Chapter 346 - 336: The Crimson Alliance 17

When Moira relayed the request, she hadn’t expected him to agree.

After all, Battle Wolves were notoriously proud creatures.

This was especially true for mutated Battle Wolves.

An ordinary Battle Wolf might submit to a Wolf King, but mutated ones lived independently from a young age and completely lacked a normal Battle Wolf’s sense of hierarchy.

In their eyes, *they* were the boss.

They had the kind of personality that would fight over any disagreement.

But surprisingly, Black Wolf agreed quite readily this time.

"You can draw my blood, but I have one condition," Black Wolf said.

"What condition?"

’Seeing how excited Ellers looked just now, he’d probably agree to any condition as long as it wasn’t too outrageous.’

"I want a suit of Beast-shaped Mecha."

Black Wolf stated his demand.

’Beast-shaped Mecha? What is Beast-shaped Mecha?’

This was well outside Moira’s area of expertise, but luckily, she had Patience.

[Beast-shaped Mecha is a suit of armor developed specifically for beasts. It includes muzzle armor, body armor, leg armor, and claw armor for all four limbs. It can significantly increase a beast’s attack power in combat while also protecting the wearer from attacks.]

Patience showed Moira an image of what the Beast-shaped Mecha looked like when worn.

Most of its body was covered by the mecha, giving it a majestic, awe-inspiring appearance. It looked like a giant steel beast, armed to the teeth from head to toe.

Moira glanced at the image Patience was displaying, then back at Black Wolf.

Perhaps fearing Moira wouldn’t get the picture, Patience had deliberately chosen a wolf as the model for the display.

Seeing Moira repeatedly glancing his way, Black Wolf felt a pang of guilt, as if he’d been seen through. "What are you looking at me for?" he said, his tone flustered. "I’m not getting this for you."

Moira was speechless.

’I haven’t even said a word, and you’ve already given yourself away. Ever heard the saying, "The more you try to hide something, the more it shows"?’

’Looking at him now, he probably hasn’t.’

"Well, I’ll ask him for you, but I doubt anyone just carries this kind of mecha around."

Sure enough, just as Moira had predicted, Ellers didn’t have any Beast-shaped Mecha on him.

"What do you want this for?" Ellers asked.

In his view, a Battle Wolf was already powerful enough.

At his question, Moira pointed to Black Wolf. "He’s the one who wants it."

Ellers’s eyes widened. A beast actually knew to request Beast-shaped Mecha to increase its own combat strength.

It wasn’t that Ellers suspected Moira of lying. With his Extreme Computation, any lie would instantly crumble in his presence.

After all, every lie has a flaw. And for him, a single flaw was enough to make the entire lie unravel.

"Your Battle Wolf is very smart. However, you can’t find things like Beast-shaped Mecha on the open market. They’re weapons regulated by The Federation; only the military and those with special authorization can use them."

"Furthermore, each suit has to be custom-made to the wearer’s physique and traits. After all, every beast’s body, habits, and attack style are different. The entire point of Beast-shaped Mecha is to enhance their strengths and cover their weaknesses."

Hearing this from Ellers, Moira had all but given up on the idea.

’Federation-regulated... Isn’t that the same principle as gun control in Cathaya?’

Just as Moira was about to tell Black Wolf to forget it or ask for something else, Ellers suddenly spoke up. "Although an ordinary person can’t apply for a Beast-shaped Mecha, I happen to have an unused allocation. If you don’t mind, I can give it to you."

"Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept," Moira said politely, before immediately grabbing Ellers’s hand. With a solemn expression, she added, "Thank you. Black Wolf and I will cherish it."

Ellers let out a dry laugh, his smile a little strained. "You’re welcome. It’s not like I have any use for it anyway. But I’d also like to ask you for a favor."

"What favor?" Moira asked.

Remembering the handwritten notes from Ellers she had seen earlier, Moira’s heart skipped a beat.

’He’s not planning to turn me into a test subject, is he?’

’The Beast-shaped Mecha is precious, sure, but there’s no way I’m putting myself in danger for it.’

’Absolutely not.’

"I’d like to get some of your physical data. If I could also get a little bit of hair and blood, that would be even better. As compensation, I can give you a matching suit of Humanoid Mecha to go with the Beast-shaped Mecha."

After a moment’s hesitation, Moira nodded. "Alright."

After all, an opportunity like this was once in a lifetime, and all she had to give was a bit of hair and blood.

She’d donated blood at a blood drive for a small gift before. Compared to that, this was a much better deal.

As for whether Ellers would use her blood for some nefarious purpose, Moira wasn’t worried.

First, according to Patience’s investigation, Ellers was genuinely a good person. He was eccentric and hard to approach, but it was normal for a genius to be a little strange.

On top of that, there was the second, more important reason: her luck-amplifying blessing.

For these two reasons, Moira ultimately decided to trust Ellers.

Seeing Moira agree, Ellers jumped for joy.

"Okay, I’ll take your physical measurements first. Mecha customization takes time—usually about six months. Plus, Beast-shaped Mecha is in high demand; the waiting list for an allocation is already backed up ten years. But I have special privileges. I can cut you in line, so you’ll be able to get the finished product in three months, tops."

It was the first time Moira had ever heard someone sound so proud and matter-of-fact about having special privileges.

’But damn, it felt good.’

It was like going to line up for hot water, resigned to a miserable wait, only to look up and see your best friend at the very front of the line. Then you just happily trot over and ask them to fill up for you.

"Great. I’ll be waiting for the good news, then."

Ellers borrowed some professional measuring equipment from Snow.

Moira didn’t have many special requests. Aside from wanting it to look good, her main concern was that it couldn’t be too heavy, so she could move easily.

Black Wolf, on the other hand, was far more trouble, mainly because he had too many ideas.

Moira was responsible for translating, and after a while, she felt too embarrassed to even look at Ellers’s face.

If Black Wolf were a client, he would be the most difficult client to please. His ideas changed every other minute.

One moment he wanted an "iridescent black," the next he wanted "that specific shade of blue where the sky meets the sea."

Eventually, Moira couldn’t take it anymore. She effectively muted Black Wolf and refused to translate for him.

Right before Moira threw in the towel, Black Wolf’s final request was, "You know what? Let’s just go with the first design."

As he said it, Moira clearly saw the veins bulging on Ellers’s arm.