The Mech Touch

　　Mech designers played such a pivotal role in enabling mech pilots that they enjoyed a lot of attention and admiration from the public. Other professions simply couldn't compare in terms of fame, prestige, desirability and importance!

　　Even so, that didn't mean that everyone was eager to become a mech designer. The demands were fairly high and there was a massive surplus of people wanting to become the next Star Designer that could shake the mech industry.

　　There were still plenty of individuals who went on to become doctors, spacers, chefs and so on. Their jobs might not be so special in this day and age but they all had their own pride and ambitions.

　　Cefigo Maran Barach was a man who held many dreams. From his youth, he listened to the stories and lessons of his many aunts and uncles as they practiced their craft. He became engrossed by the stories of the House of Barach when it was at its peak.

　　Over 200 years ago, the House of Barach used to be a lot larger and more prosperous than its current state. It ranked among the top of many other designer houses of the Yarman Republic, a first-rate state that was situated in the center of the Milky Way.

　　The Yarman Republic did not come close to matching the size and power of the Terran Confederation and the Rubarth Empire, but it was still a genuine first-rate state that stood above most other states in human space.

　　Yarman did not choose to compete against the Terrans and Rubarthans. The struggle would be pointless as the two superstates would never tolerate the rise of another equal rival.

　　Instead, Yarman shifted its societal and cultural emphasis on more peaceful pursuits. The Yarman Republic found success when it began to encourage excellence in art and craft.

　　The rise of designer houses that specifically sought to conquer the galactic market for high-end, high-margin luxury products cemented the state as one of the fashion powerhouses of human civilization!

　　The House of Barach was part of the first wave of designer houses that facilitated the Yarman Republic's rise as an economic and cultural bulwark.

　　Compared to the bolder and more extreme designer houses, the House of Barach's emphasis on timeless tradition and understated elegance caused its products to be a bit more boring than that of others.

　　Yet by not going along with the latest trends, the House of Barach's classic designs rarely went out of style. Its craftsmen all developed a solid core of products that were guaranteed to sell no matter how much the market changed.

　　That didn't mean they never sought to create anything new. No designer house was able to exist forever if it coasted on its own success. The Barach artisans still valued the ability to experiment and innovate in order to come up with the next best selling designs that could prolong the enduring success of their house.

　　It was a pity that the good times didn't last. The House of Barach experimented so infrequently that its ability to design successful new products couldn't keep up with the competition.

　　Other, more daring designer houses took much more risks and employed more fashion forward designers. Plenty of designer houses collapsed because they released ruinous product lines, but the savviest and most competent among them rose to even further heights.

　　When the competitors of the House of Barach all reached a greater height, the Yarman Republic underwent an enormous change.

　　The bigger houses decided to consolidate the luxury goods sector. They no longer wanted the Yarman Republic's resources to be split between so many different fashion entities.

　　In order to facilitate the growth and expansion of Yarman brands throughout human space, the state needed to put its support behind a smaller number of its most successful designer houses!

　　Scale and brand awareness were key to competing against foreign designer companies!

　　This spelled the end of the House of Barach as a first-class commercial power. After a long and exhausting journey, its remnant had finally managed to enter the new frontier in order to start anew in a mostly virgin market.

　　Sadly, the Barach craftsmen lost too much in the process. Many techniques became lost when the older craftsmen lacked the means to pass them on to the next generation.

　　It was far too risky and expensive to maintain all of their first-class ships and equipment. Without a solid income source, all of this wealth only hastened the House of Barach's collapse!

　　In order to preserve their heritage, the Barachs had made the difficult decision to degenerate into second classers.

　　The Barachs of today always felt ashamed of this necessary transition. It was the ultimate mark of failure and one that had always weighed heavily on their minds.

　　The reason why the Barachs were forced into making this decision was because they failed to design products that sold well enough. While the flight from the Yarman Republic was to blame for much of it, there was no way to deny that the Barach craftsmen simply weren't competent enough to adapt and succeed while on the move.

　　When Cefigo Barach looked at the famed and infamous patriarch of the Larkinson Clan, he saw someone who would have been able to make the House of Barach great again.

　　The journeyman tailor barely knew anything about engineering, but he could see the art in the young leader's work. The man's many mechs were vibrant and brilliant. The machines all displayed a sense of barely-controlled chaos. Each of them was a little different from each other, showing that their designer wasn't afraid of variations.

　　What was more, the man's 'living mechs' were so different from normal mechs that there was no doubt that the Larkinson Patriarch was an innovator at heart!

　　"So, are you going to explain yourself anytime soon, or will you keep staring while getting lost in your own thoughts?" Ves impatiently asked.

　　"Ah, my apologies, sir. I couldn't help but notice and admire your work. Your cat looks exquisitely made. It moves so organically that it looks as if it is truly alive!"

　　"Meow!"

　　Lucky grew offended at the remark!

　　It was too bad that Cefigo didn't understand cats. He hungrily looked around but couldn't find what he was looking for. Where was the object that had changed his perspective?

　　"Looking for this?" Ves smirked as he brought up his Hammer of Brilliance and placed it on his desk as if it was just an ordinary tool.

　　Cefigo looked reverently at the softly-glowing item. Its bronze corona along with its fine construction immediately made it clear that it was more than a hammer!

　　"May I ask what this is, sir? Why does it look like that and why is it able to make me feel inspired?"

　　Ves was not in a hurry to talk. He pressed his hands together and studied Cefigo's eager and impatient form.

　　"I don't see why I should answer your questions." He eventually said. "My hammer is private property and the tech behind it is proprietary. While I admit I acted out of turn by hitting you with it, my intent was to give you a gift at the time."

　　"I am thankful for that, sir, but…" Cefigo hesitated for a moment. "I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but I would like to experience it again. There are so many projects that I cannot work on because I lack the skills or techniques to make them work. With the help of that hammer of yours, I think I can make a breakthrough in my fashion design!"

　　"The hammer isn't as great as you think it is." Ves replied and crossed his arms. "It works best if it is used sparingly. Repeated hits won't produce as many new insights. Also, it's rather dangerous for your career if you grow dependent on it. Artisans like you must rely on your own effort and creativity to progress further. If you need to get hit on your head with my hammer all the time, then it's my tool that's responsible for your success, not your own imagination."

　　The craftsman finally calmed down a bit. Though he still looked at the hammer with desire in his eyes, he knew he needed to exert more self-control if he wanted to make it any further in his craft.

　　"Thank you for the reminder, sir. I will try my best to keep my urges in check. Still… even if it's not for me, there are many artisans in my house that could make huge leaps of improvement if they get hit just once. Can I… borrow your hammer?"

　　"Absolutely not. This is a precious relic that I have made with great effort in order to facilitate my needs. I would never part with such a vital and strategically-important piece of equipment. As a craftsman, you should understand that what you just asked is no different from asking an expert pilot if you can borrow his expert mech."

　　The rebuke made Cefigo feel a lot of distress. He was so obsessed about the hammer that he did not do the House of Barach justice.

　　"Again, I apologize. I am not in my regular mood today. The effect produced by your hammer is too profound. I know many artisans who would literally kill entire states just to have it in their hands."

　　Ves smirked. "It's useless. The hammer works according to my intentions. If I don't want anyone else to enjoy its benefits, then it will become nothing but an ordinary hammer to everyone else. Try it out if you want."

　　"I can?"

　　"Just pick it up and tap it against your head. Be sure to do it softly. I don't want you to leave this office with a concussion. It doesn't matter how hard you hit yourself. The effects will still be the same."

　　Upon hearing that he could finally try out the hammer, Cefigo tried his best to retain his decorum. He rose slowly and deliberately before taking a few steps forward.

　　When he stopped in front of the desk, he extended his arm and smoothly grasped the handle.

　　Then he attempted to lift it off the surface.

　　"It's heavy. What a dense alloy!"

　　"I made it for myself, so I don't mind the weight. As for you, I think it's better to hold it with both your hands. You better not drop it or you're going to have a big problem."

　　The hammer became a lot more manageable now that Cefigo held it with both of his limbs. He carefully lifted it up. Instead of trying to swing it against his temple, he opted to lean his head forward so that he could avoid any unfortunate accidents.

　　Tap.

　　Nothing happened.

　　"Did I… do this correctly?"

　　Tap.

　　Tap.

　　Tap.

　　The tailor tapped himself with the hammer several times, but none of them produced the wonderful state of mind that had given Cefigo so many benefits.

　　His mood dropped once he realized that the patriarch was indeed right. The artisan slowly placed the hammer back on the deck.

　　"What do I need to do in order to convince you to receive its benefits once again?" Cefigo asked with a bit more focus than before.

　　As a descendant of the House of Barach, Cefigo wasn't completely ignorant about these situations. The Barachs sometimes needed to become businessmen as well, so the craftsman clearly understood that he needed to make it worthwhile for the Larkinson Patriarch to agree to his requests.

　　Ves grinned as he leaned back on his chair. "We can finally hold a real conversation. Let's talk business."