The Mech Touch

Ves learned so much about god pilots during this insane conversation that he felt incredibly awed and inspired.

He felt awed because god pilots were much more powerful and versatile than he thought.

Though he always felt admiration towards their great strength and accomplishments, now that he learned the actual details, he understood a lot more why every major organization treated them so seriously.

God pilots were seriously frightening.

Not only that, they actually became a lot smarter as well.

Combined with the fact that most of them pushed themselves insanely hard because they pursued a massive goal or agenda, they knew how to leverage their great power to good effect!

If that wasn't enough, Master Dervidian also shared another revelation.

"Do you know why we value god pilots?"

"Uh, because they are insanely powerful in combat?"

"That is true, but that is far from the only reason." Dervidian shook his head. "It is true that their power is a sight to behold, but do not forget that there is only a small number of them in existence. Certainly, more will definitely join their ranks over time, but their rate of emergence is incomparable to the rate of how fast everyone else can produce warships. If a conflict ever broke out between our Association and the CFA, the war would rapidly go against our favor. Can you tell me why, Mr. Larkinson?"

"That is because… the CFA have too many warships and most notably battleships." Ves answered. "Even if god pilots are powerful enough to defeat most warfleets, they can only be in so many places at a time. I don't suppose they can split themselves up and defend thousands of star systems at once, right?"

"God pilots are capable of many feats, but what you have described is beyond them. I do not know of any Divine that possesses the ability to clone themselves." Dervidian regretfully answered. "Since this is the case, the combat value of god pilots as a whole is actually quite limited. They are powerful enough to defend critical star systems and raid critical enemy bases, but their numbers are so small that their overall strategic value has a ceiling. The reality is that we have to rely more on ace pilots, large quantities of mech armies and warships to compete against the CFA."

He made a good point. From what it sounded like, god pilots were truly invincible in any battle, especially if they grouped up and tackled major enemy concentrations at once.

They could make any star system of the MTA unassailable and they could smash any defenses occupied by the enemy.

However, it was well-known that the CFA was less attached to fixed locations than the MTA!

The fleeters actually possessed a similar mindset to Ves and concentrated all of their core personnel and assets into mobile warfleets. Their actual strongholds were their battleships and much of their production took place on immense factory ships.

Since their warfleets were easily able to move around from place to place, it was probably incredibly difficult for god pilots to hunt them down and destroy them one after another!

Ves looked at Master Derividian. The older man essentially implied that god pilots, though supremely powerful in battle, were not that valued for their ability to turn the tide in any major war.

If this was the case, then what other use did god pilots have?

"Did you forget the reason why we originally started this conversation?"

"Ah!" A lightbulb switched on above Ves' head! "You mean they possess special abilities that human technology cannot reproduce?"

"Exactly." Master Dervidian adopted a devoted expression again. "Divine Hussain Albedo is the only individual that is capable of imparting compatible genetic aptitude in a child that is not a potentate. This is only a fraction of his full capabilities, and he is only one among many. What do you think the other god pilots can achieve with their own impossible abilities?"

Ves thought about all of the famous and unique god pilots known to the public and quickly became dazzled by the possibilities.

Divine Hussain Albedo had given Ves a good baseline of what other god pilots might be capable of. Feats that were previously thought impossible such as creating energy and matter out of nothing and reversing time may not be out of reach for these supreme warriors.

No wonder that everyone insisted on referring to them as gods!

"Perhaps their lifelong vocations may have given you the impression that god pilots are only useful for their destructive potential, but in reality they can be fantastic engines of production. One of the most notable abilities they possess is that they can create impossible matter out of nothing. This is of vital importance to our Association."

"Can you explain that further, Master?"

"Think about all of the powerful mechs that we can develop. I have learned that you have recently completed a powerful second-class expert mech, so you have first-hand experience that much of its power is based on rare and potent exotics. Would you be able to design a mech that is just as strong if phasewater was not available?"

"No." Ves immediately shook his head. "The Mars would have become a much more inferior expert mech if we did not pump kilogram after kilogram of phasewater into the frame."

"What you have experienced with this design project is not that different from the situation that we face in high-end mech design and product development. The more powerful and advanced the product that we intend to make, the harder it is to find the right exotic materials that can translate our ambitious vision into reality."

That was indeed a major limitation and shortcoming. Competition was harsh. In order to defeat the strongest mechs, warships or alien monsters, a mech designer must be able to design a machine that performed better than what was already possible.

Technology and design could only get mech designers so far. No matter how brilliant Ves became in designing mechs, it was hard to develop any machine that could compete against a warship if he only had access to mundane materials like iron, lead and copper!

It was due to their high dependence on more powerful exotics that mech designers developed an obsession for them. Any mech designer that had the intention to design high-end mechs spent a disproportionate amount of time, money and effort on gathering all of the ultra-rare materials that were needed to make their desired mechs viable.

When Ves thought of how god pilots could utilize their awe-inspiring power to create specific objects that did not exist before, he fully understood Dervidian's point.

"You mean god pilots can function as material producers for mech designers?"

"That and more." The MTA Master nodded. "I do not need to mention that their services, while highly desirable, must only be utilized for the greatest and most critical products. We also cannot disturb them too much with our requests as these are exalted warriors who are juggling many different responsibilities."

"I see."

"Do not underestimate the role they play. Their existence has changed our civilization forever. Part of the reason why we are able to compete with peak powers such as strong alien civilizations and other major enemies is because we are able to develop peak products such as god mechs and other fantastic tools and war machines. Only when Star Designers and god pilots work together can our civilization produce these peak products that collectively comprise our top combat and non-combat power."

Ves widened his eyes. He never truly thought that such an amazing cooperation took place. The possibilities were endless if these two peak transcendents worked together to create products previously thought impossible.

"Can… can you give me an example?"

"There are many wonders that can be brought to life by pooling together the expertise of Star Designers with the boundless power of a god pilot." Dervidian said with awe in his tone. "I have been informed that you are familiar with Senfovon's Ladder of Craftsmanship, is that correct?"

"Uh, yes."

"According to your work and track record, you have already climbed up the second rung of the ladder numerous times. This should allow you to possess a good understanding of the power and mystery behind masterworks."

Pride welled up inside Ves. "I do not dare to say that I have gained proficiency in producing masterwork mechs, but climbing up the second rung of the ladder has indeed become significantly easier over the years."

Though creating masterwork mechs was still a matter of luck and engagement, he no longer needed to rely so much on Lucky's gems to make up the difference.

"To the vast majority of mech designers and producers, the second rung of the ladder is the apex of what they can realistically reach in their lifetimes. However, have you ever wondered why there is a third rung of the ladder and how it actually came about?"

Ves quickly made the connection. "You mean… the cooperation between Star Designers and god pilots allow for the production of grand works?!"

Masterworks were not the end of the road. The recent completion of the Mars showed that there were differences in quality between masterworks.

Whereas mechs such as the Shield of Samar and the Everchanger only passed the threshold to masterwork quality, the Mars had leapt far beyond that point!

If Ves had to describe it in more categorical terms, then the Amaranto, Shield of Samar, Everchanger and Minerva were merely low-tier masterwork mechs.

The Mars on the other hand felt more like a mid-tier masterwork mech!

The reason why Ves did not dare to label the Mars a high-tier masterwork mech was because he instinctively felt there was still a lot of room for improvement.

While he felt reasonably confident that he could fabricate a high-tier masterwork mech through his own efforts one day, he was less assured about his ability to leap to the next stage.

He would no longer be working within the confines of the second rung of the ladder which he would have thoroughly mastered at that point.

Instead, he had to find a way to climb up to the third rung of the ladder, something which was supposedly only possible for Star Designers.

Dervidian nodded. "Theoretically, grand works can be made out of relatively common materials. However, you should already know how difficult it is to create powerful and highly useful products with limited resources. The best tech and the best results can only be achieved if everything is at the highest level. The design, the components and the materials can all play an immense role in boosting the quality and overall soundness of a creation. Although utilizing peak materials is not an essential requirement, improving it is actually the easiest way to directly boost the quality of a product."

Ves understood what the Master was talking about. It took a lot of ingenuity and brainpower to come up with the best overall design and component designs.

On the other hand, replacing a low-quality material with a high-quality material required little thinking. He just had to make sure to actually obtain the desired resource, which was an entirely different challenge that prevented many mech designers from realizing their dreams.

However, what if there was a god pilot on hand that just happened to be able to produce a top-grade exotic that had been depleted a long time ago or did not exist in the first place?

All of those Star Designers who came up with impossible projects would be able to produce marvelous grand works that far exceeded the products made by their rivals from the CFA!

Ves' eyes lit up. This was probably the true advantage the MTA held over the CFA!

Though the Common Fleet Alliance most probably possessed an absolute advantage in quantity due to relying on easily-mastered technology, the Mech Trade Association excelled at breaking the boundaries of quality!

What he had just learned was probably one of the core components to grand works!

If Ves ever wanted to create his own grand work and climb up to the prestigious third rung of Senfovon's Ladder, then it was likely that he would have to gain the cooperation of a god pilot!

He soon began to frown. How easy was it to approach a god pilot and convince such an awe-inspiring individual to spend his valuable time and effort to produce large quantities of extravagant materials?