The Mech Touch

　　The Age of Conquest had just ended and much of human space was in shambles. A lot of cults and religions mushroomed into existence as the traumatized survivors tried to process the tragedies in their own ways.

　　The Fellowship of Hakkaiden was one of many cults that had risen up during those 'boom times', yet it had never risen as far as other successful religious organizations.

　　The beliefs of the cult had a lot to do with it. According to the first Great Mourner who founded the cult, Hakkaiden was the god and personification of human sorrow. Its doctrine encompassed many facets of sorrow such as sadness, mourning, crying and the acceptance of loss.

　　While this made it easy for the fellowship to attract the desperate who had lost everything, a lot of humans wanted to move on. As the Age of Mechs unfolded, humanity slowly regained its optimism. Many more people became interested in pursuing happiness rather than finding the best way to wallow in their misery.

　　Though the Fellowship of Hakkaiden no longer experienced a lot of growth, it nonetheless managed to cling to existence.

　　This was because its members were quite good at dealing with disappointment and setbacks. They stubbornly kept the Fellowship of Hakkaiden going.

　　Their efforts paid off, if only barely. The cult not only managed to prevent any decline, but steadily grew larger and wealthier as their steady investments paid off in the long term.

　　In order for the Fellowship of Hakkaiden to subside beyond the pitiful donations it collected, it even developed its own mental health practice.

　　Over time, numerous followers of Hakkaiden graduated with degrees in psychology and other related fields in order to help with generating more income. The Hakkaiden Clinic achieved success and expanded a lot faster than the cult itself.

　　This was because the treatment personnel largely kept their beliefs to themselves while they performed their professional duties. They had proven to be highly effective at their jobs once they did that and managed to attract a lot of wealthy clients.

　　One of the greatest attractions of the clinic was that all of its members were sworn to secrecy. The followers of Hakkaiden swore to their god to keep their lips sealed, and they always kept their word!

　　Thus, the Hakkaiden Clinic managed to support the main cult, but the flow of revenue was not that abundant.

　　More importantly, the Fellowship of Hakkaiden never succeeded in spreading the faith any further.

　　Hakkaiden was not a god that was easily able to attract worship. The people living in the star sector where the cult was based also became increasingly tougher to convert. Many of them had become aware of the cult and grew wary of joining an organization where no one had any fun!

　　After a long period of stability and even slight growth, the Fellowship of Hakkaiden slowly began to decline. Not even the Hakkaiden Clinic could stop the cult from recruiting less and less believers.

　　While the cult could still hang on for a long time, it would be a disservice for it to fall. The great Hakkaiden must not be forgotten!

　　It was for this reason that Great Mourner Ivaerd and his council sought a way out of this steady decline.

　　The Fellowship of Hakkaiden spent decades preparing for a migration. Originally, the cult was supposed to move from a relatively prosperous part of the galactic rim to a more remote part of space in order to find more fertile ground.

　　Then, the Red Ocean opened up, and the cult gained another option.

　　Even though the dwarf galaxy was a place of wonder and opportunity, it also played host to a lot of tragedies, both human and alien.

　　With so many people suffering losses over the course of their stay in the Red Ocean, the leadership of the Fellowship of Hakkaiden saw great potential in converting more believers!

　　It took a lot of effort to reach the Red Ocean. It would have been impossible for the Hakkaidens to scrounge up the merits and band together with other pioneers if not for their previous preparations.

　　Eventually, the Fellowship of Hakkaiden successfully migrated to the Red Ocean, yet that was where all of their progress halted.

　　"Where can we build our temple?" Great Mourner Ivaerd asked as he stroked his long, black beard.

　　As a strong believer in Hakkaiden, the man was familiar with disappointment and setbacks. No follower of the God of Human Sorrow enjoyed many opportunities of happiness as their lives were always difficult.

　　Right now, Ivaerd's greatest challenge was to find a way for the Fellowship of Hakkaiden to plant their roots in the new frontier.

　　The Fellowship of Hakkaiden initially wanted to build their temple in the Vulit System, but that turned out to be way too expensive.

　　The cult then moved to a nearby colony, only to get rejected by its owners.

　　"We do not welcome religion in our society! Take your crazy beliefs and go elsewhere!"

　　Other destinations also proved unsuitable to the Fellowship of Hakkaiden for many reasons.

　　"You can settle on my land, but I do not tolerate the presence of outsiders in my domain. I demand your allegiance."

　　"Go away, false believers! This star system is already claimed by the Blue Advent Church! We will never allow you to pollute the minds of our vulnerable flock!"

　　"Feel free to build your temple outside of the city. You'll be completely safe there. The rumors of pirate raids and devastated colonies are completely false, I promise!"

　　"We have enough space to accommodate your temple. It's completely safe out here. We're so out of the way that not even pirates want to detour to our star system. There's nothing for them here anyway. Our planet isn't terraformed and there aren't resources or sources of wealth that attract greedy plunderers."

　　None of the destinations suited the Fellowship of Haikkaiden for one reason or another.

　　While there were still destinations where the cult could settle and exist in relative peace, these locations were usually so obscure or restrictive that it was too difficult for it to expand in numbers.

　　"There is little point in traveling to the Red Ocean if we are just repeating the past."

　　This was why the Great Mourner eyed the more favorable locations. The Davute System was the best place to build a temple.

　　It not only attracted a high amount of traffic, but it was also relatively safe and secure. Davute gathered a lot of losers. They were not only easier to convert into Hakkaidens, but also served as ready customers for the Hakkaiden Clinic.

　　Unfortunately, the requirements to set up a clinic or a temple in Davute were way too demanding.

　　As Great Mourner Ivaerd tried to figure out a way for the Fellowship of Hakkaiden to succeed in the Red Ocean, he suddenly stumbled upon a possible opportunity during his search.

　　"A trade consortium with low requirements? That is new."

　　As a strong believer in Hakkaiden, Ivaerd did not indulge in happiness.

　　That didn't mean he was unable to experience any positive emotions. He was still human.

　　For a time in the past, the certain dedicated believers in Hakkaiden tried to get closer to their god by undergoing an invasive operation that artificially cut them off from these emotions.

　　The procedure was a disaster. Many people who were unable to feel any happiness at all either lost their motivation to live or turned into highly unstable individuals.

　　This was why Ivaerd was still able to experience a bit of hope, but that didn't last long as he actively tried to push away his optimism.

　　"This sounds too good to be true. It's just like all of those other scams." Great Mourner Ivaerd pessimistically concluded.

　　Despite supposedly figuring out this scheme, Ivaerd nonetheless explored the possibility of attending a meeting.

　　Hope was folly but giving up was an even greater folly. The cult was the only organization that supported Hakkaiden in human society. Who would remember the God of Human Sorrow if no one knew of his existence?

　　This was why Ivaerd not only signed up for a meeting with this Larkinson Clan, but also registered for a number of other exploration meetings with other organizations that made different offers.

　　He was not alone in this. Numerous different organizations that found themselves in the Davute System heard about the trade consortium that the Larkinson Clan attempted to form.

　　Though many of them ignored the opportunity because they were skeptical or found that it did not meet their needs, a small group of interested parties nonetheless gave it a try.

　　A day later, a dozen or so leaders and representatives of different organizations arrived at a rented compound.

　　The relative power and wealth of the Larkinson Clan was on display. What impressed the guests the most was that the hosts managed to obtain permission to bring down a small contingent of guard mechs.

　　"Are those expert mechs?" Someone pointed at the two resplendent machines in front.

　　"I've read about them. They are not ordinary machines. They're masterworks!"

　　Although not everyone understood the significance of masterwork expert mechs, the Amaranto and the Everchanger were simply too dazzling.

　　The more the guests advanced, the more they experienced how special the expert mechs were. The auras of the two powerful living mechs heavily affected their emotions and caused them to gain a lot more reverence towards the Larkinson Clan!

　　"Maybe this clan is able to make their trade consortium work after all. They have sufficient strength."

　　When the guests finally entered the compound, a pair of guards led them to a spacious meeting room. The luxurious chamber not only offered enough seats, but also held an odd statue.

　　The seating arrangement was quite odd to say the least. They were all placed in a circle around the green stone statue.

　　As the guests all took their seats, they couldn't help but notice they came under another influence.

　　The statue depicted a smiling angelic figure that held out its arms in welcome.

　　The glow it exerted towards the guests was remarkably effective at reducing their stress. They all felt as if their burdens had grown lighter and that a solution to their problems was within reach.

　　"So this is the famous glow of the Larkinsons."

　　"It does not feel bad."

　　Not everyone basked in the glow, though. Great Mourner Ivaerd was highly suspicious towards this mysterious statue that could make him feel a lot more content without good reason.

　　"Don't fall for it. We are being drugged without our notice!"

　　He wasn't the only one who refused to embrace the glow. They became wary towards it instead. Was this not a naked attempt at affecting their judgment? The more concerned guests already began to think about disinviting themselves to this meeting.

　　"You do not need to feel concerned. This is just a demonstration of what we can do." Minister Shederin Purnesse said as he entered the chamber through a side door. "I shall remove the statue so that we may conduct this discussion without any distractions."

　　The old man waved his hand, causing the green statue to sink below the floor and disappear from everyone's sights.

　　Soon enough, its glow had gone away, causing many guests to feel their mental burdens regaining all of their strength. Numerous people already lamented the return to normality.

　　As Minister Shederin came close and took the final seat, he began by answering their unspoken question.

　　"Each of you may be wondering why I subjected you to this glow in the first place. It is a showcase of the special technology and methods that we possess. Our clan intends to leverage its unique expertise to develop a mechanism that guarantees the success of our trade consortium. Now, I am aware that you have questions, doubts and even fears, but I will endeavor to address all of them today. At the end of this meeting, you can decide whether you wish to become a part of this unique initiative or go back to finding a solution to your problems without our means. The choice is yours."