Trish slides using armor in a large empty field. Yes, she doesn't walk or run, but slides. Lance's team had already attached wheels to the armor's legs.
"This is so hard to control!!!" Trish had difficulty keeping the armor sliding straight. "Kyaaa!!!"
She hit a tree hard, and it collapsed.
"Trish!" Lance and the others ran towards the female warrior, who was still lying down. "Are you okay!?
Lance couldn't explain how to use the wheels because there were no counterparts in this world. Apart from that, the materials used are also far from ideal. He hasn't found the right one yet.
Not to mention the simple spring-shaped shock absorber. Currently, there are no machines in this world that can produce better parts.
Trish rose to her feet with no problems. "This new feature is exciting and I can see it being useful for various purposes. But it is very unstable and difficult to control. Damn, because I was so excited, I was talking seriously."
"I can't wait to use that feature. I hope you can finish it, sis."
Everyone looked towards the voice and found that Nathaniel coming.
"Shouldn't your ass go to the battlefield today?" Trish took off her helmet. "Why are you still here?"
After greeting them, Nathaniel sighed. "I will indeed leave today, but not to fight."
"Let me guess, you'll be escorting peace negotiations instead?" Lance concluded.
Nathaniel nodded while closed his eyes. "Apparently, king Zashrend was scared. He was the one who proposed this first."
Lance massaged his forehead. "Shit."
Cecil frowned, looking at the two men. "Why are you guys like that? Isn't this great? If the negotiations are successful, we won't have another war?"
"But that means our work may be temporarily suspended." Eve explained. "King Cedric II loves peace. He hated the development of weapons like this. Ending this project will also save the budget."
"I still don't understand." Cecil spoke again. "Peace doesn't mean we stop working, right? Zashrend is probably trying to summon stronger monsters. We have to be careful with that. So, we must also strengthen our arsenal by continuing this project."
With his heart rate rising, Lance sat down on a rock. His gaze was sharp straight ahead. "King Cedric II often uses his heart to make decisions, instead of his brain. He will think that if he stops this project, it will also save many lives."
In other words, Lance thinks Cedric II is a stupid king.
"In the past, the King wanted to help us refugees with no conditions. Many people protested because some native residents of this kingdom still live in hardship." Ashe leaned her back against a tree. "Then someone proposed that some of us enlist in the army, while others were assigned to a farm for war supplies. Therefore, the protests have subsided."
Lance closed his eyes, unable to imagine if he couldn't continue his dream anymore. He felt thankful for the long years of rest. But he had become passionate about all this again.
Cecil crouched in front of his childhood friend. "It's okay. I don't really understand politics. I'm sure Mr. Ardalle and project supporters will persuade the king. The king may ultimately decide to continue this project."
"Yeah, you're right. It's not over yet." Lance sighed and stood up. "We end this test session. I will design new things for the wheel system."
Before anyone else could respond, Lance left.
***
It's been hours. The sun had set a long time ago. Lance was still in the room.
Several sketch papers were scattered on his desk. While attempting to design a better wheel system, his mind wandered.
He had to find a solution so he could continue this project. Most likely, he wouldn't be able to meet the king to persuade him. He had to leave a message with Tobias.
He doubted it would work.
"Excuse me." Ashe entered without knocking. It was a violation of being a soldier, but Lance didn't care.
"What is it, Ashe?" Lance leaned his back against the chair. "If you want me to eat and sleep, don't worry. I'll do it in a moment."
Instead of responding, Ashe glanced at some sketches, nodded, sneered, and tossed them aside. "Well, as I thought, I won't be able to understand this."
She then sat at the table. By bending over to Lance, she opened her cleavage even more.
"Please don't." Lance massaged his forehead. "This is not the time."
"I'm just giving advice so you don't get bored, Lance." She uses her seductive tone. "If my mind is in a mess and it affecting my shooting, I do something else, something fun." Her voice became softer and more breathy. "How about I help you do something else?"
Lance looked at the ceiling instead. He knew what the female elf meant, but his brain was thinking about something else. "Thanks for the advice. Maybe I'll just do something else myself. Can you leave me alone?"
Ashe's mouth let out a bitter chuckle. "Alright, Lance. I'll leave you alone. But don't you think it's rude to refuse a woman's company?"
"Sorry."
"It's okay." Ashe leaves Lance. She walks with strides with gestures that highlight her curves. When she reached the door, she glanced at Lance, licking his index finger with a sensual gaze.
She sighed because Lance didn't respond. Then she walked out.
Lance started drawing something else, not mech blueprints or weapons. Perhaps Ashe's words have some weight.
***
Ashe didn't give up. She returned to Lance's room two hours later. She doesn't have experience with men, but she once read that moments like this provide great opportunities.
And she genuinely wanted to help Lance, at least to lighten his burden a little.
"Excuse me." She opened the door and looked in, disappointed to find Lance asleep in the chair. About to step back, she noticed more papers on the engineer's desk.
As she checked those papers, her attention was drawn to one of them.
She took the paper, looked at it with a big smile, then whispered. "This is good, Lance."