The Legend of the Dragon King (Web Novel)
chapter-519

After eating breakfast, Tang Wulin called a taxi and soon he and Gu Yue were off to the Tang Sect.

Mechas were gigantic, much too large to fit in Tang Wulin’s current storage ring. In fact, most pilots needed a hangar specifically to house and maintain their mecha. Only the richest, most powerful pilots had spatial storage devices large enough to hold an entire mecha. Considering how much such a storage device would cost, Tang Wulin settled for a hangar.

Once the taxi arrived at the Tang Sect, the two got out.

“I just need to go in and pick something up really quick,” Tang Wulin said, flashing a smile at Gu Yue. “We’ll head to Heaven Dou City as soon as I’m done.”

“Okay. I’ll wait out here.” Gu Yue didn’t know what rules the Tang Sect had, but she was sure an outsider like her wouldn’t be welcome.

“I’ll be back in a jiffy!” Tang Wulin exclaimed as he rushed into the grounds of the sect.

The gates to the Tang Sect were simple. The only decoration adorning its austere appearance was the signboard that hung directly above them. On it were the words ‘Tang Sect,’ and in a smaller script below that was the name ‘Huo Yuhao.’

Gu Yue she stared at the sign. Huo Yuhao was the legendary Spirit Ice Douluo and founder of the Spirit Pagoda. She furrowed her brow at the implication of his name being there, but she didn’t dwell on it for long. Rather, she couldn’t. She woke from her thoughts and turned her gaze up to the sky. She could hear a faint whistling in the air. It grew louder and louder, and soon enough, she saw a mecha flying over. In spite of the distance, she estimated it to be about ten meters tall. Its body was a bright yellow, a reflection of its grade. It slowed as it approached and eventually came to a stop a dozen meters above the ground, just in front of the door. Then it slowly descended to the ground. The landing was soft, nearly silent. For a hunk of metal like this, that was an unbelievable achievement. The mecha’s pilot had superb control over it.

Gu Yue took a few steps backward. Huh. So the Tang Sect has mecha pilots too.

As a mecha designer, Gu Yue could immediately tell that the mecha’s sleek design facilitated swift, nimble movements. It was a long-ranged mecha, so its primary weapon was the soul cannon on its back. The cannon itself was just over six meters long and was equipped in such a way that it could be readied and fired in an instant. It had a range of one kilometer and shot eighty millimeter rounds, each of which could match the power of a Soul Ancestor.

The advent of mechas had displaced soul masters for a time since they gave ordinary people the ability to stand on even ground with soul masters. It was only with the creation of battle armor, the support of spirit souls, and their inherent physical superiority that soul masters were able to retake their throne as rulers of the continent. Even the strongest of ordinary people could generally only pilot mechas up to yellow-grade. Soul masters could pilot mechas of purple-grade and higher.

When the mecha turned to face her, Gu Yue eyed it suspiciously. What’s it looking at me for?

An electronic voice boomed from the mecha. “Hey pretty lady! Wanna go for a ride?”.

Gu Yue’s expression darkened and she turned around to leave. She had no doubt that she could take down this yellow-grade mecha. However, she had no choice but to suppress her anger to avoid causing trouble at the Tang Sect’s doorstep.

At that moment, the mecha raised a hand a shot a golden light at her.

Gu Yue couldn’t believe how brazen the pilot was being, and only then did she decide to take action. The golden light wrapped around her waist, but just as she was about to teleport away, she stopped. The light felt familiar. She looked down at her waist and realized it was actually a golden vine that glowed a faint blue.

Gu Yue directed a glare at the mecha, just in time to see Tang Wulin get out of its cockpit.

Tang Wulin waved at her, a radiant smile painted on his face, and yanked her over to him. Gu Yue yelped in surprise, and he caught her by the waist and set her down in the co-pilot’s seat.

Pilots operated mechas while standing for the sake of control. All of the interior equipment was firmly attached to the walls and floor of the cockpit. The only seat available, which was located just behind the pilot’s operation space, was for the co-pilot. The cockpit was designed like that in case anything happened to the pilot. It enabled the co-pilot to take control of the mecha at a moment’s notice. Such a configuration was useful for long-ranged artillery mechas. It was also handy when it came to transporting civilians. Many rich heirs to prestigious families had their own personal mechas that they used to bring girls on joyrides.

Once she sat down in the leather seat and fastened her seat belt, Gu Yue rolled her eyes at Tang Wulin. “You came all the way here to borrow a mecha?”

Tang Wulin snickered. “Nope! Not borrowing. This mecha is mine. I commissioned it from the Mecha Association and had the Tang Sect keep it for me. I’m kind of afraid of trains now. I always get caught up in something whenever I ride one. And besides, even if trains are cheap, they can’t beat a mecha for practicality.”

“Is this why you’re taking the mecha-piloting class?” Gu Yue asked.

“Well, yes.” Tang Wulin scratched his chin and nodded. “But I can also use mechas and battle armor at the same time. If I have both, that’s even more combat power! Teacher Wu said that the strongest soul masters are both battle armor masters and mecha pilots. That makes sense. And, uh, I always dreamed of becoming a mecha pilot when I was a kid. Since I actually can, I figured I might as well give it a try.

“Look! This entire mecha is made of thousand refined star iron. It’s technically yellow-grade, but it was made using materials fit for a purple-grade mecha! The only difference is that I opted for a weaker circuit core. They’re just way too expensive. Aside from the materials, this mecha was made according to the specifications of your typical yellow-grade mecha, and it still cost me loads of points, you know. And now you’re my first passenger!”

One of the reasons Tang Wulin had the Tang Sect keep his mecha for him was so he could practice piloting in the Battle Hall during his weekly visits. The training grounds for mechas here were much better than the ones at Shrek Academy too. The equipment they had, the courses and the drills they offered, all of it would allowed him to learn advanced skills faster. Thanks to his robust physique, Tang Wulin was already a skilled pilot that could easily execute complex maneuvers.

The breastplate of the mecha closed, sealing the cockpit shut. Tang Wulin’s hands danced across the dashboard, tapping screens and flicking switches to verify the mecha’s status. The Tang Sect’s maintenance crew was superb and there were no abnormalities in the mecha.

Tang Wulin took out the ID card Wu Zhangkong gave him and stuck it into a slot. The mecha’s interface beeped, and a few lines of green text appeared at the corner of the main screen. His mecha was now authorized to travel the continent.