Poverty makes me capable of anything.

Welcome to the world of the Mechanic.

Chapter 01 The Mechanicus

Welcome to the world of the Mechanic.

As soon as I stepped past the young lady at the entrance and entered the Mechanic Guild, red text began scrolling on the screen near the gate.

however……

Aside from this atmosphere, An Ran couldn't see any guild vibe here at all.

There were no mechanics sitting in the lobby bragging, and no NPCs standing behind the counter to help with quests.

There wasn't even a lobby or a counter.

It looks like an ordinary company with a rather impressive appearance.

Looking back at the young lady at the door, her race was also listed as robot.

It took Anran a while to understand that this "guild" was different from other games' "mining guilds" or similar places that allowed players to unlock secondary professions and assign quests. Instead, it was a guild formed by people in the same industry, integrating communication, research, improving status, and increasing influence.

Those who can join are all mechanics with certain abilities; newcomers and apprentices are not welcome here.

"So, you want to join?" The young woman pushed up her black-rimmed glasses.

“Yes.” An Ran nodded.

"Fill this out and then pay," the girl said, pointing to the pop-up window on the screen.

An Ran was taken aback: "How much...how much?"

"The assessment fee is 500 pesos, and the membership fee after passing the assessment is 5000 pesos. Oh, by the way," the girl asked, "we don't accept cash here."

Why don't you accept cash?

"The guild has a rule against accepting cash."

"..."

Steamed bread slices.

An Ran cursed under her breath.

The Biru was the official currency issued by the empire.

However, there is another universal currency in the entire Night of the Stars, which is the Energy Coin.

Paper money and virtual currency can only be considered "symbols of value," their value guaranteed by the official authority of the empire. Energy coins, on the other hand, are equivalent to hard currency, comparable to silk or brocade in ancient times, and to oil in the present day.

Energy coins serve as both currency and energy, such as powering robots, making them far superior to electricity.

Therefore, throughout the entire Night of the Stars event, Energy Coins are the true hard currency.

It's called Biru in the Empire, Nari in the Star River Free Alliance, and Kuro in the Victoria Star Circle.

Standing at the entrance of the Mechanic's Guild, An Ran fell into deep thought again.

We don't have the money to buy star maps or upgrade the spaceship's power. There aren't many places left to explore.

Indeed, it is quite difficult for a law-abiding citizen to start a business from scratch.

“Let’s go check out the Mechanicus again,” Anran said to Ella.

“Okay, I’ll listen to Anran!” Ella nodded.

Fortunately, Ella isn't the type to be a brat.

If you ask Anran what she thinks of unruly children, well...

……

The Mechanicus and the Mechanic's Guild are located in the city of Sarina.

However, the guild is located in the east of the city, while the Holy See is in the west. As rivals, the Mechanical Holy See has always been unhappy with the Mechanic Guild, while the powerful Mechanic Guild actually doesn't take the Mechanical Holy See seriously.

They're nothing but a bunch of idiots with screws in their heads; they're not worthy of being mentioned in public, and I wouldn't stoop to associating with them.

The levitation train with its overhead frame rumbled past, occasionally accompanied by a clear, beeping whistle.

Although there were no crows in the sky, these sounds were still quite fitting.

What the hell is this?

Looking at the building in front of her, An Ran found it hard to believe that this was the headquarters of the Mechanical Church on the planet Relandor.

It was a low, three-story building located in a residential area on the west side of Sarina. It was just an ordinary house, but it had undergone some special renovations.

On the left side of the entrance stands a mecha model about half a person's height, and on the right side stands a humanoid "monster" about half a person's height—two guardian figures.

In addition, the entire exterior of the house was decorated in a style similar to the humanoid monster on the right.

The main color scheme is a somber red and black, with sharp edges appearing from time to time; even the floor tiles in the courtyard are this color.

"..."

Is this place for mechanical engineering or metaphysics?

No wonder it was named the Mechanical Papacy.

Considering the bright white, mechanical-style building of the Mechanic's Guild, the difference in first impression is simply too great.

The sign that read "Mechanical Vatican" was still hanging there properly.

"Anran, Anran, this place looks really suspicious."

"I've asked many people and they all say this is the place, but let's go in and take a look first."

Despite her confusion, An Ran knocked on the door first.

I thought it was just an ordinary wooden door, but I never expected that knocking on it would reveal something different.

First, there's a crisp sound.

This must be metal.

Secondly, the door automatically moved back, making way for a path.

go……

"I wipe-"

An Ran took a step back, almost startled by what appeared behind the door.

Two humanoid monsters, hand in hand, blocked the way in.

This time it wasn't a sculpture, but two robots.

"The Soul of Ether is watching you!"

"Those who blaspheme the soul of the ether will ultimately be executed!"

The two robots spoke separately.

They are level 26 and level 27 respectively.

With 500 points of armor, they are incredibly tough, and the "blades" they carry make them look like they are very skilled in combat.

"Where is your manager here?" An Ran asked.

"..."

The two robots did not answer, nor did they make any attacking moves or try to drive Anran away; they simply stood there hand in hand.

The room was dark, with only very old candles burning quietly on the walls.

Steamed bun slices.

The people and things on this alien planet are all so bizarre!

After waiting for about three more minutes, feedback finally came from the inner room.

Anran and Ella saw three figures descend the stairs around the corner. As the figures drew closer to the candlelight, their silhouettes became clearer.

"call--"

Fortunately.

Fortunately, the people who came out weren't bizarre shapes like sculptures or robots.

The Human race is the main race in Night of the Stars, but this is a rather general term. The Human race has many branches with significant differences in appearance.

The three who walked up to An Ran were quite normal. The one on the left had a slightly higher nose and was level 29. The one on the right had two small bumps on her head and was level 28. The girl in the middle was not much different from An Ran overall, except that her ears were slightly pointed and she had strange patterns on her face that covered her cheeks and forehead. She was also the highest level in the room, at level 36.

"Is there something you need?" the girl asked.

An Ran organized her thoughts and asked, "You guys do mechanical research here, right?"

"Is there a problem?"

"You guys do mechanical research here, right?"

"Is there a problem?"

"..."

Damn it.

Your behavior is so strange, how am I supposed to respond?

An Ran could still decisively say she wanted to join the Mechanic Guild, but after seeing this group of people from the Mechanic Church, she didn't dare to. They looked like members of a cult.

“The Etheric Soul will be angry at your dawdling,” the girl said.

"The Soul of Ether..."

"Those who blaspheme the soul of the ether will perish..." The two robots chimed in.

"..."

"I want to come here to learn some knowledge about intermediate mechanics," An Ran said, speechless.

"Oh." The girl nodded. "So you want to join the Papacy."

"It would be best if I could learn the knowledge of an intermediate mechanic without joining the Mechanic Church."

"Don't even think about it, it's impossible." The girl decisively shattered An Ran's fantasy. "The Soul of Ether will not impart its knowledge to irrelevant passersby."