The Mech Touch

The Larkinson Mandate gained more significance in the eyes of the Larkinson as Ves explained the contents of its pages.

Its significance was much more than any Larkinson realized. Ves had not spent all of that time in designing the book in vain.

Not only was the Larkinson Mandate an attempt to create an heirloom for the Larkinson Clan, it was also an experiment of sorts.

Ves wanted to achieve multiple goals with the creation of this ceremonial book. One of his future plans and development directions hinged on the success of this experiment!

He couldn't help but release a faint grin as he showed off his book.

"The first part of the Larkinson Mandate records our glorious and honorable past. The second part describes the initial structure of our Larkinson Clan. However, all of these pages are worth nothing if they don't have our backing!"

He thumped his palm against the heavy surface of the book in emphasis!

"Written words are merely smudges on a surface while spoken words are nothing more than hearsay. In order to give the contents of this book the meaning it deserves, we must consecrate this tome and mark it with our blood and names!"

A mild shock went through the crowd. Ves did not tell anyone about the Larkinson Mandate. This was an initiative he conceived entirely on his own. While it was not quite proper, the sheer impressiveness of the ornate book was enough to stifle any objections!

"I mean this literally." Ves emphasized. "The third and final part of the Larkinson Mandate consists of pages that each bear your marks in the form of your signature and a drop of your blood! Only when every Larkinson who is present in this hall has left their marks will this object transform into something greater than a very fancy and expensive book!"

This latest announcement truly surprised both young and older Larkinsons. However, the latter soon comprehended the significance of this ceremony.

Participating in this ceremony would forever leave their names in the book that carried the identity of the Larkinson Clan!

If their ambitions came true and the Larkinson Clan achieved greatness, then it would be a supreme honor to every Larkinson present to have their name and a part of themselves immortalized in a supreme heirloom.

This was truly history in the making!

Ves became more and more satisfied with the increasingly enthusiastic response to the offer to leave their marks in the pages of the Larkinson Mandate.

He was not a natural leader. He was never hands-on in running the LMC and did not consider himself to be the best manager of the Larkinson Clan.

Each person had their own strengths and weaknesses. While Ves did not claim to know himself from inside out, he knew what he was good at and where his passion lied.

Ves was a creator. He was a mech designer, to be specific, but his accumulated knowledge also turned him into a very good engineer or creative artist.

He could design and build objects other than mechs.

Creating something like the Larkinson Mandate to unify the Larkinsons and center the newly-founded clan was well within his means!

As a mech designer, he had learned to gauge the influence an ornament or symbol could exert over people.

Every object had the power to manipulate the people that interacted with it in some way!

An ugly object elicited disgust, while a beautiful object inspired admiration.

Ves designed the Larkinson Mandate to elicit all of the right emotions and associations towards the Larkinson Clan.

In secret, he also shaped the ceremonial book in a way that vaulted him to an eminent status.

He was not only the initial catalyst to the founding of the Larkinson Clan, he was also everyone's principal backer!

This was enough to describe him as primus inter pares within the clan, but Ves wanted more.

He wanted to be venerated like the Larkinson Ancestor.

He wished to be respected by the Larkinsons beyond a mundane level.

He desired to remain relevant no matter how much the clan evolved or changed over the years. As the creator of the Larkinson Mandate, Ves would always be significant no matter how much power he held in the clan.

This was a consideration that was not immediately relevant in the present, but enormously valuable in the distant future. The greater the success of the Larkinson Clan, the greater Ves weighed in the minds of its clan members.

Not only was the Larkinson Mandate related to Ves because he was its maker, some of its visual elements also bore the mark of his touch.

The clan emblem for example was typically Ves. He was a cat person through and through and he couldn't resist drawing another cat for the emblem that stood for his clan!

The dog lovers, bird lovers and lizard lovers probably objected to his choice, but their opinions didn't matter this time! If Ves had his way, he would turn every Larkinson into a cat person!

Once Ves had made the latest announcement, some shuffling took place as the Larkinsons began to leave their seats in a predetermined order.

Each of them began to form a row that led up to the steps that brought them to the stage.

From there, the Larkinsons had to wait their turn until they were called to the front of the throne.

Ves continued to remain seated on the raised platform while Gloriana continued to sit diligently while remaining silent.

This was his show from beginning to end. It was very important that nothing related to Hexers spoiled this sacred ceremony!

Ves started off by marking the very first page.

The same bot that brought the book extended a pen.

He grabbed it after opening the thick book to the first blank page.

Ves wrote his name in a cursive, curly style before flourishing a sloppy signature underneath his stamped name.

If he held a regular pen, then he would have left a bunch of ugly scribbles behind. Despite his enhanced Dexterity and all of the control he gained over the course of manipulating precision instruments, his handwriting was atrocious.

Not every human learned to write these days. They mostly started off with typing and sometimes expanded to recited what they wanted to say and stuck to these methods for the rest of their lives.

With all of the conveniences provided by even the cheapest comms, there was no reason for anyone to learn how to write, let alone get good enough to make their writing appear pretty!

Fortunately, pen producers knew exactly what the current market was like, so they only designed and sold smart pens these days.

These nifty devices came with a myriad of assisting functions that 'beautified' every scribble made by their users.

Even a six-year old child could write a word that was as beautiful as the product of a calligrapher!

Though professionals could do way better, that was unnecessary in these circumstances. It was enough for the Larkinsons to leave their names and signatures in a legible and slightly pretty state.

Ves studied the page before him. His signature was large enough to dominate half the page. Almost none of it was to his credit. The smart pen had automatically beautified as they drew the lines, causing the end product to appear especially compelling.

To be honest, Ves had cheated by designing and programming the impressive into the smart pen beforehand. He hadn't actually signed something on the spot. His fingers were merely following the motions of the smart pen as its integrated antigrav modules moved the pen back and forth.

"It's time to shed some blood for the clan."

This was important for multiple reasons. The main intention was to emphasize the importance of their shared blood.

Ves envisioned the Larkinson Clan to revolve completely around those who shared the blood of the Larkinsons! By turning one's bloodline into a critical factor, the clan wouldn't be very welcome to adopting outsiders. This would definitely hinder the adoption and integration of extremely talented individuals who were never a part of the clan.

However, the internal cohesion of the clan should be very good. Just like the old Larkinson Family, the bonds between its members were very warm and tight due to the relative scarcity of outsiders.

Even the spouses that married into the family were considered Larkinsons in most aspects! While they themselves did not share the Larkinson blood, their children definitely would! This was enough to bind them into both the Larkinson Family and the Larkinson Clan!

Ves set an example by shedding a drop of blood.

Naturally, he didn't resort to a low tech tool like a knife to slit his finger. The bot that was standing by all this time merely extended a needle, pricked his arm, and extracted a tiny amount of blood. After drawing out the needle, the bot released a spray that rapidly closed the wound and accelerated its healing.

"The first drop of Larkinson blood will drip onto the Larkinson Mandate."

The bot drew out a sliver of blood from its needle. Ves held his breath as the drop finally reached the page he signed and expanded into a small but very vivid red splatter!

The first page had been marked! Ves smiled and gestured to Gloriana. "You're next."

She rose from her throne and walked over in order to repeat the steps he made.

Soon enough, the second blank page carried a drop of her blood, but not before leaving behind the most dazzling-looking name and signature!

Unlike Ves, her handwriting was impeccable! He didn't even dare to guess how much time it took for Gloriana to be so great in writing!

"Lucky, you're next."

"Meow?"

"I'm not kidding. Now get up here before you spoil the whole ceremony."

The third signer of the Larkinson Mandate was his cat!

Though this decision sparked off a wave of confusion from the waiting Larkinsons, Ves didn't care. He just wanted Lucky to be immortalized alongside him! In a way, Lucky contributed massively to Larkinsons by enabling his success. He definitely deserved to take up a place of honor!

Under the stunned eyes of the crowd, Lucky started off by inking his paw with the help of the bot and pressing it onto the page.

Meanwhile, Ves already wrote Lucky's name on the top of the third page. He decided to write in the stead of everyone who couldn't write.

In lieu of possessing actual blood, Lucky made do by dripping his saliva onto the bottom half of the page.

Once Lucky was done, Ves reserved the fourth page for Clixie.

Even though she was just Gloriana's cat and didn't contribute at all to his success.

No matter. If Ves wanted to give his girlfriend's pet this supreme honor, then just let him! At least the Rubarthan Sentinel Cat shed actual blood this time, though Ves spotted several unusual attributes with the naked eye.

Clixie's blood was a lot more potent than he expected!

It wasn't relevant to the current ceremony though, so Ves quickly shoved it aside and called up the next Larkinson.

The order of Larkinsons was very random. Ves did not wish to play any favorites and only made a concession by keeping close relatives together.

As Larkinson after Larkinson slowly followed the same steps, page after page bore their marks. Ves felt more and more pleased as an increasing amount of Larkinsons left their mark on his book!

A momentary pause occurred when a husband and wife brought their two kids. One of them was only three years old while the other didn't appear to be older than a year!

"Will our babies be left out?" The mother worryingly asked.

Ves offered her a reassuring smile. "That's not the case. I've already made accommodations for this possibility."

The parents were allowed to write the names of their young ones and leave behind a signature that would do them proud in the future.

The only thing the young children had to do was to offer up their blood. The baby didn't even cry as the bot applied local anesthesia and pricked the baby's skin in the gentlest fashion possible.

With that, even the youngest Larkinsons gained an opportunity to empower the Larkinson Mandate!

The more Larkinsons marked the book, the greater its power over the Larkinson Clan! The approval of so many Larkinsons in the form of their marks conveyed an indescribable legitimacy to the heirloom-in-the-making.

The more its pages filled up, the more the book took on an increasing sense of weight…