"Spectacular, isn't it?! This is my masterpiece!"
Lilith spun around with a hop and spread her arms, striking a pose for her grand reveal.
Inside this perfectly circular "meteor crater" was actually an underground construction site. Workers and robots could be faintly seen within.
At the site lay the lower half of a gigantic Mechanical Planet, sliced horizontally with a jagged edge, much like a ship in a shipyard.
The curved dome structure of the Mechanical Planet's upper half had been divided into modules, waiting at the other, smaller construction sites scattered around it.
All around the area, robots of every model bustled to and fro in dense swarms.
"So... where are Vegapunk and Kizaru?"
Seeing the real thing did impress Shining, but he had been mentally prepared. Besides, he had seen plenty over both his lifetimes, so he didn't freeze up like Hina.
"Shining, you really know how to spoil the mood. Don't tell me you've seen something like this over at Babbage's. Hmm, right, you two—one with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the other with the Magnet-Magnet Fruit..."
Lilith slumped her shoulders and ambled toward the "meteor crater," muttering baffling things like, "Anything flies if you hit it hard enough," "Cheating doesn't count," and "What's so great about sending a big hunk of iron into the sky?"
Around the crater construction site's perimeter stood several "buildings" that looked as though they had been assembled from modules.
Although they were obviously temporary structures, their design still looked very high-tech. Their shapes somewhat resembled Tetris pieces.
"Right here. The original and Kizaru are both inside."
With Lilith leading the way, the three entered the building.
Pure white walls, streamlined corridors, holographic screens everywhere flashing information, and all manner of automated equipment operating silently.
Unlike the lively, fantastical style of the town outside,