Chapter 778 Sparring Ends

One of her legs was still pinned under Han Xiao's arm, her skin pressed against the cold mech.

Ames tilted her head.

"Could you please release my leg?"

Han Xiao let go and stepped back, allowing Ames to withdraw her long, white leg and tuck it back into her black dress.

Taking in Ames's dress, which had been severely damaged in the battle, Han Xiao raised his palm. Nanoparticles flowed, transforming into a fabric-like material, patching up the holes in her black dress. He couldn't let Ames appear too disheveled in front of her subordinates.

*Crack!* Ames manipulated the force field to pry herself out of the meteor. She straightened up and stretched, the numerous contusions from smashing through countless meteoroids causing a faint ache.

"That hurt," Ames said, rubbing her slender waist, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Oh well, I asked for the sparring match myself."

"I already held back," Han Xiao shrugged.

"Ah, as expected, you're still stronger."

Ames sighed, her expression calm, seemingly having anticipated the result.

Black Star had been in complete control the entire time, handling the battle with ease. Ames finally had a direct understanding of his strength.

"Don't be discouraged, I..."

Before Han Xiao could finish, Ames waved her hand, interrupting him with a faint smile.

"Alright, who do you think I am? I lost, so I lost. Do I need you to comfort me?"

"I've sparred with Hela a lot. I'm used to it," Han Xiao said, scratching his chin.

As he spoke, he turned to have the mechanical legion clean up the battlefield. Seeing the wreckage of the satellite bricks floating in space, he thought for a moment and said,

"The weapon I built for you is broken. I'll have the logistics department produce another batch for you later… of course, you'll still have to pay for it."

"I know."

Ames nodded, without objection. After all, she had initiated the challenge, and it wouldn't be right to have him give her free weapons after she broke them. As a Super A Grade, she had to maintain a certain level of dignity.

As the battle ended, the Long Tan fleet that had been watching from afar slowly approached. Ames took a deep breath, urging the little bit of energy she had recovered in her body to manipulate the force field and stop Long Tan.

Long Tan's shields opened, and the fleet landed at the docks one after another.

The floating island's combat mode was deactivated, and the underground buildings emerged one after another. Many people rushed to check their houses and assess the damage.

Heir's logistics troops began to work, repairing the houses.

Han Xiao and Ames straightened their clothes and flew toward Long Tan. As soon as they stepped onto the dock, they attracted the attention of everyone around them.

The members of Long Tan had all witnessed Ames's defeat at the hands of Han Xiao. Their leader seemed to have been taken advantage of, and they were not happy.

Jenny couldn't help but come forward, glaring at Han Xiao before turning to carefully examine Ames, worried. "Are you alright?"

"I wasn't hurt, just a little drained," Ames said, waving her hand and turning her head. "Black Star, let's talk in my palace."

With that, she walked toward the main hall, and Han Xiao retracted his mech and followed.

Entering the Long Tan palace, Ames led Han Xiao to the back garden and sat down at a stone table.

She manipulated the force field to pour two glasses of wine, placing them on the table in front of them. She picked up one and took a sip, and when she saw Han Xiao wasn't moving, a smile tugged at her red lips.

"This is dragon bone wine brewed by Izo using the bones of the Void Dragon race. I rarely bring it out to entertain others."

"Brewing wine with fossils? What kind of dark recipe is that?"

Han Xiao clicked his tongue and picked up his glass, taking a sip. He felt a current of fire run down his throat, giving him the sensation of drinking magma heated to thousands of degrees, followed by a strong, sweet aftertaste. He smacked his lips, savoring the flavor.

At this moment, Ames spoke, her tone somewhat sentimental.

"Your power has already surpassed mine, and it's only been twenty years… I've wasted all this time. Compared to you, I've been standing still."

"It's not as bad as wasted. You're just lazy," Han Xiao teased. "Besides, if you were diligent, you wouldn't be you."

"Is that what you think of me? A lazy person?" Ames rolled her eyes.

"Isn't it?" Han Xiao chuckled.

"Hmph… but compared to you, I really don't have much ambition."

Ames shook her head helplessly, not arguing.

The fact of her defeat caused a subtle change in her attitude toward Han Xiao. Every Super A Grade knew the difficulty of becoming stronger, and the rule among the strong was to respect the stronger.

Ames put down her glass, looked directly into Han Xiao's eyes, and said softly, "You must have suffered a lot to become so strong in just twenty years, right?"

Han Xiao was stunned, inexplicably finding the words familiar.

These words… where have I heard them recently?

Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Han Xiao cleared his throat and said perfunctorily, "It was alright."

"You've already gained a foothold in the universe. Do you have any plans for the future?" Ames asked, flicking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Continue to develop and accumulate strength."

Hearing this, Ames paused and blinked.

"You don't think your current strength is enough?"

"Before reaching the limit, power is never enough," Han Xiao said, shaking his head.

"...Actually, there's something I don't understand."

Ames crossed her legs and sat sideways, one hand across her abdomen and the other propping up her chin. Her deep eyes were filled with doubt as she stared intently into Han Xiao's eyes, slowly saying,

"About eight or nine years ago, I asked you a question: why don't you stop? At that time, you said you didn't have the luxury to stop, but you wouldn't tell me the reason. What are you afraid of? You're already a powerful Super A Grade, backed by the empire, with a massive power base, standing at the peak of the universe. What is it that still makes you so afraid?"

Hearing this, Han Xiao hesitated for a moment.

What he was most wary of was naturally the ultimate Boss of the late game, the World Tree Civilization.

Eight or nine years ago, he was only a Calamity Grade, and their positions were unequal. Han Xiao didn't tell Ames. Now that their identities were different, his words finally carried weight. After thinking for a while, he made a decision and slowly said,

"I have some information that, in the distant future, a disaster will sweep through the entire explored universe. At that time, no one will be able to stay out of it, and there will be nowhere to escape."

Ames was a little surprised, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "If it's that level of disaster, the three major civilizations will naturally take care of it. What are you afraid of?"

"When that disaster breaks out, even Super A Grades will just be slightly larger ants. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken." (idiom meaning "in a disaster, no one escapes.")

Ames unconsciously rubbed her glass, muttering to herself, "Is that so? So that's why you have such concerns… I thought your motivation came from an insatiable ambition."

She didn't doubt the information Han Xiao spoke of. Everyone had different information channels. Just with Han Xiao's position in the empire, he could grasp many secrets she couldn't access.

Besides, Black Star had no reason to lie to her.

The atmosphere fell silent. Ames lowered her head and spun her glass with her fingers, seemingly deep in thought. Han Xiao didn't continue to speak, focusing on savoring the Void Dragon bone wine.

After quietly turning the glass several times, Ames finally raised her head, her tone very light.

"It seems I can't keep being lazy. If that day really comes, I will fight alongside you."

"That would be for the best," Han Xiao said with a slight smile.

In his previous life, due to the destruction of Long Tan, Ames's fate was unknown before the World Tree version. But now, Izo had been left on Long Tan and hadn't gone out to cause trouble. The events that happened to Ames in his previous life would no longer occur.

The impact of Han Xiao had already changed Ames's fate. She should be able to safely survive until the era when the World Tree appeared.

At that moment, Jenny walked in, ignoring Han Xiao, and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency Dragon Seat, the damage assessment has been completed and needs your review."

"I understand," Ames nodded, looking at Han Xiao. "I have some matters to attend to, and my strength hasn't fully recovered. I'm a little tired and need to rest."

Han Xiao stood up. "Alright, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll stay with you on Long Tan for a while until you've fully recovered. It's also a good opportunity to visit Aquamarine."

"Okay."

Ames knew that Han Xiao was concerned about her, and she smiled gently.

Han Xiao nodded and turned to leave.

Watching Han Xiao's figure take off and fly away, Jenny's tense, cold face relaxed. She turned her head to stare at Ames, her expression somewhat complicated. She opened her mouth, her expression hesitant.

"Hmm?" Ames glanced at her. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

Jenny pursed her lips, seemingly gathering her courage, and asked tentatively, carefully, "Your Excellency Dragon Seat… do you like Black Star?"

Hearing this, Ames raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you care about this?"

"I… I'm curious," Jenny said, gritting her teeth. "And I don't like Black Star."

"I know that. You don't need to emphasize it," Ames said, a hint of helpless amusement in her eyes.

But Jenny shook her head, her face serious.

"Your Excellency Dragon Seat, the reason I hate Black Star isn't just what you think… We were originally a neutral organization that no one bothered. Life was so comfortable. We didn't care about how strong our power was at all. But since Black Star appeared, Long Tan has been forced into many dangerous situations. In reality, you don't need to get involved in those things at all. I've always believed that we should keep our distance from Black Star. He's not a simple person, or one day we'll encounter a major crisis."

After hearing these words, Ames also put away her smile, thoughtful.

"So… you think I formed an alliance with Black Star because I like him?"

"I also took into account your attitude toward him all along, and I can't ignore that possibility," Jenny said in a deep voice.

Ames nodded, then suddenly smiled.

"You're right, I have a good impression of Black Star. What are you going to do about it? Try to talk me out of it?"

"I..."

Jenny was shocked, at a loss.

"Alright, I'm just teasing you."

Ames waved her hand, helplessly saying, "I do have a good impression of Black Star, but who told you that means I like him? How old do you think I am? Do I seem like the type of person who hides their feelings out of shyness?"

As she spoke, Ames stood up, turning her back to Jenny, placing her hands behind her back, looking up at the stars in the sky, and lightly parting her red lips.

"Black Star is the only Super A Grade that I find pleasing to the eye. He beat me and is qualified to procreate with me… But, I have never had the idea of letting another person enter my body to pass on his genes."

"Part of my good impression of him comes from his help to Long Tan, and part comes from my appreciation of him. My relationship with him is indeed very close. He is one of the few good friends and comrades I can trust, but when have you ever seen me romantically involved with him?"

Jenny immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew it. There was no emotional basis between Ames and Black Star. It seemed she had misunderstood.

However, Ames's next words made Jenny's heart leap again.

"But, the future is long, and my thoughts might change. If one day, I develop an interest in procreating..."

Ames thought of the scenes of getting along with Han Xiao, and she smiled, shaking her head.

"Black Star is the only candidate."

*Crack!*

The communicator in Jenny's hand was snapped in half.

…

On the other side, Han Xiao recalled all the mechanical legions and metal parts, and had Phillip control his spaceship to park at the Long Tan dock. He returned to the spaceship alone.

Closing the hatch, Han Xiao immediately opened the panel.

The mission ["Dragon Seat" Ames] was already displayed as "Completed." The tug-of-war between the two had long exceeded twenty minutes, completing every level of the mission requirements.

And the highest level of reward was to draw one of Ames's skills or talents!

"Bear with it, bear with it…"

Han Xiao breathed out, calming his mind.

With Fording and Nero not by his side, he didn't want to gamble with his dark face.

Suppressing the urge to chop off his hand, Han Xiao looked at the other mission rewards: a high amount of experience, 1 point of Legend, and 1 Ames character card.

——

ps: (Unknowingly, The Legendary Mechanic has been serialized for almost two years. Thank you for your support, brothers. At 6 p.m. on May 19, I will send a wave of red envelopes to everyone on the public account to thank you for your support over the past two years ╰(*´︶`*)╯. Search for the public account "Qi Pei jia" on WeChat and follow to participate in the event (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و)