The Xiya Archipelago lay southeast of the Dawn Continent, at the junction of the Red Coral Sea and the Whirlpool Sea. Bordering the Crimson Alliance to the east and facing the Corte Alliance to the north, it was an important node on the Dawn Trade Route and a hub of maritime trade on Planet Oklo.
The Xiya Archipelago was a melting pot of all sorts, and was also known as the City of Chaos.
Pirates, adventurers, merchants, dragons, elves, giants, spellcasters... all kinds of beings and professionals played out their own legends here.
Planet Oklo's largest black market was also located here, jointly managed by the four strongest powers in the Xiya Archipelago.
The Redbeard Pirates, the Lord of Ashes, the Pure White Tower, and Logo's destination on this trip, the Gonis City-State.
Built and operated by the Gonis City-State, Brian Airport was the largest and busiest airport in the Xiya Archipelago, and was famous throughout Planet Oklo as well.
It had not only ordinary passenger planes, but also landing platforms for aerospace transport ships.
Transport ships laden with supplies descended from space one after another, and all manner of engineering machinery swarmed around them. Some loaded and unloaded cargo, while others climbed onto the hulls to refuel the ships and carry out simple repairs.
The travel-worn crew members hurried out of their transport ships. Long, monotonous journeys through space took an indescribable toll on the mind, and they were in urgent need of relaxation.
Brian Airport itself had plenty of entertainment facilities: bars, dance halls, upscale restaurants, red-light districts, casinos... it had everything. As long as you had enough Ta Pounds, you could even have a Legendary life-form spend the night with you.
Crassus lay on Logo's head, looking around curiously. This was not a sight he could see in the Sunset Jungle.
Logo, on the other hand, was used to it. After leaving the airport with Melier and Crassus, he found an upscale hotel and checked in.
He had come to the Xiya Archipelago mainly to have a transcendent mecha made for Melier, using the mountain giant's heart he had obtained from the Royal Court as its core material.
Melier's class was Great Axe Warrior, his bodily energy was earth-attribute, and his fighting style was bold and sweeping, with both offense and defense. Logo planned to equip him with a sufficiently powerful mecha to push his combat power to the ninth tier.
With Melier protecting him at close quarters, Logo would have nothing to fear as long as he did not encounter a Legendary being.
And when it came to making mecha, the Gonis City-State was the first choice.
The Gonis City-State was technologically advanced, but what had truly made it famous was its mecha technology.
By combining elements of magitech construct technology, magical inscriptions, and Alchemical Mechanics, the Gonis City-State had developed a distinctive mecha system of its own.
Some of its cutting-edge technologies in this field even surpassed those of the Crimson Alliance. The latter coveted them and had negotiated repeatedly to obtain them, only to be politely refused each time.
Melier was not suited to a purely technological mecha. He barely even knew how to use a gun... and, of course, his fingers were thicker than carrots, so he really could not use ordinary firearms. The trigger guard had to be removed before he could pull the trigger.
So Logo needed to choose a mecha master carefully.
Thanks to its advanced mecha technology, the Gonis City-State had attracted many mecha masters, and Planet Oklo's only Mecha Guild was located here as well.
After a night's rest, Logo got up early, picked Crassus up by the scruff of his neck, and shook him awake. The night owl stayed up at night and could not be roused in the morning.
Still half asleep, Crassus flailed his paws and bared his claws in midair in protest, tactfully indicating that mistreating a noble Cloud Thunder Tiger like this would not end well.
That lasted until Logo took a meal box out of his backpack. The distinctive aroma of white buffalo and the head maid's consummate cooking skills made Crassus instantly change his tune. He put on a fawning smile and gave Logo a vivid demonstration of what it meant to be flexible and know when to bend.
The Mecha Guild was located in Brian City's eastern district.
As the core territory of the Gonis City-State, Brian City was heavily guarded and tightly defended. Patrols were everywhere, while warships and floating robots hovered overhead. No matter how vicious a thug was, upon arriving here, he became well-behaved and dared not act out.
As the first rays of dawn broke and the morning sun rose, a pyramid-shaped building stood majestically amid the surrounding skyscrapers, illuminated by golden light.
Numerous mecha designs were engraved on the building's surface, broadly divided into four categories.
Purely technological mecha, alchemical mecha, magitech mecha, and composite mecha!
Logo and his companions headed straight for the area representing alchemical mecha.
The hall was spacious, with numerous mecha models of all sizes on display. On the virtual projection directly overhead, notices of every description scrolled past.
"Recruiting mecha apprentices. Excellent benefits. Applicants must have a basic knowledge of mechanics, strong practical skills, and some capacity for innovative thinking... idiots need not apply!"
"Buying flame gems, up to 1,000 carats. Current amount purchased: 235/1,000. Interested parties, please contact..."
"Hiring mecha engineers at high pay. Applicants must hold an advanced professional title issued by the guild. Salary negotiable in person, minimum 5,000 Ta Pounds per month..."
Logo briefly browsed the projection, then looked away and went to the counter for posting notices.
The staff member was a cat-eared girl with fair skin, a pretty face, and an adorable appearance. Her two cat ears were pure white and flawless, and even her somewhat loose uniform could not conceal her perfectly curvaceous figure. The two big white rabbits on her chest were particularly eye-catching, and the old perverts passing by could not help stealing a glance.
"My lord, would you like to post a notice?" the cat-eared girl asked timidly. Her big, sparkling eyes kept flicking toward Crassus, who lay atop Logo's head. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked charmingly bashful.
Clearly, she had recognized Crassus's race. To the cat-eared race, Cloud Thunder Tigers were unquestionably a superior race, true princes charming who were both wealthy and handsome. If she could catch one, she would never have to worry again.
"What are you looking at?" Crassus bared his teeth and spoke fiercely.
He did not like this cat-eared girl at all. Her fur was pure white as snow; one look was enough to tell she was unhealthy.
As soon as he spoke, tears welled up in the cat-eared girl's eyes and her lips puckered, but she did not dare look at Crassus again. To a powerless nobody like her, any Cloud Thunder Tiger was an important figure she dared not defy.
Ignoring the change in the cat-eared girl's mood, Logo handed her a sheet of paper he had prepared beforehand, bearing the notice he intended to post.
The cat-eared girl took the paper and glanced at it. She let out a little "Ah!" then hurriedly covered her mouth, afraid Logo would blame her, though surprise still showed in her eyes.
The contents of the paper were simply astonishing.
"Incomplete notes of a top-tier mechanical alchemist for sale. Interested buyers, inquire in person. Contact details..."
The cat-eared girl could already imagine what a sensation the notice would cause once it was posted.
After staring blankly for a few seconds, the cat-eared girl came to her senses and hurriedly reminded him, "My lord, if you want to post this notice, you'll need to pay a deposit."
Logo was not surprised. Without a deposit, anyone could post a similar notice. Wouldn't that cause chaos?
Once the deposit was paid, it would be confiscated if the notice turned out to be false. If you did not have enough Ta Pounds in your pocket, you had to leave yourself behind as collateral.
"How much?"
"Twenty thousand Ta Pounds!"
Logo took out his communicator and transferred 20,000 Ta Pounds from his account.
Ta Pounds were a currency issued by the Guta Star People, and the most widely circulated and reliable currency in the Elven Plane. In chaotic regions like the Xiya Archipelago, especially, almost only Ta Pounds and Tia Gold Coins were accepted.
Once the Ta Pounds arrived, the cat-eared girl quickly posted the notice, and Logo turned and left.
After that, all he had to do was wait quietly, and mecha masters would naturally come to him of their own accord to make a mecha for Melier.
Such was the prestige of a top-tier alchemist. Even incomplete notes possessed an unquestionably powerful allure!