used for other purposes as well. We can refer to the cards when needed."
"I understand. Strictly speaking, emblems are also a product derived from cards." Xia Yan smiled.
Her mind was unexpectedly sharp. She was calculating data, but her brain unconsciously reconstructed the patterns she saw from Cang Yi, as if she had witnessed the formation process. In the end, she concluded that the insectoid bio-mech's teleportation was linked to the cards.
So emblems can be considered an evolved version of cards. Hopefully, those card makers won't cause her any trouble later.
"Alright, let's go rest first. Let's put the research aside for tomorrow and test the power of a god."
Xia Yan nodded, "No problem."
However, Xia Yan didn't get to sleep that night. She had just finished washing up when Cang Yi called. The man's voice was tinged with laughter, "Congratulations on your breakthrough."
Xia Yan stuck out her tongue, "I should thank you for helping me."
"Helping you is what I should do. Did I disturb your sleep?"
Xia Yan shook her head. "No, I'm wide awake right now."
"Alright, I have something to tell you about the realm of the gods."
"field?"
Cangming nodded, "A domain is the space you enter when you break through to the god level, where you control everything."
Xia Yan blinked. So that was all because of what she was thinking?
"After successfully advancing, you should decide on the direction of development in your field as soon as possible."
What is that?
"There are roughly a few types of god-level domains: offensive, which is mine, as well as defensive, supportive, and research domains. It depends on personal preference."
"The others are self-explanatory from their literal meanings. But what exactly are 'support' and 'research'?"
"Support means assisting in combat, specifically supporting others. For example, when I'm fighting, you're like a god-level support, at least doubling my combat power. The research field, on the other hand, is like your teacher and laboratory, helping you correct your shortcomings and helping you realize even the most outrageous ideas. However, the research field is the hardest to develop in, so I don't recommend you choose it. But it mainly depends on your personal wishes. Whatever you choose, I will support you."
"I see." Xia Yan frowned, momentarily suffering from decision paralysis.
"Take your time to think it over. But once you've made a decision, you can't change it."
Xia Yan nodded, indicating that she had made a note of it, and then asked, "What happens after you've thought it through?"
"Tell your choices to your field, and it will guide you."
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
