The elevator descended rapidly, yet the journey seemed endless. Li Yi was astounded by the size of the Yaoci. Judging by the duration and speed, he estimated the elevator had descended nearly a kilometer vertically. This meant the Yaoci was at least a kilometer tall. The number of floors flashing by exceeded a hundred. Such an enormous structure—a testament to the deep space fleet's self-sustaining civilization.
Finally, the elevator stopped, and the mechanical door slid open.
"This is beyond my jurisdiction. Once you exit, another AI will guide you," Qingguo Fairy AI said with a gentle smile. "Please complete your selection within 48 hours and return for the second round of live combat. Remember to rest and return in peak condition. Good luck in choosing your divine mech and shining brightly!"
As the elevator doors closed, Li Yi and the others found themselves in a vast space, leaving them momentarily speechless. They all felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance.
Before them stood countless giant humanoid mechs, each hundreds of meters tall, lined up like towering mountains with their eyes gently closed. Li Yi gazed up at the closest mech, unable to discern details at the top. Even its foot was as large as a small villa, immense and robust. The mechs exuded an unusual organic quality rather than a typical metallic sheen.
"Are these the divine mechs we're going to pilot?" someone gulped.
"Hehe, of course not," a cheerful voice chimed from above.
Looking up, they saw a lively, big-eyed girl in a red sundress riding a large gourd, hovering above them.
"I'm the Yaoci Fairy series AI, Honghulu Fairy. You can call me Honghulu," she said, leaping from her flying gourd, her dress fluttering like a lotus in the wind.
She giggled at their stunned expressions, "Don't be surprised. To better manage the mech storage, I'm one of the few Yaoci Fairy series AIs with a humanoid form."
Li Yi, nearly tempted to pinch her lifelike, collagen-rich cheeks, marveled at the deep space fleet's technological prowess.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let me brief you on your upcoming tasks."
"First, these divine mechs are in storage mode, requiring at least a mid-level evolved pilot. So don't get your hopes up."
"Non-evolved individuals can only pilot 30-meter class divine mechs."
"Follow me," she instructed, jumping onto her flying gourd and speeding into the storage area.
"Why are you standing there? Run and catch up!" she urged.
Reluctantly, they jogged to keep up, their skepticism about this unconventional AI mounting.
As they ran, a man fell in step with Li Yi, greeting him, "Li Yi, the points leader. I've heard a lot about you these past few days."
"Are you Liang Shaocong?" Li Yi sized him up, noting his resemblance to Liang Xing but with broader shoulders and brighter eyes, exuding more masculine allure.
"Yes, I'm Liang Shaocong," he replied with a warm smile. "I must thank you for sparing me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have this opportunity."
Li Yi replied casually, "I never encountered you, so I can't say I spared you."
"No, I was observing your fight with Lin Qin from afar," Liang Shaocong continued. "After it ended, I knew I wasn't your match. So I stationed people to monitor your whereabouts from a distance to avoid you."
"No wonder I couldn't find you," Li Yi chuckled. "But even so, I wouldn't call it sparing."
"If you'd tried harder, you might have found me."
"Alright, if you insist on thanking me, I'll accept it."
"Thank you."
"You're quite polite for a noble," Li Yi remarked.
"Not all nobles are the same. I prefer to get along with others," Liang Shaocong replied with a smile.
Li Yi glanced at him, unable to gauge his true intentions.
...
As they ventured deeper into the mech storage, they saw numerous mechs, each tens of meters tall. The sight raised Li Yi's curiosity about the restrictions on divine mech pilots within the deep space fleet.
Soon, they arrived at the 30-meter class divine mechs, numbering in the hundreds—quite a spectacle.
"Li Yi, the points leader, come over here."
Li Yi approached Honghulu Fairy, who projected a 70 to 80-inch screen displaying a dense list.
With a tap, the screen cleared, leaving only select information:
"Wind God Series: E-107, Vine Bee; E-114, Falling Eagle; E-128, Green Dragonfly."
"Thunder God Series: E-105, Magnetic Abyss; E-116, Furious Thunder; E-121, Electric Wave."
"Fire God Series: E-103, Zhuhong; E-112, Li Fire; E-124, Magma."
"Gravity God Series: D-103, Heavy Core; D-105, Primal Core."
"Celestial God Series: D-102, Mars; D-104, Pluto."
"Gaia God Series: D-101, Gaia."
Li Yi quickly scanned the list.
Before he could ask, Honghulu Fairy explained, "This is the list of 30-meter class divine mechs in storage, suitable for non-evolved pilots and currently unclaimed. Generally, the higher the grade, the better. E is the lowest, A is next, and S is the highest. For 30-meter class divine mechs, D is the highest grade."
"Each divine mech represents a different path of human evolution. Each pilot, receiving varying divine radiation, gains unique abilities."
"You have twenty minutes to review these divine mechs' detailed information. Afterward, you can begin selecting the one that suits you. Remember, you have three attempts."
"If all three chosen mechs fail to activate, you'll lose your chance and be out of the second round!"
Li Yi felt a chill at her words.
"What causes the failure to activate?"
Honghulu Fairy smiled, "Isn't it obvious? It's due to incompatibility with you."
"How can I confirm compatibility with a divine mech?"
"Well... it's up to fate," she tilted her head. "Since you're decent-looking, I'll give you an extra five minutes to touch the divine mechs and get a feel for them."