The Mech Touch

The mech designers steadily fabricated all of the high-end components of the Minerva Project.

While their complexity and use of expensive materials increased the difficulty of producing the parts, none of them were unprepared for their respective tasks.

It also helped that the five mech designers had split up the work assignments so that they all worked on what they excelled at. Their chances of producing high-quality mech components were much higher if their work was directly tied to their primary specializations!

Everyone possessed a clear division of work.

Ves was responsible for building the luminar crystal rifle and miscellaneous components.

Juliet created the flight system and various other mobility-related parts.

Sara invested all of her attention on the armor plating of the Minerva Project.

Professor Benedict produced all of the power generation and energy transmission parts.

Gloriana was responsible for fabricating the remaining structural components such as the sensor system.ᴾᵃⁿᵈᵃ ⁿᵒᵛᵉˡ

In this fabrication run, the work division of Gloriana was not as well-defined. In past projects, she was usually responsible for making both the armor system and much of the internal architecture of a mech.

However, now that Sara and Professor Benedict came into the picture, Gloriana was squeezed out of her prior roles.

Not only that, but her design philosophy partially overlapped with that of the Senior Mech Designer involved in this project!

That did not discourage her at all, though. She respected the contributions that the other two mech designers could make and plainly acknowledged that Sara and Benedict could do a substantially better job. Pa nda

Novel There were still plenty of ways for her to leave her mark on the Minerva Project. It was a high-end project that she had individually tailored for Commander Casella Ingvar, after all. The expert pilot's presence in the design network made it a lot easier for Gloriana to tailor her work to the intended user of the expert command mech!

As everything went well enough, Ves judged that they had reached a stage where the Hammer of Brilliance could exert a useful effect.

Still, before using it, he had to decide whether it was desirable to make use of it. From what he could see, every mech designer working to make the Minerva Project were doing well so far. None of them exhibited any obvious inadequacies and they all produced satisfactory parts.

"It could be better, though."

Ves wasn't sure whether the circumstances at the moment was enough to meet the threshold of producing a masterwork mech, but it was nice to have additional assurances.

He gripped his hammer tighter. "I shouldn't discard an advantage so easily. The Minerva Project is crucial to our clan."

Now that he decided to use it, he had to figure out who to whack with his hammer.

He quickly ruled out himself and his wife. Both of them had been knocked on their heads so many times that the benefits had turned marginal.

Each of them had turned a lot of their latent ideas into realized design solutions that there were hardly any 'raw materials' left in their minds.

Inspiration only worked when there was enough accumulation, and Ves did not think that enough had passed for him and Gloriana to refill their minds with new materials.

The Hammer of Brilliance would produce a much more significant effect if applied to others.

Ves recalled that he had already whacked Juliet at least once. This meant that the second time wouldn't be as drastic, but could still bear a lot of fruit.

He decided against it, though.

First, Juliet was not one of the more prominent individuals who worked on the Minerva Project. The expert command mech itself did not revolve around mobility either.

Another candidate was Sara Voiken. The defensive specialist played a considerably more important role in the design of the Minerva Project and was the primary person responsible for keeping Commander Casella alive under difficult circumstances.

It also helped that she was new to the effect of the Hammer of Brilliance. Once she experienced Vulcan's splendor for the first time, she would gain a huge amount of benefits that could substantially push her design philosophy forward!

When Sara experienced all of this during this crucial timing, her elevated mood and pleasure of gaining enlightenment would definitely boost everyone's moods to a higher level!

"This is an interesting choice."

There was also another alternative, though. Ves directed his gaze towards Professor Benedict who sensed the attention.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment.

Eventually, Professor Benedict shook his head. Both of them had conducted a silent conversation through the design network.

The Senior did not think the hammer would have a strong effect on him. Applying it to Sara was more appropriate because her reaction would be the strongest and because she was most in need of a boost.

"You want to facilitate the design of our next expert mech." Ves surmised from the older man.

The logic was easy enough to understand. Professor Benedict liked the Minerva Project, but valued the Mars Project.

As his passion project, the Senior intended to put his full effort and resources into designing the best possible high-tier expert mech for Patriarch Reginald Cross.

If Ves utilized his hammer on the professor at that point, the difference it could make might play a crucial role!

In the meantime, Sara could obtain a major improvement in her design ability that would allow her to increase her contribution to the next expert mech design project.

As far as the Crossers were concerned, the development of the Minerva Project was a practice run for the development of the Mars Project!

"Hmmmm…" Ves frowned.

He didn't quite agree with Professor Benedict.

From the perspective of maximizing the prospects of the Mars Project, it was indeed better to whack Sara's head.

However, even if she gained a massive amount of inspiration, it was still unlikely for her to improve so much that she could impart a qualitative boost to the Minerva Project.

"She's not like Gloriana and I. She still needs to work on her confidence."

Sara was too new to the Larkinson Clan and did not think she was able to match up against the Miracle Couple.

Otherwise, she and her brother wouldn't have applied to work under Ves and Gloriana in the first place!

It took a certain amount of humility for Journeymen to subordinate themselves to other Journeymen!

Given these circumstances, Ves did not think that the Hammer of Brilliance would produce the strongest effect with Sara.

Ves had higher hopes for Professor Benedict, especially when the old man had become fascinated by the way the Larkinson mech designers were working. His astonishment and appreciation couldn't be hidden.

Once he tasted the fruit of Vulcan, Professor Benedict was much likelier to produce a significant reaction!

Even if Vulcan wasn't strong enough to produce a strong reaction, even minor improvements would be enough for Professor Benedict to get excited!

Besides, with all of the insights he would gain from this experience, he would be in a much better position to design the crucial Magma Vein System and other critical elements of the Mars Project!

The downside to this course of action was that they would have one less tool available to potentially turn the Mars Project into a masterwork mech.

"You made a commitment to our clan. You should do your best to fulfill it, Ves." Professor Benedict softly conveyed.

Ves remembered that he did indeed promise to do his best to participate in the design of the Mars Project and turn it into a masterwork expert mech at all cost.

Given this condition, the last thing that Ves should do was shoot himself in the foot and miss a chance to fulfill one of his important promises!

"Alright. Have it your way, then." Ves sighed.

He quickly readjusted his mentality and did not think about applying his hammer to Professor Benedict anymore.

In any case, it was not a bad idea to enlighten Sara at this time. The benefits she could gain from this time would not only allow her to contribute more effectively to the Mars Project, but also improve her work on any other mech design project she participated in the future!

Considering that defensive systems were vital to practically every mech, Sara could have a major effect on the performance of the Larkinson Clan's subsequent mech designs!

When Ves stepped in front of Sara, the woman already had a decent idea of what was about to take place.

"It's finally my turn, is that correct?" The woman asked.

"Yep. Since you know this much, you should also be aware how precious this opportunity can be. The first time is always the most drastic. The benefit does not only lie in all of the dots that you can connect in your mind, but the immense satisfaction that you gain from solving so many latent problems. Don't underestimate these emotions. The euphoria that you will likely experience will not only elevate your work to a higher level, but also bleed through the design network and affect the rest of us. Don't hesitate in sharing your happiness. We all benefit, which means the Minerva Project will benefit as well."

"Do you have any other tips for me, sir?"

"Not particularly. Everyone experiences it differently. All I can say is that you should not get lost in your daydreams but remember your current responsibilities. Try your best to channel your creative energies into furthering your work."

Once they were ready, Sara turned around and presented the back of her head.

Ves carefully raised his hammer and lightly tapped Sara's skull.

For a moment, the defensive specialist stood still.

Half a minute passed by as Vulcan's gift caused Sara's head to glow in a bronze light.

Then, she opened her eyes!

"So it's like this! I should have figured this out before! How could I be so blind to miss the obvious!"

With the help of Vulcan's active influence, Sara truly felt enlightened for the first time!

Her mind elevated to a higher level than ever as she spotted dozens of mistakes that had gone unnoticed while figuring out the solutions to many more problems.

When she turned her attention back to the work she was doing, she suddenly discovered that if she changed the settings and utilized slightly different processes, she could increase the resilience of the Minerva Project's armor plating by a small but consequential margin!

Sara enthusiastically dove back into her fabrication work. She had become incredibly motivated to apply some of her new solutions on her existing work.

In addition, she had become so buoyed by the inspiration that she received that her good vibes quickly spread through the design network, thereby infecting the other mech designers with her drive and passion for her craft!

The difference it made was noticeable. Not just Sara, but all of the other mech designers worked as if they had wind in their sails!

Though no one exhibited any exceptional performance after Sara gained a lot of stimulation, the good vibes in the workshop had risen by a noticeable amount.

Even the Crosser Journeyman who were assisting the main mech designers noticed the changes. They all paid even closer attention to the performance of Ves and the others for fear of missing out the crucial factor that caused them to make so many remarkable mechs!

"Do you think they are actually succeeding?" Ritin Kaaise asked one of his older colleagues.

Archibald Uzu looked envious at the industrious designers. "I have worked in numerous different workshops over my career, but none of them comes close to this. The trust, cooperation and optimism shown by these mech designers are incomparable. There is something about these Larkinsons that makes me feel that anything is possible. I wish more than ever that I could be a part of this project!"

It was a pity that a mech design project could not accommodate too many contributors. Besides, the Minerva Project belonged to the Larkinson Clan, so it did not make sense to involve any more external mech designers than necessary.