The Mech Touch

As much as Ves wanted to keep deciphering the new and fascinating spiritual traits of the Aduc leader and her fellow delegates, it was not polite for him to neglect his duties.

He eventually took a step forward while extending a welcoming hand.

"Welcome aboard the Spirit of Bentheim. I am Patriarch Ves Larkinson, and I will be your host for today."

The older woman only briefly gazed at Ves before studying the surrounding environment. "It is a pleasure to meet with you. I have heard much about you over the weeks. I am Matriarch Erexi Aduc, head of the Aduc Family and CEO of Gaia Worldcrafting Services. I did not expect that we would receive a call that has led us to abandon our original plans for the Red Ocean and prompt us to relocate to Davute on short notice."

Ves looked a little awkward. "Did we inconvenience your family in any way?"

Matriarch Erexi Aduc gently shook her head. "It is not important. On the contrary, it is of great benefit for us to move to the center of the Krakatoa Middle Zone and settle closer to your Larkinson Clan. I believe that we may have much more in common with each other than we initially realized."

He knew what she was referring to. If Ves was capable of reading her active spirituality, Matriarch Erexi was probably able to make her own observations!

Ves deliberately chose to receive the Aduc delegation within the hangar bay of the Spirit of Bentheim. The ship was filled with many extraordinary products, many of which stood out in a spiritual capacity.

He immediately gathered a lot of clues from the way that Matriarch Erexi and her fellow Aducs gave in to their curiosity and studied the mechs that he had deliberately parked in the back and sides of this large compartment.

"I must say that your famous mechs are much more fascinating than we initially thought. We assumed that the most optimistic praise of your mechs were gross exaggerations. Now, it appears we must revise our prior conclusions. Can you give us a tour of these noteworthy machines?"

Ves responded with a brilliant smile. "I would be glad to do so, madame. Let me start by taking you to a mech that best embodies our clan."

So far, the meeting started on a good note. Both of them showed respect towards each other.

While it was too early to tell whether they could become friends, Ves had a good feeling about this meeting.

Matriarch Erexi Aduc showed plenty of goodwill so far and her attitude suggested that she saw value in building up a genuine relationship with the Larkinsons.

Whether the Aducs did so on their own initiative or because they were directed to by the Transhumanists, there was at least a basis of cooperation!

The delegation stopped before a gold-coated mech.

"This is a Bright Warrior. It is our foundational mech and one that stands out for its versatility and semi-modular configuration. The technical performance of this mech may not be impressive for heartlanders such as you, but it is a mech that has served us well in the battles that our clan has fought until now. While we have developed many mechs since the release of its latest iteration, the Bright Warrior is still an irreplaceable model to our clan."

Ves studied the Aducs to see whether any of them were knowledgeable about mechs. He already knew that the Aduc Matriarch was an exogeologist by profession. She had to be in order to understand her terraforming company's most important operations.

There were numerous other men and women accompanying her. Many of them looked like they belonged to the same generation as him. Perhaps they were the matriarch's children.

It was a pity that none of them showed any awareness of the technical intricacies of the Bright Warrior. Ves had already confirmed that none of the Aducs who visited his ship were mech designers or mech pilots of significance.

That was a shame. If the Aducs did not bother to bring any mech pilots or mech designers to a meeting with a clan that centered its business around mechs, then they probably did not care much about them in the first place!

Ves carefully tried to spot if Matriarch Erexi or her fellow Aducs were able to observe or interact with the more spiritual elements of the Bright Warrior mech.

Unfortunately, he did not pick up any obvious signs. Their active spiritualities did not fluctuate or react in any special way. This was despite the fact that they had strayed close enough to be affected by the Bright Warrior's glow!

This was just the beginning, through. Ves led the delegation to another iconic mech model.

"This is a copy of the Valkyrie Redeemer. We originally developed it after receiving a large commission from a second-rate state. Due to that state's unique policies and religious philosophy, we designed a mech that carries a powerful and unique glow."

The Aducs showed a bit more reaction this time. As soon as they came well within the range of the Valkyrie Redeemer's glow, they regarded it with greater vigilance and respect.

"What are glows? How can they make us feel so differently?" One of the Aducs following their matriarch asked.

"You are?"

"Pesca Aduc, daughter of Matriarch Erexi. I also work in the Exobiology Department of our company."

Terraforming was a highly complicated activity that involved multiple disciplines. It was not enough to transform a planet. Those tasked with transforming it also had to make it livable for human populations. This was why a terraforming company like Gaia Worldcrafting Services also invested a lot of resources into its biotech capabilities!

"I don't think I can adequately explain glows to an uninitiated audience." Ves tentatively replied. "It may sound strange to you, but I only possess a minor understanding of them myself even though my work heavily relies upon them to perform more effectively in battle."

"What Patriarch Ves Larkinson refers to as a glow is actually the aura of a life form that is vastly greater and more powerful than us. We are weaker than her. It is only natural for us to bow in front of a greater power." Matriarch Erexi succinctly explained to her children even as she showed increasingly more respect towards the Valkyrie Redeemer. "What a fascinating combination. I have never come across a life form as rare and great as this one. It is especially remarkable that she chooses to anchor herself to something as mundane as mechs."

Ves was surprised by the Aduc Matriarch's observations! She not only recognized the truth of glows, but also appeared to be able to observe the Valkyrie Redeemer's design spirit!

"Since you understand this much, then I don't need to withhold as much details as I thought. The Superior Mother is one of our many design spirits. Each of them have formed a cooperative relationship with me and my work. Each of them brings various benefits to the mech designs they are associated with in exchange for intangible rewards. I am sure that you will be able to find this out yourselves if you get a hand on one of my products. Don't mess around with them if you can interact with them in any way. I am not responsible for any accidents that might occur."

He had no idea what the Aducs were capable of, but he really did not want them to poke his design spirits. He pretty much regarded them as his property and did not want others to play with his assets.

The problem was that he had no idea whether the Aducs would maintain a respectful distance. The only consolation was that every Aduc in the delegation aside from Matriarch Erexi weren't that impressive to Ves.

Their spiritualities were all active, which was quite a surprise, but they were merely at the level of an Apprentice Mech Designer.

In contrast, Matriarch Erexi quietly possessed strength comparable to an older and more experienced Journeyman.

This caused Ves to harbor a lot of vigilance towards the female leader. Someone who developed so much spiritual strength was likely able to harness it in a specific fashion!

Hopefully, he would be able to figure this out before the end of this initial meeting. There had to be a compelling reason why the Transhumanists thought it was a good idea to bring the Larkinsons and the Aducs together.

After Ves thought that his guests spent enough time in front of the Valkyrie Redeemer, he brought them to one of the most precious and appreciated individual mechs in the clan.

Kievenar Aduc, the firstborn son and heir of the family, frowned as he studied the familiar-looking mech.

"You already brought us to a Bright Warrior, mister."

Matriarch Erexi made a quick gesture. "Quiet. This is not an ordinary mech."

She slowed her pace and conveyed a lot more respect towards the powerful machine as they neared its unmoving form.

The further they approached, the more they became affected by the dense and powerful spiritual presence of the mech in question!

The expressions of Matriarch Erexi's children changed. They all showed evident strain as they became exposed to a powerful pressure that they were not accustomed to enduring.

If they were expert candidates, then they should have been able to withstand the pressure a lot better, but each of them appeared to be thinkers rather than warriors, so they lacked the tempering to withstand hundreds of Ves of spiritual accumulation!

"This… is the Quint. It is the first and greatest version of the Bright Warrior in existence. It is not only a masterwork mech, but also a machine that has helped three separate mech pilots achieve their breakthroughs."

Even though the Aducs weren't mech designers, they were all educated professionals. They possessed at least a basic ability to recognize and appreciate masterworks.

It was a pity that everyone in the delegation was too stressed to admire the Quint's exquisite construction.

The only exception was Matriarch Erexi. She was the only one among the guests who managed to retain her full composure. She didn't even look like she was under any sort of strain!

The Aducs did not stick around the Quint for long. The living mech did not bother to reach out to the foreign guests, though Erexi looked quite thoughtful while she resisted the powerful mech's presence.

Ves brought the delegation to one more noteworthy mech. From the moment he guided them to the green-coated mech, the Aducs began to show more enthusiasm.

Each of them had kept their eye on this machine from the start!

As a prime mech as well as an expert mech, the Everchanger also possessed a powerful presence.

However, the expert mech possessed a lot more control over its power manifestations. Its spiritual aura was also a lot gentler.

In fact, none of the Aducs showed any signs that they were under strain this time!

Instead, they looked as if they enjoyed getting close to the Everchanger!

Ves did not expect them to react this way!

Was it because of their life domains? Each of them showed faint signs of stimulation as they stopped at a respectful distance before the powerful expert mech.

"The Everchanger is one of my proudest works." Ves explained. "It is not only an expert mech, but a machine that best embodies my design philosophy. It is an adaptable machine that is able to fight in multiple ways. What do you think, matriarch?"

The head of the Aduc Family controlled her expressions a lot better than her children, but Ves could clearly sense from her spiritual activity that she was a bit more emotional than she showed on the surface.

The only problem was that Ves was unable to interpret her hidden mood swings.

"This is a wonder of creation." She eventually said. "Your mastery in mechs is a sight to behold. We have met many mech designers over the years who are able to develop other powerful machines, but none of them have transcended their existences quite like yours. The vitality of this expert mech defies everything I have learned. How old is this Everchanger of yours?"

"I completed it just before our clan entered the Red Ocean." Ves replied.

"So young!"