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The latter, ignoring Seraphina\'s evident displeasure, turned to Ansel, "Next, we must conduct a practical test with a sample that approximates a component of the mechanical armor... Hydral, which version of the mechanical armor blueprints did you provide them?"

"The very first one."

Ansel shrugged, "Because the subsequent versions would cause significant trouble. I have no desire to see such contraptions within the Empire in the next five years."

"The first one..." Ravenna nodded in approval, "Very well, I should now possess the capability to craft an external piece of armor. Let\'s start with that."

Ansel summoned the metallic bug to his hand from the workbench, examining the tiny creature that nimbly wound and crawled around his fingertip, while reminding, "Although I\'ve only provided the primitive version, under Her Majesty\'s imposing influence, they could still manage to make some improvements."

"Mediocrity cannot breakthrough on the genius of the original design; at best, they are merely gilding the lily."

Ravenna scoffed disdainfully, "I can already envision the incongruous and superfluous features they will tack onto that mechanical armor."

Confused by the conversation, Seraphina, not wanting to feel out of place, inquired curiously of Ansel, "Ansel, what exactly is this mechanical armor you speak of? Why is that terrible terrible Elder Princess wanting to develop it, and even the empress herself?"

"Let me pose a question to you first, Seraphina."

Ansel watched the metallic bug begin to fly more steadily in the air, speaking in a light-hearted tone, "What, in your opinion, constitutes the ultimate best weapon?"

"...A weapon?"

Seraphina, whose knowledge in this area was quite limited, tilted her head in thought, "The best... would be the sharpest, right?"

As a hunter, her understanding of weapons was confined to this.

"The ultimate weapon is a tool that maximizes the efficiency of slaughter, and such tools... are fundamentally designed to compensate for human \'inadequacies\'."

The metallic bug\'s flight grew more stable, and Ansel continued while watching it, "Due to an insufficient understanding of essence, mastery of ether, and accumulation of knowledge, we require the alchemical carving knife, the ether furnace, and an entire alchemy workshop for assistance."

"The same applies to weapons, which serve to compensate for deficiencies in violence and killing—so, the question arises."

"Where exactly are these inadequacies?"

"The constraints of energy, the limitations of methods, and the restrictions of the physical shell," Ravenna interjected without looking up from her work.

"Exactly, Ravenna has summarized it perfectly," Ansel said with a pleased smile, "Whether for the extraordinary or the mundane, all shortcomings in violence can be addressed through these three aspects."

"So—" he ruffled Seraphina\'s hair, transforming her annoyance into happiness in an instant, then asked, "Now, Seraphina, what do you believe is the most powerful weapon?"

"Um... based on what Ansel said, would it be something that compensates for these three inadequacies?"

"Yes."

The young Hydral, holding the flying metallic bug in his palm, mused with a hint of nostalgia,

"Mechanical armor is precisely such a weapon."

Capable of compensating for the constraints brought about by energy consumption, providing an infinite variety of offensive tactics, and not being limited by the physical form...

This was the transcendent weapon Ansel had envisioned, known as mechanical armor.

"...Is it really that formidable?"

Seraphina was skeptical, her somewhat barren mind struggling to conceive what such a weapon might look like.

"In theory, it is indeed that formidable."

Ansel himself chuckled as he said this, "Of course, that\'s just \'in theory.\' Because at that time, neither Ravenna nor I had actually considered completing it. The only attempt was even just to forge the most basic armor, which is... what Ravenna is currently undertaking."

"And that attempt..."

Hydral, sitting alongside his best partner, looked at the solitary figure standing at the workbench with a touch of regret, "Ravenna\'s failure was quite spectacular."

"Pfft."

Miss Seraphina couldn\'t help but laugh out loud, and although she quickly felt it was impolite, it was genuinely amusing, and she could hardly contain herself.

The thought of this madwoman, who always wore a morose expression and showed no courtesy to Ansel, looking disheveled and covered in soot from a failed experiment, filled her with glee.

Furthermore, because of this madwoman, she had been forced to spend time in the alchemy workshop with Ansel, reluctantly participating in some unwelcome games... Well, it wasn\'t so much about willingness, but rather that the in-between feeling was too uncomfortable. Ansel was as consistent as ever, but she couldn\'t quite let loose with others around.

Annoying... just wait, I\'ll make sure Ansel gives you a good thrashing!

With these thoughts, Seraphina couldn\'t suppress a few more snickers, and although she was slightly annoyed at the prospect of working alongside Ravenna in the future, the thought of always having the upper hand over her alleviated her irritation.

Understanding the pecking order is crucial! And after all, I possess the power of two pact heads, two of them!

"No one can guarantee perpetual success," Ravenna glanced at Ansel, "Can you, Hydral?"

"Hmm... well..."

Ansel didn\'t look at Ravenna, but instead gazed down at the laughing Seraphina, a gentle purity swirling in his sea-blue eyes.

"You\'re not wrong, I indeed cannot promise eternal victory."

"..."

Ravenna remained silent, her face expressionless as she continued her work.

Such pretense.

As she placed the inscribed metal block into the etheric furnace, this thought crossed Ravenna\'s mind.

In three years, his acting had become even more terrifyingly deceptive... It was no surprise that the beast, who was never particularly clever to begin with, had been fooled to this extent.

Ravenna believed that as long as Ansel gave the order, even if it meant certain death, the young girl beside him would carry it out without hesitation. Although she didn\'t particularly like such brash individuals, Ravenna couldn\'t help but feel a bit of pity for her.

Life is precious, and the world is filled with so many unknown and vast sights, profound truths. To simply hand over one\'s soul to the devil seemed such a waste.

However, this was Seraphina\'s choice, and Ravenna had no interest in meddling.

Compared to caring about that insignificant person, the matter at hand was clearly more important.

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