The next day...
Derek Su had originally planned to bring Stella, Imperial Scale, and Tunbao to compete in the Brana Ruins Advancement Tournament. But after arriving at the venue, he quickly felt it would be better if only Imperial Scale participated.
At the draw area, every Mecha Girl had a striking, eye-catching figure. Everywhere he looked, there were bold, overwhelming silhouettes. Picking any one at random, Derek Su felt like he'd suffocate just from being near them.
In this environment, Tunbao and Stella couldn't even bring themselves to lift their heads.
Forget whether they could match up in Impact Resistance.
Just in terms of physique alone, the gap was enough to crush their confidence.
Even Imperial Scale would only rank around the upper-middle tier here, not the very top.
Derek Su didn't really care about that.
A good figure might hint at a Mecha Girl's type, but performance was what really mattered. So he scanned the area with his golden finger and found that Mecha Girls with Impact Resistance above 85 were everywhere.
...That's just ridiculous.
After a moment of silence, Derek Su gave an awkward smile and said to Stella and Tunbao, "Maybe you two should sit this one out. There's no restriction on Mecha Girl types, but if you force it, you might end up getting hurt."
Tunbao was so moved she almost dropped to her knees on the spot.
"Exactly! I think you're absolutely right, Boss. I'll just cheer for you and Imperial Scale from the stands!"
She was genuinely intimidated.
She had arrived full of confidence.
But after seeing the competition, she realized she didn't stand a chance.
She couldn't win a collision. Not at all.
Stella had thought the same at first, but when her gaze landed on Derek Su and Imperial Scale, she hesitated.
She was the Pineapple King!
If she backed down without fighting, wouldn't that mean admitting she was inferior to the Rebel King?
And if she didn't race this time, that would leave Master and the Rebel King alone together for all three stages.
By the time the race was over...
Would there even be a "little Imperial Scale" already?!
Stella's imagination ran wild, completely ignoring all logic. In her mind, there were even little Imperial Scale soccer teams and football teams.
Her face grew redder and redder. Suddenly, she stepped between Derek Su and Imperial Scale, crossed her arms, and made a firm X in front of her chest.
"No! Master, I'm competing! I'm the starting Mecha Girl, the Invincible Crash King! And Absolute Shadow brought the medical team, so I'm not afraid of getting hurt!"
Derek Su thought it over and felt it might actually work.
Stella's current stats:
[Drifting: 50 (+5)]
[Acceleration: 100.4 (+30)]
[Cornering: 50 (+5)]
[Boost Charge: 90 (+10)]
[Stability: 75.1 (+10)]
[Impact Resistance: 80 (+10)]
[Endurance: 85.1 (+15)]
With the [Heart of Rock] module equipped:
[Drifting: 46 (+5)]
[Acceleration: 97.4 (+30)]
[Cornering: 45.1 (+5)]
[Boost Charge: 85 (+10)]
[Stability: 88.1 (+10)]
[Impact Resistance: 90 (+10)]
[Endurance: 85.1 (+15)]
Although [Heart of Rock] was originally meant for Purple Lightning, she was staying in the stands today.
Which made it perfect for Stella.
An Impact Resistance of 90 was already solid, and a Stability of 88.1 met the requirement to activate the Sovereign Engine.
The Sovereign Engine description had now changed:
[For 30 seconds, Acceleration increases by 0.5x, Boost Charge increases by 1x (if Stability exceeds 80; base engine blowout rate is 50%, each additional point of Stability reduces it by 2%; current blowout rate: 34%)]
A 34% blowout rate was within Derek Su's acceptable range.
Before Panlong Mountain, he had kept Stella's blowout rate below 20%.
Even now, he didn't plan to use the Sovereign Engine.
This was his trump card.
He wanted everyone to think Stella was just an ordinary Mecha Girl. Then, when they underestimated her, he'd activate the skill and catch them completely off guard.
Just thinking about it made him grin.
"Master, let me race, okay? Please? I'm begging you. You're the best~"
Stella's soft, pleading voice snapped Derek Su out of his thoughts.
"It's fine, but you'll have to equip the [Heart of Rock] module." Derek Su patted her head.
"Huh? But wouldn't that hurt my handling too much?"
Stella clung to his arm, blinking up at him. She still felt turning performance mattered a lot.
"It's fine. There are three stages in the Brana Ruins. You just run the first stage. Imperial Scale and I will handle the second and third."
By the time he said that, Derek Su already had a plan.
The Brana Ruins is a segmented track with simultaneous starts.
There are three stages in total. You can either run solo or use a three-Mecha Girl relay.
To account for possible injuries, each relay point has a professional medical team that performs a full inspection and repairs.
Once all Mecha Girls are restored, the next stage begins simultaneously.
Each stage becomes progressively more complex, and the level of confrontation increases.
The first stage simulates desert terrain. Few turns, wide track. Perfect for Stella.
The second stage is a winding gravel road, surrounded by rock walls. The path is narrow, only allowing two Mecha Girls side by side.
The third stage is even more extreme: a roadway built over water, with no guardrails. Moderate turns, mostly right angles, but some sections are so narrow only one Mecha Girl can pass.
If a Mecha Girl gets knocked into the water, she's eliminated.
So the third stage is where combat-type Mecha Girls go all out.
Stella thought it over.
She would only run one stage with Derek Su, while Derek Su and Imperial Scale would handle two.
She lost again.
But after studying the track map the night before, she knew the second and third stages weren't something she could handle.
So she didn't push it.
Her eyes darted, then she leaned close to Imperial Scale with a bright, flattering smile.
"Imperial Scale, make sure you keep Master safe, okay? I'll leave the second and third stages to you!"
That's right.
This was the moment to act like the lady of the house.
Show her generosity.
Win over both Master and the Rebel King.
This was the wisdom of an empress.
But to Stella's disappointment, Imperial Scale ignored her completely.
The tall Mecha Girl was staring coldly in a certain direction.
Following her gaze, Stella spotted a figure standing out in the crowd.
Gray Castle.
That towering, giant-like Mecha Girl had arrived under Richard Cheng's lead and joined the line for the draw.