The King of Black Fog

"Indeed, it's Silvia, always in the lead, showing her bound to win championship strength and demeanor, with Lank Lake right in front of her!"

"Wait, there's a Mecha catching up!"

"It's the Chaser! The Chaser that turns itself into a bomb! It's charging towards Silvia with the intent and speed of a suicide!"

"Aznavour is speeding up too!"

"Aznavour! The fastest man of the Empire, make men the strongest! Make your sister, a Burning Mechanic, proud of you!"

"Defend the honor of the championship, Silvia!"

Everyone, including the other contestants, turned on the live broadcast.

Aznavour gradually caught up with Silvia and Chaser, and the three Mechas almost simultaneously blasted over the finish line, soaring onto Lank Lake's mirror-like surface, carving sharp, knife-like white water lines.

The big screen started to play back, and the judges began to make their decisions.

"Chaser crossed the finish line first! Chaser is the champion! Chaser is the champion of this unruly Mecha speed competition!"

"Aznavour takes second by a ten-centimeter difference, and Silvia, who led the way, only..."

"Ah!!!" Li Qianxia shook Beia Triss frantically, embracing her, "Beia! We are the champions, we won, you won!"

Beia Triss felt completely numb, her mind blank.

Beyond the transparent cockpit, the Lank Lake as blue as a transparent crystal, reflected the clouds, blue sky, and lush surrounding trees.

The sky so high and far, as if to swallow her up.

"As long as you want to do it, isn't it doable?" Li Changzhou smiled.

"Congratulations." Yang Qinglan also said with a smile.

"Hmph!" Turquoise Pool snorted coldly.

The cockpit door automatically opened, and from beneath Lank Lake, countless Mechas rose, thousands of Sound Wave Pulse Resonance Guns aiming at them.

The skies turned gloomy, the red and black painted Burning slowly descended.

"Stop!" Beia Triss stood up.

"I am willing to marry Di'en, but only if the Empire guarantees their safety!"

The princess in a white wedding dress, her blond hair fluttering, stood on a Mecha floating over the lake, facing thousands of Sound Wave Pulse Resonance Guns.

A flying vessel emerged from the group of Mechas.

"Princess Beia Triss, His Excellency Di'en agrees to your terms," an official on the vessel saluted, "Your mother is already waiting for you at the palace."

"And my father?" Beia Triss demanded.

The official remained silent.

Beia Triss clenched her fists.

"Beia." Li Qianxia called out.

Beia Triss turned around, revealing a cheerful smile that was uncharacteristic of a princess's etiquette: "Thank you, Xia, I am so happy to have become friends!"

The princess boarded the flying vessel, departing from Lank Lake, flying towards the distant, majestic Imperial Capital.

"Brother—" Li Qianxia looked at Li Changzhou.

Li Changzhou shrugged as if saying there was nothing he could do.

After confirming they weren't wearing Power Armor or carrying Weapons, they too were taken away.

The accommodation wasn't bad, a suite in the hotel, entry only, no exit, whatever they needed they could request.

The mission prompt also arrived.

[Mainline Mission 'Knight's Mission' Completed]

[Return countdown: 1 day 06 hours 31 minutes 52 seconds]

"Is this time... the princess's wedding tomorrow?" Yang Qinglan guessed.

"It's finally over." Turquoise Pool sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, trimming her nails, which she hadn't tended to for days.

Li Qianxia lay motionless on the couch.

"How about trying the thistle-segment-burned stonefish? It looks good." Li Changzhou was figuring out what to eat for lunch.

The food arrived quickly, abundant, exquisite, and novel.

"Zhou Weisi, come out for a moment, someone wants to see you," a voice suddenly came through the room's communicator.

Li Qianxia suddenly sat up, though silent, her expression and eyes said it all—it must be Beia Triss!

"I was just about to eat." Li Changzhou said.

"Hurry!" the person on the other side of the communicator demanded impatiently.

Li Changzhou had to forfeit the meal he had struggled to choose and before leaving, he made sure to instruct them, "Remember to leave some for me."

Exiting the suite that served as a detention room, two soldiers clad in full-coverage Power Armor fitted him with electrifiable shackles.

The floor was carpeted red, the hallway's decorations were splendid, between each wall-mounted lamp, which seemed like guards of the corridor, were decorative paintings.

He had sensed it upon arrival; this place didn't seem like a "prison," it more closely resembled a high-end hotel for hosting foreign guests.

The red carpet beneath his feet seemed endless, partway through, Li Changzhou was led through a door.

Only he was allowed to enter; the Power Armors stayed outside.

The room's layout was simple, like a small conference room designed for hotel residents to receive visitors.

There was a wall of books, a simple drink bar between the bookwall and bar was a set of sofas.

A woman in a Mechanic's uniform, holding a red drink, sat on the sofa with a more advanced Power Armor soldier standing behind her.

Backlit by the sun, her face was somewhat unclear.

Li Changzhou squinted his eyes: "Caroline?"

"It's me." Wen Caroline lifted her head, making her face clear.

Her demeanor was different from when he had first met her; at that time, Li Changzhou thought she was an optimistic and cheerful woman, but the Wen Caroline in front of him exhibited the gentleness and tranquility of water.

She indeed seemed like a woman who loved driving alone.

"Are you here to repay a debt, to let me go?" Li Changzhou asked.

"You have two choices." Wen Caroline put down her teacup.

"Such happiness?"

"One, I guarantee your safety, after the wedding of His Excellency Di'en and Princess Beia, I will let you leave."

"Di'en wants to kill us?"

"Not sure," Wen Carol stood up, agile and slender. "But the assurance I give you is certain: you can safely leave alive and go operate your excavator."

"And the second option?" Li Changzhou continued to ask.

"You try to assassinate me now, get killed by me, then put on the power armor and follow me for life."

"Follow you?" Li Changzhou was puzzled.

"I really appreciate your character," she paused, "and you are good-looking. Our relationship might become closer in the future."

"...Can we combine them? I try to assassinate you now, you kill me, then I put on the power armor and go back to the countryside to operate my excavator?"

"No," Wen Carol flatly refused. "I must ensure you won't cause trouble before the wedding. That would be a hassle for me as well as for myself."

"But I spared your life? Oh, and your brother's life too."

"Did you risk your life to spare ours? No, since that's not the case, I have no obligation to go to such lengths for you."

"Can I do it now?" Li Changzhou's Emerald Bee Sword rested on Wen Carol's shoulder.

Wen Carol had seen countless swords, the swords of Imperial Mecha Masters, the Empress's sword, but she had never seen such a beautiful sword.

It was like a piece of sword-shaped green gemstone, gorgeously untouchable.

She withdrew her gaze from the blade and looked at the shackles between Li Changzhou's hands.

"The electric shock that could knock out or kill a normal person is just a tickle for me," Li Changzhou chuckled.

The second potential development of the Thunder Map, though lacking in Combat Skills and unable to exhibit its original marvels, could easily handle the overly precise electric shock of the shackles—it was like getting pricked in the butt—scary for some, slightly irritating for others, but harmless.

"Who exactly are you people?" Wen Carol asked, voicing her deep doubts.

Her second option for Li Changzhou involved keeping him close to unveil his secrets.

The Emerald Bee Sword, serpent-like, drew a bit closer to Wen Carol's slender, elegant neck from her shoulder.

"If you could leave on your own skills, why would you still harm me?" Wen Carol wasn't a bit scared, nor was she impatient; her expression was composed.

"Consider it as owing you a favor. Next time I catch you, I'll let you go again, how about that?"

Wen Carol suddenly laughed, her hand pressed against her lips.

The shake of her shoulders almost made the Emerald Bee Sword slip off. With the sword's sharpness, just a slight slip could have decapitated Wen Carol.

"From the movie 'You and Me'? The scenario where the male and female enemies repeatedly spare each other?" she chuckled.

"I quite like that movie," Li Changzhou smiled.

"I love Furia, how about you?"

"Me too."

Wen Carol's smile faded: "Furia wasn't in that movie."

"Imperial Mecha mechanics can lie too?"

"One has to be capable of lying to become a mechanic of the Imperial Mecha."

Power Armor suddenly opened, and an unconscious man fell out.

The Power Armor, open like a coffin, fired a shot at the man, turning him to ash.

It then fired a shot at Li Changzhou.

The shackles also turned to ash.

"...That harsh?" Li Changzhou sheathed his sword.

"Just a condemned criminal, let's go," Wen Carol patted the shoulder that the Emerald Peak Sword had just pressed down on.

Li Changzhou put on the Power Armor and followed behind Wen Carol.

Exiting the meeting room, Wen Carol said, "The criminal attacked me and was killed by my subordinates. I will report this to His Highness Di'en."

The two soldiers nodded without hesitation: "Yes!"

And just like that, the matter was lightly settled.

Imperial Mecha mechanics, doing as they please.

...

An hour after finishing the meal, Li Changzhou still hadn't returned.

"He didn't die, did he?" Turquoise Pool spoke up.

"No," Li Qianxia instinctively replied, her eyes constantly on the "Twins."

Turquoise Pool nodded knowingly, "It seems you and your brother have ways to confirm each other's safety."

Li Qianxia: "..."

"Little Carrot?" Yang Qinglan suddenly spoke up while watching the news.

"Little Carrot? What's wrong with her?" Li Qianxia leaned in quickly, always worried about her and Butterfly.

On the holographic display was a news report claiming that the Empress had recently encountered an elf riding a butterfly in the garden and received a blessing from Cangqiong.

In the photo, the "elf" on the Empress's shoulder was none other than the long-missing Little Carrot and Butterfly.

Little Carrot, looking delighted, waved to the citizens alongside the Empress. The clothes she wore had changed from the handmade fabric of Li Qianxia to a fine art piece made by the Empire's tailors.

"She—," Li Qianxia was at a loss for words, "what is her mission? To please the Empress? Assassinate her?"

"Do you think she cares about her mission?" Yang Qinglan countered.

"Uh, no."

...

Leaving the confinement of the hotel.

"Thank you for your help," Li Changzhou said.

"Before leaving the Imperial Capital, it's best not to take off the Power Armor; it can block tracking and also has permission to enter and exit the Imperial Capital," Wen Carol said.

"Thank you, I'll remember your help."

After bidding farewell to Wen Carol, Li Changzhou casually strolled through the streets.

He appreciated the local customs of the alien world while gathering intelligence.

The king of the Duchy had died, the National Guardian Divine Machine had been shattered, and the shards of Cangqiong used as the power furnace had been sent to the Imperial Capital, placed into a pre-forged "Knight."

The Empire was about to have its fifth Imperial Mecha, and all the citizens were celebrating.

Late into the night, Li Changzhou snuck into the Imperial Palace.