Chapter 438: Back To The Mutant Village, Picking Up Elisa’s Gift

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The mutants had been busy working on their various projects, but the moment they noticed his arrival, many of them immediately stopped what they were doing.

"Divine Lord?!"

"Oooh!"

"He’s back!"

He was greeted by the mutants again, and he greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, everyone. Sorry for the commotion earlier. Vladimir’s sleeping now, but his arms proved to work amazingly. Well done."

He raised his hand slightly, giving them a little gesture of approval.

The reaction was immediate.

"YESSSS!"

"THE DIVINE LORD’S PRAISE!"

"WE DID A GOOD JOB?!"

The mutants celebrated and screamed in happiness, raising their organic and metallic arms. Some were so euphoric that they started jumping around, while others enthusiastically began showing off the tools and mechanical parts they had been working on.

To receive the praise of the Divine Lord meant everything to these small little guys.

They had worked incredibly hard on their projects, and being recognized by Riven was one of the greatest rewards they could receive. Even the more experienced workers seemed delighted, and some of them began congratulating each other as though they had just completed an important mission.

"Well, I guess they’re happy..." Riven sighed with a calm smile.

He found their reactions rather amusing. They were certainly energetic creatures, and their enthusiasm was something he had grown accustomed to.

"Anyway, is Solder around? I had commissioned him something using the same materials from the machine I brought, plus several other valuable cores..."

He looked around, searching for the familiar cockroach who usually supervised the more complicated mechanical projects.

The mutants immediately began looking around as well, some of them pointing toward the workshops.

"Yes, I am here, Divine Lord."

Solder stepped from amidst the crowd, approaching Riven with his usual composed attitude. Unlike the others, he didn’t immediately start celebrating, although he did seem pleased with the results of their work.

"And you’re asking for the special mechanical enhancements that can be equipped and allow for movement? Yes, they are ready. However, it is still in experimental stages. The only way to properly adjust them is by letting the one you want to wear them practice and show us how they work, so we can recalibrate them to their necessities and energy signatures."

"I know," Riven nodded. "May I see it?"

"Of course," Solder said. "Please follow me..."

The cockroach quickly guided Riven into his own workshop.

The place was considerably larger than most of the other buildings in the village, with several workstations arranged around the room. Various mechanical devices, tools, and pieces of equipment were scattered across the tables, while several mutants worked on smaller projects in the background.

There were also a few unfinished machines resting against the walls, some of which Riven recognized from his previous visits.

However, his attention was immediately drawn to the object standing near the center of the workshop.

A beautiful wheelchair sat there.

It was the latest technology the mutants could craft, and, most importantly, it had been designed without using weird fleshy stuff in between.

Riven approached it and carefully examined its construction.

The chair had a modern and refined appearance, with a comfortable-looking seat and a carefully designed frame. Its wheels and mechanical components were integrated into the structure, and there were several small runic inscriptions engraved across its surface.

It didn’t look like an ordinary wheelchair at all.

It was refined using Willheim’s magnum opus, naturally remade from pieces so the scientist could never take over it, of course. The mutants had taken the most valuable parts of the original machine and redesigned them according to Riven’s instructions, replacing several components and adding new mechanisms to improve its performance.

The new engines were considerably more advanced, and there were several other systems integrated into the chair.

But above all, it had a special transformation function designed to properly protect his wife... and also give her new abilities.

And perhaps, something extra too.

Riven reached out and gently held the frame, lifting it with one hand to examine its weight.

"It’s light," Riven said. "You’ve really designed it properly. Amazing work."

"Thank you," the chief said. "We’ve managed to imbue it with a special Psionic Engine, the last one available from the pile of scrap. Aside from that, we’ve imbued it with the spirit engine and the cores you asked us to add, some embedded with runic inscriptions for various assistance spells."

Solder approached the wheelchair and pointed toward several of its components.

"We’ve also made certain that the internal mechanisms can respond to the owner’s energy. The Psionic Engine is responsible for interpreting mental commands, while the spirit engine provides the necessary energy to sustain its functions. The cores are connected to the runic inscriptions, allowing the wheelchair to activate several abilities without requiring the owner to cast them individually."

Riven listened carefully.

He had given them the general design and some of the abilities he wanted, but the mutants had clearly gone beyond simply following his instructions. They had found ways to integrate several different technologies into a single device, making it much more versatile than he had initially expected.

"It is also technically a golem that the new owner can tame and even bond with as a familiar."

"Good, very good," nodded Riven. "Thank you, Solder. My wife is a little sensitive, so I cannot bring her here yet..."

He glanced toward the wheelchair again.

Elisa was someone he cared about deeply, and he wanted to make sure that everything he gave her was comfortable and suitable for her needs. He didn’t want her to feel pressured into using something simply because he had spent time and resources creating it.

The wheelchair was supposed to make her life easier, not become another source of inconvenience.

He also knew that the mutants could be rather unusual in their appearance and behavior. Although they were friendly, their appearance and the things they used in their workshops weren’t necessarily something Elisa would immediately feel comfortable around.

It was better to let her try the chair at home first.

"That is alright, Divine Lord. Please do not worry," Solder nodded. "Take it and have a good day!"

"Thanks again," Riven nodded.

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