Mech Advancement Paths

After soothing Sparkles, the battle on the other side was also nearing its end.

Pang Shi truly lived up to his status as someone born into a great family. With calm responses in the heat of battle, he finally led the group to defeat the Faceless Ones.

After the fierce battle, he had clearly seen Xu Jiang's potential. The moment he sheathed his blade, he came over to greet him.

"Brother, thank you so much for earlier. If you hadn't dealt with that monster, we'd all have been in danger. Let me introduce myself. My name is Pang Shi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Xu Jiang had kept the dark goggles from his supply pack on, making it impossible to see his features clearly. Pang Shi could only try to build rapport and find out which faction this rising star belonged to.

Xu Jiang had no intention of introducing himself. He looked Pang Shi up and down. Hmm, a rich man. I like making friends with rich people the most.

"Don't mention it. Spirit Domain is full of dangers. We should be helping each other."

After chatting with Pang Shi for a while, Xu Jiang felt that he was worth befriending.

More importantly, the man was rich and had no designs on his belongings. He had even taken the initiative to remind him that powerful monsters like the Frost Giant Bull would have treasure chests in their caves.

That was truly brotherly of him.

Hearing this, Xu Jiang quickly ran into the cave and searched around. Sure enough, he found a silver chest. Its appearance was exquisite, and it clearly contained something good.

To thank Pang Shi for the reminder, Xu Jiang decided to open the chest in front of him and let this new friend witness the birth of top-tier equipment.

When the chest opened, three glowing treasures appeared before them.

The first was a bottle filled with blue liquid. It was identified as Essence of Life, seemingly an alchemical material that was useless to him.

The second was a small pouch containing ten gold coins. They had no special properties, but they were Xu Jiang's favorite, because gold coins could be exchanged for Credit Points.

The third was a valuable treasure: the level 15 purple shortsword, Minotaur's Blood Sword. It was an excellent weapon for a Swordsman. The only pity was that Xu Jiang could not use it himself.

As a Mech Warrior, his combat power naturally centered on his mech. As his mech underwent innovation and upgrades, the bonuses from mechanical weapons would only grow greater.

A shortsword in his hands was no different from a kitchen knife.

Wait, a kitchen knife? A kitchen knife seemed pretty good too!

Xu Jiang's eyes lit up as he looked at the weapon in his hand. He muttered, "A level 15 shortsword. This is exactly what I need."

When the onlookers saw Xu Jiang pull a purple weapon from the chest, they all revealed envious expressions.

Levels could be trained, but equipment was something one could only stumble upon by chance. Even Pang Shi was somewhat tempted by the Minotaur's Blood Sword.

Though his family was wealthy, top-tier equipment was hard to come by.

Even if they bought purple equipment, it had been used by someone else before, and its durability would have dropped significantly. It could not compare to this pristine item.

Xu Jiang had just said he had a use for this weapon?

He was probably saving it for a friend. What a pity. Pang Shi had wanted to buy it, but he could only shake his head helplessly...

Bang! Bang!

Pang Shi: ???

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Whew, these bull horns are really hard. If I pack them up and take them back, they'll definitely sell for a good price."

Every part of a bull was valuable, especially those three things. They could not be wasted. Xu Jiang was diligent and thrifty, unwilling to miss any material.

But you can't use a treasure sword to chop horns!

"Wait! Hold on, stop chopping! What are you doing?!" Pang Shi grabbed Xu Jiang in distress.

"Hm? What's wrong? I'm cutting up materials! Do you want a share too?"

"I... I'm not interested in the materials. I'm talking about that shortsword of yours. Using it to chop bull horns will reduce its durability!"

"Oh, I see! But I don't have any other tools. If I don't use it, what should I use?"

"You don't have one, but I do! I'll get someone to help you process the materials. Don't use that sword carelessly. If you don't need it, sell it to me."

You should've said so earlier. Xu Jiang put away the weapon and stood by comfortably to wait. Since someone was willing to help, he could save himself the effort.

As for the sword, Xu Jiang did not agree to sell it.

After all, he did not know much about the market yet. He would ask Grandpa Lei about prices first.

For the rest of the time, Xu Jiang simply rested and waited for the Spirit Domain to end.

Having killed the Frost Giant Bull, his score would definitely be the highest.

Pang Shi's plan, on the other hand, had failed. He was now hurriedly searching everywhere for monsters to kill, hoping to raise his score as much as possible before leaving.

Xu Jiang leisurely lit a campfire, roasting game while discussing future advancement paths with Qianji.

"Qianji, we've obtained the Spirit Seed. What should we do next?"

"Reporting to General, the Spirit Seed is the source of power and possesses extraordinary evolutionary potential. There are currently two evolution paths, and you must choose between them."

Was it already time? He was only level 4, yet he had already unlocked his mech's advancement path.

"What two paths?"

"Liquid Mech and Powered Mech."

As he listened to Qianji's explanation, Xu Jiang stared blankly into the fire and fell into deep thought.

The next choice was extremely important. It would determine the core of his future tactics.

Every class had a variety of advancement and development paths. Mechs alone could roughly be divided into four types: Piloted Mechs, Powered Mechs, Liquid Mechs, and Exoskeleton Mechs.

There was no need to discuss Piloted Mechs. Those things started at over ten meters tall and weighed several tons. They were strategic weapons and not something he needed to consider for now.

Exoskeleton Mechs, on the other hand, were an obsolete type. They merely relied on simple mechanics to provide a certain increase in human strength. That was Qianji's current state.

A Liquid Mech could be seen as a portable combat suit. It could be carried around, and with just a few buttons, the Liquid Mech could complete rapid deployment.

It had great flexibility and precise control, capable of performing all kinds of difficult movements.

In the face of the cruel outside world, a mech that could enter combat at any time was every Mech Warrior's dream.

In contrast, a Powered Mech abandoned portability.

With a Power Reactor as its core, it could provide powerful energy support.

High-powered equipment such as Laser Cannons and Thrusters all required a power core, and their destructive force was immense.

Both paths had their own merits. It was truly difficult to choose!

"Qianji, you're a mech. You should have the most say in this matter. Which one do you think I should choose?"

"Reporting to General, I think: take them all."

Xu Jiang: ???

"Take them all? Is that even possible?"

"Other mechs cannot, because the higher the power of a weapon or piece of equipment, the stronger the power core required to support it. But we have the Spirit Seed. We can use it as our power core while maintaining a lightweight frame."

Xu Jiang felt as if his intelligence had been crushed. If he could take them all, why bring it up in the first place?

Were you messing with me?

Even an idiot knew taking them all was best. Did it need any consideration?

"General, combining both is indeed the best upgrade path, but the material requirements for upgrading will also become much higher."

Qianji patiently explained. In the end, it still came down to one thing: Xu Jiang had neither money nor influence.

Without money, it would be difficult to obtain the precious materials needed for dual upgrades.

Without influence, obtaining the next Spirit Seed would be even more distant.

"Materials can be found slowly, but are you saying every future upgrade will need support from a Spirit Seed?"

"Yes, General. Once the Spirit Seed is confirmed as the power core, I will upgrade in the most perfect form. Every future advancement will likewise require the support of a Spirit Seed. Only then can I be called the strongest mech."

That resounding declaration echoed in Xu Jiang's ears.

It felt like... like she was urging me to spend money?

His wallet was clearly empty, yet the beautiful and captivating female general before him was tempting him with promises of a bright future.

If it were only materials, that would be manageable. The world was vast. As long as he earned enough money, he could always buy them.

But Spirit Seeds were different.

Whether he could find one depended entirely on luck. If someone else got there first, making them cough it up would be extremely difficult.

"General, please give your instructions."

Congratulations, Qianji is about to begin advancing. Please choose an advancement path: A. Liquid Mech with insufficient firepower, B. Powered Mech with poor mobility, C. Perfectly flawless—take them all.