453 It's Not So Easy
Although Ember was claiming that it was exoskeletons, the build, the design, and even the size were completely that of a giant robot, a mecha! The cockpit being right in the chest area made it even more similar.
And yes, it was plural, as there were multiple builds lined up along the long passage's wall.
Each one of them had slightly different designs, probably to cater to different situations. Will she change her loadout depending on her enemy's weakness or something?
"... And here is the place where I develop the computers."
Of course, the tour was far from over, so we were walking along, following Ember's lead. Currently, we have entered a cubed room with walls, ceiling, and floor made of pure white luminescent materials.
At the dead center of the room was a large worktable, with tools hanging around and electronic parts neatly arranged on top. So Ember was making the computers by hand!
"The one I'm currently developing is to be used as the brain of those exoskeletons, but it's taking a lot of time."
"Really...?"
Can't she just make the controls simple? That way, the computer can even be the same one we used for the satellite, and it should still work.
When I explained this to her, Ember's eyes opened wide before she turned pensive all of a sudden.
"Right... I don't need a complete brain to control them if it's just passing commands like moving a puppet!"
And after she said that, she let go of my arms and rushed to the table, starting to work on whatever she just thought of. All of us stared at each other, wondering whether to leave Ember alone or just wait for her to finish.
"Leader, I'll go look around the place on my own!"
"Me too, My Lord! I want to see other places and observe how they work."
As expected, Fang and Igni quickly voiced their opinions, wanting to head out and continue touring the place.
"Alright, you can go. Just don't open doors or touch the machinery around without asking for Ember's permission, alright?"
If they somehow opened a location like the storage of the nitroglycerine, then this entire God Kingdom might get flattened in a single instant.
"Got it!"
"Of course, My Lord!"
And with the two agreeing to my words, they simultaneously left the laboratory. Where they were planning to go or what they wanted to do, even I have no idea.
Everyone who was left with Ember was watching her work, especially me and Fatima, who had some knowledge about electronics. Ember's hands moved fast, as if she knew where to place the parts without even looking at a blueprint or a diagram.
For the parts that weren't available around her, she would quickly create them from null, which takes roughly an instant. Just like that, she continued building a large motherboard until, finally, it was done. This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
"This should be it!"
Ember cheered, lifting the object she made as if it were a baby.
"Better test it out first and see if it works!"
Without paying attention to any of us, Ember ran outside, went to the line of Mechas, and climbed inside the cockpit of the first one, the one designed with red and white colors.
Inside, she quickly opened the back cover before carefully plugging in the entire board. A few tweaks here, a few connectors there, and she was done!
Excited, Ember sat on the pilot seat and touched the command panel, which was literally a dashboard with hundreds of buttons to press. Her hands danced around, pressing several buttons in succession, causing the large machine to come to life.
Her words were flirty, and her actions were fast and decisive. Before I could even answer, Ember had already sealed my lips once more, her hands holding my head in place. This time, she was even more playful, enough that I was getting short of breath as her deep, long kiss lasted.
As expected, this isn't how Ember usually acts. But, well... It's not that it's bad or anything; it's just surprising. Could reaching God Level affect her emotions and personality? I should ask Zeshion or Blanc about it later.
Although Ember kissed me like she didn't want to let go, she didn't go further than that. She still has control over herself, apparently.
"..."
But, of course, it's not like she left my lap. She was still wrapping her arms around my neck, her chest pressing against my left shoulder, as she snuggled against my body.
It was a nice change of pace, but right now, I want to pilot this giant robot. Using the memory that Ember passed as a reference, I started pressing a series of buttons. The cockpit's door closed before the mecha stood up slowly.
"Ugh...!"
As expected, it was hard to control, just as Ember said! I guess manually adding and subtracting rotations on each join is just not practical.
"But I'm piloting a G*ndam right now, and that's all I need to know!"
Since the laboratory's space was limited, I couldn't run wild. While being careful of the others below, I started to practice moving the arms, legs, head, and torso until I could make them move naturally, as if I were a real person.
*WHIIRRRR!*
Suddenly, the arms went limp, falling down as gravity pulled them. Shortly after that, the sound of the engine slowly dimming echoed inside the cockpit.
*ZOOOoOOooOooon!*
"What...?"
Soon after, the mecha stopped following commands, as if it had died. I turned to Ember, who was peeking lightly to see what was happening, and heard her go, "Ah!" as if she just realized something.
"The battery ran out of power."
"..."
Battery?
This giant mecha is like a little toy running on a battery?
"Add an engine next time!"
I felt a little crossed, as I hadn't had my fill yet. However, I've got no choice but to disembark. After all, the Mecha needs to charge first before it can move again.
"What a bummer..."
I whispered as I turned to look at the now-unmoving machine. Just as I was wondering what to do next, a hand suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.
"...?"
I turned to look behind me, and I saw Fatima's face up close. Her lips were curled into a smile, but her aura felt scary. D-Did I do something wrong?
"... Unfair."
With just one word as a clue, Fatima pulled my head by the hair and went for a kiss. It was but a light peck, but I could feel her jealousy seeping through that short moment when our lips overlapped.
"Fatima..."
Was she perhaps jealous of how Ember acted earlier? How cute!