The Mech Touch



Ves could not make an immediate decision on Gloriana's proposal. A radical shift in strategy had enormous implications for his life and the lives of his clansmen.

Instead of making an ill-informed decision, he decided to sit on it and let the situation develop a bit more. He still needed to handle a few affairs such as meeting with the MTA, completing the Ghost Project and preparing for his departure from Davute.

"Just because I'm impulsive doesn't mean I always live my life this way!"

His wife might have tried to use this hasty maneuver to present the illusion that Ves needed to drink the poisoned chalice right away, but he chose to set it aside for later.

There was no obvious reason why he should rush and issue his verdict right away. So what if the Vrakens sent their precious ace pilot to his location on a superdrive carrier?

That ace pilot could sit right outside and wait until Ves was ready to handle her case!

Several days passed by as Ves juggled multiple responsibilities. Aside from meeting with various important figures and signing lucrative new business deals, the time to meet with the MTA had finally arrived.

Under normal circumstances, a mech designer who had just advanced to the rank of Senior Mech Designer had to visit the headquarters of the Mech Trade Association.

The branch headquarters located in the center of Kotor City was not good enough. This was just a location where the MTA primarily dealt with mundane affairs such as certifying mechs, validating commercial mech designs and mediating disputes in the mech community.

What Ves actually needed to do was go on another pilgrimage.

Back when he became a Journeyman Mech Designer, he traveled all the way to the Centerpoint System located in the center of the Komodo Star Sector.

Here in Krakatoa, the MTA already claimed the Yereln System as the headquarters for the entire middle zone.

Although Ves did not mind it if he visited another star system that was completely filled with high technology, he did not want to waste weeks of his time on travel and all kinds of other redundant affairs.

Perhaps ordinary mech designers had to go lower their heads and follow the rules, but Ves was different.

He was a tier 6 galactic citizen and became buddies with the Survivalist Faction and the Transhumanist Faction. His wife was right that these identities held great value.

Since this was the case, why not try and take advantage of the power bestowed by these connections?

Ves went at it with the mentality of trying it out. He briefly considered whether he should ask for a favor from the Survivalists or the Transhumanists.

On the one hand, the Carmine System and its many implications were directly related to the goals and ideals of the Transhumanist. He was sure that Master Termaneo Dervidian would drool and bring his entire fleet to Davute right away if Ves shared just a hint of what his latest innovation could accomplish!

"However… those Transhumanists can be a bit crazy."

The ordinary members of this faction merely tried to find ways to elevate humanity to a higher state.

The really devoted ones wanted to accomplish this by pursuing all kinds of radical and crazy ideas!

For example, they believed with all of their hearts that the separation between man and machine could eventually be blurred, thereby making it so that a human would become no different from a mech!

Ves could not predict what would happen if he presented the Carmine System to Master Dervidian. This leading mech designer whose head was steeped in transhumanism might go crazy on the spot!

In contrast, the Survivalists were much more reasonable. They only cared about the survival of humanity and did not really care what it took to keep it that way. They were pragmatists in that they accepted any ideology as long as it was useful to them. This caused the atmosphere within the faction to be considerably more grounded.

Perhaps the Survivalists had an extreme edge to them as well, but Ves had yet to experience it in his interactions with them so far. Humanity was at the height of its power, so there was not much reason for this faction to stand up and try to take charge.

In any case, Ves traveled to the Commercial District and dropped by the MTA Branch Headquarters.

He not only conducted his preliminary registration of his promotion to Senior Mech Designer, but also used the facility's secure communication channels to dispatch a message and a request to Master Vayro Goldstein.

"Hopefully, that guy took me seriously."

He did not know if Master Goldstein believed in his claim. Ves did not dare to spell out the possibility that his new Carmine System potentially allowed norms to pilot mechs.

Ves had no choice but to make a vague claim in order to convince the Master or any other bigshot from the Survivalist Faction to drop by in person.

He soon received an answer on who the Survivalist Faction chose to dispatch to Davute this time when a large portal formed in high orbit of Davute VII!

The Colonial Federation of Davute already received a notification about this arrival, so traffic control had cleared out this entire section of space since early morning.

Now, a smaller MTA starship formed a portal with an enormous radius. Once it stabilized to an extent, the bow of an impressive capital ship slowly appeared!

When Ves called up a live projection of this astonishing event, he immediately recognized the shape of the emerging warship.

His lips curled into a grin. "Master Goldstein believed me after all. That is good."

He felt gratified that a single vague message from him had been enough for Master Goldstein to interrupt his schedule and move to the Davute System straight away.

As the majestic hull of the Antazella de Osiris became fully visible, the residents of Davute all exhibited a wide range of reactions!

While the common folk were completely in the dark as to why a huge and powerful MTA research battlecarrier decided to drop by their humble star system all of a sudden, the upper echelon already learned the truth.

The Antazella de Osiris had come for the sole purpose of handling the Larkinson Patriarch's promotion to Senior!

This surprised a huge amount of people in Davute and beyond!

These folk had already learned that Ves had a good relationship with the mechers, but to be able to pull an important capital ship on short notice meant that his importance may be much greater than was currently known!

A lot of speculation erupted as a consequence. No matter what guesses that people came up with, the one unanimous point was that Ves should not be messed with! Anyone who received this level of treatment from the Mech Trade Association was never simple!

Naturally, the Larkinsons all felt even more honored than before. It was a blessing to work and fight for a leader who earned so much clout from the MTA!

Ves smirked non-stop as he quickly changed his outfit to a more formal and subdued suit.

All of the gossip that erupted all of a sudden was exactly what he wanted to happen!

Even if his upcoming meeting with the Survivalists did not yield as many results as he wanted, he would already be satisfied with his current gains!

"If I choose to embrace the latest proposal and switch to a high profile development strategy, then it will never hurt to strengthen my apparent ties to the MTA."

Ves still wanted more, though. This was why he placed a lot of importance in his upcoming talk.

Once he fixed up his appearance and skimmed through his notes, he was ready to attend the meeting that would directly affect his future course!

"Alright, I am ready. Port me over, please." He said over his comm.

His body started to shimmer and disappear from his office in his Royal Mansion.

Moments later, his body reappeared in a different teleportation chamber than before!

Ves shook off the strange sensations of getting displaced and went through a brief but mandatory security and identity verification check.

Since this was not his first visit to the MTA battlecarrier, Ves did not need to take the scenic tour this time.

A young lieutenant guided him across a maze of hallways and elevators before they reached a large and surprisingly traditional ceremonial hall.

In contrast to the hypermodern ship-based architecture that dominated much of the interior of the capital ship, the ceremonial hall looked as if it was built a few ages prior.

Of course, the MTA made sure it was clean and well-maintained.

Ves took in the vibe of the hall. The archaic suits of armor, the wall that presented an enormous collection of firearms that came from different time periods, the antique paintings that were all masterworks without fail.

The entire place looked incredibly out of place compared to the rest of the Antazella de Osiris. This place was not only steeped in ancient traditions that had no direct relations with mechs, but also contradicted the MTA's attempts at moving humanity beyond the shackles of the past where powerful star nations reigned over humanity.

"Mr. Larkinson." A voice called near a row of statues placed on the other side of the hall. "Step forward."

As Ves proceeded forward, he studied the marble-like statues but did not recognize any of their identities. Perhaps he might be able to do so if he spent more time on studying humanity's long and extensive history, but that was not his job.

Master Goldstein looked as well-dressed as ever. He not only wore a black suit that was decorated with triangular patterns, but also wore a green cape that added a touch of mystique to his appearance.

The top of his head was as bald as ever. The way its smooth surface reflected the light made Ves guess whether it was actually a dome of metal.

The two briefly shook hands once Ves came close enough.

As the two touched hands, Ves could clearly feel that the MTA Master transmitted a pulse of spiritual energy into his body.

Ves tried his best to stay cool and avoid any instinctive attempts to repel the intrusion.

Fortunately, Goldstein only needed to perform a quick and cursory exploration before he ended his little probe.

"Congratulations, Mr. Larkinson. I have just confirmed that you have genuinely advanced to the rank of Senior Mech Designer."

That caused Ves to raise his eyebrow. "Hadn't I already proved that when I registered at the branch headquarters down below?"

"You wouldn't believe how many fools tried to defraud our Association by pretending to break through. Their camouflage methods have become increasingly more inventive, but you and I both know that genuine ability can never be imitated."

Ves nodded. Mech designers who went through similar experiences and endured the same kind of struggles could recognize each other in a heartbeat.

Just his design flame alone was not a spiritual construct that any spiritual engineer could recreate! Its properties were just too special!

"So now that you have confirmed that I am the real deal, what is next?"

Master Goldstein turned back to the row of statues that clearly enjoyed a high status in the ceremonial hall. "We begin by clarifying a matter that you must have been wondering about for a long time."

Ves looked confused. "I have been wondering about a lot of different topics. Which one are you referring to, exactly?"

"Ah, I recall that you are steeped in secrets. The matter that I wish to address this time is related to the origin and nature of mechs."

"Oh."

The older man's answer immediately caused Ves to straighten his back and become more attentive.

Now that he thought about it, mechs occupied a weird position in human civilization. It rose out of nothing and quickly turned into the tech that defined the current age!

Anyone who possessed a working mind could quickly figure out that nothing about this sounded natural. There had to be a conspiracy of sorts that caused mechs to explode onto the scene.

Though Ves already figured out through other means that mechs partially served as a check against the spiritual shenanigans of the Five Scrolls Compact, he did not think this was the complete story.