Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Although the gift from Li Qixing was extremely precious, Ruo Manni felt it was a bit excessive. However, as a junior receiving a gift from an elder, she couldn’t refuse, especially since he was her master and the gift was a mecha that he had personally used. Accepting it did not weigh heavily on her conscience.

On the other hand, Rick Amber, as the senior brother, gave a gift that seemed very generous. Ruo Manni, unsure of his relationship with the Amber family, found it unusual for him to give such an expensive present.

Ruo Manni was quite observant; even Li Qixing looked at Rick Amber with some surprise.

Ruo Manni placed the burning gift back on the table. “Senior brother, this gift is too valuable; I can’t accept it.”

“Just take it. Your senior brother is a seventh-level mecha master. For him, it’s just a personal possession, so it’s not considered valuable. With this property, you’ll have a place to go during school breaks. Your brother put thought into it; it even has a well-decorated meditation room and a training room,” Li Qixing said lightly.

Although Li Qixing’s tone was calm, his words were quite firm. Rick Amber also smiled, saying, “It’s just a respectable gift. Little junior sister, don’t feel burdened. When you grow up, you’ll understand.”

Li Qixing’s attitude was clear; he hoped that Ruo Manni and Rick Amber would become closer.

Ruo Manni guessed this was because he wouldn’t be around the Imperial Capital Star most of the time. At this moment, Rick Amber could act as her master and take care of her, guiding her as his underage junior sister.

Rick Amber’s attitude was also apparent; he respected his master’s orders. If Ruo Manni forcibly refused this meeting gift, it would imply that she did not acknowledge or want to be close to her senior brother, Rick Amber.

With her arms unable to compete against the strong leg, Ruo Manni had no choice but to accept this meeting gift. This also meant that she and Rick Amber would no longer be superficial senior and junior siblings, but rather equals with a shared stance.

However, Rick Amber’s gift truly touched Ruo Manni’s heart. Shang Ke’s martial arts cultivation potential was rated C-level; if he could come to the Imperial Capital Star to attend a mid-level academy, his future would surely be much brighter than if he stayed on Topaz Star. Not to mention the impending disaster in a few years—Imperial Capital Star was the safest place in the entire Gus Empire.

“Junior sister, just sign your name in the blank space, press your handprint, and send a duplicate to the property office on the Sky Network. You will be the legal owner of this property. Make sure to send me a copy once it’s done,” Rick Amber said.

“Okay, thank you, senior brother.” Although Ruo Manni felt the gift from Rick Amber was a bit too much, she calmed down afterward.

Although she was still weak at the moment and couldn’t repay the kindness of her master and senior brother, perhaps she could in the future.

The three of them exited the training room, and an older mentor smiled at Li Qixing, saying, “Congratulations, Colonel Li, on receiving such a talented student like Ruo Manni as your disciple. With her excellent cultivation potential and her diligence, under a teacher like you, her future achievements are unimaginable.”

Ruo Manni looked at the mentor, whose name tag read “Mentor Akram.”

“Ruo Manni is a student from the border star, where cultivation resources are definitely far inferior to those on Imperial Capital Star. Her current achievements indicate that she possesses not only exceptional talent but also extreme diligence and hard work; otherwise, she wouldn’t have such high cultivation levels,” said an instructor standing next to Mentor Akram.

Li Qixing smiled and said, “She’s still young and can’t handle such flattery from you all. She hasn’t devoted enough effort to cultivation in the past; you should all know that she originally majored in mecha manufacturing and didn’t put much effort into her cultivation.”

Although Li Qixing’s words were very modest, everyone could hear the pride in his tone.

“A genius like Ruo Manni studying mecha manufacturing would be a complete waste of talent. Fortunately, she was forcibly recruited into our Mecha Combat Department after the assessment competition,” Mentor Akram said with a smile, glancing at Rick Amber.

“You jerk! What’s wrong with our mecha manufacturing? With a talent like junior sister’s, if she specializes in mecha manufacturing, she could become a level five mecha engineer in less than four years,” Rick Amber shot back.

Even though Rick Amber and Mentor Akram were being quite blunt with each other, Ruo Manni could tell that the two were obviously familiar with one another.

“Isn’t that right? If Ruo Manni went to your Mecha Manufacturing Department, it would truly be a waste of talent. I don’t believe you didn’t notice that she hadn’t practiced any combat skills specifically before the assessment competition, yet she still achieved seventh place among the freshmen in the Mecha Combat Department. To be able to remain calm and decisive in a crisis without any preparation shows that she is a born warrior. I’m looking forward to her future achievements,” Mentor Akram said expectantly.

“Yes, I hope Ruo Manni can surpass me soon,” Li Qixing added, his tone also filled with anticipation.

Li Qixing was a level seven psychic master, so surpassing him would mean she became a level eight psychic master. In battles against aliens, a level eight psychic master could control the attack trajectories of weapons across a vast battlefield.

“I have to go see the Crown Prince at the palace soon, and then I’ll be returning to the army. I won’t be back in Imperial Capital Star for about a month. Rick Amber, you take care of your junior sister,” Li Qixing said, glancing at the time and hurrying off.

After sending Li Qixing off, Ruo Manni followed Rick Amber to the Mecha Manufacturing Department to complete her dual major procedures.

Receiving such a generous gift from her senior brother meant accepting him as her senior, so Ruo Manni naturally wouldn’t remain distant and polite toward Rick Amber.

Therefore, she no longer held back and directly asked Rick Amber for help with the aspects of mecha manufacturing she had been self-studying and found confusing.

Once again, she proved the benefits of having a famous mentor—how much fewer detours she could take; it was not easy to become self-taught.

Rick Amber not only helped her solve her questions but also taught Ruo Manni mecha fine-tuning techniques.

For a mecha engineer, fine-tuning techniques are the stepping stones to becoming a high-level mecha engineer.

When Ruo Manni was learning level three mecha manufacturing techniques, she had only brushed the surface of fine-tuning. Because she had only learned a little, her progress was slow, and some concepts she studied were only half-understood, requiring repeated reflection to grasp.

Once Rick Amber taught her the basics of fine-tuning techniques, it was enough for her to achieve a breakthrough. She became deeply immersed in mecha manufacturing and completely forgot that she had other training plans ahead.

When Ruo Manni finally mastered the fine-tuning techniques taught by Rick Amber, she noticed a handsome black-haired boy had appeared in Rick Amber’s mecha manufacturing workshop without her realizing it.

Rick Amber was adjusting the mecha that her teacher had given her, while the boy assisted him, quickly handing him the tools he needed without Rick Amber even having to ask. His efficiency indicated that he was a mecha engineer of no low rank.

“Manni, this is my eldest disciple, Leandro Ferreira, a third-year student in the Mecha Manufacturing Department and a level four mecha engineer,” Rick Amber said, multitasking as he spoke.

Ruo Manni observed Rick Amber, who was carefully examining the mecha components while distractedly introducing his student. She felt that he was quite at ease in this situation.