The Mech Touch

Crazy!

The Cross Clan was crazy!

Ves finally discovered why he felt so ill at ease with the Crossers.

They were nutters! Though the Cross Clan appeared to be made up of militarists, it was actually a cult that worshipped powerful mech pilots!

The strong conviction that Patriarch Reginald Cross showed when he stated his desire to become an ace pilot made it clear that this was the Cross Clan's overriding goal!

Partnering up with the Larkinson Clan and travelling to the Red Ocean were only incidental goals to the Vicious Mountainers. What they truly wanted was to regain the glory they lost when Saint Hemmington Cross died!

Ves wouldn't be surprised if only Patriarch Reginald held this obsession. Yet from the rapt expressions of his subordinates, the entire Cross Clan must be yearning for this goal!

Ves underestimated the importance of ace pilots to Vicious Mountainers. He also underestimated the pain that groups such as the Cross Clan felt when they lost one of their greatest heroes.

Just as Patriarch Reginald said, their overriding goal was to provide the Cross Clan with a new Saint.

Understanding this motivation gave Ves a much better sense of the Crossers.

They were fanatics.

Ves felt very mixed about that.

On one hand, he had many negative experiences with fanatics. They were bullheaded, irrational and devoid of common sense.

On the other hand, he also had a lot of experience in manipulating them. As long as he comprehended their beliefs, he would be able to devise ways to exploit them to his advantage.

It didn't matter if he lied to them. As long as he managed to hack their beliefs, he was confident he would be able to become their new truth!

His attitude towards the Cross Clan changed. Instead of seeing it as a former ruling power, he began to regard it as a collection of desperate and homeless cultists. They were rather pathetic in his eyes.

He completely disregarded the strong force of will spread by Patriarch Reginald.

This wasn't easy to most people. Venerable Reginald was more powerful than Venerable O'Callahan by a noticeable margin. He was not completely groundless in his ambition to become the next ace pilot of his clan.

Ves still managed to shrug off the expert pilot's powerful influence. His apparent ease earned him the respect of the Crossers.

Once Patriarch Reginald was done with his little show, he pulled back his force of will until it was no longer so oppressive.

"Patriarch Larkinson, please work with us. Both of us can help each other."

"I.. am not quite sure." Ves spoke as he furrowed his brows. He stroked Clixie's belly as he tried to parse this situation. "You have made assumptions about my ability to design mechs that may not be true."

"We are confident that you are who we need." Reginald replied. "We have studied your mechs in great detail. While they are not what we are used to, we love them. We appreciate your work and we believe they have potential. Besides, the results speak for themselves. Your clan has produced so many breakthroughs in a single campaign. It is impossible to ignore the role your mechs have played in this. Your Larkinson Clan is centered around your mechs, nothing else. Am I wrong?"

This fellow wasn't easy to fool. He may be the head of his cult, but he wasn't stupid, especially when it came to his core interests!

"The effects of our mechs are currently unconfirmed. We are currently working together with Master Willix to ascertain whether some of our mechs pose a threat to mech pilots. Until this investigation is over, I am not at liberty to say any further about this topic."

"Don't give us that crap. Your mechs are what we need. Work with us to design an expert mech for me, and we will help your clan get stronger. This is what we are good at. Once we join hands, we'll become unbeatable!"

"I'm not sure. I have two problems with your proposal. One, I am still uncertain whether I can meet your expectations. You are seriously overestimating what my mechs can do. Two, the benefits you are willing to provide in turn are vague. Assuming that you're correct about my ability, what makes you think I am willing to be of service to you and your clan?"

Patriarch Reginald grinned. "Aside from giving you tips on how to become an ace pilot, we can whip your men up into shape."

"We're doing fine."

"No you're not. You may have gotten a core of strong mech pilots by running roughshod over the Nyxian Gap, but I've heard the casualties you've suffered are horrendous. What will you do to toughen up your next batch of mech pilots, then? Will you find another high-risk region to traipse through in the hopes of tempering more battle-hardened soldiers? How many lives are you willing to throw away this time?"

"What is your point, Patriarch Cross?"

"Your training method is effective, but crude and unsustainable. You'll only pile up your losses and deprive a lot of families of their parents. It's stupid to go on like this when we are willing to provide you with an alternative."

"And that is?"

Reginald confidently pointed his thumb at himself. "Let us take charge of the training of your men. Our clan has existed for a long time, and we have fought more wars than you have shaved your cheeks. We know what works and what doesn't."

"Our Larkinson Clan may be young, but our heritage dates back to the start of the Age of Mechs."

"With respect, you were third-raters for the entire time. Even now, you still haven't gotten rid of your third-class mechs and starships. Do you truly think that your clan is ready to fight on the same level as our Cross Clan? I can guarantee you that even if your mechs are better, my men will run over your forces. If you don't believe me, you can be that Major Verle of yours. One of my men has already talked to him about this matter."

This was a troubling prospect to Ves. He thought that fighting their way through the Nyxian Gap was enough for his mech pilots to become strong. While he wanted reject Patriarch Reginald's prediction, fighting a bunch of pirates was different than fighting a trained, second-class mech force!

If Ves and the Larkinson Clan arrogantly entered the Red Ocean with the belief that defeating the Allidus Alliance gave them the grounds to push their weight around, then they would definitely be proven wrong!

"Not enough." Ves shook his head. "What you say may be true according to your professional judgement, but we do not necessarily have to turn to you to address this shortcoming. We can approach other second-class groups to bring our mech pilots up to standard. In fact, we can even spend big in order to hire the best second-class trainers so that we can grow stronger by relying on internal means."

"You have to help me become an ace pilot! I do not see why you are rejecting our proposal. Your Larkinson Clan is good at mechs. Our Cross Clan is even better at training powerful mech pilots. Putting the two of us together makes as much sense as pairing mechs with pilots!"

Wow. Patriarch Reginald was really banking on this deal. Didn't he realize that he was giving his hand away? The greater his desperation, the more leverage he provided to Ves!

Ves shook his head yet again. "The concessions you have made aren't compelling enough to enter into a risky partnership. Our Larkinson Clan has a history of being on the receiving end of betrayal. We do not easily trust others anymore, especially when it comes to covering our back."

"You have my word as the patriarch of the Cross Clan that we will view your Larkinsons as brothers and comrades when we strike a deal."

Verbal promises were worth fart to Ves. Expert pilot or not, he was not going to bank the future of his clan on a casual vow!

The talks between the two eventually fizzled out once they realized they were going in circles. The Cross Clan wanted something from the Larkinsons, but they hadn't brought enough benefits to the table to make it worthwhile for Ves to take their offer seriously.

They were sincere. Ves gave them that. It was just that the Cross Clan in its current form was different from the Cross Clan in its prime.

At its height, the Cross Clan's Becker Tribe was comparable to one one of the weakest partners of the Friday Coalition. While that didn't sound flattering, they effectively wielded the power of a state at the time!

It was too bad the Crossers lost too much in its rapid collapse and chaotic flight from the Vicious Mountain Star Sector. Enemy tribes invaded the territory of the Becker Tribe and took back all of its gains when Lord Hemmington came to power. Rival clans from within the tribe stabbed the Crossers in the back and wrenched away even more assets.

What little the Cross Clan had left was not enough for them to retain the power of a state. They also have much of the wealth and assets of one. Treachery from within the ranks of the Crossers resulted in the embezzlement of a lot of accounts and backup funds.

Seeing that their side wasn't able to sway Ves over, Patriarch Reginald and his men departed the meeting hall with disappointed huffs.

Once they were gone, Ves turned to his cats. "Well. They're certainly different from everyone else. What do you think about the Crossers, Lucky."

"Meow."

"Yeah. The Crossers are very desperate about regaining an ace pilot. It's not necessary if they don't intend to return to Vicious Mountain. We're certainly not in a hurry to obtain one either."

All of the expert pilots under his command had just broken through. It was far too soon to think about their next breakthroughs.

In some cases, it was possible for regular mech pilots to turn into expert pilots after a few years.

However, the road from expert pilot to ace pilot was long. Progress slowed down and expert pilots had to put in a lot of effort to increase their resonance strength. This was not a process that anyone could speed up except for the pilot in question.

"Miaow miaow miaow." Clixie nuzzled her head against his hand.

"They're hiding something? I can believe that. Even if it appears they're willing to do anything to secure my services, it can't be that easy. The Cross Clan used to be a lot more successful. Patriarch Reginald should possess at least some savvy."

Maybe this had something to do with Saint Hemmington's unusual breakthrough. Why had the ace pilot become more aggressive? Why had Reginald's father led the Becker Tribe in so many wars?"

Goldie jumped out of the Larkinson Mandate and pressed up against Lucky and Clixie.

"Nyaaaa."

"They remind you of our clansmen? I hope not. We Larkinsons are nothing alike the Crossers!"

From what Ves had seen, the Larkinsons may potentially develop in the same direction as the Crossers. In fact, if the Larkinson Clan hadn't set up the Hall of Heroes, perhaps the status of high-ranking expert pilots would have truly reached an astronomical height!

Ves detested this outcome. Expert pilots and ace pilots were destructive forces. They were good at defeating enemies, but not much else. If expert pilots such as Venerable Jannzi took charge, they would definitely run the Larkinson Clan into the ground!

"Only noble creators such as myself are worthy to lead our clan!" Ves self-righteously claimed. "A clan led by mech pilots is no different from a barbarian horde. A clan led by a mech designer is much more civilized!"

This was the end of the first meeting between Ves and Reginald. The two patriarchs had made their intentions known. Right now, the ball was in the Cross Clan's court. Would the Vicious Mountainers be able to bring up something compelling enough to justify a partnership?