"Did you get caught trying to sneak into Floor 52?" I asked with a sly grin.

Iris responded with a disgruntled nod, "Yeah. The Deathwalkers guarding the area politely asked me to leave the premises—with their weapons."

"Apparently, we are still banned from the red light area of Necropolis. It's absolutely ridiculous!" she exclaimed.

"I mean, we're old enough now!"

I sighed, "Jeez. I think you should dial down your fascination with dark romance and ease up on those explicit adult magazines."

"But they are so entertaining!" Iris protested.

I couldn't help but agree. They do have a certain allure.

"I can't help but wonder if your somewhat creepy antics got us banned from the 52nd floor," I mused.

"You're really asking for an ass-whupping, aren't you?"

"Try me."

Another stare-off coupled with Bloodlust followed before Iris sighed.

"There's another reason we are banned from the red light area. Felix."

I was puzzled, "Felix?"

She nodded, "He ensured we wouldn't even come close to the main gates of the red-light area."

"He's still messing with us from beyond the grave," she sighed.

I chuckled, "Classic Felix move."

A somber pause filled the air as we both thought about Felix and his infectious smile.

"I really miss him," I spoke softly.

"Same," Iris nodded, her gaze fixed on me. "As I said, he was the brother I wish I had."

Another quiet moment enveloped us until I broke the silence.

"So, any plans for today?" I asked, slipping into a casual t-shirt and track pants.

"Absolutely," Iris nodded, setting her novel aside. She brushed back her hair, revealing the silver piercings on her left ear. "Dorothy called. Master Lorvar has finished servicing our mechanimas. We can go collect them."

An excited smile spread across my lips. It had been days since my mechanima was badly damaged during a battle against the daemons.

"Basil is fixed? Awesome! Master Lorvar is the god of crafters!"

Iris chuckled, "Somebody is excited to see their pet again."

I looked at her, "Is that all?"

"No," she said, "We have a new batch of recruits arriving in the evening. You and I are tasked with welcoming them."

I furrowed my brow, "Us? Welcoming newbies? Minerva only assigns us that task when—"

"The new batch of recruits contain powerful warlocks," Iris finished my sentence, conjuring up a holographic screen from her wrist that displayed a list of names and ranks.

She looked fairly impressed, "This is a formidable group. Most of them might make it through the first day."

"And according to Minerva, some of them have 'unique' personalities, and all are very proud. They can be quite a handful," she looked at me with sparkling eyes and a mischievous grin.

"You know what this means, right?"

I nodded, my lips curling into a smile mirroring hers, "Time to tame some wild hounds."

*******

"I honestly feel terrible for the incoming newbies, and I haven't even met them."

Dorothy sighed as she leaned against the counter. Three years had done little to diminish her captivating beauty; if anything, she seemed more alluring than ever.

Dorothy gazed at me with her dreamy teal eyes, "I suppose this batch is quite the wild one if they're summoning the Captain and Vice-captain of the Lunatics."

"Heh. I guess that is what Minerva is aiming for. Deal crazy with even crazier," Iris chuckled.

"So. Who is crazier? Me or Iris?" I jokingly asked.

Dorothy placed an elegant finger on her lips and pondered the question.

"It is difficult to come up with a straight answer," she shook her head, "But that's a topic for another day. Your mechanimas have been repaired."

Our eyes lit up when she mentioned our mechanical partners.

"Master Lorvar fixed Basil this quickly?" I marveled at the ability and speed of the master crafter.

"Basil was the tricky one since she had morphium. Fortunately, my old man had experience with morphium from upgrading your daggers."

Morphium, an incredibly versatile artificial material, was discovered by Merlin two years ago. With the correct sequence of runes, it can change both its shape and properties.

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For example, Master Lorvar upgraded my white daggers with morphium. Now I can join them to form my sword.

And the best part? The morphium has blended seamlessly with the Moon silver and powdered basilisk emerald without altering them in the slightest.

Truly a miraculous creation!

"So, who's eager to reclaim their mechanima first?" Dorothy asked with a playful smile.

"Me!" Iris burst out before I could even open my mouth.

"What are you? A kid?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

She pouted, "I'm the Captain, so naturally, I should get priority!"

"Where did that come from?" I crossed my arms.

"Besides. Perry was more damaged," Iris added.

"Basil almost got her head torn off!" I retorted.

We bickered back and forth until Dorothy released her aura in a powerful burst, shaking the entire shop. That shut both of us up.

"I suppose I'll retrieve both of your mechanimas," she said with a sweet smile that sent shivers down my spine.

She flashed the same dangerous smile at Iris, and the teal-eyed beauty turned around to go to the storeroom.

"You made her snap," I remarked to Iris as Dorothy disappeared behind the doorway.

"Excuse me?" She looked scandalized and was about to reignite the bickering when Dorothy's voice from beyond the doorway froze our bodies.

"You'll be tasting a flaming goose hammer if you guys start bickering again. Believe me, I have a lot in the storeroom."

"Why do you have so many goose hammers?" I blurted out before receiving a sharp blow from Iris's elbow.

"Don't provoke her!" she hissed.

"Fine," I grumbled and rubbed my sore side.

After a few minutes of trying hard not to play around with the deadly weapons on display, Dorothy emerged from the storeroom holding our mechanimas.

Yeah, our mechanimas are small enough to be held in the hand.

I know you all expected me to have a wolf or a lion, but sometimes smaller mechanimas are far more practical.

But that doesn't mean our mechanimas should be underestimated.

Perched on Dorothy's arm, appearing as if it was asleep, was a big silver falcon mechanima.

A truly breathtaking marvel of craftsmanship that perfectly resembled an actual falcon.

Its exterior is adorned with intricately designed silver feathers, carefully engineered to mimic the natural flow and pattern found on a living falcon.

Each silver feather is meticulously designed for aerodynamic efficiency, ensuring optimal flight performance.

Between the many silver feathers, extremely lightweight metallic plates rest on a carbon fiber skeleton, subtly peeking out.

Crafted from Moon silver, these feathers are exceptionally sharp and capable of inflicting deep cuts on the bodies of the daemons.

They can be recalled and seamlessly reattached to the wing without disturbing the mechanima's flight, thanks to the compact yet powerful actuators and motors embedded into the skeleton.

Crafted from the rare Moon Silver, its sharp silver beak and serrated talons bestowed the mechanima with a regal yet deadly allure.

An intricate masterpiece that is both beautiful and lethal.

Iris's eyes lit up, "Perry!"

As if activated by her voice, which it was, a soft azure glow permeated through its silver feathers, and tiny valves opened beneath them.

A soft whirring of gears and the creaking of metallic plates, accompanied by the subtle movement of the carbon fiber skeleton, signaled the awakening of the mechanima.

It opened its silver eyelids, revealing glowing blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires, exuding a surprising intelligence.

Seeming a bit disoriented, it glanced around before fixing its glowing azure eyes on Iris.

Actuators buzzed as the falcon extended its huge wings, each spanning more than a meter in length.

With a mechanical squawk, it gracefully launched from Dorothy's arm, knocking over a few weapons as it soared around the shop.

Finally, it landed on Iris's arm. For some peculiar reason, Perry appeared to share Iris's directional challenges.

I don't know how that is even possible.

Like master, like mechanima, I guess.

Perry emitted some adorable mechanical clicks as he affectionately pecked at Iris's piercings.

She laughed, "It's good to see you, buddy."

I grinned, "Glad to see you back in action, Perry. How is the wing?"

Perry turned his head to me and raised his right wing with another mechanical squawk.

Mechanimas exhibit a surprising level of intelligence, often surpassing their organic counterparts.

Perry was meticulously crafted to resemble a Moon Falcon, a rare species of ardimal well-known for its exceptional intelligence.

He easily comprehends human commands, no matter how complex, and swiftly makes decisions in heated situations without any assistance from Iris.

Perry not only remembers faces but also exhibits likes and dislikes. It is as if the mechanima is a sentient being.

Many attribute this self-awareness to the advanced artificial intelligence of the mechanimas, while others believe it originates from the ardor processed in their primal cores.

A Primal Core is an advanced iteration of the Infinity Engine. It absorbs ardor from the environment through multiple valves and processes it to power the mechanima.

Since ardor is living energy, it is believed that the ardor processed in the primal core of a mechanima imparts a form of consciousness to the automaton, even linking with its artificial intelligence.

This linking of AI with ardor is what is believed to imbue mechanima with a form of self-awareness.

And that concludes our technical lesson on mechanima.

Thousand draigos, please. This lesson ain't free

Anyway. Dorothy looked miffed about Perry knocking over the weapons on display, but she regained her composure and sighed.

"Dad mentioned that it would take some time for Perry to adjust to the new actuators and wing. Make sure you don't overexert him in the coming days," she advised.

Iris nodded, "Sure! Whatever Master Lorvar says!"

Dorothy then turned to me, "Now for Basil."

"We almost lost her, but my old man didn't give up. He toiled for hours in the Workshop and was finally able to bring her back online."

"You better erect an altar for my old man with the engravings 'The god of Crafters' at the base," she said, placing my mechanima on the counter.

At first glance, it resembled a white bracelet shaped like a form of ouroboros, a white snake coiled and biting its tail.

The craftsmanship and detail were impeccable. The white metallic interlocking scales and segments were more intricate than Perry's feathers.

Two small emeralds were carefully embedded into the head for eyes, and one could make out furled fangs between the tail and the mouth of the serpent.

I gently caressed the head of the snake and softly uttered, "Basil. Wake up."

The emerald eyes of the serpent glowed to life, and a vibrant green light pulsed between the numerous scales along its body.

With a mechanical hiss, the serpent opened its mouth, releasing its tail and unfurling its body. Its tiny metallic scales shifted and undulated, gracefully straightening its serpentine form.

The body of the small mechanical serpent measured about sixty centimeters in length and was as thick as a highlighter pen. About the size of a garter snake.

Its tail was adorned with a pointed spike that faintly glowed with the green hue of its primal core.

The serpent shook its small, blunt, triangular head and let out a tiny yawn, revealing two-inch-long fangs that resembled clear crystal.

The white serpent mechanima turned its head toward me, recognition glinting in its lidless glowing green eyes. Closing its fanged mouth, it happily flicked its tongue at me.

As I stretched out my arm, the white mechanical serpent slithered like an actual snake onto it, coiling its flexible metallic body around my arm.

Just like Perry, Basil emitted some cute sound clicks as she rubbed her cute head against my cheek when I brought her close to my face.

I chuckled, "I missed you too, Basil."

I'm sure you're all thinking, 'What can such a tiny serpent do?'

Allow me to unveil the true beauty of my Basil.

As I gently placed my arm down, Basil gracefully slithered onto the counter. Her sophisticated network of tiny hydraulics and servo motors flawlessly mimicked the flexibility of a real snake.

I glanced at Dorothy, "Can I?"

She shrugged, "Go on."

Even Iris looked excited as if she was expecting something.

I smiled and looked at my mechanima. "Basil. Expand."