"We're here. This is my home." Jasmine pointed to the cluttered little room, smiling a little self-consciously.
She gathered the scattered mechanical parts from the floor and piled them on the table.
"I usually like to tinker with things, so my place is a bit messy."
"It's fine," Jiang Wen said with a nod and a smile. He surveyed the room. Besides the bronze mechanical parts, there was only a hard-looking bronze bed. The bed, like those in taverns, had various small holes in it.
"What are these holes for?" Jiang Wen asked, curious.
"You don't even know that? This is where you charge your spirit energy." Jasmine was puzzled by Jiang Wen's question, as charging spirit energy was common knowledge that every mech should know.
"Charge spirit energy?" Jiang Wen repeated the strange term.
"Don't you need to charge your spirit energy? How else do you function daily?" Jasmine asked, perplexed. Seeing Jiang Wen's confused expression, she patiently explained what charging spirit energy meant.
After listening for a while, Jiang Wen finally understood. The so-called charging of spirit energy was essentially a mech recharging. Just as humans need to eat to sustain life, these mechs need to charge spirit energy to maintain basic functions.
This spirit energy was the ubiquitous spiritual energy. It simply needed a piece of furniture like the bed to gather it together. That's why mech beds had those holes, which served as interfaces for charging spirit energy.
Having figured out the lifestyle of the mechs, Jiang Wen felt enlightened.
He never imagined there could be such a magical place where life forms like mechs could exist.
After tidying up her home, Jasmine answered some of Jiang Wen's questions.
Such as the various factions in Mo Du, as well as the class divisions among the mechs. In short, Jiang Wen gained a basic understanding of the mech world.
"Of course!" Jasmine nodded eagerly. Jiang Wen frankly removed his mask and hat, revealing a smooth and handsome face.
Jasmine froze in place. Her eyes trembled violently, and her limbs shook. Staring at Jiang Wen, she stammered, "S-Saint, Saint Child?!"
"What Saint Child?" Jiang Wen looked at Jasmine, puzzled. Seeing her near-crazed state, he could only put his mask back on.
Jasmine regained her composure, collapsing onto the ground with lingering fear. She looked at Jiang Wen, panting, with a look of extreme longing and fear in her eyes.
"You, you're really not a Saint Child?" Jasmine asked in disbelief.
"What exactly is a Saint Child?" Jiang Wen asked curiously.
"Saint Children are the offspring of the Mech Saint Mother. They are the most perfect mechs, considering themselves human," Jasmine explained, calming down. "Every Saint Child is capable of bewitching a mech's soul core. They can control all mechs. Any mech that gets close to them will be drawn to them, becoming their loyal servant. Just like just now, I, I almost became your mech slave…"
Jasmine was still thinking about her emotions from just now. It was the first time in her life that she had been so close to a Saint Child. She didn't know if the Saint Child truly possessed such great magic, but from Jiang Wen, she felt a deep affection and dependence. It was an irresistible feeling, the ultimate emotion hidden within her soul core.
【】
"You, you shouldn't take off your mask so casually," Jasmine said, turning her back. "I want to calm down alone."
"I understand," Jiang Wen said helplessly. This mech world was truly wonderful. Just a glimpse of his human face could cause such enchantment. He grew more curious about who created these mechs and why they were placed in this world.
Jasmine was, after all, an energetic mech girl, and she quickly regained her composure. She kept her promise to take Jiang Wen to see Shopkeeper Hua Ming.
Shopkeeper Hua Ming's teahouse was located in the tallest mech city in Mo Du. The hundred-meter-high mech city stood like a mountain in the heart of Mo Du. The huge gears on the mech city turned, and even people on the ground could hear the ticking sound of the gears turning.
This was Mo Du's iconic building—the Myriad Machine Heavenly Net City. It was said that this building belonged to the royal family, and the Mech Saint Child resided at the very top.
Arriving at the foot of the mech city, those entering and leaving were all from the upper echelons of Mo Du. Their clothing and temperament were unmatched by ordinary mechs. The exquisite and beautiful cloth garments, the noble attire adorned with embroidery, and the various gold and silver ornaments all displayed their status.
As a result, when Jiang Wen and Jasmine walked to the gate of the mech city, many mechs looked at him with strange eyes, disliking this mech covered in a straw cloak.
"Twenty-third floor, number eight-zero-eight." Jasmine took out a copper token given to her by the shopkeeper, looking at the gilded characters on it. Finding the stairs leading to the upper floors, the two counted the floors as they walked upstairs.
The stairs spiraled around a huge pillar, like a long dragon leading straight to the top. Looking up, the densely packed mechs were like ants, shuttling through the various floors.
The top of the mech city was decorated with transparent crystals, emitting a dazzling light under the morning sun.
"Twenty-three! We, we're here." Jasmine placed her hands on her knees, panting heavily. Jiang Wen pretended to be tired as well, but he didn't feel particularly exhausted. After all, this was nothing to him, but he hadn't expected mechs to get tired.
"I didn't expect climbing stairs to be so tiring," Jasmine muttered to herself.
"Of course, those stairs aren't meant for walking." With a 'ding' sound, a carved wooden door behind Jasmine suddenly opened.
A valiant woman wearing a long black robe, with a copper pipe in her mouth. She was refined and extraordinary, her phoenix eyes gleaming, her facial features perfectly proportioned, creating a flawless beauty. If it weren't for the gilded mechanical structure of her neck below her face, Jiang Wen would have thought she was a living person.
She stood next to Jasmine, looking at Jiang Wen with a half-smile: "Is this your soul-bonded partner?"
"Yes, no, it's not." Jasmine didn't know what to say for a moment. Her tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and she couldn't say anything coherent for a long time.
The woman took the lead and walked forward. Then, as if she had thought of something, she turned back to look at Jasmine: "You're still young, don't engage in too much soul-bonding, it will damage your soul core."
"No! It's not like that, Hua Ming! This is a guest I brought!" Jasmine said, exasperated.
With a knowing smile on her face, the woman pushed open the door of the teahouse.
