Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 218, Section 217: Mech Association
"A faint spirituality, full of sacrifice and desperate courage, unfortunately doesn't suit me."

Gula stared at the black-based Warrior-class mech on the display stand, his fingertips lightly touching the cold metal surface. The vicious claw mark on the mech's chest armor seemed to tell a story of a brutal battlefield, but to him, this level of spirituality was not enough to warrant his attention.

He wanted to ask if he could buy it, but after a couple of swallows, he swallowed his words.

He knew Shrek Academy's rules all too well: these treasures could only be traded using contribution points, while Federal Coins were nothing but worthless paper here.

As a freshman, he didn't even have enough money in his account to buy a single mecha part. If he wanted to equip all four of his avatars with decent gear, he'd probably have to work like a slave in the forge and the secondary profession association for several years.

"I still need to think of another way..." Gula muttered to himself, turning to walk towards the centrally located, suspended holographic projector. As he inserted his student card into the slot, a deep blue screen instantly unfolded before him, and the mecha customization interface cascaded down like a waterfall:

[Mech Level]

Standard (White): Basic training mech, suitable for novice trainees. Equipped with a simple soul-guided power core, maximum output 10 tons. Price: 100,000 contribution points.

Elite (Yellow): Enhanced combat mech. Equipped with a level-two soul guidance array and can be armed with standard soul guidance cannons. Price: One million contribution points.

General-class (Purple Tier): Main battle unit. Equipped with composite armor and supports modular loading of soul-guided weapons. Price: Nine million contribution points.

King-tier (Black-tier): Super Mech with partial transformation capabilities, perfectly compatible with two-word battle armor. Price: 40 million contribution points.

Gula's fingertip hovered over the "Black Level" option for a moment, and the light screen immediately unfolded a three-dimensional model: the streamlined, jet-black armor stood like a savage behemoth, with the particle cannon muzzles on its shoulders flashing a dangerous red light.

But when he glanced at the lone number "5023" in his account balance, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

"It's definitely more cost-effective to purchase things outside with Federal Currency." He turned off the light screen, connected the communicator to the company terminal, and automatically brought up the latest financial statements.

"The company's sales curve last month was worryingly flat. Major powers are sticking to their own potion supply chains, and only a few scattered Soul Masters are buying Arceus's Body Tempering Elixir."

“But rare metals from outside are regulated, and the Spirit Pagoda will be restricted by the Qian Gu family,” he muttered to himself.

Gula narrowed his eyes. The advanced technology and martial spirit system, while convenient, also limited many of his tricks.

For example, he had long accumulated enough points and divine beast tickets to evolve Celebi's martial soul, but nowadays there are many powerful people on the Douluo Continent, and surveillance is everywhere, so he has not found a suitable place to evolve his martial soul.

As he pondered whether to launch the new drug, footsteps sounded behind him. The silver-uniformed youth he had met in the exhibition hall was walking towards him, the gear-shaped badge on his chest gleaming coldly under the lights—Lin Mo, a Level 3 Assistant Instructor of the Mech Association.

"Junior, are you worried about customizing a mecha?" Lin Mo's smile carried the knowingness of someone who had been there. "All freshmen are like this. When I first came here, I couldn't even understand the design blueprints for a white-level mecha."

Gula snapped out of his reverie and nodded: "Yes, I want to learn piloting skills first before considering customizing a mecha."

"A wise choice. Because of their massive size, mechs can carry larger energy cores and hybrid soul guides, making them no less capable than battle armor!"

"And after passing the test and obtaining the permit, you can drive in the city, which is really cool!"

When talking about mecha, the young man's expression became enthusiastic, and he greatly admired Gura's choice. He noticed that Gura's school uniform was a first-year white striped one, and a sense of sacredness, as if he wanted to recruit people into his faith, flashed in his eyes.

"The first-year assessment is to build a white mecha. I recommend that you come to the Mecha Association more often to familiarize yourself with the operation and build the mecha that best suits you."

The young man sized up Gula, whose expression remained unchanged, and tentatively asked, "If you don't lack contribution points, a purple-level mech can handle most combat scenarios and is extremely cost-effective. However, piloting a mech requires a certain level of mental strength. Have you tested your mental strength level?"

“Spirit Sea Realm,” Gula answered calmly.

The teaching assistant was taken aback, then looked surprised: "This level is already enough to pilot a Black-level mech! It seems this junior is exceptionally talented."

Gula smiled but didn't explain further. "Then why don't we try a simulator?" the teaching assistant suggested. "We have a mech simulator where you can experience different types of mech operation. And in the simulator, there are no physical limitations; it only tests your mental strength."

"it is good."

Gula followed the assistant coach through the alloy corridor to the oval-shaped training area.

The silver-white simulation cabin gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the blue light, and fine soul-guiding patterns flowed across its surface.

He lay down inside the capsule, and the neural connection device automatically fitted itself to his temples. The cool touch made him squint slightly.

"Consciousness link activated," the mechanical female voice announced.

The moment the hatch closed, Gula felt as if the back of his head was being gently tugged, and the scene before him suddenly changed.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself on an endless desert battlefield. The scorching yellow sand flowed beneath my feet, and the heat distorted the distant horizon. A semi-transparent system interface unfolded in my field of vision:

Please select the test mech.

Four options floated in the air, with the black mech option locked. Gula's gaze swept over the bulky design of the white basic training machine, lingered for a moment on the yellow assault mech, and finally clicked the purple icon without hesitation.

"Om-"

Amidst the spatial tremors, countless light particles rose from the sand, weaving together to form the outline of a three-meter-high mecha before him.

As the light faded, a streamlined battle suit of deep purple stood proudly. The armor was as smooth as a mirror, with dark gold cushioning pads embedded in the joints, and the folded propulsion wings on its back shimmered iridescently in the sunlight.

[Purple Shadow-7 type startup complete]

[Power Core: Level 4 Soul Guidance Reactor (Peak Output: 1200 Soul Power Units)]

[Weapon System: Soul-Guided Ray Cannon x2 (Charge Time 2.3 seconds), High-Frequency Vibration Blade x1 (Amplitude 40000 times/minute)]

Gu La touched the authentication panel on the mech's chest, and the cockpit unfolded like a blooming metal flower.

He floated in, and the mental connection system immediately synchronized with his mental network. As the joystick automatically rested in his palm, he felt a strange resonance—this steel body seemed to have become his new body.

"A decent configuration. It uses less material than the dozen or so mechs I assembled myself, but its power hasn't been reduced by much."

Gula chuckled, his fingertips tracing the control panel of the holographic projection. Through the mecha's sensors, he could clearly "see" the rolling trajectory of the sand three hundred meters away. "It seems that Shrek Academy learned its lesson from the backwardness of soul tools ten thousand years ago, and now they dare not fall behind even in mecha technology that the students don't like."

Gula nodded in satisfaction. This was one of the reasons he came here: to make the Federation, which lost blueprints every year, happier.

Suddenly, the alarm shattered the silence.

[Combat test begins!]

Suddenly, the sand dunes in the distance exploded, and more than thirty tan-colored mechs swarmed out like ants. They were equipped with standard-issue soul-guided rifles, and the blue flames spewed from their thrusters plowed scorched tracks into the sand.

Gula's pupils contracted slightly, and the movement trajectory of each enemy was automatically marked in his field of vision. His amazing dynamic vision detected the purple mech hidden among them before the mech itself could.

"Let's warm up first," he murmured.

(End of this chapter)