Cold as steel.

Clem, Chump, and the bunnies returned to the camp. Clem had driven slowly, though, from his perspective, it felt remarkably fast. After their return to the lab camp, the bunnies moved leisurely toward their nest of giant copper cables and metallic structures to continue their slumber.

Chump, feeling groggy, woke up Zippy with gentle pats and affectionate care. Yawning, his voice still laden with sleepiness, he said, "Please, Zippy, I need you to operate the electric heater... I desperately need a shower."

Zippy simply turned around and laid on his paws, resisting the human's attempts at affection. Undeterred, Chump snuggled his face against Zippy's, gently tapping her nose with his thumb, "Pretty please~"

"Piii..."

Zippy finally relented and jumped down, heading towards the nearby shower. Chump followed suit shortly after.

The giant shadow reached the camp later, descending silently without a sound or tremor. Clem noticed it first and knelt before the figure, cracks on his face forming a smile.

"Glad to see that you've stayed, Master Meisho."

The figure responded in a monotone voice, "You require those repairs."

Fast forward half an hour, Chump returned with cocoa in hand and some cookies he was dipping into it. "Hey, Clem, when did Meisho say—WHAT THE?!"

Outside of the building, Clem was in his seat-bed, recharging, while a colossal figure inspected them.

This giant figure was an enormous golem made of metal, standing at fourteen meters tall. Its exterior was constructed from a brown-gold steel-like material, with massive engine pins protruding from its back. The figure's design lacked a specific gender.

It featured a tall cylindrical torso with a giant crystal at its center, similar to Clem's, fused with the surrounding metal. Smoke and vapor emanated from the giant or were expelled through tubes.

The arms and legs resembled hexagonal cylinders, with interconnected pipes. The upper portions of both limbs had open ends on the sides, allowing the lower parts to move without collision. The hands consisted of thick metal beams with thousands of steel cables interconnecting them or attaching to the platform on their palms. The feet housed propellers or engines that likely facilitated vertical movement.

However, it lacked a head or any upper part that could resemble one. At that moment, the torso was wide open, with the main exterior cape serving as a temporary platform. On top of it sat Clem, who had been recharging his Remenant for a while. The rest of the platform doubled as an improvised workshop.

One side held a shelf filled with books, notebooks, notes, and various documents that seemed meticulously organized. In between, various mechanisms were designed to connect this side to the main torso, indicating it wasn't originally intended for prolonged use as a workshop.

On the other side, an expansive and tall workshop table, matching the height of the main cylinder, was visible. It featured an array of tools fused or attached to the table, including smelters, chisels, hammers seemingly powered by Remenant, and a few others that Chump couldn't immediately identify.

In front of the table, a new humanoid figure perfectly performed multiple tasks simultaneously.

The figure stood at an imposing height of four meters, with an androgynous appearance that made it difficult to discern their gender. Their slender form, from legs to arms to torso, exuded a lithe and agile grace that belied their towering stature.

Their face was a blend of human and alien features. On one hand, it boasted petite attributes like a small chin and a perfectly formed, cute nose. However, their eyes were replaced by precious orange ovals, lacking natural eyebrows and instead featuring a straight line of immaculate hair above them.

Speaking of hair, theirs was a shade of grey, almost pearl-like but with hints of white. It fell just short of their shoulders, partially concealed by a pair of headphones adorned with an unfamiliar stellar insignia.

The monochromatic uniform they wore consisted of a corset embellished with silver decorations arranged in circular patterns. Metallic cylinders formed their sleeves, providing both protection and a unique appearance, and their hands were covered with gauntlets extending from the ends of the sleeves.

Below the waist, they wore a combination of pants with strings attached high up, leading to platform boots. A metal skirt-like structure adorned the back of their waist and legs. From the exposed areas of skin, one could see rails where gray and blue Remenant floated, suggesting a somewhat artificial composition.

From their back extended eight tendrils, with the uniform adapting to their emergence. These tendrils were not tentacles but resembled molten steel, not uniform in shape but floating together. The four tendrils they were using at the moment had taken a solid form, and the sides transformed into various tools.

The lower two tendrils allowed them to float and propel their lengthy body, giving them the ability to move like a spider when needed. The last two tendrils remained free.

Chump let out a tired whimper, his voice reflecting his exhaustion, "Oh dear god, not another one. I said I wanted a break, Ercles…"

The figure responded in a monotone female voice, "I was present during the conversation, Human. Your record is brief but quite impressive."

Chump couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought of her eavesdropping from above. He cracked his neck and took a sip before responding, "You must be Meisho."

"You are correct. I presume Clem has filled you in; he's quite the communicator," Meisho replied.

Chump's eyebrow raised in response to Meisho's earlier comment, his earlier confusion shifting into silent bewilderment. He responded, "I'm sorry, I don't quite grasp what you're referring to."

Meisho continued in her monotone voice, "He barely spoke since my arrival. All systems appear to be in place, all spells seem to be operational, with minimal abnormal readings. Human, what have you done to MY golem?"

Chump shrugged as he took another sip of his drink. After finishing, he replied, "Perhaps he's not in a talkative mood today, you know, serving you and all."

A tendril extended from Meisho, reaching Chump's face. Its tip heated up to a searing red-hot.

"Do not taunt me, human. I've seen through your deceptions and tactics," Meisho warned.

Chump, perplexed, raised his hand defensively, "Excuse me? What are you—"

"You tricked Asaga into losing to you in your weakened state. I won't fall for that as well, though I admit she's not very capable," Meisho asserted.

Chump face-palmed and let out a sigh. He gestured with his hand, "I didn't do anything. I thought even you would come next week, not today... Or maybe yesterday if you were somehow present."

"Yet you falsified the reports that were sent to me since the invasion. You made a mistake by revealing a fragment of the original document. The last report was five hundred seventy-seven pages detailing the technologies discovered, while my reports only totaled thirty-two pages. How is that possible?" Meisho inquired.

Chump replied with a nonchalant tone, "Sounds like an honest mistake, perhaps Clem accidentally left that part in. Yesterday was quite a hectic day."

Meisho completed her examinations and returned all the tools to their respective places on the table. She then descended slowly, coming face to face with Chump. Her legs touched the ground, and all her tendrils transformed into various weapons, some even unrecognizable.

"You've been manipulating, deceiving, or somehow interfering with my construction process, all while remaining undetected by my sensors. Restore my friend to his original state, and I may allow you to live a bit longer," Meisho demanded.

Chump, despite the dire situation, maintained his composure, even smiling confidently. He quipped, "Wow, you really need to calm down with those tentacles, although it's quite impressive. Seriously, why is everyone so tall? Even Clem has like a quarter of a meter on me. Life's so unfair, hahaha~"

"Why are you so calm when you're on the brink of death again?" Meisho questioned.

"Because if you kill me, Clem will die as well," Chump replied calmly.

Chump slowly raised his hands in a non-threatening manner, displaying the Promise spell mark. He then tilted his head and shrugged, saying, "It's a Promise spell. The first thing we did when we met was to keep me calm. Although my original intention was to protect myself, it seems to be backfiring on you now."

Meisho's eyes remained fixed on Chump, closely observing his every movement, giving off a somewhat eerie vibe.

Chump, however, wasn't startled. His weary expression indicated that it had been a long day, and this marked the third time he'd been threatened in the past 24 hours. "Why should I trust that you won't betray me after I help you out?" he countered.

The tendrils approached Chump slowly, one of them gently wrapping around his body without applying pressure. The weaponry continued to shift and adapt as their conversation progressed.

"Do not test my patience, Human," Meisho warned, being lifted by a tendril, allowing her to bring her head closer to his level.

Chump corrected her, saying, "The name is Chump, as in the insult. And I'm not testing you. I'm asking you..."

He approached her cautiously and continued, "...Meisho, Leader of the Artificial People, the overseer of more than half a million of Artificial People, and of course, the most impressive title: One of the Eighteen Generals under the direct command of Clyon, and the current head of technology advancement research... Now tell me."

Chump paused for emphasis, their faces being just centimeters away from each other. Then asked, "Where is your research about me?"