The Mech Touch

　　Yet at this moment, he came dangerously close to converting to a belief.

　　The part of him that derived the most satisfaction from experiencing the Polymath's incredibly exceptional domain was completely enchanted.

　　Compared to her powerful spirituality, all of the other spiritual entities he was acquainted with were wholly inferior!

　　The Unending One, the Superior Mother, Qilanxo and even Vulcan may be regarded as gods by certain groups, but to Ves they were merely pretenders to the real thing!

　　A real god ought to be a lot closer to the Polymath!

　　He would do anything to replicate even a fraction of this domain and the endless amount of knowledge it was able to bestow.

　　Once this meeting was over, he wanted to return to his personal workshop and build a shrine dedicated to the Polymath straight away!

　　He vigorously shook his head.

　　What the hell was he thinking?!

　　Even if the Polymath was truly the closest person to becoming a god of knowledge, it was completely out of the question for him to bow his head to any other entity.

　　He was his own man!

　　Ves desired to become a Star Designer himself one day. Though it might take a century or two, once he arrived at this height through his own efforts, he no longer had a reason to worship the Polymath as if she was a deity.

　　By that time, other people would mistake him as a god!

　　As he successfully managed to center himself, the Polymath gave him an acknowledging nod.

　　She made it seem as if he had passed another test.

　　Now that he thought about it, there was no need for the Polymath to unfold her domain in such a dramatic fashion. She exerted such fine control over her own prowess that she could have limited the effects to studying Blinky and nothing more.

　　Ves could only conclude that she deliberately made a show out of her power for ulterior motives.

　　Fortunately, the Polymath didn't keep him in suspense.

　　"With your knowledge, abilities and heritage, you will attract the attention of the Five Scrolls Compact sooner or later." She said in a calm tone of voice that was so much more restrained than when she was excited. "The cultists will try to capture you. If that does not work, they will attempt to tempt you instead. They will do so by promising to help you develop your powers and elevate you into a god. Do not accept these temptations. You are a mech designer, and our trajectory is no weaker than their own. Star Designers such as myself are powerful in ways that you cannot imagine. What I have demonstrated to you is only a glimpse of what I am capable of. I am not even the strongest among us. There are older Star Designers who have made many strides. There is no limit that can halt our progress."

　　Ves was already committed to pursuing the pinnacle of mech design, so he hardly needed the Polymath's reminder to stay true to himself.

　　Nevertheless, he appreciated the preview that she provided. He felt a lot more reassured that mech designers were not weak in the spiritual arena.

　　Though all of the knowledge that the Polymath's domain bestowed upon him had disappeared, Ves still retained the observations and insights that he made himself.

　　He could recall his overall impression of the Polymath's domain and deeply remembered its all-encompassing strength and spiritual properties.

　　This was incredibly useful knowledge in itself! He had a much more concrete idea of what he was working towards. Even if he would inevitably develop a different domain based on his own design philosophy and spiritual attributes, he could still derive a lot of lessons from his earlier experience!

　　This was the real gift from this little episode. Though it wouldn't be relevant for a long time, at least he was able to confirm a few theories and gain a clearer direction of what he was working towards.

　　As Ves gradually came down from that indescribable rush, he recalled another remark that the Polymath had made.

　　There was no way that someone as smart and powerful as her would make any thoughtless remarks. There had to be more behind her earlier assertion.

　　"Your Excellency, earlier you stated that you were a human, but you also said something about not being 'defective' anymore. Could you… clarify what you mean by that?"

　　The Polymath gave him an indulgent smile. "You are a mech designer, not a child. You should be able to deduce the implications behind my words yourself, especially if you have heard about the related theory before."

　　Ves quietly ran through his thoughts, which wasn't easy given all of the pressure he endured.

　　"The most immediate implication of your statement is that humans who are weaker than Star Designers are defective in a way." He began. "They have… a fault that makes them lesser than what they can be. Only by repairing their defects will they be able to attain strength akin to gods. Is that what you were trying to convey?"

　　"You have captured the most essential fact, Mr. Larkinson. This theory originated from the Five Scrolls Compact. If its members haven't already enlightened you to it, they will most certainly attempt to mesmerize you with it. While you generally should not believe any theories or beliefs espoused by this forbidden group, their description of humanity as a defective species is unfortunately correct."

　　That… was quite a frank admission. Ves felt tempted to clean his ears. Did the Polymath truly admit the Five Scrolls Compact was correct in one of its theories?

　　"I am surprised to hear that, Your Excellency."

　　"Why?"

　　"Because you mechers always try your best to stand up for humanity. Since I was young, my teachers and everyone around me constantly emphasized that we are strong and special in our own ways. You mechers also put a lot of effort into spreading these views. To hear you accept the view that most humans are defective is… disappointing."

　　How could he not? According to this theory, Ves was also a defective human!

　　"I do not begrudge your opinion." The Polymath replied. "Our society has indeed attempted to elevate humankind into a special race. However, if you know what is possible and become aware of truths that I cannot share today, you will find that we are… defective."

　　He did not think that the Polymath was lying. He just found it difficult to embrace the 'glass half empty' perspective that she adopted.

　　Instead of describing most of humanity as normal, she instead demoted ordinary people into defective products.

　　That made powerful transcendents such as herself merely 'normal' instead of special.

　　"So this is what mech designers and other people are trying to work towards?" Ves said with emotion in his voice. "We are all born weak and faulty, and the only way to fix it all is to progress up to your level."

　　Ves felt depressed at that. He wasn't worried about himself. If a fragment holder like the Polymath was able to reach Star Designer, then so could he. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to progress as fast, but he had numerous advantages that provided him with a lot of confidence.

　　What he was truly worried about was his loved ones. Gloriana would probably go bonkers if he told her that she was defective!

　　Even if he didn't, Ves was not sure that she could bridge the enormous gap that separated Masters from Star Designers.

　　His children were an even greater concern. He only had a daughter so far and he already loved her beyond anything else. How could he possibly accept that Aurelia would always remain lesser compared to himself? If she didn't become a mech pilot or a mech designer in the future, what pathway could she choose from that could help her repair her innate flaws step by step?

　　"You do not need to concern yourself too much about other people." The Polymath advised him. "What we mean by defective is mainly related to psionic power. Humans are normal in many other measures. The vast majority of humanity will not learn of this theory and shall never develop any discontent due to this matter. There is no need to enlighten the uninformed to their own faults."

　　After hearing all of this, Ves had a pretty good idea of what aspect of humanity was supposed to be defective.

　　The Five Scrolls Compact was obsessed with spiritual manipulation. However, most humans simply didn't have the qualifications to harness it because they lacked the spiritual potential needed to get started!

　　If 'true' humans were supposed to be a race that were all born with spiritual potential, then this version of humanity would be a lot less flawed!

　　In fact, this could go a step further. Perhaps only humans whose potential was fully activated and ready to be harnessed by mech pilots or mech designers were truly closer to the ideal state of humanity!

　　Ves even developed a few suspicions about himself. He started out weak but began to develop special spiritual abilities that were nonexistent in other people. The ability to perceive spiritual energy ought to be one of the keys that made humans more complete!

　　This was especially likely considering that the Polymath was able to perceive spiritual energy without a problem, something that had always eluded the Masters that he had met such as Master Willix.

　　He made a bold guess. Had his mother or the System had done something to him that repaired a part of his inherent flaws?

　　This possibility gave him a bit of hope. There may be other ways to make humans less flawed aside from hoping that they advanced to Star Designer!

　　"I think… I understand." He eventually said as he let out a deep sigh. "Due to my research interests, I have always been interested in how to facilitate breakthroughs. The insights you have given me today will help me refine my research on this topic."

　　The Polymath leaned forward. "Master Willix issued you a mission related to this matter. We have tracked your efforts and see that you have not dedicated as much time and effort into performing your obligations. I have studied your companion spirit, so I know you can do more. Do not procrastinate. You must deliver results."

　　Ves almost fainted. Why did the Polymath keep making demands?! She wasn't his mother!

　　"Breakthroughs are inherently unpredictable, and pushing too hard will often backfire." Ves hastily replied. "I truly want to succeed in this mission, but no one has ever succeeded in it. I have already tried to make progress by designing the Enlightened Warrior variant, but it will take a lot of time for pilots to derive enough benefits from my new mech."

　　"You are afraid of attracting too much attention." She stated.

　　"Uhm…"

　　"It is pointless for you to deny it. Ordinarily, we do not mind entertaining your delusions, but humanity is beset by adversities. I believe you have a viable method that can trigger the breakthroughs of the twenty of the MTA mech pilots that we have originally assigned to your care. You should not hesitate to implement your ideas. Regardless of what happens, we will make certain to maintain your secret and suppress any news."

　　Ves wanted to wince. Did she know what she was asking?

　　"I… cannot promise you that I will succeed. It is also dangerous to tamper with people in this fashion. Earlier, you suggested that I should be more careful and thorough in my research. I will try my best to uphold this approach in relation to this project."

　　"You must strike a reasonable balance." The Polymath nodded.

　　The conversation was drawing to a close. Ves could already sense that the Star Designer had spoken about all of the topics that she intended to address.

　　Though he deeply wanted her to stay so that he could learn more insights and secrets that he couldn't obtain from any other source, the Polymath already indicated that she needed to return.