Ziye mentally deleted a portion of the class time and agreed through gritted teeth, asking, "Should we call Exbent?"

Li Chunyu chuckled, "Of course! I already invited them. They said they had something, so they'll be a little late."

When the twins arrived, the four of them began to discuss the overall plan for the Mecha Competition.

In previous years, the Mecha Competition required teams of at least five members. However, for now, the four felt they had excellent temporary candidates for the fifth spot, thinking they could start now and recruit someone later if needed.

The crucial element was the guiding instructor.

Li Chunyu, being experienced, stated that while the team was important, the guiding instructor was even more so.

A guiding instructor, besides solving the problems they encountered during the competition, more importantly, provided a prestigious identity that could intimidate others. In past years, many teams with mediocre ability still achieved good rankings simply because they were led by a renowned instructor.

In this era of fiercely competing for talent and mentors, even before the Mecha Competition officially began, those intending to participate were already securing their guiding instructors.

Therefore, Li Chunyu also wanted to finalize this matter immediately.

He asked Ziye, "Will Professor Tang Wen be leading a team?"

Ziye shook her head, "I don't know."

Li Chunyu suggested, "Professor Alpha Xilai isn't leading a team this time. Or perhaps you could ask Professor Tang Wen first?"

Exbent had a less favorable impression of Tang Wen and offered, "Our Professor Budika is also excellent. Should we ask him instead?"

Professor Budika was also a highly renowned professor at Dongdian, a veritable myth of invincibility in space.

Li Chunyu agreed that he was very good, but looking across space, who had the fame of Tang Wen? Who carried the weight of Tang Wen's influence?

Ziye spread her hands, "I'll ask first." With that, she dialed Tang Wen's HyperCom.

After three rings, it connected, and Bran's voice came through, "Tang Wen is currently unavailable. Ziye, you are looking for him?"

Ziye nodded, "A few classmates and I are preparing to enter the Mecha Competition and hoped Professor Tang Wen could be our guide. Bran, you're so helpful, could you ask him for me?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Tang Wen's impassive face appeared on the HyperCom screen, his tone flat: "Speak in person."

For such a small matter, they needed to meet face-to-face?

Ziye couldn't reveal her dissatisfaction. Seeing that it was still early, she said, "Alright, I'll come over."

After cutting the HyperCom, Ziye explained the situation. Li Chunyu said happily, "Should I accompany you?"

Ziye shook her head, "No need. I can go alone."

It wasn't that she didn't want Li Chunyu to come; it was just that the research institute required special passes for entry. If Li Chunyu went, it would mean troubling Bran to come and receive them, and if Tang Wen was displeased, the consequences could be severe.

Although Exbent was reluctant, after a moment's thought, he didn't object.

Ziye returned to the apartment. She brought Little Sprout along and initiated a jump drive toward Kela. Five minutes later, Bran sent over coordinates and told Ziye, "We are not at the institute. We are on Katcher Star. Once you arrive at Katcher Station ①, take a skiff down. Also, wear more layers; it is very cold."

Ziye let out a surprised, "Oh?" "Very cold?"

She located the Katcher star system on the star chart and set Katcher Station ① as her beacon. While activating the autopilot, she wondered why Tang Wen would suddenly travel to the surface.

How strange.

The Katcher star system was not far from Kaga; it was much closer than traveling to the institute. She executed two jump drives, passed through a star gate, and jumped one more time. It took less than fifteen minutes in total.

The Katcher star system was not large; the main celestial body was Katcher Star.

The Katcher system boasted one of the best navigational coordinates in space: adjacent to the bustling Kela system, neighbors with the interstellar premier institution Kaga, and further ahead, the capital of the Interstellar Federation. This entire cluster of systems had generally become a high-end residential area, inhabited only by the wealthy and influential.

Any name mentioned from this area could shock people.

Tang Wen being in this location—could it be that his home was here?

Ziye's speculation was understandable. The field of mecha manufacturing was even more arduous than medicine; without a decade or more of dedicated exploration, becoming a master was virtually impossible. Tang Wen achieved such success in his early twenties, suggesting he must have been nurtured from childhood.

His background must be extraordinary; in that case, living in the Katcher system seemed quite normal.

However, was it appropriate for her to intrude upon his home uninvited?

She quickly reconsidered: with Bran present, even if an issue arose, Bran would at least offer assistance. Her mind settled somewhat, and following Bran's directions, she piloted the skiff down through the levels.

Then, Ziye froze!

Now, she finally understood what Bran meant by, "Wear more layers; it is very cold."

This was not merely cold; this was intensely frigid! As far as her eyes could see, there was only snow—the entire surface was draped in silver, beautifully, icily breathtaking.

Little Sprout, deflated, suddenly puffed up and bounced excitedly, "Ziye Ziye, look, it's so beautiful! It would be great to roll around on it!"

Ziye mentally retorted, It won't freeze you to death, but it'll certainly freeze you half to death.

The reality was likely that she was freezing half to death. She hadn't paid much attention when leaving, wearing only a long-sleeved shirt and a vest. Stepping into snow three feet deep would guarantee a fatal outcome. Fortunately, the temperature inside the skiff remained quite high, so Ziye could only hope the skiff could fly directly into a hangar later.

Once on the ground, Ziye flew according to the navigation direction. The wind was intense. She flew against it, expending immense effort, and finally located the precise coordinates.

It was in the mountains.

Ziye felt speechless.

Was he trying to live as a hermit?

The surroundings were eerily quiet; all the way, only the howling, cold wind kept her company.

It wasn't snowing, but ice crystals coated the branches of the trees by the roadside, rivaling the beauty of rime ice. Ziye had no mind for appreciation now. Watching the scenery rush backward, a silver-gray castle suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Ziye thought she must have misread it and checked again, and upon triple confirmation, it was indeed correct.

Most of the castle was covered in ice and snow, revealing only rows of dark gray windows. On the left side of the castle, she saw a skiff landing platform, entirely buried under snow.

With no other option, Ziye stopped before the main gate, deactivated the skiff's protective shield, and shivered as she rushed up the heavy stone steps. In mere seconds, the cold wind and snow froze her lips, turning them from red to blue, and finally, stark white.

Little Sprout, however, was having a wonderful time, plunging headfirst into the snow.

Ziye urged, "Get up quickly, I won't be responsible if you freeze!" In such extreme cold, even optical brains could malfunction.

Just as she spoke, the door's sensing system completed its scan, and the massive castle gate slowly opened before her.

Ziye could no longer spare a thought for Little Sprout and rushed inside immediately.

Little Sprout rolled twice in the snow. Seeing Ziye run in, it tried to take flight, but its wings were frozen stiff. It couldn't adjust immediately and fell heavily onto the snow. As the door began to close again, it shrieked anxiously, "Idiot!"

Ziye turned back, "Sproutling!"

Little Sprout was usually quite simple-minded, but it was perfectly clear about its "Sproutling" connection. With a "whoosh," it extended the sprout on its head toward Ziye. Ziye yanked hard, and it flew out of the snow in a perfect parabola, crashing into Ziye’s arms. Ziye felt a bone-chilling cold flood her embrace, causing her to shiver violently.

By then, the gate had fully closed.

Contrary to the icy spectacle outside, the castle interior was warm as spring. Looking around, it felt like stepping back over a thousand years into the Middle Ages.

The decorative style was the most unique of the medieval era, and surprisingly, the paintings were also of an ancient style. The snowlight outside cast a gentle glow indoors, like the very scent of time.

Ziye tossed Little Sprout aside, rubbing her hands and stamping her feet to warm up.

Although the indoor temperature was much higher, the chill in her clothes remained, leaving her shaking violently from the cold.

Just then, Bran descended the spiral staircase, holding a thick coat. He walked up to Ziye and swiftly draped it over her shoulders, frowning, "Why are you dressed so lightly?"

Ziye shot him a glare. He was the one who said she should come late!

And he mysteriously told her to wear a couple more layers. How could she have known the weather would be this kind of ice and snow hellscape?

What a cheat! And now he dared to say she was dressed lightly?

Ziye stood her ground, giving him a cold shoulder, determined to ignore him.

He didn't get angry and explained, "This is Tang Wen's private residence. He's been sulking and hasn't gone out recently, so I had to send you here. My apologies for the late notice."

Ziye wasn't truly angry. With the warmth indoors, her body temperature was nearly back to normal. Seeing Little Sprout flapping its wings frantically in the air, she caught it and followed him.

This time, Bran didn't head toward the second floor but led her down a corridor at the rear of the first floor.

The corridor was spacious. Both walls resembled shimmering, multicolored lakes, with flowing light dancing, extraordinarily beautiful. The ceiling was incredibly high, making it feel like one was walking along a lakeside.

Passing through the corridor led to the Blueprint Center.

Ziye naturally gave a few extra glances to the items related to her field. It was during these brief moments that she was startled to discover a blueprint she knew intimately: the Phantom Raven model!

She felt her fingertips trembling. The Phantom Raven model was here—had Tang Wen purchased her blueprint?

Bran noticed her stop and was about to ask, but then he saw the blueprints on the rack and suddenly understood the situation.

Ziye scrutinized the blueprints, and shortly after, she spotted the Raven, the Corvus, and the Divine Crow! All of them had been opened and then resealed.

Tang Wen had actually bought all her blueprints!

At the time, she had wondered why the buyer was so quick and agreed to purchase everything in one go. It turned out it was Tang Wen...

After leaving Silver Rune Star, she had felt she could somewhat control her own life. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case. Her admission test without a transcript, the rejection when seeking mentorship, and Tang Wen mysteriously becoming her instructor—it all seemed to connect into a single thread.

But she couldn't figure out why Tang Wen would do all this.

The first time Tang Wen bought her blueprints was before she even began preparing for the Lings University entrance exam. At that time, she had just left Silver Rune Star. How could Tang Wen have known her?

Looking back, Ziye felt the entire matter was steeped in strangeness.

She gazed down the long corridor ahead, suddenly filled with a creeping fear—the fear of hearing a truth too unbearable to face...