A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 131: Taking Mecha Lessons
Chapter 131: Taking Mecha Lessons

After Scion’s bloodline was tested to be of the sixth level, his parents began to distance themselves.

They knew their child would soon enter the Moon Goddess Temple and become an emotionless Pontifex. So, instead of investing their emotions in him, they showered all their love on his younger brother.

Little Scion couldn’t understand what he had done wrong, and why his parents abandoned him after his bloodline was tested.

He hid in dark corners every day, watching his family interact lovingly, searching for answers. But every time he watched, his heart broke a little more.

When his parents saw him by chance, they would respectfully bow and quickly leave with his younger brother.

Over time, Scion’s spirit eroded. He didn’t know when it started, but he gradually felt abandoned by the world and began to abandon the world in return.

Krylak, however, always smiled at him. Krylak wasn’t the brightest in the clan but was definitely the kindest to Scion. He once told Scion, ”If you don’t want to go, then don’t.”

Krylak, who later became the clan leader, found countless reasons to delay Scion’s entry into the Moon Goddess Temple.

Krylak was had no blood relation with Scion, but he was more like a father than anyone else. Scion would likely have been a heartless automaton by now, if Krylak hadn’t been there for him.

Seeing the sadness in Scion’s eyes, Arix jumped into his arms and nuzzled him with her head, offering silent comfort.

With a comforting tone, Arix softly howled, ”It’s okay, Scion. I’ve become the pureblood cub now, so you don’t have to be the Pontifex anymore.”

Scion felt a warmth in his heart and patted Arix’s small head. However, he neither agreed nor disagreed with her words.

As a child, Scion might have felt powerless, but as an adult, he had long since gained the ability to make his own decisions.

Scion remembered Krylak, who always opposed the elders just to delay his entry into the Moon Goddess Temple. He also thought of the elders who always said he had to leave, but they never took any forceful action.

A slight smile formed at the corner of Scion’s mouth, and his eyes softened. His pupils, reflecting the fireworks, shone more brilliantly than the stars in the night sky.

The fireworks bloomed brilliantly in the night sky, and the two by the window, one big and one small, watched quietly, soaking in the moment.

Time passed silently in this beautiful scene. Around 1 AM, Arix suddenly let out a loud cry.

Startled by the piercing sound, Scion looked over, puzzled.

”Oh no, oh no, Scion, I forgot I have online classes tomorrow! I need to go to bed now. Bye!” Arix exclaimed.

Then the little cub bolted out of the study like a fire had been lit under them.

Watching the small cub disappear quickly, Scion’s eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. A hearty and pleasant laugh bubbled up from his throat.

...

The next morning, bright and early, Arix struggled to get out of her small bed and freshen up. She then settled at her desk and fired up the opticomputer her school provided.

The virtual screen blinked to life, and the Department of Chemistry icon was already glowing, showing she was late. Her paw hovered for a moment before she quickly clicked it.

The screen displayed the face of the Chemistry teacher, who noticed her arrival. Adjusting his glasses, he said gently, ”Arix, you’re late. Try to be on time next time.”

Hearing the teacher’s voice, Arix quickly typed an apology and sent it as a subtitle on the screen.

Arix: Sorry, sir. I’ll be earlier next time.

”Alright, no problem. Let’s continue the class,” the teacher replied. Then, he dove into the origins of potions and how different medicines counteract each other.

Most of the potion content was review for Arix, so she treated it as a refresher.

After Chemistry, Arix quickly switched to the Department of Mecha Manufacture. Normally, students had free study time after class, but Arix was enrolled in three departments.

The Psychic Ware Department’s class conflicted with Mecha Manufacture, so she recorded the Psychic Ware class to watch later. Then, she tuned into the Mecha Manufacture class, watching it like a live stream.

At that moment, the mecha teacher stood next to a large virtual teaching screen, showing a webpage with different mecha grades.

Mecha Grades:

Supergiant-Class = level-eight mecha

Supergiant-Class = level-seven mecha

Subgiant-Class = level-six mecha

Star-Class = level-five mecha

Planet-Class = level-four mecha

Moon-Class = level-three mecha

Comet-Class = level-two mecha

Meteor-Class = level-one mecha

”Mechas are divided into grades. The highest is the level-eight mecha. These are national treasures, and I’ve never even seen one,” the teacher said with a sigh.

”There’s a legend that level-eight mechas evolve into mechanical life forms. So, if you see an elderly man fighting or even cleaning, he might just be a level-eight mecha. Especially among the five major families of the Alliance,” he added mysteriously.

As the classmates buzzed with chatter, Arix scratched her head. ’Is Grandpa a level-eight mecha? But he fathered Dad, so... it seems unlikely.’

Still, when she returned to the Alliance, she’d keep an eye on the family elders. There might just be a level-eight mecha among them.

Arix’s eyes sparkled, feeling like a new world had just opened up to her.

When the mecha class wrapped up, Arix had an instinct to send a gift, but after searching in vain, she realized she was in a class, not a live stream.

Almost laughing at herself, she yawned and stretched.

With more classes coming up in the afternoon, she drank a bottle of nutritious fluid and went back to bed for a quick nap.

At moments like these, Arix couldn’t help but feel a bit envious of Drexel. His courses from the Department of Strategy and Commanding and the Department of Combat were all in the afternoon, letting him sleep in even if he gamed late the night before.

Annoyed, Arix grumbled to herself before drifting off to sleep.

”Hey, Arix, wake up for class! How can you still be sleeping in the afternoon?” Drexel, full of energy, knocked on Arix’s door. He was ready to join her for their online classes.

Arix really wanted to toss her brother out.

She opened the door to let Drexel in. She too lazy to even wash her face since the teacher couldn’t see her anyway.

After putting up with Drexel’s scolding, the two started their first class of the afternoon.

”In the ancient times, the famous general Lepidas fought 100 battles without a single defeat, creating numerous classic military strategies,” the Strategy and Commanding teacher said. ”His success was due to his extensive reading of military texts and eagerness to learn.”

The teacher seemed to idolize that general, and he dedicated almost the entire class to discussing his achievements. Arix feel like she was reading some fan fiction.

”For homework, read The Art of War. I’ll check your memorization tomorrow. Class dismissed,” the teacher concluded, abruptly ending the live stream.

After class, Arix searched for the two books and added them to her library. She glanced at Drexel, who was leisurely playing games on his opticomputer.

”Aren’t you going to read the books?” Arix asked, puzzled.

”No need. I know these books by heart,” Drexel replied with a smug grin. His confident expression made it clear he considered everyone else amateurs.

As the heir of the Kering family, Drexel had been trained in these subjects from a young age. Not just these two books, but nearly any book on military strategy, Drexel could recite them without a single word missing.

Arix rolled her eyes, not bothering to retort for once.

The second class of the afternoon was the one Arix had been looking forward to: the Department of Combat. To prep for this class, Arix even took out and polished the level-two mecha she had received as a school reward.

Seeing this, Drexel scratched his head, looking like he wanted to say something but held back.

”Hey, Arix, class is about to start. What are you doing?” Drexel finally asked.

”I’m polishing my mecha, can’t you see? We need it for class,” Arix replied, giving Drexel a look that said he was stating the obvious.

Now it was Drexel’s turn to be baffled. With a twitch of his mouth, he asked, ”Who told you that you need a real mecha for the Department of Combat class?”

”Then what should I prepare for the class?” Arix stopped her polishing, looking confused.

”Of course, you need this,” Drexel said, pulling out the Connective Pod that Cassian had given him from his Space Button.

Arix glanced at the Connective Pod on the floor, then back at Drexel. She gave him a look of disdain and skepticism, ”Drexel, seriously, I got no time for jokes.”

Half an hour later, on the Alliance interstellarnet, Arix stood on a virtual street, feeling a bit guilty for having scolded Drexel. She turned to Drexel and said, ”Sorry, you were right.”

”Haha, that’s what you get for not using the interstellarnet enough. Probably the entire Alliance knows that beginners start by familiarizing themselves with mechas here,” Drexel teased triumphantly.

Arix ignored Drexel’s smug expression and opened her virtual opticomputer. She entered the location their tutor had given earlier. After clicking the teleport button, she vanished from the spot.

”Hey, wait for me!” Drexel, still chuckling, quickly opened the location and teleported after his sister.